Source:  News Release

Jumpers Take on the Hunter Ring at Gold Coast 1

Michael Leon has another derby winner in Copado
Photo: Flying Horse Photography

It was a blue ribbon weekend for horses changing disciplines and riders taking on new challenges as they gained experience and faced challenging competition at Gold Coast 1 (Feb 15-17), the opener of the Langer Equestrian Group’s Gold Coast Series presented byLEGISequine.com.

Trainer Michael Leon is one step closer to winning the $5,000 LEGIS Hunter Rider Bonus for the Gold Coast Series after his win in this weekend’s $1,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. The bonus is given to a rider who wins two or more hunter derbies on the same horse: riders will be awarded $500 for two wins, $1,500 for three, $2,500 for four, and $5,000 for five. A $10,000 LEGIS Hunter Rider Bonus is also offered for hunter derbies at the “A” shows at LAEC as well as the Northern California series.

“I’m really excited about the LEGIS bonus,” Michael said. “I won a bonus last year for First & Goal and I think it’s great they’re offering a rider incentive this year. It puts a little extra edge on the competition and gives a little something extra for the riders and the horses. We’re definitely planning on doing all of the hunter derbies at the LAEC and trying to win as much as possible.”

Though he had a proven winner in First & Goal (Stage Left Farm, LLC, owner) last year, Michael led the hunter derby from start to finish on Copado (LLC Piñon West, owner). “This was only Copado’s second show in the hunter arena and his second hunter derby,” Michael explained. “Copado was imported from Germany two years ago, where he did jumpers with Markus Beerbaum. He did jumpers and some equitation classes before my client Annette Peterfy bought him, and we decided to turn him into a hunter. We plan to eventually have Annette show him in the Amateur Owner Hunters.”

Copado has been a quick study and clearly understands his job well, since he also earned the blue in the $100 3’3” & 3’6” Performance Hunters. In the first round of the hunter derby, he impressed the judges with his forward movement and jumping style. “I wanted to be conservative and just show off his nice gallop throughout the course,” Michael commented. “He jumped everything absolutely incredibly. In the jumper ring, he jumps so big and impressive, and he does the same thing over the hunter fences.” The pair handled the four high options with ease and received a score of 82 for the first round.

Deni Hird makes a bid for the win on her new horse, Freedom C Photo: Flying Horse Photography

They narrowly held onto the lead after the final rider on the first course, 16-year-old junior rider Deni Hird (Stephanie Haney, trainer), rode a beautiful round on Freedom C (Vicky Dimitri, owner). “Freedom C just came from Florida two weeks ago, and he used to be a 1.35M jumper. Though it’s been a bit of a change for him, he was just great in the derby,” Deni gushed. Freedom C’s inexperience as a hunter didn’t show at all as he and Deni scored an 81.5 in the first round to put some pressure on Michael.

For the second round, Deni focused on sticking to her plan and being conservative. “Going into the handy, I just wanted to play it safe and have fun," she recalled. "I only did three of the higher options because the option in the corner jumped straight into the wall and we didn’t want him getting any ideas. I didn’t really want to make too tight of turns, though we did do a few of the inside turns.”

While Deni played it safe, Michael decided to go big or go home. “My plan was to do all of the inside turns if I needed to for the win," he enumerated. "When no one else in the class did any of the harder inside tracks, my first thought was to go in and let him show off his jumping style. But I reconsidered and decided that for practice reasons I should go in and give it my all.”

Michael made use of Copado’s jumper skills and easily executed the sharp turns and showcased Copado’s open gallop and effortless jump for the winning ride. “He is easy to turn and so well balanced because of his jumper background. He has proven to be an incredibly versatile horse, and I think he’s really going to excel in the hunter derbies,” Michael noted.

In addition to the excitement of the hunter derby, this weekend marked the debut of the Thoroughbred Hunter Division, sponsored by the Jockey Club and its Thoroughbred Incentive Program, which offers sponsorship for Thoroughbred-only classes and divisions to encourage the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines after careers in racing or breeding.

Amy Hess and Audible (Hess Equine, owner) were champion in this inaugural division. “I am so pleased that Langer Equestrian Group is taking part in the program,” Amy commented. “Being heavily involved in both the show world and the racing world, it means a lot to me and may other to see these wonderful athletes recognized in the show ring.” 

It definitely meant a lot to Shauna Pennell, who was reserve champion in the division on McDuffy (Laurie Laspina, owner). “I’m excited to see Thoroughbreds making a comeback in the hunter/ jumper world. I grew up riding and showing Thoroughbreds so it’s a breed that I am familiar with and enjoy working with,” Shauna explained. “I appreciate that the horse shows and the Jockey Club got together to offer special Thoroughbred classes.  It really brings awareness to this great breed.  I hope to continue to see more and more Thoroughbreds at the shows.”

Lauren Vogel racks up the ribbons Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Also in the hunter arena, Lauren Vogel had a great weekend with V.E. Collin. They were champion in the 3’ Pre-Green Hunters, champion in the ‘B’ Low Hunters, and reserve champion in the ‘B’ Pre-Green Hunters. Lauren found V.E. Collin through Sarah Vos at European Horse Trade, who she uses to buy all of her horses. “V. E. Collin is a six-year-old Dutch gelding and we just got him 30 days ago,” Lauren stated. “He had been doing the lower level jumpers for about a year in Holland. He's actually really quiet and likes less contact, so I just left him alone and he settled right into it. This was his first show in the states and his first show in the hunter arena, so I'm really pleased with how well he did."  After gaining a little more experience in the hunter ring, Lauren hopes to start competing V.E. Collin in the hunter derbies in March.

Lauren dominated in the jumper ring as well and was champion in the 1.15M Jumpers on her V.E. Miss America and reserve champion in the 1.25M and 1.30M Jumpers on her V.E. Zuperdeluxe. “I like to put in a really good hunter round, but I love to do the big jumpers,” Lauren admitted. She and her students enjoy the show experience at Gold Coast. “We love it up here and I like that the jumpers run all three days. We’re looking forward to coming to more Gold Coast shows throughout the year.”

Amateur rider Shelly Gambardella (Heidi Misrahy, trainer) also enjoyed the show. “I like coming to these shows because they are a great learning experience,” Shelly explained. “They’ve got enough difficulty that everyone can come and learn something. I find a lot of people here are supportive of each other because we’re all on the same learning curve and trying to get better. I think Langer Equestrian Group has done a lot to promote these shows and promote the sport.”

This was Shelly's first Gold Coast show with her new horse, Cosmos 36. Together they were champion in the 0.80M and 0.95M Jumpers. “I’ve had Cosmos since September and this is my third show with him. We got him from Northern California and he was a successful jumper up there,” Shelly said. “He has a very brave heart and is very sweet. He’s always out to please.”

Though Shelly has now spent almost 30 years in the sport, she didn’t start riding until she was an adult. “I didn’t ride at all as a child except for the occasional trail horse at camp, but I’d always wanted to ride. When my two daughters started riding, I decided I would try it too,” Shelly explained. “At that time, the focus was on allowing them to use the horses more and show often so I just rode when I could. It wasn’t until they both went off to college that I got to focus on my own riding.” Shelly plans to continue showing throughout the year and gain more experience in the jumper arena.

Eden Ritholz struts her stuff in the equitation ring Photo: Flying Horse Photography

In the equitation ring, 13-year-old Eden Ritholz (Lisa Stroway, trainer) proved she was ready for her first 3’ class with a second place finish in the CPHA Child-Adult Medal and wins in the ‘B’ LAHJA Horsemanship Medal Class and the LEGIS National Children’s-Adult Medal. “It went really well and it was so much fun,” Eden recounted. “This was my first time doing a work-off. I was a little nervous because I couldn’t ask my trainer for advice once I was in the ring, but it felt good to be able to execute the tests on my own.”

Eden rode Rainland Prince (Deborah Agajanian, owner), a horse she has been riding for about five months. “This is probably my third show on him,” Eden noted. “He’s a really nice equitation horse and has taught me so much. His jump is perfect and I love riding him.” Eden plans to compete in more medal classes on Prince throughout the year. “I really want to do more medals and I’m trying to get my trainer to let me do the Rosewood Medal Class,” Eden commented. “I would love to qualify for medal finals and be year-end champion in my age division.”

Eden’s barn mates were there to support her every step of the way, and she returned the favor for them, including Emma Lapin as she competed in the 1.00M Jumpers for the first time on Charming (Lisa Stroway, owner). “I love the atmosphere here,” Emma reflected. “They’re really fun shows and you see a lot of people you know. It’s just the right amount of competition. Everyone is really supportive, especially our barn. Most of our people come to the shows, whether they are showing or not, and they’ll stay the whole day. We have a big cheering section.”

Hyeseon Shin, an amateur who also rides with Lisa, agreed. “They all encourage me, motivate me, and cheer me on,” she said enthusiastically. Hyeseon was thrilled to pick up the champion ribbon in ‘B’ Cross Rail section and win five classes over the weekend on her Austin. “I showed over poles for a long time and this was my second show over jumps. It’s very exciting!”

Hyeseon Shin enjoys her first show over jumps Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Hyeseon credits much of her success to her calm horse. “Austin was Lisa’s baby and when I first started riding with her, she put me on him,” she recalled. “The first time I rode him I knew I wanted to buy him. He is super safe and never spooks. I trust him completely. I hope to steadily improve with him, and this year my ultimate goal is to complete a course at 2’3” so I can compete in Rusty Stirrup.”

She is overjoyed to be living her childhood dream of riding. “I always wanted to learn how to ride a horse ever since I was a little girl, but I grew up in Korea where everything was about academic performance," Hyeseon recounted. "It wasn’t until after I turned 40 and moved to the United States that I had the opportunity to start taking lessons. Every day I cannot wait to ride and I am just so grateful to be able to ride and own a horse and to have such wonderful people supporting me.”

The next show at LAEC will be Gold Coast 2 (March 15-17), and by popular acclaim the Gold Coast May Show (May 17-19) is back on the calendar.  Look for information online, and the schedule will be included with the Memorial Day Classic prize list.

Also in Southern California, the Verdugo Hills series of shows will kick off Mar 2-3. In Northern California, things will get under way with the Woodside Spring Preview (Apr 25-28), while the Colorado show season will continue with the Colorado Springs April 1 and II (Apr 11-14 and 18-21).

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