Tag Archives: Julie Wolfert

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., Show Jumping

Julie Wolfert Wraps Up Double Wins at Colorado Horse Park CCI*

June 3, 2013 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Julie Wolfert and Buenos Dias (Photo by Cristy Cumberworth)

Parker, CO – June 2, 2013 – Julie Wolfert, the leader after the first two phases in the CCI* and Open Intermediate divisions at the Colorado Horse Park CCI*, Training 3-Day and Horse Trials, stayed consistent in Sunday’s show jumping and claimed victory in both divisions. Solid rounds with Buenos Dias in the CCI* and Buenos Aires in Open Intermediate secured her the double wins.

Wolfert had a single knockdown with each horse, but excellent dressage scores on Friday and strong efforts on Saturday in the cross-country ensured her the first-place ranking in the event’s featured divisions.

She started the day off on the right note with a double-clear round on Vindicated in the Novice Horse division, which helped her move up from fourth to second place. Her next ride was on Buenos Dias in the CCI*, and she described the Brian Curry-designed course as a true challenge.

“It was really tough,” Wolfert said. “It was really tight and turny – you had to keep turning and thinking.”

She blamed herself for the rail with Buenos Dias. “It was a vertical and I should have rocked back and gotten nice and light,” she said. “I should have just kept on going. It’s actually my fault. I don’t do well off of long approaches, but that’s okay. I’m thrilled!”

After the testing ride on Buenos Dias, Wolfert was happy to try out the course again with Buenos Aires. “This was a lot more fun than the last one because he is such a hard jumper,” she said. “He just kind of flies over the jump. I always have a lot of fun when I ride him. I rode a little more forward around the turns and found my distance better.”

CCI*

Sydney Conley Elliott, second behind Wolfert on SaffariO, and Grayson Wall, third on Stryker, were the only two CCI* riders to jump double-clear in both the cross-country and show jumping. Elliott, who finished on her dressage score of 48.6, ended up just .6 penalties behind Wolfert after Wolfert dropped a rail.

“He was wonderful,” Elliott said of SaffariO. “He jumped well. Very rideable which he has been really struggling with. He finished on his dressage score. I can’t beat that.”

Wall, who is 15 years old and going into her sophomore year at Highland Park High School in Dallas, TX, moved up from her fifth-place position after cross-country to take third. She was happy with her horse’s performance over the challenging course. “He was very good,” she said. “The course was good. The turns were difficult. Overall, it went very well.”

Wall’s mother, Helena, said Grayson has worked hard to make her way up through the levels. “We got Stryker and he’s the most awesome horse,” she said. “They’ve come up from Novice, Training, Prelim and now the one-star CCI. We’ve traveled a lot of miles and she’s earned it. She actually took her finals early and then left on Thursday right after school. I think the horseback riding has made her very dedicated, determined, hard-working and very focused.”

Caroline Smith and Lucas had one rail down to stay in the fourth-place spot, while Wendy Webb and T. H. Royal Flush put in a double clear show jumping round to take fifth. Julianne Van Halst on Tristan and Nicole Hatley on ACE each had two rails down to close out the field in sixth and seventh.

Training Three-Day

Summer Peterson and Arden Stephens were closely matched throughout the first two phases of the Training Three-Day, but Peterson, riding Jake the Fish, pulled away in the show jumping to claim a clear win over Stephens and All That Matters. Stephens trailed Peterson by just 1.6 penalties in the dressage phase, and both pairs had a refusal cross-country to maintain the same difference in scores.

Stephens was first to go in show jumping and had four rails down, giving Peterson plenty of leeway going into her round. But even a double clear round couldn’t have earned Stephens the win, as Peterson and Jake the Fish put together a clear and fast round to pick up no further penalties.

Peterson was very pleased with Jake the Fish’s effort. “Stadium is definitely his hardest and he was the most rideable he’s ever been, even if it didn’t really look like it,” she said. “He was good and I was really proud of him.”

The Training Three-Day format gives horses and riders the opportunity to ride the classic long format at the Training level. Roads and Tracks and Steeplechase phases are added to cross-country day, providing an additional test of horses’ endurance.

Peterson said she chose the format because it helps her horse relax and settle down. “He’s so spooky and just so full of it,” she said. “It really helps to get those miles on him. I think it helps him settle and it’s really good training for him. So I’m planning to do three or four this year. He’s a Thoroughbred and he’s fit enough so it’s not hard for him.”

Stephens saw it as an opportunity to try something fun. “I was really excited about the cross country and the roads and tracks, and I thought it would be a really fun thing to do,” she said. “I loved it.”

Open Intermediate

Wolfert and Buenos Aires had a 10.4-point advantage going into the show jumping phase of the Open Intermediate, and their four-fault round was enough to secure the win by an impressive 18.4 penalties over their nearest competitor. Hailey Rich and Kingfisher II, their closest challengers, had three rails down in show jumping. Erin Hofmann and Macchiato were third, while Martha McDowell and Nabouco de Lessay took fourth.

“This is our hardest part and he was all tight, so I just worked with what I had,” Rich said. “The course was definitely complicated. I think it’s good, but it’s harder. This is a great show.”

Hoffman, who had a single rail, enjoyed the course. “It rode really well,” she said. “It was tight but it was good because it sets you up for the fences. The rail was just my fault. He jumped well today.”

McDowell and Nabouco de Lessay were clean and fast over the show jumping course after picking up both jumping and time faults on Saturday’s cross-country. “It was super,” she said after her round. “This horse is such a good show jumper. He was listening really well.”

Open Preliminary

*Rochelle Costanza and Lionhart. Photo by Cristy Cumberworth*

Rochelle Costanza and Lionhart had a comfortable lead in Open Preliminary after cross-country, but two rails and a time fault in show jumping nearly cost them the win. They finished on a score of 39, while Amy Gilbertson and One Honest Man closed the gap to finish on 41.5. Summer Peterson finished just a tenth of a point behind Gilbertson in third.

“It was a little sticky, but we still pulled it off,” Costanza said. “The course today was challenging. The distances were varied so you really had to adjust your horse accordingly and I liked it.”

“Yesterday was fabulous,” she continued. “My horse is really bold. It was the first time he ever made the time and his first prelim was one year ago. We were ready. It was my turn. He’s a warmblood, so he’s not exactly the fastest horse, but he is strong and he likes it. We had a fun time.”

Other Colorado Horse Park winners included Nicole Musmanno and Cobblehill JHN Imogen in Open Training, Christina Henriksen and Princess Pavan in Training Horse, and Dan Michaels in Training Rider. Novice division winners were Martha Deeds and CF Rock Star in Novice Horse, Heather Haubrich and Jasmine in Novice Rider – A, Grace Simpson and Rapport in Novice Rider B, and Angelika Beutel and Sidney Rose Belle in Open Novice. Vicki Dudash and Gracefully Dun took first place in Beginner Novice Rider, Lauren Jost and Wink at the Judge earned the blue in Jr. Beginner Novice Rider, and Lee Anne Thomas and Orion’s Dunaire were the victors in Open Beginner Novice.

For full results, visit http://www.evententries.com/livescoring/15284.html.

The Colorado Horse Park CCI*, T3D & Horse Trials Fast Facts

What: USEF/USEA Recognized Division: CCI1*, Intermediate, Preliminary

USEF Endorsed/USEA Recognized Divisions: T,T3D,N,BN

USEA Event ID: 15284

Event Date: May 31 – June 02, 2013

Tentative Schedule:
Wed: In-Barn Examination for CCI horses from 1-5 p.m.
Thurs: CCI: In-Barn Examination for CCI horses till 1 p.m.
2 p.m. Briefing and course walk for FEI competitors and coaches; 4:30 p.m. First Horse Inspection; HT course open 3 p.m.
Fri: Dressage – 8 a.m.
Sat: Cross-country – 8 a.m.
Sun: 8:30 a.m. CCI: Final Horse Inspection; 11:00 a.m. Show Jumping for CCI horses; HT: Show Jumping – 8 a.m.

Starting Times:

Entry status is listed at www.coloradohorsepark.com and starting times will be on the website after 6 p.m. on May 31.

Directions:

Address: 7522 South Pinery Drive, Parker, CO 80134

From North: I-25S exit Ridgegate Parkway – go east under the freeway. Ridgegate Parkway to S. Chambers Road, approximately 3 miles (Traffic light) – turn right/south onto Chambers Road. At end of Chambers Road turn left/east onto Hess Road. Hess Road to Parker Road/Hwy 83 – turn right/south onto Hwy 83 approximately 4 miles to Bayou Gulch Road. (Traffic light). Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

From South: I-25N, exit Founder’s Parkway. Founder’s Parkway to Highway 86, approximately 4 miles (traffic light). Turn east/left onto Hwy. 86 to Franktown/Hwy 83. At Franktown go north on 83 approximately 7 miles to Bayou Gulch Rd. (Traffic light), turn right/east onto Bayou Gulch Rd. Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

About the Colorado Horse Park

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the Colorado Horse Park was founded by visionary Helen Krieble who acknowledged the need for a high-volume horse show and horse boarding facility to serve Colorado. The Colorado Horse Park welcomes more than 75,000 visitors per year and hosts over 40 competitions annually. CHP features a derby arena designed by Olympic-designer Linda Allen and a cross-country course designed by Olympic Gold Medalist David O’Connor and eventing super-star James Atkinson. There are 300 permanent stalls with capacity for more than 1,000 stalls.

The picturesque property, located only minutes from the town of Parker, hosts international equestrian events in multiple disciplines. Visitors enjoy the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountain surroundings and access to miles of trails and open space. The Colorado Horse Park is committed to supporting equestrian education and amateur athletics, preserving open space, fundraising for local charities and supporting the community.

Visit CHP at: http://coloradohorsepark.com/.

Mary Adelaide Brakenridge and Sue Weakley for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

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*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T.

Julie Wolfert atop Leaderboards after Cross-Country at Colorado Horse Park CCI*

June 2, 2013 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Julie Wolfert and Buenos Dias.

Parker, CO – June 1, 2013 – Many competitors had rave reviews for cross-country day at the Colorado Horse Park’s CCI*/Training Three-Day/Horse Trials, but Julie Wolfert had more reasons than most to be happy. Wolfert turned in three double-clear cross-country rounds to cement her lead in the CCI* with Buenos Dias, taking over the lead in Open Intermediate with Buenos Aires, and moving up a notch from fifth to fourth in Novice Horse with Vindicated.

“She was fantastic,” Wolfert said of CCI* mount Buenos Dias. “It was really fun! I liked the last water because she jumped it so big and so fun. The course rode great and was very open. It was perfect for where I’m at and for my horse’s training.”

Wolfert was also happy with Buenos Aires’ performance in the Intermediate-level water complexes and said the best part of the ride was the bounce into water. “He had never done one before, and I thought he handled it pretty well,” she said.

She noted that Buenos Aires needed a bit of a push to get going at first. “He was a little picky and a little strong and then he finally settled in toward the end in our groove,” she said. “The course was great and it was reversed (from previous years) and I like how it rode better in this direction. (Course designer James Atkinson) gave us a lot of nice, inviting jumps, and then it got technical, and then there were some breaks again.”

Julia Wolfert and Buenos Aires - Photo by Cristy Cumberworth — *Julia Wolfert and Buenos Aires – Photo by Cristy Cumberworth*

Atkinson’s course design philosophy fits with Wolfert’s observations. He describes the process of building a course as one that begins with setting a track, keeping in mind the natural features of the land as well as existing complexes, and progresses to adding combinations while using the spaces in between as a way to rebuild confidence between tests.

“Once you have the track, you start filling in the combinations and trying to ask a different question at each one, whether it’s an accuracy question or a boldness question or a turning question, and trying to make them somewhat progressive through the course,” Atkinson said. “For all levels, the first water jump is quite easy, the second one is slightly harder, and then the third one is probably the most challenging.” As an example, he mentioned the Training course he’d set for this event, where several horses who hesitated at entering the initial, straightforward water complex balked later on in the course when asked to jump down into water.

“And then a pretty important part is what you do in between those combinations,” Atkinson continued. “Maybe you asked a question that was quite hard, and the horse did it, but then he’s maybe a little bit suspicious. So you have a fence or a couple of fences that the riders can just kick at, just straightforward gallop fences, where they can rebuild that little bit of confidence in the horse before that next combination.”

“My job really is to get the horse at whatever level to actually finish the course more confident than they started, and leave the rider feeling like they did some stuff that was pretty hard by the end, and succeeded.”

CCI* – Maintaining their second-place position behind Wolfert and Buenos Dias in the CCI* were Sydney Conley Elliott and SaffariO, who also went double-clear around the course. “He was fabulous,” Elliott said of SaffariO. “He is all warmblood so I was worried about him making the distance and having enough stamina to finish the course, but he surprised me.”

Elliott, who traveled from Louisiana to compete at the Colorado Horse Park, added that the course was a good place for SafarriO to make his CCI* debut. “He did really well and the course was fabulous – a great one-star course,” she said. “From start to finish, he was very confident, and I like it when a horse finishes almost better than they started. It was a perfect place for us to come for our one-star. Worth the 16-hour drive? You bet! It was wonderful.”

Third-placed Julianne Van Halst and Tristan were also making their one-star debut. “All the jumps rode really well and they were pretty straightforward,” she noted. “It was fabulous. It’s a great confidence builder and it’s lovely and a first-class facility.”

She said she was grateful to her horse for helping her out throughout the course. “There were a couple spots where he really saved my butt. He knows his job and he always takes care of me. I’m very lucky to have a horse like him.”

Caroline Smith, who rode Lucas to a double-clear cross-country round to stay within striking range of the leaders, said she trusted her horse’s athleticism to carry them through the course. “He’s very clever and very athletic,” she said. “I just try to stay out of his way as much as possible and let him do what he does best. And isn’t that what we are supposed to do?”

“The footing was fabulous and the fences are well-built and the course was well-designed,” she added. “I loved it. On top of a pretty decent dressage, we’ll see what happens. I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Training Three-Day – The Training Three-Day division continued to be a close battle between Summer Peterson, on Jake the Fish, and Arden Stephens, on All That Matters. Peterson held a 1.6-point lead after dressage, and it looked like she might extend that lead when Stephens had a refusal on course. But Peterson, riding just after Stephens, also incurred a refusal, allowing Stephens to move back within range of the lead.

Peterson said the refusal was disappointing but a good learning experience. “I made a stupid mistake at the corner, but as soon as I got myself organized, he was fine and went back over it and he was really good the rest of the time,” she said. “It got me a little sharper. I’m kicking myself because it was my mistake completely. He was better afterward too, because I got a little more aggressive. It was a good lesson for me.”

Peterson enjoyed her ride over the course and thought the reversal of direction from previous years helped it flow well. “I think James did an awesome job,” she said. “It really builds on itself. This course was really fun. I wish I could go do it again, right now, and do it better this time!”

Jake the Fish has particular reason to relish the cross-country course at the Colorado Horse Park, which features three water complexes: Peterson said his name was inspired by his love for water and resemblance to a sea creature. “He really likes water,” she explained. “In the winter he grows a big mustache and he looks like a big catfish.”

Open Intermediate – Hailey Rich and Kingfisher II will have a lot of ground to make up on show jumping day if they hope to catch Wolfert and Buenos Aires, who lead by over 10 points. Wolfert inherited the first-place position from overnight leaders Julie Norman and Consensus, who were eliminated after a fall at the first water complex.

Like Wolfert, Rich enjoyed tackling the challenges of the course. “I thought the new bank up to the angled brush was actually really clever,” she said. “It was an interesting question that I hadn’t seen before. I also liked the first water, where you go over barrels and then go over the table and then drop down – that was really challenging. There were definitely some different questions I hadn’t seen before.”

The final day of the CCI*, Training Three-Day and Horse Trials will offer new questions to challenge competitors. The show jumping phase will demand accuracy and precision after the arduous cross-country run of the day before. While some divisions have a clear leader after cross-country, anything can happen on show jumping day, and several divisions will be won or lost depending on how the rails fall.

Show jumping begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Colorado Horse Park; with the jog at 8 a.m. Keep track of live results at http://www.evententries.com/livescoring/15284.html.