Source:  News Release

LEGIS Optimum Time Awards Gain Popularity
at Fresno County Horse Park Horse Trials

Word is spreading about the LEGIS Optimum Time Awards, and riders are checking their minute markers and minding their pace in hopes of earning a ribbon. At Fresno County Horse Park Horse Trials (Apr 26-28), Madeline Holtzman (Robyn Fisher Nash, trainer) was thrilled to finish second in the Junior Training Rider division and first for the Optimum Time Award aboard her seven-year-old Hanoverian/ Thoroughbred cross, Ollie. It was just her second event at Training with this horse, which she's only had since January of this year. The pair was third after dressage, but moved up to second after her clear cross country round and finished with a score of 41.2.

"I knew that FCHP gave out LEGIS Optimum Time ribbons, but I was unaware that I would be given first place till they announced it at the end of the weekend. I knew I got relatively close because when I stopped my watch it said I was at optimum," Madeline remarked. In fact, she was just two seconds under the optimum time of 5:59. "I think it's fun to get a LEGIS Optimum Time ribbon. It adds an extra opportunity to do well during the weekend. We all work so hard and sometimes it doesn't show in the ring, so giving us eventers an extra way to do well is fun."

Madeline and her new horse seem to already be a great team, and she is very enthusiastic about him. "He is super sweet and loves to sun bathe at home and rest his head in your arms, but when it's time to work, he's ready to do his job," Madeline reported. "He has a big stride, so to ride him you have to keep him uphill and pushing so he doesn’t get low and on the forehand. I'm still getting used to riding him on cross country but I think we are starting to get it, and my ride this weekend was great. He started off really strong so it took me a few fences to be able to get him back the way I wanted but once he settled, the round was awesome. He was forward and game for anything. The FCHP course is more technical than some of the other training courses, so I was very pleased with Ollie and my ride. "

Madeline is in tenth grade at Windward, a small school in Mar Vista, Los Angeles. "Balancing school and riding is hard, but I try my best. My barn is about 45 minutes from my school, so after school I rush to get there. Sometimes I can do homework in the car. School is very hard and sometimes I don't get much sleep because of it, but it is all worth it to be able to ride."

Max Gerdes (Gina Miles, trainer) finished seventh overall in the Training Horse division with a score of 43.9 aboard Redbuds Moonrock, a six-year-old Connemara/Hanoverian he and his wife bred. Thanks to his accurate riding, they also claimed the second place ribbon for the LEGIS Optimum Time award, coming in at 5:54, five seconds below the optimum time. "I think it's good to have awards like this; they really add to the sport," Max commented. "It encourages people to come close to the optimum time and have a safe ride."

The pair put in a clear cross country ride. "I was planning on going faster, closer to prelim speed in preparation for the next level, but since the pace was so slow (420 mpm), I decided to keep him slower and get closer to optimum time. He is really good on cross country but can get a bit tired sometimes." When Max isn't riding he is a farrier in the greater Sacramento area, an occupation he has worked at for over 25 years.

Joe McKinley and Earthquake Weather have things under control in the cross country Photo: Captured Moment Photography

In Novice Horse, Joe McKinley had a good weekend aboard Earthquake Weather, a seven-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. "I have had a lot of fun with this horse," he stated. "He wasn't started under saddle when I bought him a year ago. He was really good on cross country this weekend, so the plan is to move him up to Training at the next event." Their score of 43.6 put them in fifth for the division, but they came in first for the LEGIS Optimum Time Award with their time of 5:42, just two seconds under the optimum time.

 "I didn't really know about the award, but I think it's a fun thing that encourages people to compete more and try to get the award by coming close to optimum time," reported Joe. "I metered my course and rode with my cross country watch in order to come close to optimum. This horse and I have done a lot of hunter paces at Lone Tree Farm. The hunter paces really help with timing and are great for young or inexperienced horses and riders to get some practice."

John Marshall (Lauren Billys, trainer), owner of Fresno County Horse Park, was happy to have won third place in the Senior Beginner Novice LEGIS Optimum Time as well as sixth overall aboard his Cutamo, earning a score of 40.5. "I'm really happy that LEGIS is sponsoring this award at our shows," John stated. "Trying to ride at the optimum time helps you learn to pace, which is safer and can help you win in a tie situation."

John and the 15-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred cross have been together for seven years. "Cutamo is a great partner, and I thought our cross country ride was good. I paced myself and had a 'one minute to finish' imaginary point on the course to help me manage my time." John and Cutamo finished the course in 5:15, comfortably under the optimum time of 5:32.

Tristen Hooks and Learning to Fly soar to the top of the leaderboard Photo: Dr. Liz Bracken

Tristen Hooks (Wendy Wergeles, trainer) and Learning to Fly (Carter Judy, DVM, owner) have also been together for seven years. Together, they earned the blue ribbons for both the Open Preliminary division, with a score of 32.3, and the LEGIS Optimum Time Award, coming in four seconds under the time of 5:58. The pair were third after dressage, moved up to second after going clear on cross country, then took over the lead with a clear stadium jumping round. "I think the award is very cool," Tristen shared. "It is an amazing amount of work and time to get to a show and compete. The more we are supportive of riders and sponsors, the more people will stay involved with our great sport."

Of course, the LEGIS Optimum Time Award is only part of the fun and the feeling of accomplishment of doing well. "I had a fantastic cross country ride," Tristen continued. "Yves Sauvignon told me during the course walk that would be difficult to make time and that we would have to gallop everywhere we could. I walked the course four times and used the CourseWalk app on my phone to find my minute markers. On course there were several combinations that required me to collect Learning To Fly in order to ride it correctly, so I needed to make up time in all the open gallop areas. My horse continues to amaze me."

Learning To Fly belongs to a classmate and friend of Tristen's from veterinary school. Tristen took over the horse's care about seven years ago and has been eventing him ever since. "He lives with five gelding buddies, and every time we come home from a horse show he gallops around the pasture, bucking. He is a real character with lots of personality. "

While her main trainer at home is Wendy Wergeles, Tristen also gets help from other trainers like Karen Cornelus, Sarah Dubost, Matt Brown, Yves Sauvignon, Chris Scarlet, Lou Moore, and others. "I really appreciate all of them, and a big thank you to LEGIS for honoring us for our timely ride at FCHP," Tristen added.

There are many more opportunities to get in on the LEGIS Optimum Time awards, as LEGISequine.com encourages safe and efficient cross country riding at Copper Meadows, which runs next June 8-9. Shepherd Ranch starting with the June 21-23, and FCHP events, the next of which is October 18-20.

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