Riders to Watch: Page 3 Eleanor Hellman
February 6, 2014
Vol. 2 No. 2
Week III
Cross-Country Trip Produces a Win for Saer Coulter and Springtime
In their first grand prix of the 2014 season, Saer Coulter and Springtime kicked off their year on the highest of notes. They traveled to from Florida to California last week, and topped a field of 31 in the $50,000 Strongid© C 2X™ CSI-W2*, presented by Zoetis, to highlight World Cup week at HITS Thermal. The class was a qualifier for the 2014 FEI World Cup Finals in Lyon, France this April.
The jumps were big, the times were tight and the field was competitive with six of the original 31 advancing to the jumpoff. Course designer Olaf Petersen, Jr. of Muenchen, Germany, kept a promise he made after Thursday’s grand prix and built big. “Olaf does a great job setting according to the field that he has,” said Coulter, who rides for the U.S. and hails from San Francisco, California. “With six clear, the jump-off was both fun and fair.” Petersen’s course included 13 obstacles and 16 jumping efforts, including a double combination and a one-stride triple combination with an oxer and two verticals. A clear didn’t come until the eighth ride of the order, and most of the faults arose later in the course with the triple at fence seven and a technical outside line that included fence eight, nine and 10.
Top riders, Saer Coulter, Eduardo Menezes and Michelle Parker at the post-event press conference. Photo by Lindsay Yandon
Ponies Shine in $1,000 Pony Hunter Prix 7.5x2The jumps were lowered in the Outside
Course at HITS Thermal on Friday and the spotlight was pointed to ponies. Twenty-three small, medium and large ponies carried their riders over an exciting course in the $1,000 Pony Hunter Prix. Alivia Hart of Calabasas, CA was all smiles after she piloted her gray medium mare Maybelline to the top with scores of 85 and 83 in the two-round class.
Lucy Davis of Los Angeles, California, who also trains alongside Coulter under the direction of Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum Amber Ayyad of RCF, California rode her own Wish Me Luck to second with a total score of 163, while Emma Hansen of Canyon Country, CA piloted her own My Little Romeo to a score of 161 and third place. Fourth was awarded to Kaitlyn Lovingfoss of Santa Clarita, CA on her own Salt Water Taffy with a score of 160. Owner/rider Grace Tuton of Paradise Valley, AZ capped the top five in the irons of Woodlands Huck Finn. They earned a score of 151. The $1,000 Pony Hunter Prix will return to the desert during Week VI and welcome
HUNTINGTON BEACH . DEL MAR
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By Lindsay Yandon and Markus Beerbaum, proved the course could be jumped as the first to ride clear in the irons of Old Oak farm’s Barron. She was later joined by Justin Resnik of Gendale, California, Mexico’s Enrique Gonzalez, Eduardo Menezes for Brazil, Michelle Parker of San Marcos, California and eventually Coulter. Coulter rode 21st in the original order and she admits it was advantageous to go late. “I was really lucky to go late in both rounds and watch a lot of the trips,” she said. Rider’s agreed that the jump-off left little room for improvising and didn’t present many options, but begged for speed. “The first round was more technical, where the jump-off was all about the gallop,” said Menezes, who was aboard Quintol Mercedes Benz for owner Santiago Hank in the jump-off. “It’s key to know the riders you are setting for and Olaf [Petersen] gets the perfect number every time.” (Continued on page 4) pony riders back to the Outside Course on March 7.
Alivia & Maybelline
©Flying Horse Photography
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