Tag Archives: National Horse Show

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Show Jumping

Tori Colvin and Ovation Are Grand at National Horse Show

November 2, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Tori Colvin and Ovation.

Lexington, KY – November 1, 2014 – The National Horse Show is steeped in history, and the 2014 Grand Champion Junior Hunter is a horse that is not only adding to that history, but creating quite the legacy for himself as well.

“In the history of the [United States Equestrian Federation] and the [American Horse Show Association] there has never been a Small Junior Working Hunter that has won as many of the big ones as he has. You’re looking at an animal that is historic,” said Dr. Betsee Parker.

The horse that she is describing is her own Ovation, a 14-year-old Warmblood gelding who claimed the Junior Hunter Grand Championship with Tori Colvin in the irons.

Ovation and Colvin won two of the three over fences classes and the under saddle this week at the Kentucky Horse Park before ultimately being named the Small Junior 16-17 Hunter champions and going on to receive the Overdressed Challenge Trophy as the overall champions.

Parker values each and every one of the championships that Ovation has won, but there is something particularly special about the National Horse Show.

“These qualifiers are the ones that everyone wants to get to,” Parker said. “Mason Phelps has just done a spectacular job of reviving the National Horse Show. I was one of those dyed in the wool New York City/Madison Square Garden types, but on its own right now in Kentucky it has become a stand out, magnificent first tier show.”

Finishing in reserve in the Small Junior 16-17 Hunter division, presented by Dayle Duchossois and Edward Fortino, were Kaitlyn Van Konyenburg and Triton Z.

Kaitlyn Van Konyenburg and Wish List Top the List in Large Junior 16-17 Hunters

The reserve tricolor in the Small Junior Hunters was just the start for Van Konyenburg. The 16-year-old will also be returning home to California with the Large Junior 16-17 Hunter championship cooler earned aboard her own Wish List.

“I’m really, really excited. I didn’t think it would happen, but it did!” said an excited Van Konyenburg.

“He’s just a good guy,” Van Konyenburg said of the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding. “Riding him, you have to be really still. He gets really nervous if you’re not still enough, which I had to learn because I’m a little bit sloppy sometimes. He made me learn how to sit still. He’s just a really fun ride. You can trust him over everything because you know he’s going to go over everything. He’s never stopped at a jump. He’s just a good all-around solid guy.”

For the last six years, Van Konyenburg has been training with Carleton Brooks and Traci Barmen Brooks and their Balmoral Farm in the heart of Los Angeles, only about 500 feet from Sunset Boulevard. Van Konyenburg credits them with helping her get to where she is today: winning multiple top honors at one of the most prestigious horse shows in the country.

“We’re a really good team because we can be serious, but we can still have fun which is good because I like to have fun,” Van Konyenburg said. “I like this sport with them because I can have a lot a lot of fun and be good, but not be one of those kids who has to feel like winning is everything.”

Traci added, “It’s been a long road, but she’s come so far. When we first met Kaitlyn she was scared to jump an X. We had to beg her, and we had to make her sing a song while she went over it… She’s come a long way from that.”

“She has natural talent. There’s no question,” Carleton said. “The empathy for the horses carries over. The horses know it right away.”

Van Konyenburg also gives her mom a lot of credit for her support of her riding and showing over the years.

“I love my mom so much. She literally is the best cheerleader,” Van Konyenburg said. “I have three brothers and sisters, so she’s really dedicated a lot of time to coming to the horse shows. She’s such a good role model for me. These two too; Carleton has been really good with helping me learn how to be a good person, and so has Tracey.”

Lilli Hymowitz Dominates in Junior 15 and Under Hunters

In the Junior 15 and Under Hunters, Lilli Hymowitz is quick to thank her horses, and on Saturday there were two in particular who received a little extra praise.

Hymowitz dominated the Junior Hunters for her age division, winning both the Small and Large Junior 15 and Under Hunter Division championships aboard Enjoy and Tiffani respectively.

“Enjoy is amazing,” Hymowitz said of her day’s first winning mount, an 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding previously ridden by her sister, Cloe Hymowitz. “He was a challenge. This is my first time being at Indoors on him. Harrisburg and Capital Challenge and Washington were all good. I had little mistakes in all of my classes like a hard rub or a swap or something. It’s nice for it to all come together.”

Hymowitz continued, “You have to let him do his own thing and let him find the jump. If you leave him alone, he’s perfect. He’s the sweetest in the barn out of all of mine for sure. He’s so nice and gives kisses.”

While Enjoy might be the sweetest, Hymowitz’s Large Junior Hunter, Tiffani, is the one who really has her heart.

“She’s probably my favorite,” Hymowitz said. “She’s not as friendly in the barn, and as soon as she goes in the ring, she knows it’s time to work. She really does anything that you tell her to do as long as you give her instructions, so it’s very different from Enjoy. You leave him alone, and she’s more ‘tell me what to do.’ I like Tiffani’s ride better because I’m just more in control, but I’ve learned how to ride Enjoy too.”

Reserve in the Large Junior 16-17 Hunters, presented by Susie Humes, went to Kerry McCahill and Imagine. Reserves in the Junior 15 and Under Hunter divisions went to Victoria Press and Akinda in the Smalls and Kelly Arani and Antwerp in the Large division.

In the Junior 3’3″ Hunter division, the championship honor went to Hailey Livingston and Brego, and the reserve championship went to Grace Finerman and Carlsson.

Saturday marked the conclusion hunter competition at the National Horse Show, but the competition continues on Sunday with the highly anticipated ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship National Championship Final.

Watch the Maclay Finals live online at www.usefnetwork.com, and find out more about the show at www.nhs.org.

About the National Horse Show

Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America’s oldest indoor horse show, firmly established as a major fixture on the national and international sports and social event calendars. The National Horse Show Association’s primary activity is the annual production of the National Horse Show and all ancillary events. Over the years, the National Horse Show has provided financial aid to many worthwhile charities.

With $755,000 in prize money offered, this year’s National Horse Show offers an International Open Jumpers with $460,000 in prize money, while the top rated hunter sections have a total purse of $195,000. Meanwhile, $100,000 in total is offered to the Amateur-Owner and U 25 Jumper sections.

For the fourth consecutive year, The National Horse Show received a top ranking from NARG, the North American Riders Group and was named the Show Hunter Hall of Fame Horse Show of the Year in four back-to-back years.

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

What:
The Alltech National Horse Show is a week-long championship event featuring “AA”-rated hunters, open jumpers, junior/amateur jumpers, and the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals. The event will run October 28 – November 2, 2014, indoors in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Parking:
The Kentucky Horse Park has waived the normal parking fee during the Alltech National Horse Show. Parking is free. While dogs are permitted at the Kentucky Horse Park on a leash, no dogs are allowed in the Alltech Arena during the ANHS.

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

Additional Contacts:
Vendors – Matt Morrissey at matt.morrissey@stadiumjumping.com or call (941) 915-3457
VIP Table Sales – Cindy Bozan at cindy@nhs.org Phone: (859) 608-3709
Advertising and Program Sales – Dee Thomas at jmstables@aol.com Phone: 561-310-7679
Sponsorship – Mason Phelps at mpjr@phelpsmediagroup.com or 561-753-3389 or Susie Webb at webb_susie@yahoo.com or 301-520-6162

Hotels:
HILTON – DOWNTOWN – 859-231-9000 – Approximately 6 miles
CLARION HOTEL (formerly Holiday Inn North) – 859 – 233-0512 – Approximately 4 miles
FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES BY MARRIOTT – 859 -977-5870 – Approximately 4 miles
FOUR POINTS SHERATON – 859-259-1311 – Approximately 4 miles
LA QUINTA – 859-231-7551 – Approximately 4 miles
KNIGHTS INN – 859-231-0232 – Approximately 4 miles
EMBASSY SUITES – 859-455-5000 – Approximately 4 miles
MARRIOT GRIFFIN GATE – 859-231-5100 – Approximately 4 miles
RESIDENCE INN – 859-231-6191 – Approximately 5 miles
COURTYARD BY MARRIOT – 859-253-4646 – Approximately 5 miles
HOLIDAY INN GEORGETOWN – 502-570-0220 – Approximately 6 miles
RAMADA INN – 859-299-1261 – Approximately 6 miles
RED ROOF INN – 859-293-2626 – Approximately 6 miles
HAMPTON INN – 502-867-4888 – Approximately 6 miles
SUPER EIGHT – 502-863-4888 – Approximately 6 miles
MICROTEL INN & SUITES – 502-868-8000 – Approximately 6 miles

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

*Featured/Spotlights, National Horse Show, Show Jumping

Madden Outguns Ward in Sensational Jump-Off at $250k CP World Cup Qualifier at NHS

November 2, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’.

Shawn Casady Captures Inaugural $65,000 Sleepy P Ranch & Deeridge Farms Under 25 Championship with Twister

Lexington, KY – November 1, 2014 – In front of a pumped up Saturday night crowd at the 131st National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky, Olympic teammates Beezie Madden and McLain Ward did battle once again. In this skirmish it was Madden and Cortes ‘C’ edging out Ward and Rothchild by a single second to claim the title in the $250,000 Canadian Pacific Grand Prix CSI4*-W, presented by the Harrison Family. Madden had the advantage of going last and ripped across the finish line in a sensational time of 34.71 seconds to nail down the win. Just minutes earlier, Ward and Rothchild had posted the top time of 35.73 seconds, but ended up settling for second place. Georgina Bloomberg and Juvina finished in third in 39.46 seconds.

Thirty-eight starters went to the post and were faced with a solid World Cup test with 13 numbered obstacles and 16 jumping efforts, designed by popular Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge. He used a triple combination early on at 5abc and a double later at 9ab. The triple caused plenty of problems at the top of the order and then once the riders began to solve that dilemma, fence 6, the tall CP vertical and 12, the very wide CP oxer coming home, began to take their toll. All in all though, faults were spread throughout the course and a snug time allowed added time faults to a number of score sheets, but none more heartbreaking than the single time infraction that prevented Laura Kraut and Andretti S from advancing to the dash for cash.

Tonight’s top finishers all had praise for Jorge’s tough, but fair, test.

“Today he really ratcheted up the test,” Ward noted. “I think it was an appropriate test for a World Cup. Three of the best horses in the class, in my opinion, near the top. So I think that was a really good result for this level of competition.”

Madden agreed. “I think he made it a bit more difficult today. I think he was a little restricted in the height in the prize list for the other classes. In this one he had a little bit more freedom, and I think it made for a good jump-off and a good result. It was a good class.”

“Thursday was very much on the soft side, but he learned the footing is good here; there are good horses here,” added Bloomberg. “Today he did a really good test which is the most important thing.”

Overall, eight horse and rider combinations mastered the first round course, totaling seven women and Ward, and all of the riders were from the United States. In fact, the highest placed foreign rider tonight was Beat Mandli of Switzerland with Antares F in 10th place.

Although the jump-off would prove to be one of the best we’ve seen in a long, long time, it didn’t start out that way. Over the shortened jump-off track, the first three to return all rolled the rail in the same fashion, at that same problematic fence #6. Brianne Goutal, the first to go clean in the first round with Nice de Prissey, had that rail and then one more to finish with eight faults in 38.856 seconds.

Kirsten Coe and Baronez had only the troublesome rail at fence 6 down to move ahead of Goutal with only four faults on her scorecard, in 40.54 seconds. Local favorite, Reed Kessler, finished with eight faults, but was faster than Goutal to move ahead of her in the order with Cylana in 37.53 seconds.

And then the fun began.

Candice King guided Kismet 50 to the first double clear of the night, much to the delight of the boisterous crowd on hand. King was clean and concise in a time 41.66 seconds, but in the end she would be nearly seven seconds off the winning pace. But, she certainly got the crowd buzzing.

And Georgina Bloomberg got them going even more. Making some neat turns with Juvina, Bloomberg galloped home almost two seconds faster than King in 39.46 seconds. “For me, my aim with her is to go for a nice slow clear and hopefully have that be good enough for a good ribbon,” Bloomberg said. “Today, I felt I could be a little quicker and take a shot at it. I also knew that realistically, she at her fastest is always going to be a little slower than Beezie and McLain at their fastest. So I knew if they didn’t pull any rails, I probably wouldn’t finish behind them,” she said.

McLain Ward and Rothchild were the next to enter the ring and from the start, Ward never let off the gas. He was at high speed the entire way around the eight fence track. Meeting every fence almost perfectly, Ward raced home almost four seconds faster than Bloomberg in 35.73 seconds. “I didn’t think I left a lot out there, but I wasn’t confident I was going to win either with Beezie coming behind me,” Ward admitted. “I have to say though, if I was in that position 100 times I would have ridden the same exact ground. With her coming behind me, I think I would have ridden the same round. Maybe if I had gone after her, I would have tried to do the impossible, but I did about all that I could. My horse doesn’t have quite as big a stride, but he jumped super.”

“Rothchild just keeps giving and giving,” he said. “I would have liked to have won, but I really can’t second guess anything that I did.”

Lillie Keenan and Pumped Up Kicks, in their race for tonight’s top prize, dislodged the rail at 8 on their way to a finish time of 38.82 seconds. She would end up fifth on the night.

That set the stage for Beezie Madden and her always ready to go partner, Cortes ‘C.’ Madden matched Ward’s track step for step, but Cortes, naturally, has the bigger stride. However, it was Madden’s approach to the final fence that really sealed the deal on tonight’s win. The pair raced home in 34.71 seconds, a second ahead of Ward and Rothchild. “I knew McLain was very fast. My husband John told me that. I knew that I would have to pull out all the stops. He also told me to take a risk and use his scope at the last fence. I think maybe I stretched it a little too far,” she laughed.

“He’s been amazing all year. I’m really happy that he came back and did well,” said the WEG Team and Individual Bronze medalist. “This is his first competition back in the states. I’m really happy he’s still on form and doing well.”

“He’s like a big puppy dog. He loves attention from people. He’ll put his head right in your lap. I think he’d love to be a lapdog in his next life,” she smiled. “He’ll let you know if he doesn’t like something though. He’ll make that very clear.”

Hunter Harrison, the CEO of Canadian Pacific and Chairman of the Board of the National Horse Show and sponsor of tonight’s event, said, “Let me congratulate Georgina and McLain and Beezie for an outstanding performance. It’s a pleasure for us to be able to sponsor a show of this prestige and for it to come off as well as it did. You can congratulate the course designer. He did a wonderful job because you see the cream came to the top here tonight. Three of the top riders in country and three of the top riders in the world,” he said. “We just feel very privileged at Canadian Pacific to be able to sponsor a wonderful event like this.”

Harrison then announced some very exciting news. “We made a commitment today to go through the 2016 National Horse Show as sponsors. We would probably go even further, except we have a policy that you cannot go beyond a CEO’s tenure. I’m out in 2017 and we’ll have to sell the new CEO that it’s a tradition that he should carry on,” he smiled.

Madden captured the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider award and the Audi Leading Rider award for her efforts tonight, but more importantly, she bankrolled some valuable World Cup points as everybody is fighting for a spot at the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas next April. “My first goal is to qualify. Even though I had a good score today, I really only have planned to do seven qualifiers unless I get desperate and start scrambling around,” she said. “Seven scores count, so I need all those to be good really.”

Tonight was certainly a step in the right direction.

Madden and Ward will head to Toronto next. For Bloomberg, it’s wait and see. “I’m right on the cusp for Toronto. So I’ll have my bags packed and ready to go if I get the call the night before,” she said. “I’d love to go. Juvina has had a little rest now, and she felt fresh so I felt like I could make a little shot at it. Hopefully, I get into Toronto. If not, Paris is the next stop.”

Not a bad alternative.

Shawn Casady Moves Up the Ranks to Claim Inaugural $65,000 Sleepy P Ranch & Deeridge Farm Under 25 Championship

The final day of the $65,000 Sleepy P Ranch & Deeridge Farm Under 25 Championship at the 131st National Horse Show ultimately came down to two demanding rounds and an upset in the ranks as Shawn Casady and Twister made a comeback to seal the victory. Casady jumped from the fourth position to the first with a double clear today, finishing on a total of 6 penalties to lead the victory gallop for the inaugural championship.

Casady’s consistent efforts in the first two days of competition put him just behind the 18-year-old Michael Hughes and MacArthur. Hughes and MacArthur, owned by Christina Fried, led the standings going into the final day of competition, with day one and two class winners Wilton Porter and Kalvin Dobbs sitting in third and second respectively. With zero penalties to his name, Hughes entered the competition with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

MacArthur, a horse known for his foot speed, unfortunately had one rail during the opening round and continued into the second round with four penalties. A rub at the front rail of the tenth obstacle dropped him from the lead, leaving Casady to take the championship with six penalties overall.

“MacArthur is usually a horse that thrives off going a lot more, so I was a little bit surprised the first night when he went so well,” Hughes recounted. “Usually he can be a little bit spooky the first night, but he was great every round. He tried so hard. We made a few mistakes the last couple of rounds, being a little bit nervous. But other than that he was amazing all week.”

Hughes continued, “Going into the second round, I knew I couldn’t have a rail. I could have time faults, but MacArthur’s naturally a fast horse so I didn’t think I would. I thought it was going to be a great course for him. I was a bit surprised by the rail we had. I couldn’t have asked any more from him all week.”

Casady, a rider recently turned professional, was thrilled with his win aboard Twister, owned by Cavallo Farms, LLC. He trained with Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farm during his junior years, and his transition to professional rider has been smooth as he continues his relationship with their operation.

“As a junior I was always busy, kind of like a professional, catch riding and working for different people,” Casady said. “I have been trying to do more, ride more and get more classes like this. It’s been a really smooth transition. I’ve worked with Twister for a couple years now. The Spoglis own him – huge thanks to them for the opportunity to ride a real grand prix horse like that.”

Casady continued, “He likes to be ridden together with seat and contact. He’s not a small catty horse. You have to worry a little about the time allowed, but he thrives off the pace of it and it works.”

Third place finisher Nicole Bellissimo made a huge comeback after initially placing 17th on the opening day of competition. Although she consistently rode VDL Bellefleur to four clear rounds, her opening day put her into a low rank when she incurred time faults for her tidy round.

Bellissimo described, “I’ve had her since the end of her 6-year-old year, so even though she’s 8 years old right now, I know her extremely well. We’ve been stepping her up and down. She’s done some grand prix, won a 1.50m class at Bromont and jumped clear at New Albany. We let her tell us how she’s feeling and try not to push her too much.”

Casady admitted that the quality of horses was unbelievable, with the top ranked riders in the nation, 25 and younger, vying for the first annual championship.

“This championship is great!” Casady said. “It’s neat that they started it this year, and I’m excited to see where it goes. It is a really great program. I don’t think there was a bad horse in the class. Every round, every horse, every rider – it was intense!”

The Under 25 Championship was brought about with the support of Suzanne Porter of Sleepy P Ranch as a way of closing the gap between the High Amateur-Owner and Junior Jumpers and the Grand Prix. Most of the riders have competed through the pipeline, whether it was pony jumpers or equitation medals.

Hughes is one of those riders, entering into his last equitation competition of his junior years tomorrow during the ASPCA Maclay Final. Although he felt the nerves during the championship division today, now that he has achieved a great result at this year’s National Horse Show, he feels a bit less pressure going into the Maclay.

“I’d say that today was a lot similar height-wise to an under 25 grand prix , but the level of pressure going in made it all bigger going around. You just had to make sure everything was perfect, so hopefully you could jump a clear round. Pressure made everything harder than usual today, but the jumpers are my first priority. I’m pretty relaxed going into tomorrow. I have a great horse, and hopefully it all goes well.”

The ASPCA Maclay Finals will conclude the 131st National Horse Show tomorrow, commencing at 7 a.m.

About the National Horse Show

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Stephanie Danhakl Is Golden in Amateur-Owner Hunters at National Horse Show

November 1, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Stephanie Danhakl and Golden Rule.

Lexington, KY – October 30, 2014 – Stephanie Danhakl and Golden Rule have racked up quite the list of accomplishments in just the past eight months, and on Friday afternoon at the National Horse Show they added another major one to their resume.

Danhakl, 27, and Golden Rule, won three of the four classes in the Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunters to clinch the division championship, sponsored by Bruce Duchossois and H ‘n D Stables, and, ultimately, the Amateur-Owner Hunter Grand Championship.

“I don’t even know what really to think,” Danhakl, of Pacific Palisades, California, said. “It’s just been a phenomenal Indoors for me. All of my horses have been amazing. This is just an incredible way to end.”

Danhakl also competed her mount Humor Me successfully in the Amateur-Owner Hunters, but it has been Golden Rule, or “Dreamy” as he is appropriately known in the barn, who has repeatedly gone to the top of the ranks with Danhakl, under the coaching of trainer Scott Stewart.

“[Scott] bought him off a video in January or February, and he started showing him in the High Performance and Second Year [Green Hunter] divisions,” Danhakl said of the 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding. “At the time, I wasn’t looking for a horse, but I got on him one day and just fell in love with him right away. We were able to convince my parents to buy him. We just clicked from day one. He’s just been such a blessing and has given me so much confidence in my riding and has been such an amazing horse for me.”

Danhakl continued, “He has just the most amazing rhythm. [His canter] is sort of hard to describe. It’s almost like your floating. It’s almost like you’re in the clouds.”

Beginning to train with Stewart, who found Golden Rule for Danhakl, was a switch that she only made about a year ago, but it is one that has been extremely beneficial as she works to balance her amateur riding career with completing her Master’s Degree in Art History at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Scott’s been an incredible trainer for me. I’ve improved 200 percent in the past year, since I’ve been riding with him,” Danhakl said. “I just trust him implicitly both in his ability to find horses that suit me really well and also just in the schooling ring. Each horse is different, and he really just knows each horse really well. He can give me tips on how to ride them best and to each of their abilities and strengths.”

In the Amateur-Owner 35 and Over Hunters, the trainer that Nicole Hiehle looks to is Russell Frey. His guidance is part of what helped Hiehle and her mount Lovely Charity clinch their division championship, sponsored by Suzanne Thoben Marquard, on Friday.

“Russell’s been unbelievable,” Hiehle said. “I’ve been so nervous this whole week, and he can look at the horse and tell what I need to do and tell me to make her to be her best.”

Hiehle’s nerves stemmed largely from the fact that the 2014 National Horse Show marked her first time competing on the indoor circuit since her junior riding days more than 20 years ago.

“I had a mare called Castle Rising in 1989 or ’90,” Hiehle said. “She got ribbons – seconds or thirds. I never have come close to this. This is a great way to come back to an Indoor show.”

Hiehle took a number of years off from the show ring and riding, but when she decided to return to the show ring Frey was her obvious choice as the trainer to get her there – he was the same trainer who coached her through her junior career.

“I was in Chicago a lot this summer [where Frey is based],” Hiehle said. “He did a lot to help me and to help me with her jumping. She’s just a great mare.”

Hiehle purchased Lovely Charity, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare, last fall in Kentucky and has been thrilled with her since, particularly with her performances this week.

“She just gets better and better. She gives 100 hundred percent,” Danhakl said. “This ring is so amazing for her because she doesn’t spook, but she gets a little more alert which gives her just that little bit of extra spark to fire her over the jumps.”

Friday marked the conclusion of the Amateur-Owner Hunters, but it also kicked off the start of the Junior Hunter divisions, which will continue Saturday morning.

Watch live streaming of the National Horse Show all week on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com, and find out more about the show at www.nhs.org.

About the National Horse Show

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Show Jumping

Catherine Tyree Seals $20,000 SJHOF Jumper Championship Victory at NHS

November 1, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Catherine Tyree and Don’t Go.

Victoria Colvin Secures SJHOF East Coast Junior Series Championship

Lexington, KY – October 31, 2014 – It was a race to the finish today during the Amalaya Investments $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHOF) Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship, presented by the Nusz Family, at the National Horse Show. Thirty-one of the East Coast’s most talented horse and rider combinations competed in the series finale, but it was Chicago’s Catherine Tyree and Don’t Go who proved that they have what it takes to go to the top. They shattered Tori Colvin’s time by over two seconds to seal their win in a blazing time of 30.478 seconds. Colvin however secured her second consecutive East Coast Junior Series Overall Championship.

“This is my biggest jumper win for sure,” Tyree smiled. “It is truly an honor to not only compete here at the National Horse Show, but also end up winning one of these classes.”

Tyree and her own Don’t Go, a 12-year-old stallion, put forth their best effort through the entire Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, only narrowly missing the Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic Series overall victory by 81 points, just behind Laura Linback and Attention Please.

Tyree said of her mount, “I call him my war horse. He is so reliable. He is game for anything. I can do a small ring like Washington or a big ring like the Hamptons. He is so good to me. I always know he is going to be there for me. His character is what makes him so great.”

Thirteen riders qualified for the shortened course, designed by internationally renowned course designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. In the jump-off, only seven of the original 16 jumping efforts remained in the Alltech Arena, allowing ample opportunity for the riders to open their strides and tackle the long distances to the obstacles.

Colvin set the pace early in the order with Don Juan, using his foot speed to her advantage over the course to break the beam in 32.052 seconds. Her speed went unmatched until Tyree entered the ring aboard Don’t Go.

Tyree had already tested the track as the second rider to go in the jump off with her first qualified mount, Wetter. The opportunity gave her an advantage as she executed her plan both efficiently and effectively aboard Don’t Go on her second try. His large stride covered the ground with ease, leaving out strides to trip the timers in an astonishing 30.478 seconds.

“Don’t Go is such a game horse,” Tyree said. “Once I picked up the gallop to the first jump and went off the nine strides to the oxer, I was able to do only five strides turning back to the next oxer. That was where I was able to get the time. He has such a big stride, is so careful and has such a fighting attitude. I knew that if I gave it a good shot, he would give his all for me.”

Haley Gassel gave a valiant effort with Quite Dark 2, owned by Westwind Equine Training Center, but was shy of the victory by 4/10ths of a second. Gassel has ridden Quite Dark 2 for almost two years, and she showed the confidence she has in their partnership as she sliced the turns and raced to the final oxer.

“He is very sweet in the barn, and in the ring he is very confident,” Gassel said. “You put him anywhere and he will jump. If you ride him correctly, he will always go clean. He is just a great horse in general. He has a huge stride. I always tell people that he has to have an 18-foot stride. He covers the ground incredibly, it gets so long, but it is not a loose long. It is still tight and adjustable.”

Gassel concluded the Amalaya Investments $20,000 SJHF Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Championship in second place, while Colvin finished third. Colvin was presented with the overall series award as the highest scoring junior for her second consecutive year.

“I call him my donkey in the barn,” Colvin laughed as she talked of her mount Don Juan. “When we gallop around he doesn’t even canter, but when you point him at a jump, he is like a dirt bike. He revs up because he has to in order to make it over the jump. His mom was a pony, so he is really small, and he has the pony attitude, too.”

Colvin concluded the series with 955 points, a full 250 points ahead of fellow contenders. She proved unstoppable from her wins during the Winter Equestrian Festival, and her lead became insurmountable after the Lake Placid Horse Shows.

Colvin continued, “You have to be consistent throughout the year in order to win the series, and I think that for the juniors to be able to have that opportunity gives us a great chance and experience.”

Francois Mathy Goes Wire to Wire to Win Chansonette Farm $45,000 Gamblers Choice Costume Class

Halloween Night at the 2014 National Horse Show featured creative costumes throughout the building; some on the many kids that came to trick or treat as well as those created by the riders in tonight’s popular Chansonette Farm $45,000 Gamblers Choice Costume Class. Although it wasn’t realized at the time, the class was over right after the first rider finished his imaginative course. Francois Mathy of Belgium, dressed as a soccer referee, raced Ornellaia through some tight tricky turns and amassed a grand total of 1340 points to secure the Friday night wire to wire win.

No one else came close.

The 200 point Joker fence, a tall, difficult 1.65m vertical of three white poles in the center of the ring proved to be the decider for many of the competitors tonight as only 11 of the 25 riders in the Gamblers Choice were able to add the 200 points to their score. Almost all that cleared the Joker ended up in the money when the tally was finally counted. Fourteen riders saw the 200 points deducted sending them home without a prize.

Schuyler Riley came the closet to catching Mathy’s top score but was still 110 points off the pace in second place. Riley, dressed as a big game hunter, rode Dobra de Porceyo to a total score of 1230 points.

Third place went to cat woman Laura Kraut and Cedric with 1220 points over the Guilherme Jorge designed course.

Rounding out the top four was Shane Sweetnam, riding as Woody from Toy Story. Sweetnam piloted Cyklon 1083 to a 1210 point total.

“It is never easy in this kind of class when you go first,” said Mathy following his victory gallop. “You don’t have a lot of references; you don’t know how many obstacles you can jump. I saw the first part was quite tricky and I had quite a few fences coming up quite quickly, and I thought if I could do that all right, the rest of the course was smoother and easier. In this kind of class what you have to do is try to keep the fences as close as possible and not run too much without jumping a fence. I think that worked out quite good in my course. I just kept going around in the same way, not too many changes of direction.”

“In this kind of class I don’t think you always meet everything really right, you have to improvise a little bit. As soon as you have a fence down, your whole course goes flat, and for me tonight, that didn’t happen,” Mathy detailed. “I was really happy. This mare is still quite green and she jumped super, and the fences were just coming. It’s quite amazing what these horses can do. The fences keep coming at them every four strides and they have to jump it clear. I was really impressed, especially at the joker, a big 1.65m fence; she jumped that really, really well,” he said.

And did he think his lead would hold up? “Normally not,” he said. “Normally in this kind of class when you show the way, someone is going to catch you. I think my track was not so bad a track, but not so many other riders tried it. I think just two copied me. Normally when you go first you don’t have a big advantage. But that worked out all right today,” he smiled. “My track maybe was not the best, but it won today.”

This is the Belgian’s second trip to Lexington and his week was a successful one. “I’ve had a good show. I came last year and I enjoyed it a lot also. I won one of the big classes with a very good mare last year,” he recalled. “The facility is fantastic. I think it is great sport here. The conditions are super. The ring has really good ground. The facility is exceptional with the stabling also. We have plenty of room to ride.”

Mathy also has the World Cup Finals in mind. “I enjoy coming here. It’s important for us because we can also get some World Cup points here and in Europe it’s quite difficult to access the World Cup classes because it’s a limited number of riders per nation and there are not as many World Cup shows as here,” he said. “It gives you a good opportunity here.”

For tomorrow’s $250,000 CP World Cup Grand Prix, Mathy will saddle Royal. “The same one I jumped last week in Washington,” he said. “He jumped really good, was tenth in the grand prix in Washington. Hopefully we have a good shot tomorrow – that’s the main goal here this week.”

Finishing in fifth place tonight was Lisona and Jessica Springsteen, decked out in pirate regalia. Springsteen scored 1100 points and crossed the finish line in 53.72 seconds to edge out Olivier Philippaerts who also scored 1100, but finished with a slower time in 57.19 seconds. The Belgian rider was dressed out as Raggedy Andy.

Seventh place went to Cassinja S and Charlie Jacobs. The Principal of the Boston Bruins was dressed accordingly and banked a total of 1080 points. Eighth went to Balous Day Date and Candice King with 1000 points. King was decked out as Miss Captain America.

Tomorrow the jumper divisions will conclude with the Under 25 Championship Final Competition and the $250,000 CP World Cup Grand Prix.

About the National Horse Show

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Championships, Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Show Jumping

Kathryn Haefner and Columbus Sail to A-O 3’3″ Hunter Grand Championship at NHS

October 31, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Kathryn Haefner and Columbus.

Lexington, KY – October 30, 2014 – It took a rocket scientist to win the Amateur-Owner 3’3″ Hunter Grand Championship at the National Horse Show – literally.

Kathryn Haefner is a graduate student at Stanford University, where she is completing a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Thursday at the Kentucky Horse Park, she and her mount Columbus rocketed to the top of the leader board to clinch the Amateur-Owner 3’3″ 18-35 Hunter Championship, sponsored by Fashion Farm and Woodland Way. The pair’s performance also ultimately earned them the Amateur-Owner 3’3″ Hunter Grand Championship.

“He was champion last year at Capital Challenge, but this was actually the first time that he’s shown here,” Haefner said of Columbus. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just came from school so we were both a little bit rusty. I was basically here to have fun and just to say that I got to go to the National Horse Show.”

Haefner continued, “He’s been super this whole year. He’s really grown up a lot. He came in here, wasn’t spooky or anything. There was a lot of stuff to look at in there, and he was totally fine with it.”

Haefner purchased the 8-year-old Westphalian gelding four years ago, and he is presently one of 17 horses in her string.

“We have 17 horses that are going to Florida with us,” Haefner said. “Our barn is just me, and most of them are sale horses. I have a couple like this one that were sale horses and then I decided that they weren’t for sale anymore. We have a bunch of new Pre-Green horses, so I’m going to move my amateurs up, and we’ll see. Maybe I’ll do some of the young ones in the adults, and see how it goes.”

Balancing her horses with a challenging course of study is not easy, but both are things that Haefner is passionate about.

“It’s my dad’s fault [that I chose to study aerospace],” Haefner said. “He’s an electrical engineer, but the company that he works for produces sensors specifically for space applications, so I’ve been exposed to a lot of science and math from a young age. I got to watch rocket launches, and I thought it was the coolest thing. I wanted to be an astronaut, but I get motion sickness, so that’s probably not going to happen. This is the next best thing.”

Haefner has another year and a half before graduation, but in the meantime, she is just enjoying the opportunity to compete at top competitions like the National Horse Show.

Finishing with the reserve championship in the Amateur-Owner 3’3″ 18-35 Hunters were Darby Toben and Peron.

In the Amateur-Owner 3’3″ 35 and Older Hunters, the championship, sponsored by Meralex Farm & Hunt, went to Kelley Corrigan and Game Day. Finishing in the reserve championship position were Ainsley Sadlo and Balin.

What made that one-two finish special is that both Corrigan and Sadlo train with Havens Schatt. Corrigan began riding with the Lexington, Kentucky-based trainer last spring, and has enjoyed it immensely since.

“It’s a mellow barn. There are a lot of horses, but it’s not tense,” Corrigan said. “Havens’ is great. The horses are all topnotch.”

One of those topnotch horses is Corrigan’s own Game Day. “I got him a year ago in August, and I have had him for a little over a year. We’ve been doing the 3’3″ every year, and we’re hoping to move up to the 3’6″,” Corrigan said. “He’s 7, but he kind of acts like he’s 11 or 12. He’s very amateur friendly.”

Following his success Thursday, Game Day will enjoy some time off at Corrigan’s home farm in Lexington, Kentucky, before getting back into Schatt’s program and heading to Wellington, Florida, for the winter, where Corrigan will set her sights on her goals for next year.

“I really, really want to get to Devon next year. It’s my favorite show,” Corrigan said. “I would like to do Indoors. He’s a horse that gets a little bored doing the same jumps all the time so maybe the following year we’ll start doing some derbies.”

Thursday afternoon marked the conclusion of the Amateur-Owner 3’3″ Hunters, but the hunter competition continues tomorrow with the conclusion of the Amateur-Owner 3’6″ Hunter divisions.

Watch live streaming of the National Horse Show all week on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com, and find out more about the show at www.nhs.org.

About the National Horse Show

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

*Featured/Spotlights, National Horse Show, Show Jumping

Philippaerts Captures Copernicus Stables $75,000 International Open Jumpers at NHS

October 31, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Olivier Philippaerts and Armstrong Van de Kapel.

Lexington, KY – October 30, 2014 – Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts guided Armstrong Van de Kapel to victory on Thursday night at the 131st National Horse Show, topping a starting field of 42 and then a massive jump-off roster of 21 to win the marathon Copernicus Stables $75,000 International Open Jumpers, presented by the Coulter Family. In the dash for cash, Philippaerts was the only rider to break the 40 second barrier as he raced home in 39.35 seconds for the win.

A star-studded roster of the best riders from around the world challenged the 1.50m course designed by popular builder Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. Tonight, the rider’s got the best of the deal with the 21 horse and rider combinations emerging from the first round. “They beat me up all day,” laughed Jorge referring also to an earlier Junior/Amateur class, one that saw a majority of the starters go clean and a huge twenty-five horse jump-off that followed. Speaking of the main event tonight, Jorge explained, “It’s a great challenge with such great riders on such terrific horses, jumping on beautiful footing and being limited to 1.50m to create a course that’s tough enough. For sure,” he admitted, “I should have dropped the Time Allowed by at least two seconds.”

Jorge’s claim was bolstered by the fact that not a single time fault was issued during any clear ride over the first round course.

Eleven of the 21 that jumped off went clean the second time around, with Philippaerts emerging as the star of the night.

“Well, in the beginning it was difficult enough, because you know with 21 in the jump-off, it’s going to be a very, very fast,” Philippaerts said. “It was a little too bad there were so many clear rounds. But I think for Saturday he will make sure there are less. For me, it worked out well. But for many people who rode horses for the World Cup as well today, it’s quite a lot to jump fast like that and then go again on Saturday,” he said.

As far as his winning strategy, the personable Belgian rider said, “I just tried to go as fast as possible. It was a little bit of a tricky jump-off. At the last fence, normally you should always go left, but we all took the risk to go to the right side. I think that made the difference in the jump-off.”

As far as his equine partner, Philippaerts said, “I got this horse in January and he had only jumped two star grand prix. He’s a little bit inexperienced, like the World Cup classes here, he never did that before. That’s why I brought him to America, to get him to this level, and hopefully he’ll go up to the highest level because I think he’s one of my best horses.”

Finishing just off the torrid 39.35 second pace set by the speedy Belgian was Jessica Springsteen of the United States on Lisona, who clocked in at 40.10 seconds, just 7/10ths off the winning time. “I don’t have that much experience going really fast with Lisona, so we just recently tried to go a little bit quicker. She was incredible tonight and I think she really enjoyed it, so I’m really happy with her,” Springsteen said.

Ireland’s Richie Maloney and Alsvid were 3/10ths of a second further back of Springsteen to finish third in 40.45 seconds. “He can be quite quick in the jump-off,” Maloney noted. “This is probably as big a class as he’s done. I normally use him for speed classes, but he does a bit of everything. He’s a little bit tense when he comes in the ring, but he tries very hard.”

Rounding out the top four was Roberto Teran of Colombia who tripped the timers in 41.01 seconds on Woklahoma. Exactly one second behind in fifth place was Beat Mandli of Switzerland piloting ZaZa Harvey to a final time of 42.01 seconds. Candice King of the United States took home sixth place honors in 43.48 seconds on Balous Day Date.

Paulo Santana, first to go on Taloubet, finished seventh and Georgina Bloomberg with Juvina was eighth.

Two in a Row! Farrington Races to $45,000 Staysail Farm International Open Speed Win

Red-hot Kent Farrington made it two in a row at the 2014 National Horse Show on Thursday, racing Waomi to her second win in as many days. The speedy pair outgunned a field of 34 to win the $45,000 Staysail Farm International Open Speed in a blazing time of 54.55 seconds, one of only two riders to break the 55 second barrier in today’s faults converted formatted class.

Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam finished a close second with Cyklon 1083, ripping across the finish line in 54.99 seconds, while Lexington’s Reed Kessler finished third aboard Ligist in 55.06 seconds.

The creatively designed Guilherme Jorge speed track allowed for a good number of fault-free performances and saw the top eight placings all finish within two seconds of Farrington’s winning time.

Farrington talked about today’s speed course. “Yeah, I think yesterday was a little bigger of a course. I think it was built typical of a fast faults-converted class, with the inside options and things like that where you could really make up time. But, with these riders that you have here and the speed that they get on this indoor footing, the classes always turn out to be very, very competitive,” he said.

Farrington did not get a chance to watch Sweetnam’s earlier leading round. “When it’s so very close like that, I think it’s really hard to say where the difference is. The rounds were probably almost neck and neck all the way around. They’re both fast horses. I probably just got a little lucky today,” he smiled.

While the top 20 or so were very competitive, a number of riders were just warming up for Saturday night’s main event, the $250,000 CP National Horse Show Grand Prix. Farrington had the advantage of having a speed specialist in the barn, in addition to Willow, who he will be riding on Saturday. “Yeah, that’s fun!” he said. “I like horses that win. I always try to pick horses that win at whatever level they’re going to do. I like horses that have a great heart and just want to win classes, and I think she’s a real winner. She was a good horse when Megan (Nusz) had her, and she’s a good horse now,” he said, and added, “And I think she’s going to continue winning.”

Finishing fourth this afternoon was Colombia’s Daniel Bluman who was first to go with Believe and came home with the speedy time of 55.29 seconds. Following up on a second place finish yesterday, Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts finished fifth with J’Espere Dream in 55.630 seconds. Sixth place went to Roberto Teran, also from Colombia, tripping the timers in 56.070 on Farina.

Rounding out the top eight were Lillie Keenan and Francois Mathy. Keenan piloted Balance to a final time of 56.760 seconds while Mathy, a third place finisher yesterday, broke the beams in 56.82 seconds on Ornellaia.

Kalvin Dobbs Wins Second Leg of U-25 Championship; Michael Hughes Takes Lead in Championship Rankings

Twenty-four contenders made their way to the short track during the Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farms $65,000 Under 25 Championship. It was a race to the finish with the top three finishing only tenths of a second apart, and Kalvin Dobbs led the victory gallop aboard Woodstock O, owned by Treesdale Farm, for his blazing jump off round.

Katherine Strauss set the pace early on in the jump off, clearing the course in 35.85 seconds. Strauss used All In’s large stride to shave the seconds, and she took the opportunity to take a shot at the win. Her time proved solid as the other competitors were forced to compensate accuracy for speed.

Strauss noted, “I wasn’t very high coming back in the standings so I didn’t feel too much pressure. I just wanted to give it as good a shot as I could. I haven’t done too many jump offs with my horse, so I really wanted to practice going fast.”

Dobbs was the first to break the barrier she set. His time of 34.35 seconds proved good enough for the victory. For Dobbs, his partnership with Woodstock O has been short, but with the help of trainer Olympian Laura Kraut, he showed how far they have come. They competed in Europe during the summer months, riding against some of the world’s best. He acknowledged that ‘Woody’ is a “step-up-a-tier horse,” very different than any mount he has ridden before.

“I’ve really had to learn how to make a horse jump clear and how to think about every single detail as I’m going around the course,” Dobbs explained. “I’m not just looking for a distance and trying to get around. I’ve really had to maintain my mentality about what I’m doing. Especially in Europe, I was with Laura, and it forced me to become more aware as an individual, know what my horse is like that day and ride him to how he’s going.”

Dobbs showed no hesitation during the second round, even though his first course was less than ideal.

“For the first round, I was schooling, and it was going really well. Then I totally missed, and it was unraveling. So I made what I could out of it. I’ve learned a lot on this horse. I think a couple months ago I wouldn’t have been able to pull out a clear round, but I did,” Dobbs smiled. “I was a little hesitant going into the jump off knowing I didn’t love the first round, but Woody knows exactly what he’s doing, so I just let him go and do his thing. Everything kind of came out of stride. I love it when that happens.”

A change in the ranks is nothing unfamiliar when it comes to the World Cup format. Tonight it was Michael Hughes and Macarthur, owned by Christina Fried, who topped the positions to lead the Under 25 Championship standings after earning their second consecutive red ribbon of the championship. Hughes currently sits at the pinnacle of the standings with 56 points, while Dobbs follows close behind with 52 points. Wilton Porter, yesterday’s leader, now sits in third after an unfortunate dismount during the jump off.

“I’m a little bit nervous going into Saturday, but my horse is usually a lot better the more he jumps, so hopefully that’ll work to my advantage. He feels really good this week, so hopefully it’ll keep going like that,” Hughes said of the pressure now resting on his shoulders.

The Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farms $25,000 Under 25 Championship will conclude on Saturday.

Rinaldi Racks Up Another Win for Second Day Amalaya Investments $10,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers

Guilherme Jorge’s first round course for the Amalaya Investments $10,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers didn’t fool the field of 31 talented riders as they traversed the opening track. Twenty-four horse and rider combinations would make it through to the jump-off, but the jump-off would prove more demanding with only 11 posting double clear efforts.

It was 14-year-old Giavanna Rinaldi, representing Illinois, who raced to the top of the ranks early in the order with G.P.S. Brilliant Disguise. The pressure was on after her win in Wednesday’s $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers, but she didn’t let it get to her, racing to an untouchable time of 31.822 seconds.

“I didn’t think that many horses would make it through,” Rinaldi admitted. “I have never been in a jump off that had more than 20 horses, so I got a little bit nervous. I knew I had to set the pace because I went a little bit earlier in the course.”

Rinaldi continued, “I knew the turn after the third jump was going to be a little bit hard because his left turn isn’t as smooth. I knew I had to make up time from 1 to 2, so I did that. I made sure I got down to the skinny in three strides, and then I just kind of took a chance at the last line.”

Michael Hughes and Luxina tried to catch Rinaldi’s time, but their time of 32.217 seconds was just off the pace, earning second place. The third place went to Catherine Tyree and Wetter for their jump-off time of 32.769 seconds.

The $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHOF) Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Championship will take center stage tomorrow afternoon at the 131st National Horse Show.

For more information on the 131st National Horse Show, please visit www.nhs.org.

Watch live streaming of the National Horse Show all week on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com, and find out more about the show at www.nhs.org.

About the National Horse Show

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Hunter/Equitation, Maclay, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Products/Services, Show Jumping

Dover Saddlery Joins with National Horse Show as Presenting Sponsor of ASPCA Maclay Championship

October 30, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Peter Wylde, pictured here on Sandor de la Pomme, will present the ASPCA Maclay trophy for Dover Saddlery at the National Horse Show on Sunday.

Lexington, KY – October 30, 2014 – The National Horse Show, now underway at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, is proud to announce that Dover Saddlery has joined forces as the presenting sponsor of this year’s ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay National Championship which takes place as the concluding class on Sunday, November 2, 2014.

Dover Saddlery offers the finest selection of English riding apparel and tack for English riders at all levels and is well known for its vast inventory of equestrian products. Dover prides itself on its tack stores which are designed to evoke a premier horse barn and are beautifully merchandised with saddles, tack, apparel and horse care items.

Dover was recently voted favorite tack store by readers of the equestrian publication Equestrian Quarterly.

In addition to the presenting sponsorship of the ASPCA Maclay National Championship, Dover is generously donating prizes for the always popular Barn Night, including a wheelbarrow full of barn supplies and two gift certificates.

“We are glad to welcome Dover Saddlery to the National Horse Show,” said Mason Phelps, Jr., the President of the National Horse Show Association of America. “The ASPCA Maclay is the highlight event for our young riders and we’re delighted to have the name Dover Saddlery associated with such an important class.”

Dover Saddlery’s Janet Nittman noted, “We wanted to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to be associated with a nationally renowned class. Dover Saddlery has been a long-time sponsor of the USHJA and of many equestrian events throughout the country,” she said. “Dover offers the widest selection of quality products for the hunter/jumper riders and it is very rewarding to sponsor and to meet many of our customers at the various shows. We look forward to being in Lexington for the Maclay.”

On Sunday history will come full circle as former Maclay winner Peter Wylde (1982) will award the trophy to the winner of the 2014 ASPCA Alfred. B. Maclay Championship. Wylde will be bestowing the honor on behalf of his longtime sponsor Dover Saddlery, first time sponsors of the Maclay at the National Horse Show this year.

Wylde won the Rolex-Maclay National Equitation Championship at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden in 1982. Like many of his peers who achieve the honor, Wylde chose a career as a professional rider and went on to represent the United States in international competition earning team and individual Silver medals at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada in 1999 as well as the Male Equestrian of the Year title from the United States Olympic Committee.

In 2002, Wylde and Fein Cera won the individual bronze medal at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, where Fein Cera was awarded the coveted “Best Horse” honor. The pair was again chosen to represent the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where they helped the U.S. to win the team gold.

Wylde’s classic riding style has earned leading rider titles from some of the world’s finest horse shows including the Washington International Horse Show, the CSI-W Geneva, and the CSN Manheim. He has won the Style of Riding Awards at the CHIO Aachen, Germany; the CSI Vienna, Austria; at the American Gold Cup; and three times at the Hampton Classic.

The ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class has been held since 1933, and it is one of the most prestigious competitions for junior riders in the United States. Its winners are some of the biggest names in equestrian sport. Previous winners include: William Steinkraus in 1941, Frank Chapot (1948), George Morris (1952), Leslie Burr Howard (1972), Stacia Klein Madden in 1987, and Nicole Shahinian Simpson in 1992. The 2012 ASPCA Maclay National Championship winner was Jacob Pope, and in 2013 Lillie Keenan was named the winner.

Tickets for the 2014 National Horse Show are available at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The highlights for this year’s show include, on Thursday night, the Copernicus Stables, LLC $75,000 International Open Jumpers – Time First Jump Off. Friday night’s feature is the Chansonette Farm $45,000 Gambler’s Choice Top Score Costume Class in honor of Halloween night. On Saturday, it’s the main event, the $250,000 CP National Horse Show Grand Prix. On Sunday afternoon the National Horse Show plays host to the Maclay National Championship for the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Class Presented by Dover’s Saddlery beginning early in the morning and continuing with the final round at approximately 3:00 PM.

All evening sessions begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Community/Charity, National Horse Show

USHJA Wheeler Museum Features National Horse Show

October 30, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Lexington, KY – October 30, 2014 – The National Horse Show is one of the oldest shows in the history of the United States. Founded in New York in 1883, the National Horse Show was originally held at Madison Square Garden. Since then, it has expanded exponentially, finding its current home at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

During the National Horse Show, visit the exhibit, A Sporting Tradition: Iconic Horse Shows across the United States, at the USHJA Wheeler Museum. The museum is open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The featured exhibit will be hosting special hours and refreshments this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Museum is located at the USHJA Headquarters. Don’t miss out on this opportunity while visiting the Kentucky Horse Park for the iconic National Horse show.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Show Jumping

Banner Day for Betsee Parker, Scott Stewart and Hunt Tosh at National Horse Show

October 30, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Scott Stewart and Lucador.

Lexington, KY – October 29, 2014 – As the National Horse Show awarded its professional hunter championships Wednesday, there was one name repeated with almost every presentation: Dr. Betsee Parker.

Parker, of Middleburg, Virginia, is the owner of Casanova, Cold Harbor, Lucador and the lessee of A Million Reasons. The four horses constituted four of the five championship winning mounts Wednesday at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Hunt Tosh kicked off the Parker-owned hot streak aboard Casanova, claiming the division championship in the First Year Green Hunters, sponsored by Goshen Hill. Finishing in reserve behind Tosh were Sloane Coles and Autumn Rhythm, owned by Nilani Trent.

Tosh’s success continued in the Regular Conformation Hunters with 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding Cold Harbor.

“[Cold Harbor] was great here,” Tosh said. “Harrisburg was a little rusty; he didn’t do Capital Challenge. He hadn’t shown in a while, so he was a little rusty [at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show]. He went beautifully today. It’s a good week for him.”

Tosh and Cold Harbor earned the championship trophy, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Wheeler, while the reserve championship went to Kelley Farmer and Mindful.

In the Green Conformation Hunters, sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth and Selma Garber, it was Scott Stewart and Lucador who claimed the championship, with a perfect, clean sweep of the division, winning all five classes.

“[Lucador]’s been great. He’s actually gotten better at every show,” Stewart said. “I was really happy with him. This is actually the most consistent that he’s been. We usually have one class where one of us messes up. He’s only 6 years old, so he’s sort of green.”

While Lucador seemed not to take a step wrong in the show ring, his performance in the schooling area can be a bit of a different story.

“He’s a little bit girthy, and if you don’t give enough time he’ll buck and rear and try to throw me against the wall,” Stewart said. “He’s a little bit cold that way. Once he’s in the ring, he’s easier. ”

Stewart continued, “Julie Connors usually rides him for me and is always on him first and warms him up. Then I get on him, and he’s okay. I think he likes her better than me. He’s fine as long as she’s on him.”

In truth, Lucador seems more than fine with Stewart on him as well, and their winning rounds today helped Stewart clinch his eighth National Horse Show Leading Hunter Rider Challenge Trophy. Stewart previously won the award in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012 and now 2014.

Helping add to Stewart’s point tally toward the honor were A Million Reasons and Golden Rule.

A Million Reasons, a 9-year-old Holsteiner mare, claimed the blue ribbon in this morning’s $7,500 Second Year Green Hunter Stake before going on to also clinch the division championship, sponsored by Ernie and Betty Oare and Patricia Adikes-Hill.

“She’s the easiest horse I’ve ridden so far, and probably the nicest,” Stewart said of A Million Reasons, whom he just started riding following the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. “I like mares, but I haven’t had that much luck bringing them along. She’s super. There’s so much quality and scope.”

Stewart and Stephanie Danahkl’s Golden Rule finished out the day with the High Performance Hunter reserve championship, while the championship went to Kensel LLC’s Mindful.

The opportunity to compete Parker’s horses is one that neither Stewart nor Tosh take for granted.

“As a rider I think it’s great,” Tosh said. “Between the Wheelers and Betsee, to have owners that support us and just give us horses to ride that don’t do another division and are basically just for us to do is incredible. There aren’t a lot of owners out there that do that nowadays. She’s wonderful to both of us.”

Tosh continued, “For what she does, and as much as she puts into it, she wants to do it at the top level, so when you have a day like today it all pays off. Her plan and our plan and everything really worked out.”

While Wednesday marked the conclusion of the professional hunter divisions, the hunter competition continues on Thursday with the Amateur-Owner Hunters beginning at 7 a.m.

Watch live streaming of the National Horse Show all week on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com, and find out more about the show at www.nhs.org.

About the National Horse Show

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Show Jumping

Farrington Guides Waomi to Opening Day $45,000 Speed Stake Win at National Horse Show

October 30, 2014 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Kent Farrington and Waomi.

Lexington, KY – October 29, 2014 – Kent Farrington, one of the most successful riders on tour throughout the 2014 show season, continued his winning ways on Thursday afternoon as the Open and International Jumpers got underway at the 131st National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky.

Riding the Amalaya Investments’ Waomi, Farrington topped a large starting field of 51 in a one round speed class, racing home in 53 seconds flat to nail down the victory over a pair of Belgian riders, Nicola Philippaerts and Francois Mathy. Philippaerts, riding J’Espere Dream, clocked in just a whisper behind Farrington at 53.06 seconds. Meanwhile, Mathy piloted Ornellaia to a time of 54.56 seconds for today’s third place finish.

Veteran Course Designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil, making his National Horse Show debut, created a 14 jump track with 12 numbered fences that saw 22 of the 51 starters go clean. Jorge was thrilled to be in Lexington and working at such an important and historic event. “One of the things I love most about our sport is the tradition, and I don’t think you get more traditional than at the National Horse Show,” he said. “I feel very honored to be part of it.”

Jorge, who builds his grand prix course first and then works backwards towards opening day, talked about that process. “It is nice that for the main division we have a speed class, then we have a big jump-off class and then we have the grand prix. I am sure we are going to have a very strong group of riders. I think the first class will be a nice speed competition, but the technical part will be important. The speed class is of course not as hard as the jump-off class, but I am anticipating a good group, so it will not be all about speed. It’s a table A speed class, so there is some riding and jumping involved as well,” he explained.

Kent Farrington, who arrived in Lexington fresh off a major international win in the Grand Prix of Barcelona at the FEI Nations Cup Finals and the $40,000 Big Jump at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, talked about today’s victory. “Waomi is naturally a fast horse, she anticipates the turns and it’s easy to leave strides out going around the turns,” he said. “I started off really aggressive leaving out a stride in the first line and that is probably where we scored the win.”

He then spoke of his excellent summer of success. “It’s really been a team effort. I have some great owners behind me, some really nice horses and a really great staff around me. It really comes down to putting yourself with the right people and getting the right horses underneath you,” he smiled.

“The National Horse Show has always been a staple of the famous shows in the United States, so it’s really exciting that they are making a big effort to make it special again,” he continued. “I think having it at the Horse Park makes it one of the best indoors we have. The organizers have gone to great lengths to make it feel special.”

Farrington continued the string of wins on horses borrowed from his student Meagan Nusz. In addition to the win on Naomi today, Farrington rode Nusz’ Dynamo to victory in the Trump Grand Prix in Florida two years ago. “That’s easy,” he laughed. “You get your students nice horses and then it’s easy to borrow them every now and again for a win.”

Following the two riders from Belgium, who finished second and third, Beezie Madden of the United States took home fourth place honors with her always reliable partner Cortes C, a horse who always seems ready for whatever the task at hand might be. Today, forced to go early in the ninth spot in the order, their blazing trip of 55.16 seconds looked unbeatable at the time. As it turned out, some 43 horses later, they wound up just over two seconds too slow.

Lexington based Reed Kessler finished fifth with her own Ligist. They finished 6/10ths behind Madden in 55.77 seconds. Olivier Philippaerts, the other half of the Belgian brotherhood, took home sixth place honors with Carlito C in 55.93 seconds.

Rounding out the top eight were Shane Sweetnam and Kama Godek. Sweetnam piloted the Spy Coast Farm entry of Eregast Van’t Kiezelhof to seventh and Godek was eighth on Air Force One.

The Open Jumpers continue tomorrow with the $75,000 International Open Jumpers – Time First Jump-off, the featured event at 9 p.m.

Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers, presented by the Nusz Family

Thirty-one horse and rider combinations tackled the tricky Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers course tonight, but it was Giavanna Rinaldi who came out on top of the speed class. The 14-year-old made a speedy National Horse Show debut with her own G.P.S. Brilliant Disguise, tripping the timers in 49.351 seconds. It was a nostalgic win for the young rider, who traversed pony jumper courses in the same Alltech Arena only a couple of years prior.

It seemed as though Wesley Newlands had the win in her grasp when she laid down a smooth course in 51.848 seconds with Wieminka B, owned by Weslands Farm. As only the ninth rider on course, she set a pace that her competitors would have a difficult time trying to catch. It wasn’t until Meredith Darst tackled the track 13 rounds later that Newlands would lose her grasp on the lead.

Local Kentucky rider Darst broke the beam in 50.311 seconds with Zenith Dance, owned by Page Tredennick. Rinaldi entered the ring only four horses later, making Darst’s lead a short one as she sliced the seconds. Rinaldi was the only rider to break the barrier of 50 seconds, stopping the clock in 49.351 seconds and proving uncatchable. She made up time to the skinny during the latter part of the course, and her inside turn made all the difference.

“I made a few mistakes around a couple of the turns,” Rinaldi said of her round. “I knew I was a little bit slower, but I had to make up the rest of the time everywhere else. It was a really fun course, and it works well for him because he goes right really well and there were some good turns I was excited about. I think my plan worked out well, even if it was a little spontaneous.”

Rinaldi continued, “The Alltech Arena is a fun ring to show in. I showed in the pony jumpers here when I was younger, and I have to admit that at the time I was a little star struck. It is a big ring, but returning now for my first time at the National Horse Show, it has been really fun to ride in.”

Darst finished in the second place position, while Newlands rounded out the top three. The Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers, presented by the Nusz Family, is only one of three classes offered for the Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers during the 131st National Horse Show. The division will continue tomorrow night with the Amalaya Investments $10,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers and will culminate on Friday with the $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHF) Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Championship.

Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farms $10,000 Under 25 Championship – First Round

Young riders shined tonight at the National Horse Show as 29 horse and rider combinations put their best foot forward over the first of three $10,000 Under 25 Championship classes. Sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farm, the class allows the rare opportunity for riders ages 16 to 25 to compete in the high pressure World Cup format. Riders from across the nation have worked to qualify for the championship, which culminates at the prestigious National Horse Show.

The opening course called for speed as riders attempted to shave seconds from their time. The penalties earned during the course will convert into points, and as of this evening, Wilton Porter leads the ranks with 30 points to his name after finishing at the top of the leader board in 59.240 seconds.

“It’s great that they have this new U-25 division,” Porter noted. “My brother [Lucas] and I have the main target of jumpers, and right now we are kind of in that age range for young riders. My mom thought it would be great if there would be an opportunity for young riders to compete against each other at this horse show, and that’s why she made this possible as a sponsor. I enjoy it, and it is especially special that I won this class and my mom is sponsoring it.”

Porter raced through the course and finished as the only rider to break the beam in under 60 seconds. The course suited his mount Patriot’s large stride, and they used the lines to their advantage as they consistently opted to leave out a stride down the lines. The two have had a long partnership, but in this past year, his brother took the ride on the grey gelding.

“I’ve had Patriot for a really long time. We got him as an 8-year-old,” Porter explained. “This past year, my brother has been riding him a lot and doing really well. I was just a little bit short on horses for this competition so he loaned him back to me. After this one, I don’t know that he will be getting him back.”

Porter concluded, “I really like the format of the championship – I think it is great and it gives us good experience for possible future World Cup competitions. We planned to try and win. Sometimes we go fast and not necessarily to win, but today we were planning on winning.”

Michael Hughes and Macarthur, owned by Christina Fried, rode to the second place in 60.170 seconds, while Kaitlin Campbell and her own Rocky W finished third in 60.450 seconds.

The race to the championship will continue tomorrow evening with the second of the $15,000 Under 25 Championship, and the series will culminate Saturday night prior to the Canadian Pacific $250,000 Grand Prix.

For more information on the National Horse Show, 131st edition, please visit www.nhs.org.

About the National Horse Show

For more information, go to www.nhs.org.

2014 National Horse Show Fast Facts

Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.

Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496

Email:
Cindy@nhs.org

Website:
www.nhs.org

Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located in the Alltech Arena.

For further information on housing in the Lexington area, we invite you to visit www.visitlex.com and www.georgetownky.com.

Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Horse Show Secretary:
Cindy Bozan
859-233-0492
Email: secretary.nhs@aol.com

NATIONAL HORSE SHOW MEDIA CONTACT:

Re: News and Information:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Horses in the South – An Equine News Publisher

Tag Archives: National Horse Show

Tori Colvin and Ovation Are Grand at National Horse Show

Madden Outguns Ward in Sensational Jump-Off at $250k CP World Cup Qualifier at NHS

Stephanie Danhakl Is Golden in Amateur-Owner Hunters at National Horse Show

Catherine Tyree Seals $20,000 SJHOF Jumper Championship Victory at NHS

Kathryn Haefner and Columbus Sail to A-O 3’3″ Hunter Grand Championship at NHS

Philippaerts Captures Copernicus Stables $75,000 International Open Jumpers at NHS

Dover Saddlery Joins with National Horse Show as Presenting Sponsor of ASPCA Maclay Championship

USHJA Wheeler Museum Features National Horse Show

Banner Day for Betsee Parker, Scott Stewart and Hunt Tosh at National Horse Show

Farrington Guides Waomi to Opening Day $45,000 Speed Stake Win at National Horse Show

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