Washington, DC, Oct. 26, 2011 – Jumpers got underway on Wed. at the 53rd annual Washington International. Ryan Goodman, 16, led the victory gallop on Pulsatilla W to win the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship. The evening session highlight, the $10,000 Adult Jumper Championship, saw Haley Pratt with the blue ribbon on Hillary Simpson’s Shane. The night concluded with a victory for Laura Kraut and Stars & Stripes’ Teirra in the $10,000 Children’s Defense Fund Open Jumper Speed sponsored by The Wasserman Foundation.
The WIHS continues through Sunday, October 30. The highlight classes of the week are the $25,000 Puissance sponsored by The Boeing Company on Friday, October 28, and the $100,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix presented by Events DC, CSI 3*-W on Saturday, October 29. This week’s jumper course designer is Michel Vaillancourt of Aiken, SC.
Thirty-two entries contested the opening class of the international jumpers this evening, and it was Laura Kraut and Teirra who were able to find the fastest clear path to victory in the $10,000 Children’s Defense Fund Open Jumper Speed class sponsored by The Wasserman Foundation. Kraut and Teirra held a wire-to-wire lead, going first in the class and jumping clear in 52.50 seconds. Some went clear, and some went faster, but none were able to beat the combination.
Teirra and Laura Kraut
Second place went to Emilie Martinsen and her own Gucci, jumping clear in 57.206 seconds. Margie Engle also cleared the course aboard Ashland Farm & Stadium Sport Horse’s Lord Spezi, and finished in third with a time of 58.838 seconds.
Following her win, Kraut explained how she first got the ride on Teirra in May of this year. The 11-year-old KWPN mare has been showing for several years with amateur rider Addison Phillips and had a break when the rider started college. Teirra has performed extremely well at the grand prix level and is in line to be Kraut’s next top mount. The rider explained, “Stars and Stripes is a group of wonderful owners who gathered together to help buy Teirra with the idea that she would help Cedric not have to work so hard, and she has done just that.”
“She has been really great,” Kraut smiled. “I love everything about her. She is brave, she tries really hard, and she tries to do everything the right way, which is really helpful. It is great because you really need that at this level.”
Going first in the class with many talented horses and riders to follow, Kraut admitted that she did not think her time would hold up. “I thought I would just go nice and smooth and do the strides and that would be it,” she said. “I planned on maybe sixth or seventh, but it just worked out. This is a difficult ring and I think that a lot of the horses, even the seasoned ones, go in that ring and sometimes get a little star struck. She is just one of those horses where nothing really fazes her.”
Kraut had a great class and was pleased with tonight’s course, calling it “a great warm-up and a perfect lead off for the week.”
The $10,000 Children’s Jumper Championship had 29 entries, and 11 of those were clear to advance to the jump-off. Ryan Goodman and Pulsatilla W put down a clear round in a time of 31.940 seconds to take the win over Katherine Strauss and Fardela, who finished in 32.254 seconds. Belle Fulmer piloted Godspeed to third place in 33.298 seconds.
For their win today, Goodman and Pulsatilla W, owned by Adrienne Marciano, were presented with the H. Fenwick Kollock Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by Friends of Fen. Sixteen-year-old Ryan Goodman is from Vernon Hills, IL, and rides with trainer Sara Rhodes.
Goodman has been riding Pulsatilla W, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, since February. “We have an amazing relationship,” she said of the mare. “We’re perfect partners for each other.”
Goodman was sixth to return in the jump-off out of eleven. After putting in a clear first round, her plan was to put her horse’s strengths to the test over the short course. “We tried to use our turns and our gallop to our advantage, and it worked,” the rider stated. “We definitely wanted to use the gallop tonight.”
Today’s class was Goodman’s first time competing at the Washington International Horse Show and the rider had a great experience. “I love it!” she smiled. “I was a little concerned about the ring, but I loved it.”
“I don’t think she’s been here before either,” Goodman said of her horse. “It’s the first time for both of us.”
As Wednesday’s competition continued, the evening session got underway with the $10,000 Adult Jumper Championship. Thirty entries showed in the first round and six were able to go clear to advance to the jump-off. Three jumped double clear, and it was the fastest time of 28.829 seconds posted by Kaley Pratt and Shane that earned top honors. Katherine Edgell and Miss Kitty were a close second in 29.788 seconds, and Hannah Murrin and Valentina finished third with a time of 34.072.
Shane and Kaley Pratt
Pratt and Shane were presented with the Dorothy Foote “Goodie” Taylor Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ashton Hill and Miss Linden Joan Hill.
From Gainesville, FL, Pratt trains with Mary Lisa Leffler. She rode as a junior and is now in her fifth year back to competing after a college hiatus. Pratt’s mount Shane is an eleven-year-old Royal Dutch Warmblood gelding that she has had for two years. Pratt and Shane had a successful summer together in preparation for this year’s WIHS and the rider was thrilled with his efforts tonight. She beamed after her win, stating, “I still can’t believe it actually. I just tried to go as fast as I could and make all of the inside turns that we talked about. I got a little nervous going to the in and out, but then he just kept going.”
Talking about Shane’s style, Pratt noted, “He’s very careful, so I just make sure that he gets to see the jumps. I know that I can ride him right to the base and he’ll jump clean and help me out. We can go faster in the jump-offs because I don’t have to protect him.”
Pratt hasn’t shown at the WIHS since her last year as a junior and is thrilled to be back. She smiled, “It’s neat being in the middle of downtown D.C. Trying to qualify all year and being able to win means a lot.”
The Washington International Horse Show continues tomorrow with the opening classes for the junior hunter divisions as well as the first classes for the junior/amateur-owner jumper divisions and the $31,000 Open Jumper Jump-off class. The evening session begins with the always exciting Barn Night at 7 p.m., with feature classes for the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, a mutton busting exhibition, and the $20,000 Open Jumper Gambler’s Choice Costume class.
