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California Riding Magazine • April, 2010 Winner's Circle |
West Coasters in WEG Running West Coasters Nicole Shahanian-Simpson and Richard Spooner secured top spots in the grueling, five-round selection trials for this year’s World Equestrian Games show jumping team. The trials were held in Florida starting in late Feb and concluding Sun., March 7. Spooner and his veteran international star Cristallo were second with a total of 14 jumping faults. Spooner operates out of Agua Dulce, north of Los Angeles, but he won’t be there much this year. He took nine jumpers to Florida for the Trials and the entire three-month season, then plans to be on the road, largely in Europe, returning home just in time for the holidays. Oregon-based Rich Fellers and Flexible and Ashlee Bond and Chivas Z also did the West Coast proud. They finished ninth and 13th in the overall Trials standings, and 12th and first alternate in the USEF’s ranking of top pairs in WEG consideration. East Coast-based Olympians McLain Ward, Laura Kraut and Lauren Hough received discretionary spots from the WEG Selectors Committee before the Trials concluded and sat atop Shahinian-Simpson and Spooner in the USEF’s ranking of combos that will be long listed for the WEG. This group of 15 has been split into three squads that will embark on separate tours in Europe. With input from the selectors, the team veterinarian and USEF show jumping chef d’equipe George Morris, the list will be whittled down to 10 pairs by Aug. 16, after the late spring and summer tours conclude, and later to four plus a “travelling substitute.” It’s all in preparation for the World Equestrian Games to be held in Lexington, KY, Sept. 25-Oct. 10. Henselwood Tops Thermal Beautiful weather blessed the $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, the capper to the six-week hunter/jumper circuit at Thermal. Unlike last year, when freak winds caused cancellation of the big class, this year’s weather was warm and wonderful. Canadian Olympian Jill Henselwood, a Thermal veteran, rode the mare Bottom Line first of 41 in the March 14 class. They went clean then and clean again, and fast, in a seven-horse jump off to take home $90,000 in first place prize money. That bumped her to the top of the list of HITS money earners, the top 40 of which will be eligible for the $1 Million Pfizer Animal Health Grand Prix, slated for September at HITS On The Hudson in Saugerites, NY. Guy Thomas and Peterbilt finished second, followed by Susie Hutchison and Cantano, Karen Cudmore and Southern Pride, Andre Thieme and Aragon, Keri Potter and Rockford I, and Helen McNaught and Caballo. Built by German Olaf Petersen, Sr., the course featured an unusual “quad,” a four-fence, one-to-two-to-one stride combination that tripped up several contenders. The bright orange Lamborghinis that stood aside one obstacle gave a few horses pause, but humans had no such reservations as they ooh-ed and aw-ed over the sexy cars parked outside of the ringside Oasis VIP tent. Lucky spectators got the chance to test drive them throughout Thermal’s final weekend, compliments of sponsor Donny Gath, who owns Lamborghini of Newport Beach and whose daughter rides with Tracy Baer’s Windsong Farm in Huntington Beach. Michael Endicott and his talented new ride S F Shakira incurred just one time fault and Jenny Martin and Riptide, with three time faults, looked like another terrific new partnership. They finished eighth and ninth. The absence of the aforementioned WEG hopefuls, in Florida for the last half of the Thermal circuit, was offset by an influx of Thermal newcomers. Canada sent more riders than ever. John Anderson earned the Leading Grand Prix Rider award at circuit’s end, while his Canadian countrymate John Pearce, based in California, earned the Royal Champion Leading World Cup Rider award.
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