Tag Archives: Audrey Coulter

Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Audrey Coulter and Capital Colnardo Clinch First Major Win in Sacramento

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Audrey Coulter and Capital Colnardo (FEI/Kristin Lee)

Sacramento, Ca. (USA), 8 October 2016 – In the first indoor competition of the 2016 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League season, an international and bicoastal field of 28 contested under the lights. Out of a jump off of eight horse-and-rider pairs, Audrey Coulter (USA) and Capital Colnardo rose to the occasion to claim victory in the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Sacramento at the Sacramento International Horse Show CSI3*-W.

“It feels great – it’s really great to be here, back on home turf,” said Coulter, a native of California who currently splits her time between the States and Belgium. “I grew up coming to this show all the time, so it’s nice to be back and have a win. I thought it was a well-set course. It was tricky. It all came up very quickly indoors, and it was hard, but we had a great jump off, and I was really happy with how my horse jumped.”

The course, set by Guilherme Jorge (BRA), incorporated two combinations, a double and a triple, bending lines, and short turns off the rail. From the first fence – which multiple riders had down – it was evident the riders needed to maintain a quality pace and a defined track to record a clear round.

“Indoors, it’s a very interesting process to design, because you have the limitations of the size of the arena,” said Jorge. “So I really start with some ideas. Like for this course, I start with the position of the triple combination, and then the [line with the double combination], and then you start to place all the other jumps. But really, course design has a little bit of the inspirational part of it – also, with the technical part. Sometimes it is easier. Sometimes it takes longer.”

The first in the class to cross the timers without a single fault, Christopher Surbey (CAN), fresh off his speed class win the evening before, demonstrated his understanding of both the course’s and the arena’s challenges with a clear round aboard Arezzo (Querlybet Hero x Walzertakt). A few rounds later, Jenni McAllister (USA) guaranteed a jump off when she rode fault free with Legis Touch the Sun (Nekton x Capitol I).

Six more riders accomplished the same impressive feat to join the final round’s order: Guido Klatte Jr. (GER), Georgina Bloomberg (USA), Eduardo Menezes (BRA), Richard Fellers (USA), Audrey Coulter (USA), and Jessica Springsteen (USA).

“I thought the first round was tricky because everything came up quickly and jumps were concentrated in the center of ring,” said Coulter. “Right from the first jump, which was in an awkward place, you had to be really on it to get the right distance.”

Inside options

For the jump-off track, with seven obstacles and eight jumping attempts, there were two parts of the course that offered inside turn options. The first option was immediately before the double combination, and the second option came in advance of the very careful skinny vertical.

No rider attempted to take both options, if he or she decided to even take an option. All faults recorded in the final round, including a refusal from Klatte Jr.’s mount Qinghai (Quidam de Revel x Cordalme), could directly be attributed to taking the tighter, inside turns.

But it was only Coulter, who not only took the inside turn to the skinny vertical but also shaved a tight turn off the rail to the second oxer, that managed a clear round under 40 seconds.

“I had coach Harrie Smolders watching on the screen in the warmup [during the jump off] and he watched people go and said that I could definitely make up time from fence one to two,” Coulter said. “That was the main place. Then to the double, I went around and turned tight and got a good jump, and we had a good gallop to the last jump.”

It was a milestone win for Coulter – who also won Thursday’s qualifier with the 11-year-old, Holsteiner stallion (Colman x Coronado) – as her first FEI World Cup™ qualifier victory.

“He was bought for Saer [my sister], not for me,” Coulter said. “He’s not my typical ride; he needs a lot more motivation. But I can adjust my ride for him. He’s such an incredible horse and he’s very straightforward when he’s on it.”

International podium

Riders from three different countries stood on the podium by the night’s end. Rio Olympian Eduardo Menezes clocked in just under a second slower than Coulter, showcasing his upcoming talent, the 9-year-old, Oldenburg mare Catalina (Chacco Blue x Converter).

“I don’t know if I want to take my Olympic horse [Quintol] for another championship,” said Menezes, when asked about qualifying for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Final. “Maybe I’m going to give him one year off. But I’m not so sure. I’m very pleased with this mare, and I’m going to do show by show, and we’ll see what comes.”

The third-place finisher Surbey also rode a mount new to this level of jumping and competing.

“I was obviously really happy with my horse,” Surbey said. “I think he handled the track well indoors. He’s quite a big horse so I wasn’t sure it’d suit him, but he did a good job. Now, a little, small break, and then we’ll jump the World Cup in Del Mar in a couple weeks. And then I think we’ll plan the rest of this year and then 2017.”

Indoor adjustment

Kent Farrington mentioned, following his win in the $216,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York, that he would need to find the indoor specialist in his string for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Final in Omaha. So in contrast to Gazelle, his winning mount in the large, grass field at Old Salem Farm in September, Farrington opted to ride Creedance, a 9-year-old, KWPN gelding (Lord Z x Notaris) for the second leg of the West Coast sub-league.

But as the horse passed the packed crowd against the rail, mixed in with the shadows from the evening class under the lights, he appeared to spook and not come forward, forcing an uncharacteristic first rail for Farrington, eventually landing the pair at 11th place.

Other early favorites also ended the night with at least four faults. Last year’s winner of the event, Samuel Parot (CHI), finished on a single rail in the first round, in addition to Karl Cook (USA) aboard Tembla, the victors from the first leg of the West Coast sub-league in August. The riders finished 10th and 12th, respectively.

Coulter noted that riding in the smaller, indoor ring was an adjustment after most of the year spent competing in large, outdoor arenas.

“Honestly, it went better than I thought it would,” Coulter said. “Last year was my first indoor season on him – he’s from Capital Stud in South Africa so I don’t think he was indoors very much at all. He would get a little nervous and tense because everything was so close and coming up so quickly. We worked on it a lot last year. I think he’s come a really long way in a year and handled it amazing.”

“I think he’s a really smart horse and he learns quickly,” she added. He’s such a special horse. I think he can jump anything, and he gives me all the confidence in the world. We’ve been working on the speed a little bit, because he wasn’t the fastest to begin with, but he picks up on it quickly. And this is our first major win and I’m very happy.

“Even though the indoor was new, he has all the ability and he wanted to do it right. He can really do anything.”

Season strategy

Coulter made her first Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final appearance in March 2016, at the Gothenburg Horse Show. With the experience under her belt, she expressed her hope of qualifying again this season, which will be held at the International Omaha, March 27 to April 2, 2017.

“I think it’s going to be tough to qualify because it’s on U.S. soil,” Coulter said. “I think it’s special to compete in the Final, and I think Capital Colnardo is a horse to angle for it. Last year, I didn’t think he was ready, but with how he’s handled his first indoor of the season, I would think to take him.”

Coulter will next try to earn World Cup™ qualifying points at the third leg of the West Coast sub-league at Del Mar CSI3*-W, on October 22.

“I think with any championship like the Longines FEI World Cup™ Final, when you’re riding with the best and watching the best, you learn a lot,” she said. “I’m very motivated this year because I had some bad luck last year – it was not my best. But I’m very motivated to go back.”

Full results: http://www.longinestiming.com/#!/equestrian/2016/1226/html/en/longinestiming/resultlist_412.html

About the Sacramento International Horse Show

The Sacramento International Horse Show is one of Northern California’s premier equestrian events and takes place at the Murieta Equestrian Center in Rancho Murieta, California. The facility features four indoor arenas, 13 outdoor arenas, shopping, dining, bleacher seating to accommodate 3,000 spectators, and VIP seating/dining areas. The show attracts sell-out crowds for its grand prix classes and special events, and riders on the international circuit regularly attend the Sacramento International on their way to qualifying for the FEI World Cup™ Finals.

Live FEI TV Action

For those unable to attend the NAL events, tune in to live action of all fourteen of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League qualifiers on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform: www.feitv.org. The additional FEI classes at these competitions will be available to view via livestream on the FEI’s YouTube channel. Visit www.youtube.com/user/feichannel to view the full details on the livestream.

Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League

A total of 14 athletes from the new North American League will qualify for the prestigious Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final.

The top seven athletes from the East Coast US, top three from West Coast US and the two best-placed athletes from Canada and Mexico will qualify for the Final, alongside winners of the 13 other leagues from around the world.

The North American League boasts a minimum of US $2.4 million prize money across the series, and offers the best Jumping athletes from North America and around the world the chance to qualify for the jackpot of more than US $1.4 million (€1.3 million) on offer annually at the Final.

The new league was launched by Beezie Madden, the most decorated US female equestrian athlete of all time, American Gold Cup winner and FEI Solidarity Ambassador Jessica Springsteen, and Hannah Selleck, team and individual gold medalist at young rider level and one of the sport’s up-and-coming stars. Full launch release here: https://goo.gl/kCIsyW

By Esther Hahn

FEI Media Contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Bronze for Hermès US Show Jumping Team at Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final

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Lillie Keenan and Super Sox (Libby Law Photography)

Barcelona, Spain – The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final came to an exciting conclusion at CSIO5* Barcelona Saturday evening. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team of Audrey Coulter, Lauren Hough, Lillie Keenan, and Laura Kraut stood strong against tough competition in the Final’s second round. Building off the momentum from a Silver-medal win at the Rio Olympic Games in August, the U.S. once again stood on the podium, this time earning Bronze. In a sensational evening for the sport, Great Britain and Germany battled it out for top honors in a jump-off. Germany ultimately took Gold, while Great Britain won Silver.

Riding as pathfinders for the U.S. over Santiago Varela’s big and technically demanding course was Hough (Wellington, Fla.) and The Ohlala Group’s Ohlala, a 2004 Swedish Warmblood mare. The pair had a brilliant round until the last fence, an oxer set a long six strides off the triple combination at 12. Hough rode forward, but ended up long, taking the top rails down for a four-fault total.

Next in the order was Coulter (San Francisco, Calif.) and Copernicus Stables, LLC’s Capital Colnardo, a 2005 Holsteiner stallion. With rails down at fences 3 and 12c, the pair added eight faults to the board.

Prior to the final round, the U.S. replaced Lucy Davis and Barron in the team’s starting order due to minor swelling in Barron’s forelimb. The gelding is expected to make a full recovery. Davis and Barron contributed to the final round qualification with a clear round in the opening competition on Thursday. As the alternate members of the team, Keenan and Super Sox stepped into the order. Keenan and Chansonette Farm LLC and Ronnoco Jump Ltd.’s 2006 Hanoverian gelding delivered a clutch clear round in their Nation Cup Final debut.

Laura Kraut and Zeremonie (Libby Law Photography)
Laura Kraut and Zeremonie (Libby Law Photography)

Preceding the U.S. in the final rotation was Ireland, Switzerland, and Italy, with each nation adding four faults to put all on a five-fault total. With Great Britain and Germany securing zero-fault round-one totals, the door was open for the U.S. to secure a Bronze medal with a clear round from anchor rider, Kraut. Aboard Old Willow Farms, LLC’s Zeremonie, a 2007 Holsteiner mare, Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) rode with steel nerve to deliver the necessary clear round to secure a podium finish for the U.S.

“The course was very tricky. There were options for striding in almost every line,” said Kraut. “It was fortunate for me that I went late in the class and had a lot of time to make up my mind on what would be best for my horse. Initially after walking the course, I thought adding strides would be best, but as I watched, leaving strides out seemed to be working better, especially with the tight time allowed. I was very pleased with my round. Zeremonie is young and that was a lot of pressure on her.”

Speaking to the team’s overall performance, Kraut noted, “Obviously we like to win, and we were one fence away from being in the jump-off, but this was a strong finish for us. Lillie pulling through in the 11th hour and going clear was an amazing feat. Audrey was great; it just wasn’t her week, but she rode really well.”

In the jump-off, Great Britain was first in the order and opted to send forward 2016 Individual Olympic Gold medalists, Nick Skelton and Big Star. The pair jumped clear in 41.57 to put the pressure on Germany. With the advantage of knowing exactly what was needed to secure the win, Marcus Ehning and Pret A Tout delivered for their nation, going clear in 39.80.

Complete Results

Find out more about CSIO5* Barcelona

From the USEF Communications Department

FEI, Show Jumping, USEF

Hermès US Show Jumping Team Takes Second in FEI Nations Cup at CSIO4* Wellington

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Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team.

Wellington, Fla. – The Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team placed second in a highly competitive $150,000 FEI Nations Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Competing in a seven-team field, the team of Georgina Bloomberg, Audrey Coulter, Laura Kraut, and Beezie Madden ended on a two-round total of eight faults.

Leading off for the U.S. was Bloomberg (New York, N.Y.) with Gotham Enterprizes, LLC’s Lilli, who set a positive tone for the evening, jumping clear over the Steve Stephens-designed track. Riding in only her third Nations Cup, Coulter (San Francisco, Calif.) followed suit with Copernicus Stables, LLC’s Capital Colnardo, and produced another score of zero for USA. Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) entered the arena next with Old Willow Farms, LLC’s Zeremonie and sealed round one with another clear round. The clear efforts of the first three U.S. combinations deemed it unnecessary for anchor rider Madden to jump.

The U.S. team was not able to breathe easy entering round two as Ireland sat tied on zero faults and Mexico was a close third on five faults. The round proved to be a close contest with the final result resting on the anchor riders. Bloomberg began round two with an eight-fault effort, but both Coulter and Kraut jumped clear.

Ireland’s first three riders jumped two four-fault rounds and a clear. As penultimate in the order, Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) and Abigail Wexner’s Simon had an uncharacteristic misstep at fence three that resulted in the pair’s retirement on course. With Ireland’s anchor rider going clear, the Irish won on a two-round total of four faults.

“We felt really confident coming in and felt good after the first round. We had a really good night; it was just a tough way to end. That’s show jumping though; that’s sport,” said Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland.

The U.S. team showcased great up-and-coming talent this evening with Coulter marking the first double-clear performance of her career with her efforts.

“I have been on teams before, and this was the first time I’ve been able to come back for the second round. To jump double-clear was really special,” said Coulter. “He was a little nervous in the first round, and then in the second, he took a breath a really performed well.”

Kraut’s mount Zeremonie was contesting her first Nations Cup and performed beautifully under the electric atmosphere, producing the second double-clear effort for the U.S.

“I was really happy with my horse tonight. It was her first time doing anything like this – she’s never jumped at night and she’s never jumped two rounds. I am really happy with the way she performed,” said Kraut.

The U.S team will all move forward to compete in Sunday’s $216,000 Lugano Diamonds CSIO4* Grand Prix.

Complete Results

From the USEF Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Audrey Coulter Beats the Best in $280k Grand Prix CSI 4* and $84k 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

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Audrey Coulter and Acorte. Photos © Sportfot.

Flirt and Yasmin Rizvi Top Equestrian Sotheby’s International Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under

Wellington, FL – February 23, 2014 – The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) concluded its seventh week of competition on Sunday with a fantastic line-up of international show jumping and back-to-back wins for 21-year-old Audrey Coulter (USA) of San Francisco, CA.

The day kicked off with the $280,000 Adequan Grand Prix CSI 4* with a win for Coulter and Acorte. The pair beat out the world’s number one and two ranked riders, Scott Brash and Ben Maher of Great Britain, who finished second and third respectively with their mounts Ursula XII and Cella. Coulter then went on to another big win in the afternoon’s $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic with her mount Victory DA. It was a day the young rider will surely never forget.

Watch an interview with Audrey Coulter.

Fredric Cottier (FRA) was the course designer in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for week seven. The $280,000 Adequan Grand Prix CSI 4* was postponed due to bad weather on Saturday night, but saw an exciting class on Sunday morning with 44 starters and a five-horse jump-off.

Danielle Goldstein (ISR) and Israeli Equestrian Partners’ Carisma were first to go in the jump-off and had four faults in 45.14 seconds to finish fifth. Audrey Coulter and Copernicus Stables LLC’s Acorte went next and posted the first clear round in what would prove to be the winning time of 40.51 seconds.

Ben Maher and Jane Clark’s Cella did their best, but finished third with their clear round in 41.31 seconds. Brianne Goutal (USA) and Remarkable Farms LP’s Nice de Prissey incurred four faults in 41.93 seconds to place fourth. Scott Brash and Ursula XII, owned by Lord and Lady Harris and Lord and Lady Kirkham, also tried to catch Coulter’s time but settled for second in 41.10 seconds.

Coulter’s winning mount, Acorte, is an eleven-year-old Hanoverian mare by Acorado x Stakkato. The mare previously showed successfully with German rider Rolf Moormann and began competing with Coulter this fall. Sunday’s win was Coulter’s best finish with Acorte as well as the biggest win of the young rider’s career.

“I’m so excited!” she beamed. “Just to be next to Ben and Scott is amazing. My horse was incredible today. It has been a good day; it’s very exciting.”

Coulter is a student at Dartmouth College and is currently taking a quarter off of school to ride and compete. She has been showing at the 1.50m level for a few years, but moved up to the 1.60m height more recently and has had great results. With Acorte, Coulter finished fifth two weeks ago in the $370,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI-W 5* Presented by Rolex, which saw an exciting one-two finish for Maher and Brash. This time, the rider from California stepped up for the win with the help of her trainers, Markus Beerbaum and Meredith Michaels Beerbaum of Germany.

“It was exciting for sure. I wasn’t really expecting it,” Coulter said of winning the jump-off. “I was just happy to be in the ring with Scott and Ben and competing, and I’m so fortunate to have the horse I have and such incredible trainers in Meredith and Markus, so I’m just happy to be here.”

Coming out of the ring, Coulter was not sure if she had done enough to win, but all she could do was wait. “I hoped the time was good enough, but knowing they were coming after me, I would have been happy with second or third. I went for it and I went as fast as I could and my horse is fast, so I was hoping to win, and it worked out today.”

“She’s incredible,” Coulter said of Acorte. “She’s a little feisty, but she has the biggest heart and she tries so hard every time she goes in the ring. I feel so lucky to have her. She’s really scopey and really careful. When we first got here I think she was a little shy, but we spoiled her. She really likes cookies, and we give her a lot of attention.”

In addition to winning top prize in Sunday’s grand prix, Coulter was named the Leading Lady Grand Prix Rider for week seven. The award is sponsored by Martha Jolicoeur of Illustrated Properties in memory of Dale Lawler.

Coulter thanked her trainers for their support. “It is incredible training with them,” she acknowledged. “They are so supportive. Markus just jumped up and down when I won! They are always there for you, but they also trust that you know what you’re doing, so it’s like a nice discussion back and forth, which I really enjoy. Training with Meredith is awesome. She is obviously an incredible rider, so it’s really fun just being around them every day at the barn.”

Scott Brash and Ursula XII
Scott Brash and Ursula XII

World number one, Scott Brash, was close behind with his second place finish aboard Ursula XII on Sunday, and gave credit to Coulter’s great ride.

“Audrey did an absolutely fantastic job today, and she thoroughly deserves it,” Brash acknowledged. “She was very, very fast and I watched her on the screen outside of the ring and it was a perfect round and that horse is a very fast horse. Then I watched Ben go, and it was a tough class. It was fast and it was all set distances. I actually tried to go one less stride after the white oxer, but I had a bit of a stumble so I had to do it in eight (strides). I was very pleased with my horse. She has been so consistent throughout the tour, and this is actually her last class (in Wellington). She goes home soon, so I’m happy it finished off on a good note.”

Maher also admitted that his round was just not fast enough to beat Coulter’s time and congratulated the rider on her victory.

“Cella again was incredible today, and it’s a nice change to jump during the day,” Maher noted. “I just didn’t have the jump-off I really wanted. It wasn’t smooth. It was kind of one of those rounds where I wanted to, but couldn’t get going. It was as fast as I could go, and Audrey was way too fast, and I knew it would not be possible to catch her.”

“She is just coming up to these ranks and I wish I had been doing this well when I was 21,” Maher said of Coulter’s success. “I think that’s a new horse for her and I know the horse a little bit from Europe, and it seems to like the American system. I think she prefers Audrey.”

Allyn Mann, Director of the Animal Health Division at Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., was on hand to watch the class and was thrilled with the great result.

“I’m living the dream,” Mann acknowledged. “Audrey, Scott, Ben, thank you for all you do to make this sport so exciting. The horses are awesome, and of course if it wasn’t for the owners, none of us would be sitting here. We thank owners like Jane Clark and the others who so passionately care about wanting to do the best for this entire industry. We have this facility across the street, the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, that has just turned into a wonderful venue, and for us to support the dressage world and then to come across the street and get involved in the hunter/jumper world, it just has been a dream come true for us. We are looking forward to being around for an awfully long time, to continue to support all of the people that really make it possible for us to exist as a business.”

Coulter Earns Second Win of the Day in $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

An $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic concluded the competition on Sunday at the FTI WEF with another exciting victory for Audrey Coulter. Seventy-eight entries showed in the class with ten advancing to the jump-off. Fredric Cottier finished out the week with a challenging course for the 1.50m competitors that included a rarely seen quadruple combination. The oxer-vertical-vertical-oxer combination was a difficult test for many of the horses and riders, but Coulter’s horse cleared it easily to move on to the second round.

Audrey Coulter and Victory DA
Audrey Coulter and Victory DA

Coming off the momentum of her big win in the morning, Coulter finished a phenomenal day by piloting Copernicus Stables LLC’s Victory DA to the 1.50m win with the fastest of four double clear rounds in the jump-off. The pair raced through the timers in 38.51 seconds, putting the rider in the winner’s circle once more. Victory DA also got to stand in for Acorte’s winning presentation earlier in the day and took her second victory gallop of the day as well.

“She is much calmer than the other one, so she did the first presentation, and then I think she wanted her own,” Coulter laughed after her win.

Australia’s Benjamin Meredith guided Bernadien van Westuur, owned by River Farm Sporthorses, to second place with a clear round in 39.43 seconds. Carly Anthony (USA) and Artisan Farms LLC’s Rosana du Park placed third in 39.69 seconds, and Ramiro Quintana (ARG) placed fourth with St. Bride’s Farm’s Caramello Z in 40.78 seconds.

Coulter was not sure how she got so lucky with two huge wins in one day, but she said that she would certainly like to repeat it. “I don’t know what I did, but I need to think about it because I need to do it again,” the rider smiled. “Victory DA is not a super fast horse. She can go fast, but sometimes if you go really fast on her she gets a little flat and strung out and has some rails, so I wasn’t really expecting it. I decided to just go after the grand prix and just show her because I haven’t shown her, and it went really well.”

The rider had a long day at the horse show, but noted that it was all worth it. “It was a good day; I have never had a day like this,” Coulter remarked. “This was amazing, and I am never going to forget it.”

Coulter has had Victory DA or “Vicky” for about three years now and knows the mare really well. She is a 16-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by by Clinton x Attach Z.

“She was sort of my first horse to move up to the 1.60m level,” the rider recalled. “She is super scopey. She is one of those that has all of the ability, but is sometimes not as careful, but today she jumped great and was really, really careful.”

Coulter spoke about the course and the challenge quadruple combination, noting that her horse had plenty of scope to clear it.

“I have never done a quadruple before,” she admitted. “I thought it was a really tricky course actually. Walking it, it was big, it was technical, it was long. It was definitely challenging. The time was tight and I have a kind of slow moving horse, so I was a little worried about the time, but it was a good course for such a big class.”

The strategy in the jump-off: “Sometimes you just sort of kick and go,” Coulter stated. “I wanted to go for it and today she was really on it and jumping well, so I felt like I could really try. Every time after every single jump you sort of have to land and go with her. She is really good at tight turns, so the turn back to the last line is something that was good for us.”

Coulter will compete during FTI WEF weeks nine and twelve and then returns to school for the spring. She then has a job lined up for the summer and will not be able to ride. Her horses will travel to Europe with the Beerbaums after a little time off and will continue to stay in shape and jumping until their rider returns. Coulter hopes to start riding again in August to gear up for next season and then has goals of competing at the 2015 FEI World Cup Finals.

Flirt and Yasmin Rizvi Top Equestrian Sotheby’s Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under

Hunter competition for week seven of the FTI WEF concluded on Sunday with a championship win for 13-year-old Yasmin Rizvi of Greenwich, CT, riding Peacock Ridge LLC’s Flirt in the Equestrian Sotheby’s Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under division. Rizvi and the 13-year-old Warmblood gelding placed fourth over fences on Saturday, then jumped two winning rounds on Sunday and finished fourth under saddle to earn the championship tricolor. Oscany Inc.’s Clooney was reserve champion with Sophie Simpson in the irons. The pair placed third in both over fences on Saturday and second in both over fences on Sunday.

Rizvi and Flirt were also presented with the championship owner/rider award with Melissa Wight’s Chromeo and Samantha Wight in reserve. The special award is given to junior riders that compete on their own horses. Rizvi has owned Flirt since May of 2013. The pair had a successful year including top ribbons at Indoors and a fifth place finish at the USEF National Junior Hunter Championships. Rizvi trains at Heritage Farm in New York.

“This is my second weekend showing him here this year,” the rider noted. “He was pretty good last week, but it was his first weekend back for a while. He came out, and he felt really good this week.”

“He is slow, but he is so fun to ride,” Rizvi described. “He has never done anything wrong. He is perfect.”

Rizvi and Flirt had two great rounds over fences on Sunday to clinch the championship title. She detailed, “The first round he jumped really well. In the second round I rubbed a few jumps, but he was really good. He jumps very well and he is so much fun.”

“He is really sweet,” she said of Flirt’s personality. “Some horses bite, but he is nice. He will let me hug him, and he is very affectionate.”

Sunday’s competition concluded week seven of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Week eight, sponsored by G&C Farm, begins on Wednesday, February 26, and runs through March 2. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With more than 4,000 employees located in 24 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management, strategic communications and restructuring. The company generated $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

About the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival

The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 8 through March 30. The FTI WEF is run by Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC, and Wellington Equestrian Partners and held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All 12 shows are “AA” rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more than $7 million in prize money will be awarded.

Please visit www.equestriansport.com or call 561-793-5867 for more information.

Lauren Fisher for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Equestrian Public Relations
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com