Tag Archives: Aaron Vale

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Sponsored Purina Mills Rider Aaron Vale Wins the $50,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix

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©ESI Photography. Aaron Vale and Tibor sail over the Purina Mills sponsored fence on their way to winning the Purina Mills Grand Prix

OCALA, FL (March 12, 2012) – Purina Mills was on hand this weekend at HITS Ocala as the title sponsor of the $50,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. The weekend was full of Purina Mills sponsored festivities and Purina sponsored rider Aaron Vale, of Morriston, Florida, put the exclamation point on the weekend when he captured the coveted first place prize in the Grand Prix aboard Bonnie Smith’s Tibor. To put the icing on the cake, he also won a ton of Purina Mills feed through the Purina Mills Rider’s Bonus.

Canada’s Danny Foster of Milton, Ontario designed the course, and saw 33 competitors attempt to conquer it.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve won a big Sunday Grand Prix and I was hoping to do it this circuit, so I was pretty thrilled,” said Vale, who showed two mounts on Sunday and finished in tenth place aboard Honeyland’s Douglason, owned by Doug’s Crew. “I think Danny [Foster] did a fantastic job today giving us a big course to jump. The line to the triple combination gave a lot of difficulties today and the six strides made the horses kind of dive at the jump and take a down. I was able to do seven strides with both of my horses and was able to sneak them through it. The jumps came up quick and there was a lot of riding to do in 88 seconds. There were 14 fences and it was about the same time allowed for a 12 jump course, so it kept you busy.”

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Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Margie Engle Beats Out 40 Starters to Take the Win in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson IV

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© ESI Photography. Margie Engle and Ashland Farms' Lord Spezi on course in Friday's $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (July 23, 2011) — With competition taking place in 10 different show rings and more than 1,600 horses on the premises, the opening week of the HITS-on-the-Hudson summer series is going like gangbusters, proving that Saugerties, New York is the place to be this summer.

Olympian Margie Engle picked up right where she left off upon her return to HITS-on-the-Hudson when she piloted Ashland Farms’ Lord Spezi to an exciting victory in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. Engle and Lord Spezi had a very successful start to their season in Saugerties back in June when they won the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix and finished sixth together in the $100,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix during HITS-on-the-Hudson III.

“He [Lord Spezi] had the winter off and we showed together here Week III where we did really well together,” said Engle. “We’re back for the summer and looking to qualify for the [Pfizer] Million. He’s a funny horse, he has a cocky attitude, but in a good way. He knows when he does a good job. Sometimes, after a jump he’ll let out a little buck, showing off like ‘Wow! Look what I did’. He’s not a very big horse, but he has a very big personality.”

Friday’s win did not come easy for Engle as 39 other starters stood in her way at the outset of the class, including fellow Olympians McLain Ward, Peter Leone, Todd Minikus, Kevin Babington and Manuel Torres. International Course Designer Marina Azevedo of Brazil set a challenging course in the roomy Strongid C 2X Stadium that included a double combination early in the track, a water jump mid-way through the route and a triple combination at the second-to-last fence, which proved to be the downfall of many riders on the course.

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Grand Prix Show Jumper Aaron Vale Rides His Way into The Winner’s Circle in Amerigo Saddles from World Equestrian Brands

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Award-winning Grand Prix show jumper Aaron Vale rides in an Amerigo Saddle and is an endorsed rider with World Equestrian Brands. (Photo courtesy of Mallory Norton)

Buena Vista, VA (April 20, 2011) – Grand Prix rider Aaron Vale has solidified his position as one of America’s greatest show jumpers, riding into the history books with over 165 Grand Prix wins and more than three million dollars in prize money. Vale rode in his first Grand Prix at the tender age of 14 and said he is always looking for an advantage when competing — and that riding in an Amerigo Saddle gives him that advantage.

“Aaron is an extremely talented rider and definitely one of the best in the sport,” said Robin Moore, President of World Equestrian Brands, LLC, the United States distributor of Amerigo saddles and strap goods, Amerigo Vega saddles, Vespucci, E. A. Mattes and Equilibrium products. “Aaron has been one of World Equestrian Brand’s endorsed riders for quite some time and we are so pleased that he finds benefit from the Amerigo Saddles.”

Vale, who holds the records for the most Grand Prix wins in one year, the most money won in one year and the most double clear rounds in one year, has been riding in an Amerigo Saddle for three show seasons. “At the top levels of every sort, everyone is looking for an advantage. I discovered the Amerigo Saddles when my good friend Buck Davidson had me help him with one of his three-day mounts. Buck rides in the Amerigo and I was very impressed with the balance of the saddle and how great it felt on the horse’s back,” Vale said. “Some of today’s brands don’t focus on the true fit of a saddle regarding the horse’s back and I love the way Amerigo does. The horse is an athlete and has to be comfortable to perform well. Amerigo Saddles gets this done.”

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