THE SHOW SNOOP.
Edition 1, Issue 2; April 11th – 12th, 2009
Tucson, Arizona
The latest show in Tucson was absolutely crazy. No, nix that, Ocala was crazy – this place was batshit! There seemed to be twice as many trailers crammed into the parking lots and twice as many riders with their eyes on the blue. Unfortunately, only one person can walk away with the top honors in each class, which only made the competition much stiffer and all the more fun to watch.
WALK TROT CANTER.
[/b] riding her stocky little Paint mare Skies Won't Limit Me. It was very interesting to see a horse of more than one color in the ring, and while that may have helped catch the judge's notice, you have to give credit where credit is due. Christina rode very nicely, making it a great first show for herself and Coralee. Another fresh face,
Thomas Chevaleraux, placed second on his gorgeous pony mare Salty Eyes. I'm not much of a fan of ponies myself, but this mare is amazing and I would shove her in my pocket and run away in a heartbeat.
Kaylee Parker and her own Toy Soldier placed third after a solid ride, and just behind her in the rankings were
Robert Chase and Roulette.
Molly Parker and Time After Time made a big improvement from their last show, which was already quite nice for the relatively green mare and owner, to earn the pink rosette.
Danny Buchanan and Mr. Television, one of the real standouts of the class considering the Percheron's size and surprisingly nice movement, placed sixth. Not bad, considering the size of the class.
Caleb Pierce and Maelstrom earned themselves seventh place in their first show together. (Oh boy, can you imagine how awkward it must've been to have Kaylee, Molly, Robert,
and Caleb all in the arena at the same time? Teeennnsiooooon. Oh, if you don't know what's going on, I suggest you check my buddy Moody Mare's latest posting. You won't regret it.) New junior rider
Danni Castro and her chestnut Thoroughbred Stella Ella Olla placed eighth, a surprisingly good finish for a first show in a class full of very successful amateur and professional riders.
Adriana Sheppard, who just returned to Florida not long ago, placed ninth on the very interestingly named Mama Knows Best. She was followed by
Madison Clearview and her gorgeous grey Dutch Warmblood SR. Another Sailor, who rounded out the class in tenth place.
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LARGE PONY HUNTER.[/b] on my new favorite pony Salty Eyes nabbed the blue after a spry but very graceful trip around the course. The mare seems to really enjoy jumping, and that added to a gorgeous trot and a nice canter makes her a nifty little pony hunter.
Christina Álvarez earned second place with Skies Won't Limit Me, the solid little thing putting in a much more refined course than her build might suggest. The young but very capable Eva Hollier and her own Welsh Pony gelding Lite Brite came in third place, followed by Jacqueline Abrams and Charisma in fourth. Both girls train at Four Star Farm under the direction of Holly Malmrose, who I'm sure was quite proud of both girls. The pink rosette went to the deserving Mia Gilles and the Connemara mare that she and her mother share, Ladybug. Sixth place went to trainer Stephen Meyers riding Bluebell for student Janine Ostler, who received the pony as a birthday gift from her parents a little over two months ago. Hopefully we'll find Janine aboard the little blue roan soon enough and see how that pair shapes up.
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CHILDREN'S, AMATEUR OWNER'S & ADULT AMATEUR HUNTER[/b] on Color My World absolutely mopped up the arena with the competition, forging the beginnings of what should shape up to be a very good show season for the young rider and her positively stunning chestnut overo mare. She's got the cutest head, a round jump, and a very kind but intelligent eye; with a competent rider on her back, she will definitely heat up the Amateur classes.
Adriana Sheppard rode her gelding Paint The Town to second place honors. This guy definitely has the low, sweeping movement and the nice square jump of a great hunter, but the attitude...not so much. Third place went to
Danni Castro and her Thoroughbred mare Stella Ella Olla, the pair quickly building a solid foundation for the show season with two ribbons for Stella's stall door in one outing. Jessie Meyers rode the Holsteiner gelding Rococo to a fourth place finish for her best friend, owner Tracey Hess, who was sidelined due to a broken arm. The pair were followed by Michael Taix and Juniper, the mare he currently has on trial from big-time trainer Paul Sprengelmeyer, in fifth place and Karin Blakey and her leased gelding Algernon.
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PRE-GREEN HUNTER.[/b] rode Mr. Television to a first place finish that he should be very proud of. For being so new to the circuit and riding a green horse, he already has an impressive record.
Anthony Sullivan returned to the circuit in full force after being in California for four years earning his law degree. He rode his ex-racehorse For Boston, procured for him as a graduation gift by his father, racehorse trainer Jeremy Sullivan, to a solid second place. Anthony was followed by
Robert Chase and Roulette, another ex-racer, in third.
Molly Parker and Wonderwall placed fourth in this class, a rather low placing for the pair. Perhaps it was an off day (maybe the drama between she and her sister has knocked her off her game?), but I can't be sure as I couldn't catch Miss Parker for comment after the show. Christina Fellowes and new project Amadeus placed fifth, and the gorgeous black gelding is looking better and better with every show. Sixth place went to Olivia Abrams and Devil May Care.
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GREEN WORKING HUNTER.[/b] rode her spunky gelding Ben There Dunn That with the finesse of an older rider and earned herself her first blue of the season. Ben definitely looks like a challenge to ride, but he behaved quite well for his first show, and with an amateur at the reins, no less.
Jamie Manlow and Slip n' Slide went home with the red rosette, building on the foundation of a very successful show career for this young lady and her three horses. Stephen Meyers piloted his new Thoroughbred gelding Devil's Advocate to third place, and I feel I have to warn the rest of you to watch out for this one; he's gorgeous, consistent, and
fast, which will make him a contender in Hunters and Jumpers. Fourth place was awarded to Corrinne Nelson and Pharaoh, who have come a long way since their days in Pre-Green Hunter. I have to admit that I didn't stay to hear any of the placings after fourth because the action in the Pony Jumper class caught my eye and I left early. I know, terrible of me, but no other Coventry riders were competing so you're not missing anything very important.
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REGULAR WORKING HUNTER.[/b] rode her mare Paperdoll through a stunning, polished round, rewarded with the blue ribbon. The bay has a beautiful round jump with a wonderfully even tuck to her knees, and the judges were obviously as impressed with her as I was. I really look forward to seeing more of this pair. In second place were
Adriana Sheppard and Mama Knows Best; this mare, while certainly not the most graceful horse I've ever seen, is incredibly smart, and she and Ade make a nice pair despite her less than dancer-like carriage.
Jamie Manlow's ride on Illians Fantasy earned her a yellow ribbon, and the more I see of these two the more impressed I am. Joey has a very consistent jump and Jamie has a very out of the way riding style that lets him do his job. Fourth place honors went to
Molly Parker and Nine In The Afternoon, who were followed by
Kaylee Parker on Princeton in fifth place. The bay is only getting better and better with age and experience, and even though this time around the two weren't the winners of the class, it's very easy to see that Kaylee is incredibly proud of her boy. The pair of
Isaac Rook and his Saddlebred stallion Wicker Man are quickly becoming a crowd favorite, partly because of the novelty of watching a showy Saddlebred compete with warmbloods and Thoroughbreds and partly because whatever place they merit, they are always fun to watch. This time around, they were awarded sixth place.
Lenore Castel and her chestnut mare Quintessential placed seventh; these two are just not placing as well as they used to, which makes me wonder if anything's wrong with one of the most successful amateur competitors on the circuit.
Madison Clearview and SR. Another Sailor found themselves in eighth place, not a bad placing for a new team in an always competitive class.
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$5,000 NATIONAL HUNTER CLASSIC.[/b] took a beautiful trip around the course on Mama Knows Best to come out on top of the class and take home the five thousand dollars. Horse and rider were incredibly in tune and well balanced over every obstacle they encountered.
Molly Parker earned herself second place riding her own Nine In The Afternoon. Not only is this boy incredibly cute, with his black coat and tiny little star, but he's an incredibly handy hunter with a strong jump and a beautiful, rocking canter. Third place was given to
Jamie Manlow on Illians Fantasy, the little brunette and her big ole' dapple gray brute only a split second behind Molly and Andy.
Madison Clearview and SR. Another Sailor made a big jump up from their eighth place in Regular Working Hunter to a fourth place in the Classic. I think this team will be one to keep an eye on, as Madison seems quite capable and her mount is as talented as he is gorgeous. The fifth place slot was filled by
Isaac Rook and Wicker Man, and sixth place was awarded to
Kaylee Parker and Princeton. These two seemed to place lower than usual at this show, but knowing Kaylee the two will bounce back at Culpeper. Kaylee's very good friend
Lizzie Marks on Paperdoll came in right behind her at seventh place. The exquisite pair were knocked off their game from Regular Working Hunter, which is a shame, but
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PONY JUMPER.[/b] on Salty Eyes absolutely flew around the course, making earning the blue look incredibly easy. I was already falling in love with this pony at the Walk, Trot, Canter class, and after seeing her successful performance in both the hunter and jumper arenas, I only like her more. Watch out, Chevy – I don't care how mareish she is, I'm stealing her in the dead of the night.
Christina Álvarez on Skies Won't Limit Me came in at a very close second, only half a second behind the first place winners. Aimee Gilles and Ladybug earned third place, making the mother-and-daughter Gilles team very proud at the end of the day. Jacqueline Abrams and Charisma took home the pink ribbon in this class as well, followed in the standings by Marissa Thomas and her Welsh/Thoroughbred cross Royal Blue and little Jordan Brewer riding his favorite pony Marmalade, leased from Windy Ridge Farms.
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OPEN JUMPER.[/b] and his gorgeous mare Baton Rouge. Their round was incredible; even with all of this gossip floating around casting a rather unfavorable light on him, there's no doubt that he's a very talented, highly capable rider. A round like Marks' is difficult to follow, but the other riders rose to the challenge.
Jamie Manlow rode her Holsteiner gelding Captain Obvious to second place, further establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in the show ring.
Robert Chase and his big black Rude Awakening earned the yellow ribbon, followed by another black stallion, A Clockwork Orange, ridden by
Lenore Castel to a fourth place finish.
Isaac Rook and his Saddlebred Wicker Man took fifth place in the highly competitive class, and Gemma Phillips earned sixth place honors riding her faithful partner Harlequin.
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$5,000 GRAND PRIX.[/b] and Baton Rouge surged to their second first place of the show, much to the crowd's delight. Andy and Sammy, who is one hell of a horse, were rewarded for their efforts with five thousand dollars and thunderous applause. The pair was followed closely in the standings by
Robert Chase riding Rude Awakening, who performed very well but were edged into second place by a fraction of a second. Funnily enough,
Isaac Rook and Wicker Man's performance in the Grand Prix was much better than the one in Open Jumper, and the two rode off with third place honors in hand. Gemma Phillips and Harlequin also performed better in this class than in Open Jumper, earning the white rosette for their tack room wall. Robert Morris rode Dr. Judy Sampson's Hannibal, imported from Germany just a few months ago, to fifth place, his steady hands guiding the high-strung Holsteiner expertly about the course. Orabella, owned and ridden by Holly Malmrose, positively soared over every obstacle presented to her, but her time wasn't quite fast enough to place the two anywhere but in sixth place.
[/ul]All in all, the show at Tucson was a great success, full of new and seasoned riders alike. There's even starting to be some real competition in the previously rather dull Pony classes. Things are really heating up now, and while it's still quite far away, all eyes are focused on Nationals. I'll continue keeping you all updated on the goings-on at every show, including the action
not in the ring.[/blockquote]
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