Articles: Horse News

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Lexington, KY - August 9, 2010 - An incredible crowd turned out on Saturday night at the Kentucky Horse Park to watch the nation's best riders compete for the top prize during the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix at the Kentucky Summer Classic. The first round featured a long and demanding track that only five riders were able to complete without fault. The jump-off proved to be even more exciting when Michael Morrissey and Crelido beat Margie Engle aboard Indigo by just two-tenths of a second for the hard fought win.

Michael Morrissey and Crelido knew they would need to lay down a tight track with Margie Engle following them aboard two different mounts. Morrissey picked up a quick gallop to the first fence and never held back. The pair made a quick cut after the third fence in front of a timer before galloping to the double combination, shaving off precious seconds in their time. They leapt over the remaining obstacles with ease, and despite tripping and losing a shoe after the final fence they crossed the finish line in 27.67 seconds with all the rails in their cups to take over the lead.

Next on course was Margie Engle with her first mount, Indigo, owned by Shay Griese and Gladewinds Farm. Engle was not about to let Morrissey take the win without a fight and she made every effort over the course with her talented mare. The duo was not able to make the inside turn after the third fence because Indigo landed too far out, but Engle tried to make up the time with a fast gallop to the combination. The pair managed to complete the course without fault, but they tripped the timers at 27.89 seconds, just two-tenths of a second behind Morrissey for the second place award.

After a short warm-up break, Engle was back in the ring with her second qualified mount, Hidden Creek's Pamina L. Engle made her another excellent attempt to take over the top spot, but the pair had an unexpected rail at the second fence. They were still able to make the inside turn to the combination but with four-faults and a slower time of 28.37 seconds the pair earned the fourth place prize.

Junior rider Reed Kessler and Onisha were the last horse and rider combination to make a bid for the win. The pair picked up a very fast gallop going to the first fence but they were unable to make it through the line without fault, bringing down a rail at the vertical. The pair did not give up though and continue their quick pace through the course, breaking the beam with the fastest time of the night, 26.97 seconds, to take home the third place title.

"I feel pretty good, it feels good to be back," smiled Morrissey after tonight's awards presentation. "I think I was lucky to go early during the first round because I walked the course and I did my plan and it turned out. I think maybe people over thought a lot of stuff. There were some tricky lines and it was a benefit not to watch so many tonight."

Morrissey added, "I didn't catch the inside turn when we walked the course because they move courses around. I didn't get to see Addison go but I noticed there weren't any tracks by the timer so I figured that could be a way to make up half a second or two so I think that was the trick."

Saturday's exciting grand prix competition was held in conjunction with the Kentucky Horse Park's "Hats Off Day," which is a salute to the horse industry in Kentucky. Admission to the Park was free and wonderful crowd turned out to see the world's top equestrians compete at the highest level.

For more information about the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

Jumper Results: Wednesday-Sunday

The 1.35m and 1.40m Open Jumpers, in addition to some excellent competition today, provided a perfect platform for those riders preparing their mounts for this week's $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic and the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix, both scheduled in the indoor arena on Thursday and Saturday evening, respectively.

The blue ribbon in the 1.40m Open Jumpers was secured Ecuadorian Luis Barreiro and VSilverado for the second week in a row, while Lauren Tisbo took the top spot in the 1.35m with her mount, Sansierra.

Sixteen competitors turned out for the 1.40m, and Ballard's challenging course saw less than half of the entrants without a fault. There was no photo finish for the winner though, as Ecuadorian Luis Barreiro riding Pablo Vivero's VSilverado grabbed the victory by more than 2.5 seconds. Barreiro competed for the first time in Kentucky last week and snagged top ribbons in 1.35m and 1.40m divisions with VSilverado.

The second place finisher was Diego Vivero riding Big Brother with a time of 61.466 seconds. Coming in third today was Daniel Bluman with Puertas Paraiso, breaking the beams in 62.838 seconds. Lauren Crooks rounded out the top four with Cincinnati La Silla, coming home clear in 65.154 seconds. 1.35 m Open Jumpers

51 competitors lined up for the 1.35m Open Jumper class, with only 10 of those entrants managing to go clean in the first round to move on to an immediate jump off under the Table II, Sec 2(b) format. The course was inviting,and included many inside turn options for the risk takers.

Setting the pace for the class with a double clear score was Reed Kessler with her 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding Ligist. The pair took a couple of daring inside turns and sliced a wide oxer, tripping the timers at 32.807 seconds. Her lead was maintained until she bested her own time on her second mount, the 11-year-old Holsteiner mare Onisha, by less than 1/10th of a second. At that point, it seemed like the only one who could catch Reed Kessler was Reed Kessler.

The very next rider to tackle the track however, was Lauren Tisbo with Tequestrian Farm's Sansierra, who snatched the lead from Kessler. Tisbo had an even sharper route than Kessler, and opted to go in five instead of six strides in the final line of the jump off round. The risk paid off as Tisbo managed to shave nearly a second off Kessler's pace to cross the finish line in a speedy 31.949 seconds.

Both Tisbo and Kessler are trained by Katie Prudent, who said, "we always go in to win," which has been made clear in the past two weeks with multiple first place finishes by her students, including Henri Kovacs' win with Sassicaia II, last Sunday evening in the 40,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix.

It was all about speed and accuracy during Thursday night's $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Summer Classic, and Lauren Crooks had it with Cincinnati La Silla. The pair topped six other horse and rider combinations by completing the fastest clear round during the hotly contested jump-off. Debbie Stephens and Clue captured the second place prize with a clear round, while Margie Engle also left all the fences standing aboard Lord Spezi for the third place honors.

Lauren Crooks with Cincinnati La Silla, owned by Glen Youell, added a stride to the first fence, but chose to take the first inside option where they did another add and held steady through the double combination. Crooks asked La Silla for an extra effort at the single vertical and then opened her stride with ease to the final fence. They crossed the finish line with all the rails in their cups and set a blazing pace of 33.550 seconds, taking over the lead and eventually winning the class.

"This mare has a huge stride so she can cover ground really quickly," noted Crooks. "I have to think about keeping my calm because she is so quick through the turns. I just knew she can leave out the stride down the first line and just turn and turn and the last line I actually did leave out a stride and I was waiting. I just try to keep my composure and leave the speed up to her because she's so naturally good at that."

Debbie Stephens was not about to let Crooks take the lead with out a fight. She qualified Cleu, owned by Centennial Farm, for the jump-off and did not hold back. The pair lost a shoe over the first fence, but they were able to keep going successfully. They chose to make the outside turns to avoid slipping, but they had a long distance to the second to last fence and kept moving, leaving a stride out to the final oxer for a clear round in 34.783 seconds. Stephen and Cleu laid down an amazing trip to fall just behind Crooks in the standings and take home the second place title.

Margie Engle qualified for the jump-off with a second mount, Lord Spezi owned by Ashland Farms, and she was not about to make the same mistake twice. They took the first inside turn and kept up a quick gallop, but then chose to take the outside route for the second two options before make a quick dash to the last obstacle. The duo posted a clear effort in a time of 35.106 seconds for the third place award.

"I am really excited, I feel great," smiled Crooks after her second grand prix win. "I was only supposed to show her during Kentucky Spring after my brother broke his leg, but it went well and he gave her to me in Spruce. Then it went amazing and now here I am so I think he's going to give her to me full time."

Tonight's class was the fourth event in the Hagyard Challenge Series, which features five grand classes throughout the spring and summer. During the Series, riders compete for points towards the $50,000 Leading Rider Award, which is presented to the rider that accumulate the most points following the completion of the final event, the $50,000 Hagyard CSI-W Lexington Grand Prix on August 20, 2010.

"The Hagyard Challenge Series offers a great incentive," said Crooks. "It makes people really fight for the top and want to be there. It makes people want to compete and its great to be able to compete for more than just the class."

Beautiful skies greeted exhibitors during Friday's competition during the Kentucky Summer Classic held at the gorgeous Kentucky Horse Park, home of the FEI Altech World Equestrian Games. Following the Open Jumper divisions, 28 riders competed in the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers over an extremely demanding course in the New Indoor Arena. It was amateur rider Ericka Pritz and her mount Ad Fundum who rose to the occasion for the win this afternoon with the only double-clear effort. Junior rider Caitlin Ziegler and Raja That took home the second place award, while Karen Polle and Valfee Des Hazealles earned the third place ribbon.

Caitlin Zieger and Raja That went fourteenth in today's order and were first to make it around the first course with no faults. After taking the inside turn to fence nine in the short course, Raja That's hind legs landed on the back oxer rail at fence ten, giving them a four-fault total in the short course.

Ericka Pritz had already been around the course once on her mare Landessa 4, when she entered the ring for the second time on Ad Fundum. After a clear first round, Pritz knew that all she had to do was keep the rails in their cups to rise to the top of the leaderboard. The pair laid down a successful track with zero faults and took over the first place position. Seven more horses followed Pritz, but no one was able to master the first round course and advance to short course to challenge Pritz's lead

The Low Junior Jumpers were the last division of the day in the new Indoor Ring with fifty-two entries. Nineteen of those 52 made it back for the jump-off immediately following their first rounds. Lowering the fences made this course much more rideable as the Low Junior Jumpers followed the same course as the High Junior Amateur Owner Class.

It was BMC Chifaira, owned by Old Barrington LLC, and Abigail McArdle who held the lead for 29 rounds to win tonight's class with a clear ride in a time of 28.161 seconds during the jump-off. Following closely on McArdle's heals was Carinthie Z and Catherine Tyree with a time of 28.337 seconds. Shawn Casady and Elizabeth Boyd's First Lady were not far off either posting a time of 28.507 which was good enough for the third place ribbon.

Earlier in the day Friday, the Open Jumpers had the opportunity to avoid the heat in the new air-conditioned Indoor Ring. Top ribbons were awarded to Aaron Vale and Ubico-H in the 1.40m Open Jumper class for their amazing jump-off effort, while Henri Kovacs and Junior made a similar effort in the 1.35m Open Jumpers to take home the top prize.

There were 18 competitors in the 1.40m Open class. Norman Dello Joio and Uptimes, owned by Victoria Huertematte, were up first, setting the bar with a clear first round and a faultless jump off round in a time of 31.832 seconds, which would win the fourth place prize overall. Michael Morrissey was able to move to the top of the leaderboard with his horse Crelido, jumping clear during the short course and crossing the wire in a speedy 29.432 seconds and eventually earning the second place prize.

Aaron Vale aboard Royal Farm's Ubico-H rode a very quick first round leaving every rail in it its cups. The pair then went on to ride a very accurate short course, making every inside and cut off turn possible, to trip the wire in a blazing 28.690 seconds, which went straight to the top and won the class.

The 1.35m Open Jumpers class immediately followed and setting the pace for 16 riders was the first on course, Henri Kovacs and nine-year-old mount Junior, owned by Plain Bay Farm. Kovacs guided Junior over a very quick and error free jump-off round, opting to take inside routes and tighter turns, to break the beam at 28.334 seconds.

Katherine Newman and Dozent, owned by Mimi Abel-Smith, also braved the short course, but just were not quick enough to claim the top spot with a time of 30.187 seconds for the third place ribbon. It came down to Richard Reinhart and Niki Martin's horse, Hobby De La Cense. Choosing the inside route and tightening every turn just was still not enough for Reinhart as he tripped the wire in 28.741 seconds, just a fraction behind Kovacs to earn the second place title.

The closing day of the Kentucky Summer Classic did not disappoint spectators as competitors returned after a long week of competition to try and claim one last victory. Many of the top Amateur-Owners and Junior Jumpers returned to the Indoor Ring to compete for top prizes in the Classics.

The Low Amateur-Owner/Junior Classic had such a large number of entries that each division was split into two classes. Beginning with the Low Amateur-Owner Jumper division, only five horse and rider pairs went a clean over fences to advance to the short course. Saree Kayne and Nuage were the first duo to ride clear in the jump-off setting the standard at 28.635 seconds, which was eventually good enough for third place. Ariana Wallace and her horse Vamaranta stood up to the challenge to better that time and successfully did so with a faultless 28.168 seconds, earning the second place honors overall.

Anna McWane had the third clean jump-off, but she and her mount Vincent were unable to better the fastest time with 29.964 seconds and had to settle for fourth place. Gabby Stern and Anjelica were the next to show over the short course with victory on their mind, stopping the clock in a blazing 25.439 seconds. Unfortunately the duo had one rail down at the last jump and moved into fifth place. Niki Martin and 16-year-old Hobby De La Cense was the next to try and claim the lead and tripping the wire without any rails down in 27.258 seconds was just what they needed to earn the blue ribbon.

Following the Amateur-Owners was the Low Junior Jumper Classic and setting the bar for a class of 45 juniors was Samantha Schaefer aboard Canute. The pair had a clean first round and went right on to complete a speedy, fault-free jump-off in 27.846 seconds. Schaefer's time was in the lead until Catherine Tyree and Carinthie Z had a clear short course just a few hundredths quicker then Schaefer's in 27.050 seconds.

This time looked to be unbeatable until 16-year-old Christina Kelly rode in on her 8-year-old Belgian Warmblood, Creata Van Ten Biesen, owned by Diamond Edge Farm. Kelly guided her mare to a clean jump-off round, choosing inside turns and galloping between fences to trip the wire in 26.745 seconds. Their effort was good enough for first place and overall champion of her the Low Junior Jumper Division.

The last class in the Indoor Ring was the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and out of a class of 35 pairs, only three made it to the jump-off. The first horse and rider combination to go clear in the opening round was Jessica Springsteen and Tinsday VDL, owned by Stone Hill Farm. Springsteen looked to be clean in the jump-off until knocking one rail down in the last combination. The duo stopped the clock with four faults and a time of 28.976 seconds, good enough for third place.

The second rider to qualify for the jump-off was Chelsea Moss and her horse, Dornadoc. Moss unfortunately hit the same rail at Springsteen and crossed the wire in 28.513 seconds with four faults to take second place. The last rider to make it to the jump-off was Olivia Herbert and her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood, Schefferkes Solo. Herbert took her time around the course and opted for the outside turns but it paid-off when the pair crossed the wire without any faults in 29.614 seconds. Their amazing effort earned them the first place ribbon in the class and overall High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship.

Hunter Results: Thursday - Sunday

Scattered showers did not stop Thursday's Professional Hunters divisions. Riders competed throughout the day for championship and reserve championship honors in the Stonelea Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The day got underway at 8a.m. with the First Year Green Hunters. Bob Crandall returned with mount Casallo, who won both rounds the previous day, taking the blue ribbon in the handy round and earning the championship ribbon for the division. Russell Frey and Vince had consistent rounds over fences this morning, which scored them the reserve championship title.

Next in order were the Green Conformation Hunters, and with a thunderstorm quickly approaching, top rider Kelley Farmer held her focus. Coming off two blue ribbon rounds the previous day, Kelley Farmer and Jane Gaston's six-year-old Listen continued their success through the handy class and under saddle class to sweep the division and take home the championship prize. Coming in for the reserve championship honors was First Year Green Hunter Champion Bob Crandall and Casallo.

After a brief storm break in competition, riders and horses returned for the Second Year Green Hunters and it was Tammy Provost aboard Sugar Boy, owned by Wendy Hufmeister, earning today's championship tricolor. The reserve championship award went to Jocelyn Martin and Margaret Taylor's Quality Control.

The Regular Conformation Hunters followed and after a refusal in the handy round that cost them a clean sweep of the division, Havens Schatt and Quintin, owned by Tracey Scheriff-Muser, redeemed themselves during the under saddle class to claim championship prize. Finishing just behind Schatt was Green Conformation Hunter Champion Kelley Farmer and Caitlyn Lane's Timber Ridge for the reserve championship tricolor.

The Professional Hunter Divisions wrapped-up today with the Regular Working Hunters where Scott Stewart and Fashion Farm's Summer Place scored the championship title. Last week's division Champion, Will Roberts and Dubari, owned by Gayle Cox, earned the reserve championship honors for their excellent effort during the last two days.

Bright, blue skies and cooler breezes met competitors Friday at the Kentucky Summer Classic, currently hosted at the Kentucky Horse Park. The anticipated feature event at 3:10 p.m. in the Claiborne Ring was the THIS Children's Medal class, a class which tested competitors with a challenging ride. Successful showmanship qualified the top four riders for the final test which directly followed the class.

The top four riders to qualify for the final test round were Sullivan Whitely and her mount Concord, Marguerite Heberle on Dare to Dream, Destry Spielberg riding Patriot, and Katherine Strauss atop Duncan. Katherine Strauss and Duncan were the top scoring horse and rider combinations in the initial round, earning a successful 83. The three remaining scored as follows: Spielberg and Patriot (81), Heberle and Dare to Dream (79), and Whitely and Concord (78).

All four riders entered the ring together to hear the test and could not receive additional coaching from their trainers. The test round challenged the top four riders to canter a single vertical and then make a rollback turn to a double combination. Then, riders had to trot a single vertical and halt before the judges. Riders completed the test with a return to the line at a sitting trot.

Sullivan Whitely and Concord were the first competitive pair to show over the test. Unfortunately, Whitely and Concord had a tight distance to the first fence and took the outside turn to the combination. She also cantered the fourth fence instead of trotting, causing her to receive the fourth place ribbon.

Marguerite Heberle and Dare to Dream were next in the test round and they had an unfortunate chip at the first fence. She chose the inside option to the combination and maintained a good trot at the fourth fence. Heberle lost points after the final fence because she halted three steps after turning away from the judges to earn the third place honors.

Third to test was Destry Spielberg and Patriot, who chose the outside option at the combination but finished smoothly with an excellent trot and halt. The precise and consistent round earned her top honors in the THIS Children's Medal class for the second week in a row.

Last to test was Katherine Strauss on Duncan, who took the inside option at the combination. She regrettably rubbed the third fence and while she did halt, it was not as precise as the halt shown by Spielberg and she took home the second place prize.

Another beautiful day greeted riders Saturday at the Kentucky Summer Classic, presently held at the Kentucky Horse Park. It was a very victorious day for rider Michael Murphy and mount Corrado, earning two back-to-back blue ribbons during both of today's highlight events in the equitation ring. The Covered Arena featured the competitive Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal that attracted over 50 riders. Due to such a large entry figure the class was split into two sections (A and B). After a round over fences, the top four riders in each section were invited back into the ring to ride to complete a final test.

The top four riders to qualify for the second section's test were Alyssa Mansfield and her mount Calice de Fuyssieu, Olivia Trueb and Lolita, Emily Reynolds riding Polaris, and Michael Murphy atop Corrado.

The first competitive pair to show their stride in the test round were Alyssa Mansfield and Calice de Fuyssieu. Unfortunately, she chipped the first two fences of the test and did not counter-canter prior to the combination. Mansfield was awarded the fourth place ribbon.

Olivia Trueb and Lolita were next in line to take on the test round. While she cantered smoothly over the first fence, she regrettably chipped both the second fence in the test and the second fence of the combination. Although her counter-canter was smooth and her halt was clean, Trueb received the second place prize.

Emily Reynolds and Polaris were third to enter the test round. Though the majority of her test went smoothly with a crisp counter-canter and fine halt, they unfortunately knocked a rail down at the second fence of the combination, costing her points and awarding her the third place ribbon.

Michael Murphy and his mount Corrado were the final competitors in the second test round. He exhibited excellent horsemanship, flying over the first fences in a rolling canter before counter-cantering the combination. He successfully trotted into the final jump and performed a clean halt before the judges, winning the first place honors in the second split of the class.

Immediately following the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal was the ASPCA Maclay. Today's track involved numerous rollback s, a bending line, a vertical to oxer double combination, and an oxer-vertical-vertical triple combination. The challenging course yielded many refusals and rails down, and the few who chose wide outside turns and wide angles came out successful.

Coming back from a first place win in the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal, Michael Murphy and Corrado had a very smooth round over fences. After the hack, it was clearly Murphy and Corrado's class to win. Just behind Murphy was Lucille Oken and Stalone VDL earning the second place ribbon, while Paulena Johnson and mount Prosecco 24 rounded out the top three.

Earlier Saturday in the Stonelea Ring, the Amateur-Owner 18-34 Hunters and the Amateur-Owner 35 and Older Hunters competed for championship and reserve championship honors in their respected divisions. Taking the top prize in the Amateur-Owner 35 and Older Hunter division was Jane Gaston aboard Lumiere. Receiving the reserve championship prize was Stacey Arani and her horse Bolero. In the Amateur-Owner 18-34 Hunters the championship prize was awarded to Alise Oken and Take Away, while Arly Golombek and Ralando Z received the reserve championship tricolor.

A cloudless sky greeted exhibitors Sunday at the Kentucky Horse Park for the final day of competition at the Kentucky Summer Classic Horse Show. The gorgeous facility was packed full of ponies and pony riders as trainer's prepare their students for 2010 USEF National Pony Finals which will begin at the Horse Park on Tuesday morning.

In Section B of the Small Pony Hunters, it was Daisy Farrish and Victoria Colvin's Ballou winning today's handy round to secure the championship honors. Farrish and Ballou won the Under Saddle and were awarded the third place prize for their over fences round Saturday. Rico Sauve and Brittney Jarmin took home the reserve championship honors for their efforts throughout the weekend.

Meredith Darst and Q-2 took home the championship ribbon in the Small Pony Hunters Section A after earning top honors throughout the weekend. Q-2 and Darst won today's handy round and the over fences round on Saturday.

McKayla Langmeier had a great day today with her small and medium pony mounts. First Impression and Langmeier took home top honors winning the tricolor ribbon in the Section A of the Medium Ponies. Earlier in the day, her small pony mount, Blackberry was reserve champion in Section A of the Small Pony Hunters.

Allison Toffolon and Grace Colston's Chakko won both over fences classes in Section A of the Large Pony Hunters held in the Murphy Ring today. Those two blues combined with fourth and second place ribbons from yesterday's over fences and under saddle phases gave Toffolon and Chakko a total of 28 points which was good enough for the championship honors. Losander's Camelot and Isabelle Caccamise were awarded the reserve championship tricolor for their efforts this weekend.

Next week the Kentucky Horse Park will host the 2010 USEF Pony Finals, and the following week will be the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show featuring the $50,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix CSI-W on August 20, 2010.