GULFPORT, MS — Mar. 5, 2011 — A very positive minded 23-year-old Sarah Mechlin of Cincinnati, OH partnered with Yes Indeed took the top spot over 50 competitors in the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby during the fourth week of the Gulf Coast Winter Classics.
Fifty equine athletes were being braided before dawn and began lunging at 5:30 Friday morning in preparation for their first big test, the official presentation and jog before the panel of judges: Mike Rosser, Ray Francis, Betsy Perry, Tucker Erickson, and show veterinarian Juan Gamboa. Once soundness was established, riders donned Shadbelly jackets, shined their boots and mounted up for one last trip in the warm up ring before entering the arena to take on the first round course of 10 obstacles [12 efforts], comprised mostly of natural materials such as logs, brush, and gate planks, all from the creative minds of co-designers Paul Jewel and Allen Rheinheimer. Within the track riders encountered four optional fences offering a height choice up to 4’ which provide the opportunity to score bonus points, as well as bending and broken lines, an in and out, at least one line with an unrelated distance, and a fence with a long approach. The two panels of judges’ scores were combined to determine the top 12 who would be invited back for round two.