Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Revive’s winning style.
Parker, CO – June 14, 2013 – The third day of the Summer in the Rockies II was filled with exciting show jumping competition in the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena. In the $1,000 7/8 Year Old Young Jumpers, Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Revive repeated their victory from Week I by nabbing the championship once again. The duo executed Danny Foster’s course in great form, proving the talent of these rising stars.
“I thought the course rode really nice; it was smooth, very nice for the young horses,” VanderVeen said. “There was nothing to surprise them.”
VanderVeen imported Revive as an approved Holsteiner stallion and later gelded him.
“We got him in the winter. He’s been progressing,” she said. “My brother did him in some amateur stuff. I’m excited; I think he’s going to be my up-and-coming grand prix horse. He’s got great technique and he’s very rideable and conventional.”
VanderVeen said that her other two entries in the class are much greener than Revive. VanderVeen and Bull Run’s TMac were second in the class. She named the horse after a Christian band.
“He’s green but has so much talent,” VanderVeen said. “He’s a little hot at the moment so we’re working on bridles and things like that. He’s my Dad’s favorite horse, and the flashiest horse I’ve ever seen, with that kicking out behind. It is only his third time doing the division. It is a nice place to step them up. The footing here-they jump well off it. The course was built nicely. You could just ride the track on it.”
Mercy Me, also imported by VanderVeen when the mare was 5, is another talented mount she has high hopes for a stellar career.
“She’s my baby and my long-time project,” she said. “This is only the second time she’s done a Young Jumper class. I have her on the slow track. I stepped her up to see and I made a small mistake but she handled it well.”
VanderVeen will compete aboard two mounts in the Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon.
Kelsey Van Ackeren from Austin, TX, won the $500 High Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Class aboard the gray gelding, Vernon G. Van Ackeren racked in the ribbons today earning a second place prize in the Modified Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers with Hey Joe and a third in the Low Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers with Indian Creek’s Mighty Magic.
“I thought the course rode really well,” she said. “I did the Highs, the Lows and the Modified so I did three times on all my horses. I really enjoyed it. I love the footing. My horse really stomps the ground when he goes. Here it is so soft. You feel like you can turn really well and you don’t slip. I really like it.”
Van Ackeren has had Vernon G for about a year and a half and it took a full year for her to find him. She finally hit the jackpot in Thousand Oaks, CA, where Kirsten Coe had been riding him.
“He’s little – only 16 hands,” she said. “He’s wild and he’s really, really hot but he knows his job and does it really well. He has hidden springs in his back legs because he jumps really big. He’s a ton of fun to ride. He’s put together really well so he doesn’t look small but he wears pony-sized everything. He’s a blast.”
Van Ackeren, who rides with Matt Cyphert at the shows, will return for her sophomore year at University of Texas this fall. She plans to stay for the entire Summer in the Rockies circuit and will celebrate her birthday on July 9 at the Colorado Horse Park.
Earlier in the day, Tony Font from Magnolia, TX piloted Deana Blackburn’s Kissimmee to the 1.30m Open Jumpers in the Kathy and Brad Coors Grand Prix Arena.
“It was a good course,” said Font about Foster’s track. “There weren’t so many clears and I was quite pleased with the way the horse jumped. I got Kissimmee last year. She’s sensitive; I’ve been building her up. I think she’s ready for the next step. I think the footing is wonderful. We love it here. We enjoy the summers here. They’ve done a great job over the years and we’re really happy to be here.”
In the 1.40 Open Jumpers, Bjorn Ikast and his own Iz’s Viva La Vida delivered an electrifying performance earned the pair the win just edging out Font and Calotta, owned by Ashton Galo Paley.
Saturday show jumping action begins Saturday at 8 a.m. The not-to-be-missed highlight of the day is the $30,000 Summer in the Rockies Grand Prix Presented by Littleton Equine Medical Center and Platinum Performance held in the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena at 4 p.m.
The Colorado Horse Park Summer in the Rockies Fast Facts
What: Summer in the Rockies AA-Rated Hunter Jumper Show Series
Event Dates:
Summer in the Rockies I June 5-9, 2013
Summer in the Rockies II June 12-16, 2013
Summer in the Rockies III June 19-23, 2013
Summer in the Rockies IV July 3-7, 2013
Summer in the Rockies V July 10-14, 2013
Summer in the Rockies VI July 17-21, 2013
Prize List:
Click here for an online version of the prize list. For a hard copy of the prize list, please e-mail prizelist@cohorsepark.com with your name, address and phone number and specify which prize list you would like (spring/fall or summer).
Entries:
Mail to The Colorado Horse Park, 7522 South Pinery Drive, Parker, CO 80134 or fax to (303) 841-7879. Opening date for Stall Reservations: April 1, 2013. Closing date May 20, 2013.
Contact Information:
Pat Boyle, Show Manager (847) 274-6834
Brian Curry, Show Manager (303) 918-2908
Show Office (303) 841-7461
Show Office Fax (303) 841-1419
Colorado Horse Park Main Office (303) 841-5550
Colorado Horse Park Main Office Fax (303) 841-7879
Tentative Schedule:
Wed – Sun: Show starts daily at 8 a.m. unless otherwise noted
Directions:
Address: 7375 E Bayou Gulch Rd, Parker, CO 80134
From North: I-25S exit Ridgegate Parkway – go east under the freeway. Ridgegate Parkway to S. Chambers Road, approx 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 approx 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, approx 4 miles (traffic light). Turn east/left onto Hwy. 86 to Franktown/Hwy 83. At Franktown go north on 83 approx. 7 mi. 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.
Carrie Wirth for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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