(Michael Elmore and Quinault VDV Elmore won the challenging Maryland Hunt Cup in 1999)
In the 1.30m Michael Elmore, from Abiquiú, NM, piloted Quiault VDV, owned by Bar X Ranch, LLC to the win with one of only three double clear rounds and the fastest jump off time of the horse and rider combinations.
Originally from Middleburg, VA, Elmore was a steeplechase rider and won the coveted Maryland Hunt Cup in 1999 and finished second three times. The Maryland Hunt Cup is widely considered one of the most difficult steeplechase races in the world.
"It's fun thinking about the Hunt Cup after a win like today," said Elmore. Someone came up to me and said, 'You know you left out strides,' I said, 'I know, it goes back to my racing days.'"
"It's a lot of fun," said Elmore about steeplechasing. "I rode in it (the Maryland Hunt Cup), I think six times. The first time I rode in it I was very nervous. And it just dawned on me that this is what I love to do - and it was so much fun. So many came to watch us run fast and jump high."
Elmore now lives, trains and rides in Abiquiú, NM, known for its rock formations and as the location of artist Georgia O'Keefe's Ghost Ranch. Many notable Western genre films have been shot in the area.
"I have a very loyal following of people that send me horses even though I live on the edge of the frontier," said Elmore. "And I have a group of really nice horses and clients."
About Quinault VDV, Elmore said, "I've only had him since May. This is our first horse show outing, the last two weeks at the Colorado Horse Park. I am just getting to know him but he loves to do it and he's a perfectionist. He tries so hard and gives you so much."
Elmore hasn't been to the Colorado Horse Park since 2002.
"It's been too long," he said. "The footing with the weather that they had with the rain - it was a blast to ride on that footing. For me it was the best."