RELEASE: November 2, 2014
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Kenneth Kraus and Kendall Bierer for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
Lexington, Ky. – The final day of the $65,000 Sleepy P Ranch & Deeridge Farm Under 25 Championship at the 131st National Horse Show ultimately came down to two demanding rounds and an upset in the ranks as Shawn Casady and Twister made a comeback to seal the victory. Casady jumped from the fourth position to the first with a double clear today, finishing on a total of 6 penalties to lead the victory gallop for the inaugural championship.
Shawn Casady and Twister (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Casady’s consistent efforts in the first two days of competition put him just behind the 18-year-old Michael Hughes and MacArthur. Hughes and MacArthur, owned by Christina Fried, led the standings going into the final day of competition, with day one and two class winners Wilton Porter and Kalvin Dobbs sitting in third and second respectively. With zero penalties to his name, Hughes entered the competition with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
MacArthur, a horse known for his foot speed, unfortunately had one rail during the opening round and continued into the second round with four penalties. A rub at the front rail of the tenth obstacle dropped him from the lead, leaving Casady to take the championship with six penalties overall.
“MacArthur is usually a horse that thrives off going a lot more, so I was a little bit surprised the first night when he went so well,” Hughes recounted. “Usually he can be a little bit spooky the first night, but he was great every round. He tried so hard. We made a few mistakes the last couple of rounds, being a little bit nervous. But other than that he was amazing all week.”
Hughes continued, “Going into the second round, I knew I couldn’t have a rail. I could have time faults, but MacArthur’s naturally a fast horse so I didn’t think I would. I thought it was going to be a great course for him. I was a bit surprised by the rail we had. I couldn’t have asked any more from him all week.”
Casady, a rider recently turned professional, was thrilled with his win aboard Twister, owned by Cavallo Farms, LLC. He trained with Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farm during his junior years, and his transition to professional rider has been smooth as he continues his relationship with their operation.
“As a junior I was always busy, kind of like a professional, catch riding and working for different people,” Casady said. “I have been trying to do more, ride more and get more classes like this. It’s been a really smooth transition. I’ve worked with Twister for a couple years now. The Spoglis own him-huge thanks to them for the opportunity to ride a real grand prix horse like that.”
Casady continued, “He likes to be ridden together with seat and contact. He’s not a small catty horse. You have to worry a little about the time allowed, but he thrives off the pace of it and it works.”
Third place finisher Nicole Bellissimo made a huge comeback after initially placing 17th on the opening day of competition. Although she consistently rode VDL Bellefleur to four clear rounds, her opening day put her into a low rank when she incurred time faults for her tidy round.
Bellissimo described, “I’ve had her since the end of her 6-year-old year, so even though she’s 8 years old right now, I know her extremely well. We’ve been stepping her up and down. She’s done some grand prix, won a 1.50m class at Bromont and jumped clear at New Albany. We let her tell us how she’s feeling and try not to push her too much.”
Casady admitted that the quality of horses was unbelievable, with the top ranked riders in the nation, 25 and younger, vying for the first annual championship.
“This championship is great!” Casady said. “It’s neat that they started it this year, and I’m excited to see where it goes. It is a really great program. I don’t think there was a bad horse in the class. Every round, every horse, every rider-it was intense!”
RELEASE: November 3, 2014
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: USEF Communications Department
Lexington, Ky. – At the end of the competition at the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Finals, Spencer Smith was awarded the Wilson Dennehy Equitation Trophy as the rider with the best results overall from the ASPCA Maclay Final and the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals. Smith finished fifth at the Maclay finals.
At the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in October, Smith won the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals. He was the first male rider to win that title in 12 years.
With consistency and connection, Spencer Smith rode to the top of the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals.
Over three rounds of fluid, stylish riding, Spencer Smith claimed the top call in the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals.
Why did Spencer Smith win the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals? If you ask the judges, like we did, they’ll say because of his consistency, his confidence and his connection. “From the get-go, from the first round to the final round, he always kept a rhythm and a great connection. I don’t judge a lot and I do a lot of clinics around the country. One thing that he did so well that really stood out was that he kept connected with his horse, on every round,. He just stayed the same every time he rode,” said grand prix rider Candice King, who judged the final alongside Cynthia Hankins.
“That’s what we saw a lot weakness in some riders today—lack of lower base and keeping the connection. We built the course to have a nice flow and not be tricky or trappy, and Spencer did it quite well,” she continued.
If you ask Smith why he won, he’ll be a lot less descriptive. “This is my third year here. The first two years, I was a little off here and there—the first year very off!” he said. “This year just came together; I had a better mindset, and with a really good horse like [Beau van het Keyershof] you have a lot of confidence. I had a great team helping me.”
If you ask Don Stewart, who was part of the training team that guided Smith to the blue, he’ll joke about it. “He won because I gave him a lucky tie,” Stewart said, laughing.
“We were thinking he was going to deliver,” said Stewart, who has worked with Smith alongside his parents, Ken and Emily Smith, and Geoff Teall, for four years. “He’s always a perfect gentleman to everyone, except maybe to his parents, like any teenager.”
And why did Michael Hughes, who was leading the class after the first round, not win? Because his horse spooked dramatically at a sign for the class title sponsor, Pessoa, set in the course for Round 2. Hughes landed off the curved brush fence—the third fence in Round 2, and was set to ride a direct version of the bending line to the next oxer, but his horse sighted in on the Pessoa sign and spun, so Hughes had to circle and regroup. The mistake dropped him out of the ribbons.
“He just landed and spooked. It was a fair test, but that’s horses. What can you do,” said Missy Clark, who trained Hughes. “It was too bad because to lose it because of a decoration is heartbreaking. He was riding so well.”
“We had to put the Pessoa sign in the ring, and it was a nice tool for us because we wanted an island there,” said Cynthia Hankins, who judged alongside King.
With consistency and connection, Spencer Smith rode to the top of the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals.“We wanted them to stay connected and in a nice rhythm,” King said. “But once one rider goes and does a certain number of strides, it seems like everybody follows suit. Especially if there’s a horse that’s spooky, we’d rather see a rider bend the line out. We used the Pessoa sign where it was to let people know to bend out and use the track and not the inside line.”
Once Hughes dropped lout of the running in Round 2, Mackayla Langemeier moved up to the top of the callback for the test—Smith was called back in second. Smith’s test was flawless, while Langemeier had rough transitions to the walk and the counter-canter. “Mackayla was very good, but there were just a few minor things that made the difference,” said King. “It wasn’t lack of riding ability that made the difference, it was more having that little extra bit of confidence to go in there and give us what we wanted to see.”
“Spencer showed that maturity and confidence,” Hankins said. “It’s the art of doing nothing, and it’s hard work to make that look happen.”
Smith, 17, has been riding his whole life as the son of two successful trainers. And while his equitation rounds showed a smoothness and flow that are ideal for the hunter ring, his heart lies in the jumpers. “He’s just better focused now,” Stewart said. “He certainly has the tools to do it, it was a matter of getting him to calm it all down. He’s probably more comfortable on the jumpers. He likes to go at a good pace, and it’s hard to get him to take a breath in this ring.”
Langemeier, 13, ended up second in her third attempt at the Medal Finals. “I’m truly honored to be reserve champion. It’s been a dream of mine to test in the medal. I’m so excited and thankful to be second here,” she said. She trains with her mother, professional trainer Linda Langemeier, and Clark.
Ali Tritschler, who is a noted pony hunter catch rider and trains with Timmy Kees, placed third.
Upper Marlboro, MD – September 27, 2014 – The Capital Challenge Horse Show started with junior riders competing on Equitation Weekend, presented by Bigeq.com. Championships for age divisions in equitation were presented today, leading up to tomorrow’s finals competition. The Capital Challenge Horse Show continues through Sunday, October 5.
The equitation age divisions had over fences classes in the outdoor and indoor rings, joined by a flat class indoors. There were five junior equitation age division champions awarded, along with classes for the Adult Amateur Equitation and THIS Children’s Medal Equitation Warm Up.
The 17 Year Old Equitation division championship, sponsored by Frank Madden Show Stables, went to Spencer Smith of Wellington, FL, riding Beau van het Keyershof. The pair were second in all three classes. The reserve champion was Halie Robinson riding Barolo W, who placed first and third over fences.
Spencer has been riding Ashland Farms’ Beau van het Keyershof, an 11-year-old Warmblood gelding for one year after the horse came from Canada, where he competed in the jumpers and equitation. “He’s turned out to be a really great eq horse, and he’s my main horse,” Smith said. This is their first time together indoors, but Smith believes that with his career in Canada, he has experience in indoor arenas. “He handled it really well; he’s a smart horse,” he said of today’s classes.
In his last junior year, Smith is aiming to win a major equitation final, and he enjoys competing at Capital Challenge to start the fall season. “It’s tricky (to win), but I think I have a good horse. (Capital Challenge) is nice to bring you into the indoors, and it’s nice to have the outdoor ring too. It merges instead of going right into a big medal final.”
Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, and her mount Clearway made a statement in the 16 Year Old division, sponsored by Frank Madden Show Stables, by sweeping blue ribbons in all three classes. Meredith Darst was reserve champion with a second place over fences on Soldier and a second on the flat with Great Expectations. Darst and Great Expectations were also victorious in the North American Junior Flat Equitation Championships.
Colvin first showed Clearway, a nine-year-old Warmblood gelding by Cheenook owned by Dr. Betsee Parker, at the Lake Placid Horse Show in late June when she started training with Andre Dignelli and Heritage Farm. This is only their third equitation show together.
She described of Clearway, “He’s very elegant. He’s so big, but he just canters across and is so smooth. He has a humongous stride. He’s a little bouncy at the sitting trot! But we make it work.”
She added with a smile, “He’s very sweet, and he loves bananas, peel and all.”
Melanie Selleck of Westlake, Village, CA, rode Zenden to the 15 Year Old championship. They placed first over fences and first on the flat. Katherine Strauss, riding Donald Stewart’s El Paso, was the reserve champion after they picked up first, third, and sixth place ribbons.
Selleck has ridden Zenden for just over a year; he changed jobs to the equitation ring after competing in Europe as a jumper. “I needed to have a consistent 3’6” horse,” Selleck explained. “He has his little quirks, but I figured that out in the first few months. There’s nothing too crazy hard about him.”
This is Selleck’s third year showing at Capital Challenge, and she names it as one of her favorite horse shows. Selleck travels from California, taking off two days of school to prepare to compete. To win a championship here means a lot to her. “It’s very prestigious, and it shows that I’ve worked hard all year. It’s one of the shows where you want to do as well as you can. This gives me a nice boost of confidence going into the (equitation) finals,” she noted.
Fourteen-year-old Coco Fath of Fairfield, CT, piloted Chemie Ancar to the 13 & 14 Year Old Equitation Championship, sponsored by Suave Pony LLC. They won both over fences and placed fourth on the flat. Emma Kurtz and VIP Z won the reserve championship with second, second, and fifth placings.
Fath got the ride on Chemie Ancar, an eight-year-old Warmblood gelding, in March after the former jumper moved into the equitation ranks with Caitlyn Boyle. Fath trains at Heritage Farm, and while they showed regularly this summer, success came at last week’s ASPCA Maclay Regional, where they placed eighth.
“We’ve really clicked since then,” Fath said. Although she has won hunter championships before at Capital Challenge, this win was special for her. “It’s a big accomplishment, considering how many people are in it. It’s a lot different than the hunters. It means a lot to me. It’s the first time I’ve accomplished something big at an equitation show on this horse,” she said.
The champion in the 12 & Under Equitation was Maria Moore of Johnstown, OH, riding Prosseco 24, owned by Cavallo Farms, LLC. Moore won both over fences classes and was second on the flat. The reserve champions, Sophia Pilla and Pop Rocks, were second, second, and fourth.
Moore trains with her mother Angela as well as Ken and Emily Smith at Ashland Farms. “I could not be here without them,” she said. Moore originally started riding “Peter” in January on a weekend lease. When the pair won the USEF Medal class at the Winter Equestrian Festival in their first outing, everyone knew they were a pair that needed to stay together. “It was my first time ever winning a big eq class. They said it’s a match, so I got him and we’re still plugging along!” she remarked.
Moore describes Peter as “different all the time,” but that he “knows how to do it all. “If I do my part, he’ll do his,” she pointed out. Moore had a triumphant return to Capital Challenge after falling off and breaking her arm here last year. “It was much better this year, and hopefully will be even better tomorrow!” she said. Moore will compete in the THIS National Children’s Medal Finals, one of three major finals on Sunday of Equitation Weekend at Capital Challenge.
Special Groom’s Awards were also presented to the grooms of the winning horses today, with prizes sponsored by Tammy Provost and Erin Duffy. The winners include:
Beau van het Keyershof – Madeline Kemp
Clearway – Benji Hernandez
Zenden – Alex Garcia
Chemie Ancar – Rene Ochoa
Prosseco 24 – Moises Yool
In the Adult Amateur Equitation division, Haleigh Landrigan took the championship ribbon riding Dragonfly. They won both over fences classes and were third on the flat. Laura Owens and L.Alta Vida were reserve champions after finishing third over fences and first on the flat.
The THIS National Children’s Medal Warm Up division hosted three classes as well, with wins for Jordan Allen with Show Boat (and a high score of 90) and Elizabeth Ekberg on Finnegan over fences and victory on the flat for Sophie Lenihan on Wayfarer. Allen finished as champion in the division, while Carly Hoft on Don La Rouge was reserve champion.
Tomorrow’s schedule concludes the Capital Challenge Equitation Championship weekend, presented by Bigeq.com. The day starts with the North American Equitation Championships of two rounds. Following that is the Taylor Harris Insurance Services National Children’s Medal Finals and the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Finals.
For full results, more information, or to watch the live webcast, please visit www.capitalchallenge.org. Like the Capital Challenge Horse Show page on Facebook and on Twitter @capchallenge and Instagram @capitalchallengehorseshow. For behind-the-scenes photos, videos, and more!
In its 21st year, the Capital Challenge Horse Show sets itself apart with a distinct and unique focus on preeminent hunter competition. Held each autumn at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, this year’s show will take place on September 27-October 5.
Top competitions include the ARIAT National Adult Medal Finals and the THIS National Children’s Medal Finals, along with the Capital Challenge Equitation Weekend, presented by Bigeq.com. In addition to these prestigious equitation events, the Capital Challenge Horse Show will once again host the World Champion Hunter Rider Finals and will assemble the country’s best horses and riders to compete in junior, amateur, and professional hunter classes.
For the next 10 days, the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair’s revered Dixon Oval will usher in some of the nation’s top horses and riders. And for the next 10 days, PhelpsSports will be providing you with all the updates and behind the scenes coverage, presented by Equine Couture and TuffRider.
Spencer Smith was one of the big winners of the day and will be a top contender for tomorrow’s R.W. Mutch Equitation Championship. He and Beau Van Het Keyershow won both Section B of the WIHS Equitation Jumper Phase and Section B of the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search.
Spencer Smith and Beau van het Keyershof. Photo (c) The Book LLC.
Devon, PA – May 22, 2014 – The 2014 Devon Horse Show & Country Fair kicked off on Thursday with junior equitation and young pony competition at the renowned showgrounds in beautiful Devon, PA. Showcasing the best horses and riders in the country, the Devon Horse Show hosts 11 days of top-tier competition across multiple breeds and disciplines through Sunday, June 1.
While junior competitors showed their equitation in Devon’s famous Dixon Oval, the young hunter ponies competed in-hand in the Gold Ring on Thursday. The ponies showed in their respective age groups divided by gender, and the top ponies of all ages were then judged together for championship honors. The Best Young Pony was ultimately crowned overall.
The Hunter Pony Championship for Fillies and Mares was awarded to Denise Hankinson’s Three Royal Cheers with handler Emily Anne Belin. Jody Vesty’s Bryn Taran Miss Riley placed in reserve with handler Jay Raach.
The Hunter Pony Championship for Colts and Geldings went to Orchard Hills Dragonflyy, owned by Orchard Hill Farm Ponies, with handler Oliver Brown. Jamie Sindell’s Secretive and handler Dowell Johnson placed in reserve.
Orchard Hills Dragonflyy then earned the Best Young Pony award and was presented The Violet Haines Memorial Challenge Trophy. Handler Oliver Brown was awarded The Magic Hill Farm LLC Challenge Trophy as the Leading Pony Breeder Handler. A special Pennsylvania Pony Breeders Association Perpetual Trophy was also presented to Denise Hankinson’s Three Royal Cheers for the second year in a row.
Orchard Hills Dragonflyy (known in the barn as ‘Wesley’) is a two-year-old colt by Smoke Tree Dragon Tail out of Vanity Fair, owned by Sara McCormick’s Orchard Hill Farm Ponies in Aiken, SC. Former top junior rider Elizabeth Lubrano brought the pony along this year after turning professional and deciding to get involved in different aspects of the sport after college. Based out of her family’s Horizon Hill Farm in Glenmore, PA, Lubrano has enjoyed making a name for herself in a new way and becoming more well-rounded in the industry.
“I started doing pony handling this year, and Wesley has been living with me since February,” Lubrano explained. “I have been handling him until this horse show and then I handed him off to Oliver Brown because I am still learning and this is a huge venue. I knew that this pony could do something big and I thought that for Devon we needed to put him in the hands of someone that could do that for him.”
“It was definitely a team effort to get him here,” Lubrano emphasized. “Cindy Diebert was a huge help as well as Jessica Forliano. Without Cindy putting all of the pieces together for today none of this would have happened. She had the connection with Oliver and she knows Jess, who helped handle him today. Stud colts can be difficult, so it is good to have someone who is proficient and Jess is very good. She is the one who made the magic happen today. I have just kind of been managing it from the beginning.”
Owner Sara McCormick plans to keep Orchard Hills Dragonflyy for breeding and can be proud of his top placing and development. Lubrano described the colt as “a bundle of personality,” noting, “He is a funny pony. He runs around in the field with this big jolly ball. He is the one where you go in the barn in the morning, and he is throwing his ball around the stall. He is a goof, but he is a two-year-old colt who is still trying to figure out who he is.”
“He has matured a lot this year,” she added. “He is really easy to live with and it is just a pleasure to work with ponies like that because they keep you entertained. They have all of this personality, and places like this are great venues where they can really show themselves. He likes to show off. He stands there and presents himself, and I think that is what really makes a show pony.”
Lubrano thanked McCormick for the opportunity to work with a great young pony. “Sara has done a fantastic job with that breeding program,” she stated. “I can’t give her enough compliments. Orchard Hill ponies were represented more than any other line here in the hunter breeding. I think she had eight showing. There’s a lot to be said about her lines and her hard work. I am really happy that she has given me the opportunity, because not a lot of people would give a 24-year-old an opportunity to take a winning pony and get it ready for Devon and trust them. Trust is a big foundation for a lot of relationships and I hope that this is one that will continue for a long time.”
While the young ponies were showing off in the Gold Ring, the junior exhibitors competed in their equitation classes in the Dixon Oval. The WIHS Equitation Classic Jumper Phase was held in a California Split and awarded four sets of prizes. Top honors went to Megan MacPherson of Boulder, CO, in Section A. Kelli Cruciotti of Elizabeth, CO, won Section B. Spencer Smith of Wellington, FL, topped Section C, and Michael Hughes of Allendale, NJ, was the winner in Section D.
The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search was held next in the Dixon Oval with two sections and wins for Caitlin Boyle of Hampshire, IL, and Spencer Smith of Wellington, FL. Boyle was also presented the Honey Craven Perpetual Memorial Trophy for her top score.
FEBRUARY 24th, 2014 – WELLINGTON, FL – Ashland Farms is pleased to announce the selection of three of their up-and-coming riders for the FEI Nations Cup. Sophie Howell and Addison Piper were chosen to represent USA as one of four riders on the Children’s team and Spencer Smith with serve as the USA alternate in the Junior competition.
Coach and trainer, Emily Smith, is very proud of the achievements of the young riders: “Sophie, Addison and Spencer have continued to make great progress through the initial weeks of WEF this season. Being selected to compete on this global stage is a testament to how hard each have them have worked, we are so proud to cheer them on as they represent the United States.”
The FEI Nations Cup Series is the oldest and most prestigious team show jumping competition in the world. Like the Olympics, and the World Equestrian Championships, it is a competition where official ‘National’ teams compete against each other and includes a record number of teams competing from across the globe: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico and the United States.
The competition will begin on the 26th of February in Wellington, Florida.
Wellington, FL – February 1, 2013 -Week four of the2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued on Friday with the junior and amateur-owner riders beginning their jumper competition in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). In the first class of the morning, 16-year-old Wellington resident Spencer Smith jumped to victory in the $1,500 Griffis Residential High Junior Jumper Power and Speed class aboard Skara Glen’s Voltan H.
Week four of the FTI WEF, sponsored by Fidelity Investments®, will continue through February 3. The week will feature the $100,000 Fidelity Investments® CSI 2* Grand Prix on Saturday evening and the $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday afternoon. The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival features 12 weeks of competition running from January 9-March 31, 2013, and will be awarding almost $7 million in prize money throughout the circuit.
Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela is the course designer in the International Arena for week four. In the Griffis Residential High Junior Jumper Power and Speed, Palacios saw 13 entries compete with ten advancing to the speed phase and five pairs completing both rounds without fault. Last to go in the class, Spencer Smith’s time of 28.305 seconds aboard Skara Glen’s Voltan H would be the best.
Emanuel Andrade and Hollow Creek Farm’s Crossfire 10 finished second with their time of 28.632 in the speed round. Dana Scott and Nod Hill Farm’s KM Whatever RV placed third in 29.062 seconds, and Chloe Reid and King of Hearts were fourth in 29.930 seconds.
Spencer Smith and Skara Glen's Voltan H Sportfot
Skara Glen’s Voltan H is an eleven-year-old Royal Dutch Warmblood gelding by Pacific x Voltaire, owned by Ashland Farms. Spencer Smith rides out of Ashland and trains with his parents Ken and Emily Smith. He has been showing Voltan H for about one year.
“He’s a really top horse,” Smith said Friday morning. “His ride is a little tricky, but he can jump anything.”
Commenting on the class, Smith described, “I just rode him forward and he really jumped today. The course was a little tricky. The last line was seven (strides), but for the speed round we tried to do it in six and it worked out really easy, so it was good.”
Smith has been showing in the Medium and High Junior Jumpers and hopes to move up to do some bigger classes during the FTI WEF circuit. He has the advantage of living in Wellington and showing at PBIEC throughout the year, so he feels very comfortable showing in the impressive venue.
“This show is awesome. I grew up here and I have been coming here since I was like four,” Smith noted. “I live about a mile away. It is home and to have all of these people come here to compete is awesome. I get in the ring a lot because after the show and before WEF we do a lot of classes here too, so we get to show here a lot.”
Also showing in the International Arena on Friday, Annie Cook and Signe Ostby’s Banba won in the $2,500 RCG Farm High Amateur-Owner Jumper Power and Speed. In the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge, Alexander Zetterman and Canora jumped to victory. The $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class completed the day with a win for Darragh Kerins and S&L Elite.
Final Results: Griffis Residential High Junior Jumper Power and Speed
1. SKARA GLEN’S VOLTAN H – SPENCER SMITH – ASHLAND FARMS: 0/0/28.305
2. CROSSFIRE 10 – EMANUEL ANDRADE – HOLLOW CREEK FARM: 0/0/28.632
3. KM WHAT EVER RV – DANA SCOTT – NOD HILL FARM: 0/0/29.062
4. KING OF HEARTS – CHLOE REID – CHLOE D REID LLC: 0/0/29.930
5. PROMISED LAND – CHARLOTTE JACOBS – CANDY TRIBBLE: 0/4/27.200
6. WAMINKA – VICTORIA COLVIN – RIVERS EDGE: 0/4/29.008
7. PHINEAS – LUCAS PORTER – SLEEPY P RANCH LLC: 0/4/29.074
8. BARIANO – MADELINE THATCHER – PONY LANE FARM: 0/4/31.735
10. RADIO CITY – LUCAS PORTER – GOTHAM ENTERPRIZES: 0/8/28.590
11. BELLE BLEU S – KAELY TOMEU – SIBONEY RANCH: 4/47.457
12. WILKINA LITHYA – EMANUEL ANDRADE – HOLLOW CREEK FARM: 4/50.343
JANUARY 31st, 2014 – WELLINGTON, FL – While some of the rings at the Winter Equestrian Festival today more closely resembled lakes, yesterday’s heavy rains did not stop the show today. Twelve riders competed in the Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search class this morning, with Spencer Smith taking home the blue ribbon for the second week in a row aboard Beau Van Het Keysershof.
Despite there being quite a few scratches from the class this morning, Smith had no complaints regarding the conditions in the ring. “The footing held up really nicely I think in the ring,” Smith said. “It was a nice course, kind of loose, and nothing too tricky.”
While there were no surprises on course for Smith, he admits he did not expect on of the movements the judges called for during the flat phase: a simple change of lead, to be done directly in front of the judge’s stand.
“They called for that, and I was like “Oh nooo!” Smith joked. “But it worked out nice, it wasn’t too hard, and my horse did it well.” Smith came down to the trot before picking up the opposite lead, though some of the other riders, most notably Colvin, came all the way down to a walk. “I was debating, but I did the trot,” Smith explained.
Tori Colvin explained her choice to walk for the maneuver. “I was always trained that the simple change is to the walk,” Colvin said. Colvin was not expecting to be asked for the movement, either. “We haven’t had that yet in the USET, I would have liked a flying change better,” Colvin admitted. “But the simple was something different, it was nice to have something different.”
Spencer Smith and Beau Van Het Keysershof
For judges Jimmy Torano and Rachel Kennedy, it was not important whether or not riders walked or trotted- what mattered was how promptly and smoothly the move was executed.
“We were just looking to see how smoothly they could do that in front of us,” Torano explained. “Some did it a little too soon, some did it not very well, but the better riders I thought did it very well.”
Some observers of the Talent Search class may have been surprised to hear Tori Colvin called in second after the flat phase, since she had tipped a rail down on course with Stallone VDL. Torano explains that having a rail in the USET knocks you down in the placing’s, but not out.
“Rails are a deduction of points, so she got points deducted from her. It knocks you down. She’s a very nice rider but there were other nice riders in the class, and it I think she fell into the right spot she belonged.”
Colvin said she needed to get Stallone VDL more lively to keep him from rubbing the rails. “I was told I had to get him more riled up and excited out there,” Colvin explained. “He was just too tired and he went in there kind of dead.”
Wondering what the top two finishers in the Talent Search did with their day off from showing yesterday? “I went surfing, no riding,” Smith smiled. The 17-year-old Wellington native said being near the ocean is one of the many things he loves about living in Florida. “I love living here, it’s the best place to be!” Smith said.
Spencer Smith and Beau Van Het Keysershof
The rain did not bother Loxahatchee resident Tori Colvin in the slightest. “I like the rain!” Colvin said. “I was riding in the rain at the barn, and I got soaked! It started to rain and I just didn’t put on my jacket, I was like ‘who cares’”, Colvin laughed.
Tori says the weather does not mess up her schedule, no matter how extreme. “I went to school and rode, that was my whole day. That was it. Normal day,” Tori said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s raining, doesn’t matter if it’s snowing!” joked Colvin.
While Colvin does not mind a little water, her jumper that she rode in the rain yesterday did. “The whole ring was full of puddles, and only my jumper who doesn’t like the water cared, Don Juan. He doesn’t like walking in puddles at all,” Colvin laughed. “But it was good water training!”
Check back with Phelps Sports for more coverage from the equitation rings at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
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Ann Glavan for PhelpsSports.com Reporting from Wellington, Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, Wellington, Florida Friday, January 31, 2014 :: Posted 01:13:12 PM CST
JANUARY 24th, 2014 – WELLINGTON, FL – To the casual observer sitting ringside at this morning’s Platinum Performance USEF Talent Search class, it would probably be very difficult to pick a decisive winner. With 37 entries in the class, many of whom have already won this and other big equitation classes in the past, there was no obvious victor. If you ask judge Linda Andrisani, her top three picks for the class were separated by the smallest of details in both their over fences rounds and flatwork.
Spencer Smith ended up taking home the blue ribbon for the class aboard Beau Van Het Keysershof. For Andrisani, it was his flawless round that had him in first going into the flat.
“We were ecstatic with his first round,” Andrisani exclaimed. “Spencer really rode the course from start to finish beautifully.”
Smith maintained his lead on the flat, which is where Andrisani says second place finisher Lillie Keenan may have had a chance to move up in the ribbons.
“Lillie is elegant at all times,” Andrisani assured. “She had a flawless round, but she left the door open a little bit when her horse skipped out after the water jump.” Andrisani is referring to when Keenan’s mount, Clearway, gave a bit of a buck during his lead change on the back side of the final fence. “Spencer had the edge coming into the flat; Lillie could have closed it up on him, but I thought he just really out shined them all over the jumps.”
Spencer Smith and Beau Van Het Keysershof
Andrisani emphasized that when riders are at this caliber, it is tiny details like Clearways’ playfulness on the backside of the fence that can decide who comes out on top. “That was a tie-breaker,” Andrisani said.
It was the flat phase of the Talent Search that put Tori Colvin and Incalan into third behind Smith and Keenan, according to Andrisani.
“All three navigated the course extremely well,” Andrasani said, “but when it came to the flat, Tori’s horse was a little uncooperative with his head carriage in the transitions. I love her; she’s such a natural. The horses love her, but he just kept resisting her when she had to make transitions. That’s what splits it up.”
For top two finishers Smith and Keenan, the Talent Search is a welcome change from the other big equitation divisions. “I like that it has the idea of jumpers behind it,” Smith said of the Talent Search. “It makes you want to be a strong rider, and the jumps are a little bit bigger than the Maclays and everything like that so it makes you really have to ride.”
Keenan, who has won 19 Talent Search classes to date, appreciates the continuity between this class and the bigger jumper divisions. “I like that the Talent Search really acts as a bridge between the equitation and jumper rings,” Keenan said. “The USET is timed and the fences are just a little bit bigger, so it has more of a jumper nature, which I think is great practice. It’s good to feel like you can transfer those skills into the other rings.”
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Ann Glavan Reporting from Wellington, Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, Wellington, Florida Friday, January 24, 2014 :: Posted 10:59:23 PM CST
