Galway Downs Equestrian Center

Volunteer Spotlight – Nicole Horton

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Nicole Horton had a good life before she – finally – indulged her childhood dream of owning a horse 11 years ago.

But it didn’t compare to the quality of her life now, all thanks to what her now three horses have taught her.

“I used to be a workaholic and I still work a lot and enjoy what I do,” Nicole explained. “I’m a consultant and most of my clients have some sort of distress they need help through. It’s stressful, with a lot of deadlines, and I used to let that stress really get to me.”

“Once I got indoctrinated to what it means to be a horse person, I realized you can’t show up everyday tense, angry or frustrated and think it’s going to work out well. Horses have given me so much.”

Through 11 years and three horses, Nicole has had a disproportionate number of injuries and rehabs to help her main competition horse through. Yet, those periods have only intensified her love and understanding for her horses and for the sport.

A Veteran Volunteer

Nicole Horton volunteering

Volunteering quickly became a part of Nicole’s horsey life – even when she was competing and especially when she couldn’t. “I didn’t want to get disconnected from the sport and I still had friends that were competing. I will always keep volunteering. It’s important to give something back.”

Nicole lives in the Los Angeles area’s Topanga Canyon. It’s a 2.5-hour drive to Galway Downs, even without traffic. Given the distance, she usually gives one full day. When the report time for those days is 8 a.m., rather than 6 or 6:30 a.m., that’s a treat, but she shows up whatever the schedule.

Volunteering has enhanced Nicole’s equestrian life through all its phases. “When I first started it was a good reinforcement of what I was learning, plus you learn a lot about the rules.”

She’s a veteran now with assignments that make use of that experience. At the International Horse Trials in late March, Nicole jump judged the first and second fences for all of Friday’s cross-country divisions.  From her post under a blooming cherry tree, she also backed up the start box timer.

“I go wherever the volunteer coordinators need me,” Nicole says. “But they know me now and they usually wind up giving me some extra things to do.”

She especially loves watching the experienced riders go around on inexperienced horses. “You never quite know what the horses are thinking as they are learning the ropes, and I find that fascinating.”

Among the professionals, Taren Hoffos is a favorite. “I never expect any chit chat from the riders during their course walk, but I am pretty sure that every time Taren has walked by, she says ‘thank you.’  It’s one of those moments you don’t expect, but it’s always nice and it’s a little extra motivation.”

Nicole hopes to eventually get back out on cross-country herself with the youngest of her three horses.

From 0 to 60 mph…

All her life, Nicole thought about, dreamed of and fantasized about riding. As a kid, she “devoured” every horse book. Through adulthood, she saw the touring Lippizans, Cavalia and the Longines Jumping shows when they came to town. She sought trail rides wherever she traveled. The flame burned bright.

A friend suggested Nicole call Mill Creek Equestrian Center and she did.

“They laughed at me because I asked them to schedule a lesson for me every day of the entire week,” Nicole recalls. “They said, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Yes, absolutely’ and I knew the first day – even though you don’t really do anything on the first lesson – that I would never look back.”

Which was true.

She immediately set a goal of owning a horse within her first year. And that was Stella, an Off-The-Track-Thoroughbred with some eventing experience. “She was a little nutty and had some physical things going on that we didn’t know about at the time. Maybe not the best first horse…

“But I learned so much from her – about staying on, about not freaking out if she was running around. And despite all that, it was the best thing for me. It taught me to live in that moment. Before that, I always had work stuff going on in the back of my mind, but that’s not a good idea to be thinking about a work project when you’re sitting on a 1,200-pound horse.”

Stella got Nicole started with the basics in eventing. At 20, she is happily retired and visited almost daily by Nicole.

Here Comes Hope

Nicole Horton
Nicole and Hope

Next came Hope, who was intended to become Nicole’s upper-level horse but whose injuries and rehabs redirected that plan. “It was another learning experience,” Nicole reflects. Hope’s initial injury required a 12-month rehab, which Nicole managed on her own. That was going well until the very end, when she sustained another injury – this time a suspensory – that required another year of rehab.

At that juncture, Nicole opted to use some of that time to breed Hope. The result is Romy, sired by the jumper stallion, Billy Mexico. She will turn 3 in June and is intended to be Nicole’s future eventing star.

Hope and Romy
Hope and Romy
Romy
Romy as an almost-3-year-old.

Stella and Hope live at Brookview Ranch in Agoura Hills and Romy is growing up in pastures in Ventura County’s Somis.

Backward, Forward, Sideways…

Even without the injuries, Nicole and Hope’s journey has been a challenge many would not describe positively.

“She didn’t initially take to me as a person in charge,” Nicole recalls. “She is willful and stubborn and flighty. But I love that horse more than I can say. Our first three years together, we went backward, forward, sideways and finally were hitting our stride toward the end.”

The next five years, during rehab periods as well as Hope’s motherhood, the two “spent a lot of time in very close quarters. She’s now where she’ll lay her head in my lap. I’m her pal and she’ll do anything for me. I love that about her.”

Hope and Nicole now work on dressage with Jane Arrasmith, and on jumping with Allyson Hartenburg. Eventing won’t be on their agenda again, but Nicole is thrilled to be back in the saddle and making progress with the mare.

“Some people are lucky in that their horses just keep trucking along,” she notes. That hasn’t been Nicole’s path yet, but “For me, it’s just been fantastic.”

And the sport is lucky to have a participant committed to volunteering as a critical part of life with horses.

Volunteer Spotlight – Mickey Sanchez

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 At 175.25 hours, Mickey Sanchez topped Galway Downs’ 2023 volunteer leaderboard. That’s no surprise for regular competitors who saw Mickey’s smiling face at six competitions last year and at many events for the six years before that.

Volunteering here and at Twin Rivers, Mickey also topped the standings for the US Eventing Association’s Area VI. On the organization’s 2023 national rankings, Mickey is the highest-placed California resident at 31st on the list.

Wow!

Not that Mickey’s keeping track. He was introduced to eventing through his equestrian sister Selena Sanchez. Even though she’s not competing currently due to being in college, he was happy to spend the equivalent of 4.5 working days volunteering this year because he loves it.

He started out “doing anything they needed me to do.” Which meant stewarding warm-up rings, scribing, helping in hospitality and anywhere else. Most often these days, Mickey finds himself assigned to hospitality tasks and loves it. Cruising cross-country or the rest of the grounds in search of volunteers who need water or lunch is a frequent assignment.

“I like going around to make sure everyone is taken care of,” says Mickey, who lives in the Corona/Norco area about 45 minutes from Galway Downs. “We always want to make sure our volunteers are up and running.”

Friends In Fun Places

Over the years, his volunteer work has led to many friendships – with fellow volunteers and with riders. He’s good friends with Galway Downs competitor and sponsor and vendor coordinator, Katy Robinson, and with the Carabajal Eventing family whose members are also regular and longtime volunteers.

As part of Galway Downs Volunteer Incentive Program, Mickey’s hours entitle him to an enticing array of prizes. Rather than cash them in for a cool cap, shirt or jacket for himself, Mickey uses his credits to get entry vouchers for the Carabajal team. When his sister returns to riding, she’ll have some credits ready to use, too.

A trail rider himself, Mickey is happy to leave the galloping and jumping to the exhibitors. As a volunteer, he enjoys the front row seat to terrific equestrian sport, often involving some of the best in the world – like last year’s Land Rover Kentucky winner Tamie Smith.

He encourages everyone to try volunteering, even those who are hesitant about what the experience will be like.

“Just try it,” he says. “You’ll be surprised how much you love it.”

Annual Fundraising Clinic Jan. 19-21. Sign up now!

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Our annual Galway Downs fundraising clinic is set for its 26th year – Jan. 19-26, 2024 and sign-ups are open now!

Olympic eventers Ian Stark and Jock Paget are the featured clinicians. Land Rover Kentucky 5* winner Tamie Smith headlines a roster of 24 “local” eventing professionals ready to share their expertise. And Friday, January 19 features private dressage lesson opportunities with Donna Weinberg or Jo Moran.

The clinic began as and continues to be a way to help fund first-class eventing competition and it’s become a fixture on the West Coast calendar.

Deb Rosen asserts that it’s much more than a money-maker. “It’s my favorite weekend of the year,” says the Wild Ride Eventers proprietor who has participated from the get-go.

A Base Builder

“It started as a grass-roots event,” she recalls. “Getting everybody together at a time when Galway Downs was new and we wanted to help promote all the efforts being made on behalf of eventers in our area.”

Since then, the clinic has become key to building the base for the sport. Deb is based at the El Sueno Equestrian Center north of Los Angeles.  She sees a thriving community of professionals helping riders at the entry and lower levels of eventing.

At the Galway fundraiser, these pros can ride themselves and bring students. Deb estimates that many of those kids and adults will be riding off property for the first time.

One of the most in-demand professionals on the roster, Deb is happy to work with all levels, perhaps especially those relative newbies who want an adventure and education without being overwhelmed. “It’s fine with me if you just want to walk over logs on the ground,” she says. “All of these riders contribute to building up the base of the sport.”

Deb sees the ripple effect of participating in the clinic. Initially, riders stick with her year after year, then gradually branch out. “They’ll ask me, ‘Do you think it’s OK if I ride with someone else?’ That gives me chills when they want to ride with another educator.”

The clinic is part and parcel of Galway Downs’ support of the region’s horses and riders, Deb adds. “I can’t thank Robert Kellerhouse enough for what he has done for our sport and for me personally. There are so many things I would not have been able to experience if it wasn’t for Robert. He and Katy Robinson are just delightful.”

Katy Robinson is coaching herself and suggests another benefit of the clinic – “It’s a great way to check out a trainer you might be considering working with. It’s a super opportunity to see them work.”

The clinic welcomes spectators, although care must be taken while walking on cross-country as there are often a few groups working in different parts of the course.  It’s a great way to learn more about cross-country in general and to see how a range of professionals approach various questions on course. In past years, a few brave hunter/jumper riders have entered at the lower levels to test the eventing waters.

A social gathering on Saturday evening adds to the weekend fun.

How It Works

The Standard Clinic program includes Saturday and Sunday group cross-country lessons, with stabling included. Group or private lessons with Jock and private lessons with Ian Stark are separate options that do not include stabling in the entry fee. Ian and Jock offer dressage, show jumping and cross-country.

At press time, the professionals donating “Standard” cross-country clinic experiences are Allyson Hartenburg, Auburn Excell Brady, Barb Crabo, Chloe Smyth, Deb Rosen, Emilee Libby, Erin Kellerhouse, Frederic Bouland, Gina Economou, Hawley Bennett Awad, Jennifer Johnson, Katie Willis, Katy Robinson, Kaylawna Smith Cook, Kim Goto Miner, Lisa Sabo, Mickayla Howard, Megan McIver, Olivia Putrino, Stacia Arnold, Susan Friend, Tamie Smith, Taren Hoffos and McKenzie Rollins.

Groups are organized by skill and experience level, from. The closing date for entries is January 12. Slots fill up fast and additional clinicians are often added to the roster.

Sign up here.

Volunteer Spotlight – Sarah Airhart

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Volunteer Sarah Airhart
Super volunteer Sarah Airhart enjoyed the Eventing Championships as much as the exhibitors.

Last month’s Eventing Championships were greatly enhanced by the many who traveled from other areas to participate. That includes volunteers.

USEA Area VII 2022 Volunteer of the Year Sarah Airhart made the trek from Seattle to help out and she made a big impression on volunteer coordinators. “After the travel and long volunteering days, she was still gracious and smiling on Sunday,” reports volunteer coordinator team member Bernie Low.

It was Sarah’s first volunteer experience outside of Area VII and she was bowled over. “The facilities were unbelievable – so bougie! The VIP section was amazing, the jumbotron in the Grand Prix Arena and everything else was so amazing. The bathrooms are nicer than my bathroom at home!”

Ring Steward Extraordinaire

As a veteran warm-up ring steward, Sarah was especially impressed with the quantity of warm-up arenas. “I always run into riders who are not competing in that moment, but want to warm up and I have to tell them that competitors have priority. That didn’t happen at all at Galway Downs because there are so many places for people to ride.”

Warm-up ring stewarding can be a tricky job. Sarah was honored by the opportunity to use her skills and experience in that role at such a “really big, fancy event.” 

“I like to manage the warm-up arena and I’m quite good at it,” Sarah explains. “You have to be pretty assertive because, obviously, safety is a huge factor. Riders are in the zone, and they may be nervous and anxious. You have to remind them of their etiquette and also be warm, friendly and upbeat.

“I am so genuinely happy to be there, that I’m always smiling and happy to help,” she continues. “I try to see the whole picture. I want to get them to their ride on time, without making them feel rushed or panicked. I keep a good list and I try to maintain all the other little pieces that help things go smoothly.”

It helps that Sarah is a horse person herself. She grew up in England, very close to the Burghley Horse Trials venue, and evented as a Pony Clubber. She moved to the U.S. when she was 18, then took a 40-year break from horses until her daughter’s interest led her back to the sport. “The first time I set foot back in the barn, I was hooked.” While supporting her daughter’s riding, Sarah welcomed volunteering as an affordable way to be involved with horses and the sport.

Back In The Saddle

She’s excited to be back in the saddle for the past two years, taking lessons and braving cross-rail courses as a 55-year-old returnee. That’s one of the reasons she finds cross-country jump judging “absolutely fascinating.”

“I love watching the horses and riders approach and take off after each jump. Every single one does it differently. I love to hear their hooves and see the riders’ determination. I love to see the little things, like how they use their reins, how they bend to make the turn, how they use their leg.”

The advice she hears from her own riding instructor is manifested by almost everyone who races past her judging post. “Leg on. Forward. Don’t slow down. Use your seat. It’s mostly the basics that even the top riders get reminded to do in the warm-up ring.”

As an Area VII regular, Sarah is big fan of all the region’s exhibitors. Anni Grandia and her Team Chaos group are special favorites. As the area’s Young Rider coordinator, Anni was overseeing a big contingent of competitors heading to Galway Downs and she suggested Sarah join them. Sarah loved the idea immediately and the deal was sealed when Anni offered to haul her camping gear south.

Challenge Is On!

“I love to see how the different areas challenge each other,” Sarah reflects. “You guys from California always bring the challenge up to us, and we bring it down here.” She likes a challenge herself and is currently focused – in a playful way – on topping the hours tally of another remarkable Area VII volunteer, Jim Moyer.

After the Eventing Championships, Sarah headed home with more than great memories. “The Galway Downs swag is fantastic! I took a picture of everything I got and made it my Facebook profile picture. I got a pink jacket, a pink hat, I bought a sweatshirt for a friend with my vouchers. I will definitely take the swag suggestion back to Area VII. We’re always looking for ways to give volunteers something they want and find useful!”

 This year’s excellent experience is a great start to what Sarah hopes will be a new habit of traveling to volunteer around the country – as much as her work schedule and budget allow.  The Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill is on her agenda for next fall and Galway Downs is now a venue to which she’ll always be thrilled to return.

Meet The 2023 Area VI Champions

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Preliminary Champions – Mickayla Howard and HH Ontario

all photos – Tina Fitch Photography

Regional stars took center stage Sunday, Nov. 5, with all the razzle dazzle afforded to Saturday night’s contenders in the 2023 USEF CCI4*-L and CCI2*-L Eventing Championships, the Adequan CCI3*-L and the USEF Eventing Young Riders Championships presented by USEA.

Organizer Robert Kellerhouse remained on Cloud 9 seeing seniors, juniors and professionals at all levels showcased on the glitzy stage built for the Eventing Championships’ star-studded international roster.

The jumbotron displayed real time scoring for the final phases of 14 USEA Area VI Championship divisions, and contenders navigated the showcase stadium filled with colorful, creative fences in the jazzed atmosphere of the Grand Prix Arena.

“I think for our first attempt we knocked it out of the park,” said Andrea Pfeiffer, Area VI Chairman and Area VI Council member.

Along with added atmosphere, there was much more at stake in this year’s Area VI Championships because riders from all USEA regions were invited to take their shot at the titles. This unprecedented opportunity arose from the Area VI Council’s desire to plant the seeds for a true regional championship in the West. It’s also about promoting the idea that competing in different regions, environments and against different competitors is important to building winning horsemanship skills – a point emphasized by leaders at every level of the sport.

In addition to having contenders in all the divisions, those contenders and their crews helped pack the stands for the FEI competition, revving the amperage meter for everyone involved. “That really made me smile!” Pfeiffer said. “It was a national championship and it really felt like it.”

“My vision for the Area VI Championships is to make it special. If a show wants to host them, we need to ask how they are going to do that?” She acknowledges that filling the Championships divisions has been a challenge in the past, and that combining it this year with the multi-faceted Eventing Championships helped tremendously with that. So did special prizes, swag and being spotlit in the Grand Prix Arena.

Speaking of the spotlight, here are the 2023 AREA VI Champions.

Preliminary Championships – Mikayla Howard and HH Ontario

Having won the Modified Training Challenge at Galway Downs last year, Mikayla Howard set her mind on prepping HH Ontario for a successful move up this year. She was surprised to be able to win the competitive division with two show jumping rails, but it was one of those days. HH Ontario’s characteristic nice dressage netted a 27.6, while cross-country required an extra push throughout to stay relatively close to the optimal time. That may have tired Ontario out a bit for show jumping, and Howard felt a few pilot errors may have played their part.

Nonetheless, it was a great way to finish a competition that Howard and her Avon Eventing crew look forward to and gear their goals toward all year. The Northern California professional had three Area VI Young Riders contending the USEF Championship and several horses and riders who took advantage of the Galway Downs’ popular Challenge divisions.

“We really appreciate all these different types of classes and we always have such a good time.”

Busy Tommy Greengard and Quick Quinn were reserve champions, and McKenzie Rollins and O Gigi SE were third.

Modified Championships – Stephanie Goodman & Global Monmore

Competing in the Area VI Championships was icing on the cake for Eagle, ID-based professional Stephanie Goodman. Her crew makes the 15-hour annual trek to Galway Downs every fall, this year with seven horses. She was thrilled to give Global Monmore, a young client’s horse, a terrific experience in what she described as a well-calibrated Modified event. These are few and far between, period, she noted, and finding one that hits that balance between “smaller than Prelim and a step above Training” is tough.

With just a few time faults on cross-country, Global Monmore rose easily to carry the division on a 36.4 and end his season on “super high point,” Goodman said. “Being able to ride in the Grand Prix ring for all these horses is great. There’s a lot of atmosphere and all our horses are actually jumping really well. Plus, it was really fun!”

Emily Schmitz and Fernhill Blueprint were second, and Audrey Fisher and GoldRiverDancer were third.

Modified/Training Championships – Tommy Greengard and Cooley Sligo

Still aglow from finishing as reserve champ in the USEF CCI4*-L Championships Saturday night, Tommy Greengard piloted Cooley Sligo to the top, adding nothing to their 22.7 dressage score. One of 5 horses Greengard rode in his post with Chocolate Horse Farm, Cooley Sligo is owned by client Megan Beachler, who finished an impressive 2nd in the American Eventing Championships Novice division earlier this year.

“He’s one of those unique horses who is very good in all three phases. He’s a terrific jumping horse, quite relaxed and a good mover, which helps with dressage.” Greengard loved having all the previous night’s atmospheric effects in place. “It’s great that they have the jumbotron and everything else going for the horses in the lower levels who haven’t seen that before.”

Taren Hoffos and Gusto were second on a 29.8 and Andrea Baxter and Camelot PJ followed on a 31.6

Training Novice Championships – Seika Streets and Counterpoint

“This was a high point!” said Seika Streets, who leases the veteran upper-level campaigner, “Count” from Arnell Sporthorses. “We had a win at Novice at Woodside, and my trainers said, ‘Why don’t you keep this going and give this a shot!”

“It is a total privilege to ride him. He knows when the show is happening and gets super pumped up, he kicks into gear on cross-country, you know he’s going to make it home safe and he’ll jump everything more than it needs in stadium.”

“I was pretty confident in our abilities, and I knew we were going to give it our best out there.”

Alice Chan and Merriewold Quintessa were reserve champions.

Senior Training Rider Championships – Teresa Harcourt & Csongor

“It’s great to put a bow on the end of the year,” said Teresa Harcourt of her win with her own Csongor, aka “Blue.” She purchased him in August of 2022 after a seven-year hiatus from competing herself, during which she groomed for Bec Braitling and Arnell Sporthorses. “I’ve been able to build up a strong partnership with him, and it was great to have this week’s big environment of a national championship and to be around so many upper-level riders.”

The pair finished on their 28.6 dressage, amid a hectic, happy week. Teresa is USEA Area VI’s Young Rider Coordinator and was heavily involved in the preparations for the team’s CCI2*-L gold and CCI1*-L silver efforts. “It was a lot of work, but we cleaned up and it was a great weekend!” As a member of the Arnell Sporthorses posse, Teresa also had Bec Braitling’s reserve finish in the CCI4*-L National Championships to celebrate.

Shelby Murray and Mannoury vd Watermolen were second on a 30, and Eri Takada and Toronto Z were third on a 35.6.

Junior Training Rider Championships – Maddie Kelly and Favoloso

18-year-old Maddie Kelly had a happy trip back to Idaho, reflecting on how “all the stars aligned this weekend.” A student of Stephanie Goodman, Kelly began leasing Favoloso early this year and initially struggled to “feel on the same page” – especially in dressage. Finally, dressage felt “easy,” resulting in a 30.6 score. A few time faults impacted a cross-country track that “was good for him – it kept him engaged, but was not too challenging. That’s one of his hardest phases and he was a very good boy.” They sailed double-clear in show jumping, to retake the top spot.

Sophie Celeste and Max Attraction finished second on a 33.1, and Raney Wolfers and Kingston V.E. were third on a 33.4.

Senior Novice Rider Championship – Keelari Mauzy and West Coast Cooley

It was love at first sight when Keelari Mauzy set eyes on her dream horse on a dream horse shopping trip to Ireland two years ago. Since then, random realities made consistent progress difficult but it’s all come together this year, and especially in their fault-free 29.4 finish in this division. The San Diego-based amateur produced West Coast Cooley on her own and was thrilled to qualify for the Area VI Championships and to have it be close to home.

“With the really great success we had this weekend, I’m thinking of setting a new goal for next year,” reports the owner of a PEMF business for horses, people and small animals. She’s qualified already for the American Eventing Championships and looks forward to returning to Galway Downs.

Johana Ligtenberg and Hunters Bolero finished second on their 30 dressage, and Maxine Beck and Laguna Seca followed on their 30.6 effort for third.

Junior Novice Rider Championship – Isabella Rega and Blurred Lines

A 4th place finish in the huge field at the American Eventing Championships in August, in Kentucky, inspired Isabella Rega to see if she could keep her roll going here at the Area VI Championships. “We’ve done so many Novice divisions it feels pretty easy,” she said of a 26.9 dressage score and flawless cross-country and show jumping. “It was all pretty straight forward.”

A student of Sabrina Miller’s Riding Academy, Rega said a move up next year is on the agenda.

Lauren Hsieh and Happy Prospect were tied with Rega throughout the run, taking second on a hair’s breadth time difference in cross-country. Kennedy Wiklund and Atta Boy Atticus were third.

Junior Beginner Novice Rider Championship — Charlotte Boleda & Bellechase

Great advice from a great rider helped Charlotte Boleda and Bellechase get where they are today. “Tamie Smith told me easy horses don’t make great riders,” Boleda said. Through the tough times of their first year together, “I said, ‘This guy has too much potential to let it go to waste,” explained Boleda, who trains regularly with Olivia Putrino.

The 6-year-old Irish Sporthorse came through for Charlotte today, finishing fault free on their 30 dressage score. “He’s super brave and I like horses that are spicy! They’re more fun.”

Katherine Jackman and Prada were reserve champions on a 34.1 effort.

Novice/Beginner Novice Championship – Chloe Smyth and Topper

Marian Cerrilly’s “Topper” is a really great young horse,” said the professional, who won on a 27.7. “He has been a pleasure to bring along.

“We love coming to Galway and always enjoying seeing the improvements. I want to give a huge thank you to my team at White Horse Eventing for keeping everything running smoothly.”

Dawn Scott and Cappa Aoife finished second on a 32.

Senior Beginner Novice Rider Championship – Justin Flach & Aracelli

The Area VI Championships “became a goal as we’ve had sort of a rough year,” explained Justin Flach. “We had to re-set and learn a few hard lessons.” Warm-up ring anxiety was the main issue for the 2012 Oldenburg mare and the former county-level show jumping rider. “We focused on re-introducing her to ideas and concepts that would get her comfortable in the warm-up arena and this week is the culmination of those efforts and of working through some tough times.”

Flach is also grateful to his fellow competitors for their welcoming attitude and approach to the competition, and to his wife for encouraging him to try eventing. These last two years, he’s “put a lot of miles” into dressage and cross-country, including work with trainers Robin Garrett and Darci Bayney, for dressage and show jumping respectively.

“And, it looks like I’ll be getting an eventing trainer soon,” he said. “Because, I’m not going to stop now!” Afterall, they already have a basic principle mastered – try to finish on your dressage score, in their case, a 32.1, to which they added nothing.

Annie Desmond and Little Elf were close behind on a 32.4 for second, and Mia Roeser and Miss Magnolia were third on a 36.7.

Senior Starter Championship – Britt Sabbah and Delilah 111

It’s not a typo. Britt Sabbah’s 5-year-old German Riding Pony, Delilah 111, in her second-ever away from home show, logged a 16.7 dressage score. Britt bought her to be a “dressage pony” and the mare is delivering the goods. “She really likes to jump so we do eventing to give her more life experiences.” Along with the lowest score of the show, Delilah got a “bright future” note on her score sheet from judge Axel Steiner. “He can be a tough one to impress, so that was very nice.”

Delilah handled the Championships amped up atmosphere just fine, but being separated from her “brother,” Sabbah’s other horse, was hard to handle. “I think everybody on the show grounds probably heard her calling to him during her cross-country warm-up. She’s extremely vocal. But once she was out on course, she was fine!”

Amber Ryan and Finding Nemo finished second with a 31, and Lisa Prior and May As Well were third.

Junior Starter Championship – Bo Moore and Zodiac Kowboy

“It was really fun,” said 15-year-old Bo Moore of her experience en route to winning this division. Initially locked in a tie after her 33.7 dressage ride with Zodiac Kowboy, this student of Sigourney Jellins set out determined to be close as possible to cross-country’s optimal time. She and the 10-year-old Thoroughbred were a little too fast, in fact, but they wound up edging into the top spot after only 1.6 time faults in stadium. It was a high point in their one-year partnership for this Northern California-based duo.