Isabelle Terry receives her awards from Show Jumping Hall of Fame Executive Director Marty Bauman. (McCool Photgraphy)
This season marked the first year that the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series held a West Coast Championship Final in addition to the traditional Final at the Alltech National Horse Show.
Twenty horse-and-rider combinations started the competition for the $10,000 Junior/Amateur Show Jumping Hall of Fame West Coast Final. Only one of the first fourteen entries was able to get a clear round, and it was starting to look like there might not be a jump-off before two of the remaining six turned in clear rounds, sending three competitors to the jump-off and leading everyone to understand just how tough this course was.
“Not only was this a Classic but also a year-end championship. It should not be easy,” said course designer, Olaf Petersen, Jr. “It should be a challenge that leads to the best horse winning. I would not have had any problem if only one had gone clean and we finished without a jump-off.”
The jump-off was all set with three entries. Chenoa McElvain and Wildthing 2 were the first to go and they posted a time of 30.956 seconds with eight faults. Isabelle Terry and Chakira went second, finishing clean with a time of 29.549 seconds. Lorenzo Cue and Pacifico, who were third to go, were unable to catch Terry as they posted a time of 32.124 with four faults. This made Isabelle Terry and Chakira the winners of the first Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series West Coast Final.
“I was nervous about all of the tight turns that we would have to do to try to make the time. The heights were also a bit scary,” said Terry.
When it was pointed out to her that she had just won the first-ever Show Jumping Hall of Fame West Coast Championship, the 17-year old high school senior said, “Wow! That is really awesome!”
Among the prizes Terry received for her win were a Wellfleet Figure 8 Bridle donated by SmartPak and an engraved polished pewter trophy.
The week before the Championship at Las Vegas, Lauren Kay emerged as the winner of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series West Conference Amateur-Owner regular season riding Siendifie. The pair was able to secure their spot with impressive finishes throughout the 2012 season, and they clinched the season standings with a second place finish at the L.A. National.
Kilian McGrath topped the West Conference standings in the Junior division. With her partner Salerno, the horse on whom she won the individual Gold Medal at last summer’s North American Young Rider Championships, McGrath impressed throughout the 2012 season winning classes at Showpark Ranch & Coast Classic and the Woodside Spring Preview, as well as taking second place at the Blenheim Summer Classics I and II and the Blenheim Spring Classic III. She was also named the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Rider of the Month for April, taking home the most points of anyone competing in the Series for that month.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1987 and formally opened in 1989. It was organized to promote the sport of show jumping and to immortalize the legends of the men, women and horses who have made great contributions to the sport.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is located at the Kentucky Horse Park. Plaques honoring those who have been honored with induction into the Hall of Fame can be seen at the Horse Park's Rolex Stadium. Mementos and artifacts from the sport's history are on display as part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame collection at the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s Wheeler Museum at the Horse Park.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series holds classes under Grand Prix rules and specifications for amateur-owner and junior riders at approximately one hundred horse shows across the country. The Series keeps separate standings for juniors and amateur-owners in two conferences, East and West. The Series is designed to give amateur-owner and junior riders an opportunity to compete at higher levels and serves as a proving ground for many riders who aspire to someday represent the United States in international competition.
Regular season standings conclude following classes at the Washington International Horse Show in the East and Los Angeles National Horse Show in the West. Series standings help determine entries for the year-end Championship Finals (which do not count in the season standings) at the Alltech National Horse Show and Las Vegas National Horse Show. Riders from both conferences – East and West – are eligible for either or both Finals.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series is sponsored by the National Horse Show Association, Stadium Jumping, Inc., Taylor Harris Insurance Services and SmartPak.
Further information about the Show Jumping Hall of Fame and the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series is available on line at www.ShowJumpingHallofFame.net.