The National Preview Horse Show (Oct 31-Nov 4) officially kicked off the first of two weeks of thrilling jumping competition in Los Angeles. With Halloween as the first day of the show, exhibitors, officials, and staff all got into the Halloween spirit. Creativity was the name of the game, and the hunter judges, Sue Ashe, Debbie Sands, and Williams Sparks, joined in a common theme, and grand prix rider Jenni McAllister showed her bewitching side.

Mara Chemerinsky and Enrique (Marci Mosconi, owner) come from behind to win the CPHA Horsemanship Regional Final.

 

Photo: Flying Horse Photography

 

With increased jumper prize money, many top jumper riders put the National Preview on their schedule, and Misti Cassar was sure glad she came to the National Preview when she and her Poeme D’Amour clinched the win in the $30,000 Preview Grand Prix. Misti’s consistent riding and Poeme D’Amour’s natural ability have been a winning combination over the last few months. In September, they won the $30,000 LA International Welcome Stake and were third in the $50,000 LA International Grand Prix. “I just took the time to figure him out,” Misti noted. “He has an explosive jump and he tries really hard.”

Misti Cassar racks up another grand prix win Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Although five riders made the jump off, all eyes were on Susie Artes aboard Zamiro (Alix Fargo, owner) and Misti, who previously faced off in the $50,000 LA International Grand Prix. This time, Susie was first in the jump off and started things off with a clear, fast round of 34.727 seconds. “Susie did seven strides in the first line, and I almost thought about doing six to try and beat her,” Misti said. “I thought better of it though, and when my horse narrowed the oxer up, it made it a little easier to get to the next fence on a bit of a slice.” With the slice, Misti was able to take a sharp inside turn that gave her an edge on the time. Misti recounted, “As I organized for the last jump, I was staring at the timers thinking, ‘I have to beat her!’” Misti galloped for home and bested Susie’s time by finishing in 34.482 seconds.

Stephanie Saperstein went slow and consistent on El Sueno's Quanto VL, keeping the rails up and claiming third. Lauren Hester was blazing fast with Abigail (Hester Equestrian, Inc., owner), finishing with a time of 33.707 seconds, but she unfortunately dropped a rail in the one stride and landed in fourth place. John Pearce placed fifth after dropping a rail with Chianto (Allison Moore and John Pearce, owners).

Hunters had their chance to shine in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. The field consisted of 34 horses and riders, including several derby veterans. It was these veterans who reigned the first round, with Diane Yeager leading on Balios Z (Sue Sadlier, owner) and third on Johnny Drum (Sue Sadlier, owner), and John French sat second on Ondrus (Karyn Tendler, owner). “The first course was a really nice, classic hunter course and I thought it rode well,” noted course designer Joe Lombardo. John agreed, commenting, “The first course was pretty straightforward, and it was nice that you could take some young horses in the class.”

John French and Ondrus show off their handiness in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Photo: Flying Horse Photography

Fifteen riders came back for the handy hunter round, which had many tight turns and difficult high options. “The handy round really set up the class and weeded out the group,” Joe commented. John recalled, “In the second course you had to start right away out of the gate and there was a tight turn to the second fence. Then there was an option on whether to make an inside turn to the option oxer. The two other option fences were a little bit tricky as one came out of a tight turn and one jumped into a tight turn. To finish the course, you had to canter downhill towards the barn and then bring the horse back for a trot fence.”

John and Diane both rose to the challenge with aplomb. Diane rode Johnny Drum first and scored an 85.5, bringing her two round total to 170. On her next ride, Diane proved her consistency when she scored an 84.5 on Balios Z for a total score of 170.5. “Diane has a great horse that just came off of winning a big derby in Del Mar,” John said. “She had an incredible round, and I thought the only way to beat her was to make the inside turn to high option oxer.” John executed his plan perfectly and the judges rewarded him for his bravery, giving him a score of 85.75. His total score of 170.75 put him just a hair above Diane, and the victory was his.

Though Ondrus does not have much derby experience, he has all the makings of a good derby horse. “He’s not spooky and he can do the high options easily," John explained. "He’s a super jumper, and he makes a big effort over every jump. You can just ride him with a loose rein and he’s not strong at all, which is my kind of ride. This class was a good experience to test the horses in the big ring under the lights. It definitely made it feel special.”

The two weeks of top competition has started out with a bang, and besides great classes there are a number of special activities. Everyone loves a little glitz, and one lucky winner will have some thanks to the Lugano Diamonds Pearl Giveaway. Visit the show office or the EQU Boutique, where the sparkling Lugano creations on display will give you chills, and enter the drawing to possibly win a beautiful 65-inch strand of 8mm to 10mm freshwater pearls. The winner will be announced during the $50,000 Grand Prix of Los Angeles (Nov 10) right before the jump off.

Attendees at these shows will also have a very special chance to make a difference in the community. In this economy where many people are struggling to feed their families, it can be even more of a struggle to feed the beloved family pets. This has resulted in more pets being turned over to animal shelters than ever before. Lauren Kay founded and runs the Pet Food Pantry in conjunction with SOVA, a community food bank in Van Nuys, West LA and West Hollywood, to provide pet food to the clients who utilize the facility. "My mom, Karen Kay, and I decided to start the Pet Food Pantry to help people in need, and we hope as a result fewer pets will be turned over to shelters. We started it in July of this year, and in our first big push we delivered 3,000 pounds of pet food to the food bank."

The charity accepts all forms of pet food: canned, dry, and even treats. "Even if you have an open package of food your pet doesn't like, please feel free to donate it," Lauren added. "We're very grateful to LEG for opening up the horse show as an opportunity for us to do this pet food drive and raise awareness for what we're doing and generate donations. It's wonderful to have a company like LEG, which has been such a big part of my career, now participate in this charity."

Look for donation bins during National Preview and LA National, and volunteers will take cash donations at the Pet Food Pantry booth. LEG will offer a $5 discount on VIP tickets for the $50,000 Grand Prix of Los Angeles to those who make a cash or in-kind donation.

Once again the Celebrate Jumpers! awards and party will be held on Friday night (Nov 9) of the LA National, but this year the event will be held at Viva’s, a popular restaurant and the place to celebrate after showing. Located just outside the entrance to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Viva’s will be hopping that night. For ticket information, stop by the EQU Boutique and see Monica or contact Arielle Pearce. The first 100 people to purchase tickets will receive a special gift bag sponsored by EquiFit, CWD, EQU Boutique, andLEGISequine.com. A very special announcement and unveiling will occur at Celebrate Jumpers! You don’t want to miss out.

There are so many great happenings these two weeks. Still to come: WCE and Onondarka Medal Finals, and this year’s winner will be the 50th in the rich history of the Onondarka Medal Finals, joining winners such as Susie Hutchison, Lise Quintero, and Francie Steinwedell, who all continued on to become top grand prix riders. Peacefield Farms is sponsoring the Pre-Green Hunter Championship where this year there will be awards for both 3’0” and 3’3” Pre-Green Horses, and Junior and Amateur Jumper riders will contest the $12,000 Junior Amateur Jumper Championship for both teams and individuals. Finally, the two weeks will wrap up with the $50,000 LEGIS Grand Prix of Los Angeles, both an FEI World Cup Qualifier and a qualifying class for the HITS Thermal Million.

LEG will wrap up its year-long 40th Anniversary celebration with the $50,000 Anniversary Grand Prix (Nov. 3), the $10,000 Hunter Derby Final, and the $12,500 1.35 Jumper Classic Final.

Finally, while the top jumpers head to Las Vegas for the conclusion of the inaugural West Coast Indoor Circuit at the Las Vegas National, the LA Season Finale (Nov 15-18) will wrap up LEG’s 40th annual show season. The LA Season Finale is hosting the LEGIS League Medal Finals – five different classes – as well as the LEGIS League Children’s Pony Hunter Finale.