Kelley Farmer and On Q by Sue Weakley
The day was sunny and breezy with wisps of clouds streaking the sky at beautiful Wild Air Farms owned by Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Johnson in Zionsville, IN. Water trucks sprinkled the roads and lanes so riders and horses could enjoy hacks on the rolling hills after their rounds. The large arenas boast well-crafted courses and the ground crews sprinkled or groomed the arenas, warm-up areas, and other public areas. Competitor Freddie Vazquez said the footing gets a little deep quickly but the crews work hard to keep the footing fluffy and the dust at bay. "The jumps are just beautiful here," he added.
When competition started heating up in the main hunter arena, Mythical, owned by Kenneth Garber and Larry Glefke of Keswick, VA, and ridden by Kelley Farmer, took a blue ribbon in round two of the First Year Green Working Hunter Division with a round of mythical proportions.
Farmer and Mythical had a solid ride with a gracefully rhythmic round. "We have such a lovely group of young horses," Farmer said. "Mythical is such an exciting horse, and I look forward to the future with him. He has a major attitude!"
In the same Green Working Hunter class, Dancing Solo, also ridden by Kelly Farmer and owned by Kenneth Garber and Larry Glefke, waltzed away with the second place ribbon. "She is such a prima donna," Farmer laughed. "She is such a mare. She wants to win but with no sweat and no getting dirty. She's a typical girl."
Spoken For, owned by Larry Glefke of Keswick, VA, and ridden by Elizabeth La Piere claimed a third in the second Green Working Hunter class.
In the first Green Working Hunter class, Kelly Farmer aboard On Q, owned by CH Farm, LLC ,of Delano, MN, nabbed the blue with a beautifully serene round over the fences. "He tries so hard," Farmer explained. "He's quiet and so easy in the snaffle. No martingale. No spook."
Spoken For, ridden by Elizabeth La Piere, spoke up for the second place win while Dancing Solo and Kelley Farmer sashayed off with the third in the first Green Working Hunter Class.
The wind began to pick up and whipped the blue-striped tent by the hunter ring and the nearby trees swayed as more wispy clouds appeared in the sky, but the well-mannered horses stood calmly waiting for their rides while surrounded by golf carts, scooters, farm equipment, spectators and other horses.
Later in the afternoon, Mythical and Farmer spirited away another blue in the High Performance Working Hunter class by sailing over the fences with ease. Farmer's performance at the show has been outstanding so far and she said her history at this show has been equally outstanding. "I won the Derby the last two years," she explained. "I have been coming to this show since I was 16 and Larry [Glefke] has been coming to Traders Point since its beginning."
Others winning ribbons in the High Performance Working Hunter class include Spoken For, this time ridden by Holly Orlando, reserving the red and Quintero's Silhouette, ridden by Freddie Vazquez and owned by Kira Telford of Chicago, claiming the yellow.
In the second High Performance Working Hunter class of the afternoon, the same three horses mirrored their earlier scores and the fabled Mythical energetically jumped to first place. Spoken For earmarked the second place ribbon and Quintero's Silhouette cut out a spot for the third.
The High Performance Working Hunter Under Saddle class pinned Tammy Provost riding Ace of Spades owned by Emily Ash Morin of McLean, VA, with the first place ribbon, Caroline Weeden aboard Topsider, owned by Margaret Shank Benjamin of Lake Forest, IL, with the second place rosette, and Kelley Farmer up top on Cavalier Forever, owned by Joanna Delman of Greensboro, NC.
In Performance Hunter 3'6", Cavalier Forever, ridden by Kelley Farmer had a smooth round for the win, followed by the Ace of Spades, ridden by Tammy Provost. Topsider, ridden by Caroline Weeden sailed away with the third and Weeden scored a fourth on The Spy, owned by Ila Lemonis of Lake Forest, IL.
In the second Performance Hunter 3'6" class, Ace of Spades, ridden by Tammy Provost trumped the rest to earn the top spot with a brilliant ride, Cavalier Forever, ridden by Kelley Farmer, politely cinched the second, and Chit Chat, ridden by Erica Quinn and owned by Centennial Farm, Inc., of Palmetto, FL, claimed the third.
The competition will heat up again in the Main Hunter Ring at 8 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 9 with Amateur Owner Hunter, Small Junior Hunter, Large Junior Hunter and Children's Hunter classes. Also at stake is the Pessoa USEF Hunter Seat Medal, ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship award and the Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) National Children's Medal.
The Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show and Country Fair is held on the beautiful 250-acre grounds of Wild Air Farms in Zionsville, IN. The show offers top prize money with two Grand Prix events and a USHJA International Hunter Derby. Exhibitors at Traders Point enjoy fun family activities and events while participating in a competitive, high-quality show. For more information or a prize list, please visit
www.traderspoint.org/exhibitors.html.