Tag Archives: Peter Pletcher

Lene Bruheim Wins High Children’s Jumper Championship at Texas Shoot Out

Lene Bruheim and NLF Valhall won the High Children's Jumper Championship at the Texas Shoot Out Horse Show. Photos By: Shawn McMillen.

Tyler, TX – May 1, 2012 – The winning show season for Nordic Lights Farm continued last week during the Texas Shoot Out Horse Show in Tyler, TX. Junior rider Lene Bruheim took home the High Children’s Jumper Championship aboard her talented mount NLF Valhall after winning two classes in the division. Also representing Nordic Lights Farm, professional rider Peter Pletcher claimed the victory in the USHJA International Hunter Derby with NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm.

Lene Bruheim and NLF Valhall were at the top of their game this weekend during the Texas Shoot Out Horse Show. She started off with a double-clear effort in Saturday’s High Children’s Jumper class to earn the blue ribbon honors. On Sunday, the duo laid down another pair of fault-free rounds to place second during the next class. The High Children’s/Adult Amateur Jumper Classic concluded the weekend, where Lene and NLF Valhall produced the fastest short course to earn another win. Their performance over the weekend garnered the High Children’s Jumper Championship. With her second mount Jessika, Lene placed third in the 1.15m Open Jumpers on Friday, and later placed fifth and eighth in the High Children’s Jumpers.

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Peter Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm Win $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at Pin Oak Charity Horse Show II

Peter Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare's Rhythm. Photos By: Shawn McMillen

Wellington, FL – April 4, 2012 – The Pin Oak Charity Horse Show continues to be a highlight event for Nordic Lights Farm, where the horses and riders claimed top ribbons throughout the week. During the second week of competition, Peter Pletcher piloted NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm to victory in the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, while sisters Eirin and Lene Bruheim had their own success in the jumper arena.

Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm started out the week in a winning fashion, sweeping the over fences classes in the High Performance Working Hunter division. Their efforts earned the division’s championship award for the second week in a row, and made them favorites going into Saturday night’s main event.

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Performance and Conformation Hunters Have Red-Hot Day at Horse Shows by the Bay

Kelley Farmer and Clearly. Photo Credit: Katie Anich/PMG

Traverse City, MI – July 21, 2011 – With the weather hot and steamy today at Horse Shows by the Bay Series III, riders were literally rolling up their sleeves and getting down to business. Hunt coats were waived as the day progressed, adding visible intensity to the competition in the hunter rings. By day’s end, Peter Pletcher had earned the impressive Grand Performance Hunter title, blazing past the host of skilled equestrians entered in this week’s classes. Kelley Farmer continued to impress as well, sweeping the Conformation Hunter division with a scorching set of wins. Both the Performance Hunter and Conformation Hunter classes took place in the R. L. Polk Family main hunter ring at Flintfields Horse Park in Traverse City, MI.

With nine entries, the 3’6″ Performance Hunter division was bound to be both competitive and fun. Peter Pletcher and Sleepy P Ranch’s Primero earned the top honors with 31 points throughout the division. Primero and Pletcher have had a very successful time so far at Horse Shows by the Bay in the High Performance division. There was a tie for reserve champion this week in the 3’6″ Performance Hunters between Kara Roposa on Carentino, owned by Alexander Cooper, and Caroline Weeden on Condanas, owned by Lacey Gilbertson. Both horse and rider pairs earned a total of 16 points and with neither riding in the under saddle portion, they both had the same number of points over fences and were able to share the title.

Elizabeth Scoville and Bianca Buschor’s The New Yorker also had impressive rounds in 3’3″ Performance Hunters, taking home second place in both over fences classes today. When talking about her rides today, she said, “I think practice makes perfect, but perfect practices makes perfect. The New Yorker is a young, very inexperienced horse that actually has a little bit of mileage in the jumpers. We’ve been doing these types of hunter courses to give him the mileage that he needs, and what’s been really exciting here has been to see him understand his new job. Like now, for instance, to see him standing so calmly here at the ring, waiting for the jog and practically falling asleep, is so great because previously, he would start to get anxious when it was jump-off time. He’s been very excited here so far, we’ve been doing the greens and the performance hunters, and we just keep going back in until we get it right, and we got it right this afternoon.”

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A Full Schedule for Peter Pletcher and All Hunter Riders on Day Two of Horse Shows by the Bay

Peter Pletcher and Copperfield. Credit: Katie Anich/PMG

Traverse City, MI – July 7, 2011 – Sun and a light breeze set the stage for a wonderful day for the hunters at Horse Shows by the Bay today. It was very busy in the R. L. Polk Family Main Hunter Ring, with over ninety rounds to be seen. As the professional hunter divisions came to a close this afternoon, several championship ribbons were presented, with Peter Pletcher of Magnolia, TX, Kelley Farmer of Keswick, VA, and Erynn Ballard of Hornby, OT taking home these top honors.

Peter Pletcher took over the reins for Kelley Farmer this morning on both of her First Year Green Working Hunter horses, Coin Toss, owned by Am Free, Inc., and Straight Talk, owned by CH Farm LLC. Pletcher rode Coin Toss to the top of both over fences classes today and Straight Talk took home both of the red ribbons. Though Coin Toss was able to edge ahead of Straight Talk in the First Year Green Hunters, Straight Talk was still able to take home the Champion ribbon for the division, having won all three classes yesterday. Coin Toss’s wins today with Pletcher allowed him to take home the Reserve Champion honors for the division. After his many successful rides today, Peter commented, “I think doing the catch rides for Kelley Farmer’s horses was today’s highlight; that was pretty fun.”

In the Second Year Green Working Hunter division Cookie Beck and Erynn Ballard brought their “A” game, both riding two horses in the division. Ballard was able to secure the Championship title on Sigfried, owned by Susanne Stroh, with a blue ribbon in both the hunter and the handy hunter rounds today. Reserve Champion went to Cookie Beck aboard Last Call, owned by Lisa Cudahy.

“Sigfried is probably the best second-year horse that we have right now, and he’s won a lot for me – he won in Palm Beach, he won a class at Devon, and I have a really good relationship with him. I just meet him at the horse shows because he doesn’t live with me. We just love each other, and he always tries hard. Today he just went out and did the best that he could, the handy was great, and he just tries so hard every time.” says Ballard of her mount Sigfried.

Continue reading A Full Schedule for Peter Pletcher and All Hunter Riders on Day Two of Horse Shows by the Bay

Dover’s World to Showcase Hunter Industry on Upcoming Radio Show

Robert Dover. Photo courtesy of client

Wellington, FL – June 20, 2011 – Dressage specialist and six-time Olympian Robert Dover, host of the popular Dover’s World radio program, will devote an upcoming show to current issues in the hunter industry. Airing Tuesday, June 21, 2011, on WBZT (AM1230 in the Palm Beaches) at 6pm EST, the show will hunt for the most important hunter-related issues in the ever-changing world of equestrian sport.

From pony hunters to hunter derbies, the wide range of potential topics offers listeners a great chance to call in and voice their opinion. In addition, those who tune in Tuesday night will also have the chance to hear insightful commentary from knowledgeable panelists. Peter Pletcher, Kim Stewart, Richard Slocum, and another authority (TBA) will all lend their considerable expertise to the program.

Having already devoted shows to the jumper industry and eventing, Dover’s hunter-focused session will examine the future of hunters as well as their past. “The show will raise many questions about the direction in which the industry is going,” noted Dover. “Is the sport better or worse than it was in previous years?” The use of calming agents vs. other methods of controlling a horse’s behavior, the influence of derbies, evolving expectations of horses and riders – Dover says there is no limit to the discussions that will animate the airwaves Tuesday night.

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Peter Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm Win The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter Division during Third Week of WEF

Peter Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm won The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter division during the third week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sportfot)

Wellington, FL (February 3, 2011)  – Professional rider Peter Pletcher has proven that he and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm are a winning team, as the duo has captured impressive hunter titles across the country. During the third week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm, owned by Nordic Lights Farm and Elisabeth Bruheim, added another championship to their resume when they won The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter division.

The new USEF division, with fences ranging in height from 4’ to 4’6”, is sponsored at WEF by The Sanctuary at PBIEC.  A new world-class full horse therapy and conditioning center located on the grounds of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), The Sanctuary at PBIEC features some of the most advanced conditioning and therapy equipment in the world. Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm were awarded a gift certificate for services at the new world-class Wellington facility.

Pletcher and NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm earned two firsts, two seconds and a third place ribbon in the High Performance Working Hunter division to ride away with the championship. Pletcher was thrilled with NLF Shakespeare’s Rhythm’s success in the new division and said the horse also excels at hunter derbies.

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Peter Pletcher and HH London Dominate the Western Hay & Suncoast Bedding First Year Green Hunters at the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival

Peter Pletcher and HH London Dominate the Western Hay & Suncoast Bedding First Year Green Working Hunter Championship at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival.
Peter Pletcher and HH London Dominate the Western Hay & Suncoast Bedding First Year Green Working Hunter Championship at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival.

Wellington, FL – January 14, 2010 – Today the first championships of the 2010 FTI Wellington Equestrian Festival were awarded in the professional hunter divisions. The Green Working hunters, sponsored by Western Hay & Suncoast Bedding, took center stage in the Rost Arena this afternoon.

The season’s inaugural First Year Green Hunter Championship was awarded to Peter Pletcher of Magnolia, TX, with Double H Farm’s HH London. Pletcher describes HH London, a 7-year-old Dutch bred gelding by London Times and Voltaire, as “fantastic.”

Double H farm bought the bay gelding in the middle of the summer, and Pletcher sat on him for the first time in October 2009. Pletcher and the team from Double H Farm knew immediately that this would be a great match. “I tried him and I thought that he was really nice, easy, and straight forward,” Pletcher commented.  This was only the second show for HH London, and his first time competing at the 3’6″ height. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9815