Indio, CA: Fresh from the icy cold Canadian winter, veteran show jumping team member, Jill Henselwood, heated up the desert by blazing to victory in the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix in Indio, California this past weekend.

From a field of nineteen entries, Henselwood (Oxford Mills, ON), aboard the eleven year old Oldenburg gelding, Special Ed, was one of eight horse and rider combinations to successfully negotiate the technical Anthony D'Ambrosio built course.

In an exciting jump off that saw the first horse out, Grand So So and Laura Linback set a quick pace of 41.89 seconds; the rounds kept getting faster and faster as the lead kept changing hands. Fourth horse to go, Riptide, with Kyle King aboard, grabbed the lead with an aggressively ridden jump off, cutting the timers in 40.93 seconds. Not to be outdone, Linback, on her second qualified mount Quintin, stole the lead back with a swift ride that trimmed almost a second off King's leading time. Determined yet focused, Henselwood, who was second last to go, pulled all the stops and secured top spot and the victory with the fastest time of the day of 39.22 seconds.

The final rider to challenge Henselwood's leading time was fellow Canadian and student, Kim Farlinger, aboard del Destino. A native of Annan, Ontario, Farlinger has been training with Henselwood for the past three years, and is beginning only her second season competing at the grand prix level. Posting a clear round in 42.36 seconds, Farlinger claimed fifth place.

Henselwood and Special Ed were in the money in Friday's $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix finishing in third position, bringing their total winnings to more than $19,000 for the week. "Special Ed is a very talented athlete, but what separates a good horse from a great horse is their heart.and Special Ed.he's got a ton of heart!" stated a proud Henselwood.

The win in Indio marked Henselwood's first grand prix victory of the 2005 season. Special Ed, Henselwood's top mount, has qualified to compete at the World Cup Finals; an indoor event taking place in April, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In preparation, Henselwood will embark on a six week European tour after the completion of the Indio Desert Circuit, where she plans to compete at major world ranked indoor events leading up to the World Cup Finals.