How High?

(SPRUCE MEADOWS, Calgary, AB):  In the end there were three to claim the title in the annual Beaver Drilling Puissance at the Spruce Meadows “Oktoberfest”
Tournament.  The 2010 edition adapted the tradition of the puissance, adding the Beaver Drilling Pro-Am, an accumulator for some of the less seasoned athletes to start things off.  Each accumulator rider was paired with a puissance rider for a team competition.

In the Beaver Drilling Pro-Am, no one was better than Brayden Sobie (CAN), who rode his mount, Cardano, flawlessly for 25 points and with the quickest finishing time.  That put his partner, JJ Atkinson (USA ), in a great position heading into the puissance.

The first round of the Beaver Drilling Puissance saw perfection, with each of the 11 horse/rider combinations coming back for the next round.  As the rounds progressed, those continuing on dwindled as well.

JJ Atkinson and her mount, Callino were able to jump to the height until the fourth round.  Trouble at the wall meant no overall victory for Atkinson and her partner Sobie.

That left the door wide open for Calgary ’s Kelly Koss, who’s partner, Rob Chad had the second best time of the accumulator.  Koss remained perfect with Laokoon, the mount she won the ATCO Electric 6-Bar on at the Spruce Meadows “Masters” Tournament.

Joining Koss through all five rounds of competition were Lindsay Wendt with Nashville and Carla Diewert with Vacquero.  The three cleared the final height of the Beaver Drilling Puissance at 1.87 metres.  It was Koss and Chad who finished the overall competition in first place.

Beaver Drilling Puissance top 5 –

1-         Lindsay Wendt                      CAN               Nashville

1-         Kelly Koss                              CAN               Laokoon

1-         Carla Diewert                                    CAN               Vaquero

4-         Albert Kley                             GER                Le Primeur SM

5-         JJ Atkinson                             USA                 Callino

Beaver Drilling Pro Am top 5 –

1-         Brayden Sobie                       CAN               Cardano

2-         Rob Chad                               CAN               Kona

3-         Heather Friesen                    CAN               Arianna

4-         Laura Iverson                        CAN               Big Drama

5-         Kate Spencer                         CAN               Tiharna

The Spruce Meadows “Oktoberfest” Tournament continues until Sunday.  Parking and admission are complimentary for the “Oktoberfest” and media
parking is available adjacent to the Equi-Plex.