Reid Patton and Twisther.
Lexington, KY – August 17, 2013 – Reid Patton is rapidly developing a strong partnership with new mount Twisther, and the pair demonstrated their promise with a convincing score in the High Junior Jumpers at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Bluegrass Festival Horse Show. Allen Rheinheimer’s course proved to be a tough test for the High Juniors as well as the High Amateur Owner Jumpers: no riders in either division were clear in the first round.
Patton and five other riders who had achieved four-fault first rounds returned for the jump-off to determine the final placing. Patton went clear and fast in a time of 41.287 seconds to take the win. The High Amateur Owner Jumpers came down to three four-fault riders in the jump-off, where the best performance belonged to Mary Meghann Huitt and her own Honfleur, who finished in 42.415 seconds for the victory in that division.
Kelli Cruciotti and Zidante were the first to return in the jump-off for the High Junior Jumpers, and they set a solid pace of 43.135 seconds. Isabelle Caccamise and Catwalk 19 were next to go and finished in 43.136 seconds, just a thousandth of a second behind Cruciotti. Patton and Twisther then entered the ring and laid down their time of 41.287 seconds to best the leading score by nearly two seconds.
Two more pairs, Lucas Porter with Mill’s Georgia and Alexander Devries with Esquina Van Klapscheut, gave the course a shot but incurred jumping faults and fell behind the leaders. Lillie Keenan and Vanhattan were the last to go. They set a speedy pace that threatened Patton’s lead, but a rail at the final fence dropped them down to fourth and ensured the win for Patton.
Patton showed Twisther for the first time at Trader’s Point, competing in a High Schooling Jumper class and a Low Junior Jumper speed class. She moved him up to the High Junior Jumpers on Friday, and today marked their second class together at that level.
“I really clicked with him today,” Patton said. “The whole course rode pretty smoothly. I accidentally left out a stride in the five-stride line because his stride is so big. That was the only little blip in the first round.”
Patton was pleasantly surprised by Twisther’s effort when they returned for the jump-off. “I’d never done a jump-off on him before, so when I started turning, he just turned on his haunches and was so fast,” she said. “I was shocked that my horse was turning and going this fast! I’m so glad we have him in our barn.”
“We’re really excited about the new horse for next year for Reid,” Cara Cheska, Patton’s trainer, said. “He came from John and Chris McCrea, and my husband, Donald Cheska, owns him.”
Patton also rides with Tom Wright and Hayley Barnhill, focusing on the hunters and equitation with them and going to the Cheskas for guidance in the jumpers.
“It’s a team effort for sure,” Patton said. “It’s funny when we’re in the schooling area and everyone’s present. There are eight people standing by the jump – grooms, trainers, parents, barn members. It’s a posse.”
“Reid has a lot of trainers, and she does a good job keeping each horse with each trainer,” Cheska said. “It’s hard to have a lot of voices on you. But it’s very supportive. Everyone roots for each other.”
Patton has been getting to know Twisther with the help of her trainers. She looks forward to continuing to compete him in the High Junior Jumpers and then later moving into the High Amateur Jumpers.
“He’s a little bit more downhill than my other horses, but he has such a bounding stride,” she described. “When I first got on him, I thought that was a little off-putting because I didn’t think he’d be very adjustable. But although he has a huge stride, he’s very responsive. Anything I want to do, I trust that he’s going to be there for me. He’s very honest and scopey and careful, which is I think a perfect combination for a High Junior and eventually a High Amateur.”
Mary Meghann Huitt and Honfleur took home the prize in the High Amateur Owner Jumpers today, putting in a solid first round and then racing through a quick jump-off round against the other two four-faulters. Huitt said her first round went well, but a forward first line resulted in difficulty in the approach to the third fence.
“My horse was backing off the first jump a little, which is unusual for her,” Huitt explained. “I had to get after her and lengthen my stride and add a lot of pace to the first jump, which actually worked out well – that line walked a little long, so five strides worked well. We came off that line with a lot of pace, so the right turn back to jump three, which is a pretty tall vertical, just got too long. Unfortunately she rubbed that one and it came down. The rest of the course rode pretty smoothly.”
Huitt was on her way back to the barn when she got the word that there would be a jump-off between the three four-faulters to determine the winner. She returned to the ring with a plan to keep all the fences up while setting a good pace.
“In the jump-off, I decided to ride the first line the same way,” she said. “I rode in boldly and walked right down the five strides. We made a nice clean, quick turn to jump three, and she kept that one up. Then we did a quick turn back to 12 and had to land off that and do another quick turn. She recovered from a little slip and ran right down to the triple and jumped it great. I was glad to see her jump the last jump clear, especially with it being a plank.”
Haley Gassel and Quite Dark 2 also finished with a clear round in the jump-off, taking 44.576 seconds to complete the course. They took home second place. Anna Hallene and Wocello had jumping and time faults in the jump-off and settled for third.
Huitt trains with her mother, Robin Huitt, as well as Kels Bonham. She is based in Savannah, GA, and primarily competes in Florida and Georgia, but came to Kentucky for two weeks. She has had Honfleur for over a year, and her ultimate goal for the mare is to compete in 1.45m grand prixs.
“She’s awesome,” Huitt said of Honfleur. “She’s really brave. She is hot, and she’s got a lot of power and speed. She’s a really, really good horse and is super fun to ride.”
Junior and amateur riders return for the Amateur Owner/Junior Jumper High and Low Classics on Sunday. The final day of the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show will also feature the $40,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix and the USHJA National Hunter Derby Finals.
For more information on the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show and all of the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
Mary Adelaide Brakenridge for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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