Dynamic and Laura Pfeiffer.
The First Year Green section culminated with Shade once again winning the first over fences class with Katie Lambert-Boone. When Lambert-Boone returned to the ring for the final handy round, she walked in with the mindset that she was "going to smoke them." Shade was putting in a winning round, and then all of a sudden Lambert-Boone turned the wrong way for a rollback to an oxer. Lambert-Boone later joked, "You can just say, that KLB got a touch of a big head and blew it!"
With that being said, Lambert-Boone had nothing but accolades for her 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. "He's the coolest horse I've ever had!" she said. "Shade is a super athlete, brave and interested in his job 100 percent of the time."
The First Year Green Championship, sponsored by Equisport Insurance Agency, was awarded to Shade and Lambert-Boone. The consistent performer All In Time, who traveled all the way from Magnolia, Texas, earned the Reserve Championship with Peter Pletcher in the saddle for owner Bitsy Woods. Impressive rounds in the HORSE GYM USA-sponsored Second Year Green/High Performance classes were showcased by all competitors, but it was Dynamic and Celino that switched places today. Winning the Handy Hunter class, Dynamic, owned by Lindsay Lyden and ridden by Laura Pfeiffer, captured the Championship. Breaking Dynamic's winning streak, Celino won the first over fences class that culminated in the Reserve Championship for the Julie Thompson-owned mount that was ridden to victory by Martien Ven der Hoeven.
Rounding out the day in the Polk Family Arena were the final classes in the Green and Regular Conformation sections. Winning streaks were also broken in both of these divisions, with Zin Zin edging Graffito in the first Green Conformation over fences class. Rider Cookie Beck came right back to stylishly guide Graffito to the win in the final Handy class to earn the Championship for Hidden Creek Farm. Zin Zin, owned by Travis Lingenfelter and ridden by Ehrin Rittmueller, captured the Reserve Championship in the section, sponsored by The Record-Eagle, a Traverse City, Michigan-based media publication.
Competitors and attendees at the Horse Shows by the Bay Series aren't the only ones singing the praises of management and the facility. In between rounds, hunter officials and judges Geoff Teall and Linda Andrisani, both of Wellington, Florida, also made their voices heard.
"This is my inaugural experience to serve as a hunter judge at Horse Shows by the Bay, and I have to say, it is absolutely amazing and unbelievable to see what they have done," said Teall. "Horse Shows by the Bay combines modern technology and convenience with old-fashioned charm better than any other competition in the country. Alex Rheinheimer and Karin Flint have brought showing to another level...the top!"
Echoing Teall's sentiments, Andrisani added, "I've been privileged to officiate at Horse Shows by the Bay in previous years, and watching it grow and improve by leaps and bounds has been amazing. The show, attracting a universe of quality horses from all over the country, rivals any competition in North America and I hope to have many return visits to Traverse City."
In the Grand Prix Arena, it was another day of strong and willful performances and a mirror image of the repeat performances witnessed in the Polk Family Arena.
Still raving about the footing in the Grand Prix Arena, Beth Underhill, of Ontario, Canada, took home the win again on Peligroso over Zyminka (Laura Pfeiffer) in the Wild Oak Farm-sponsored 1.25-meter Open Jumper class.
David Jennings bested the competition in both the 1.30-meter Open Jumper class sponsored by Blue Gate Farm, LLC and the CMJ Sport Horse LLC-sponsored 1.30-meter Open Jumper class. Jennings delivered the flawless wins on Billy The Kid and Cleopatra, respectively.
For complete results, please visit www.horseshowing.com. For more information on the Horse Shows by the Bay Series, please visit www.horseshowsbythebay.com.