It is no surprise that Karen Healey’s team is yet again successful after another week of showing. They came home with many awards to add to their list so far. The team competed under Karen Healey’s watchful eye at the Oaks Blenheim Summer Classic II Horse Show, which ran from August 13-17, 2008.
Tina Dilandri had a huge win at the show. She was champion in the CPHA Junior Medal Finals. Holly Dickinson was seventh in the class, not far behind Dilandri. Both had excellent rounds and were major contenders throughout the competition.
“The show was actually a really good show. I was first in the Jumper Phase in the WIHS and second overall. Actually, last year I had a rough patch. This final has been the first one to gear me up for the big finals,” said Dilandri. “For the last round, I walked in and said to myself, this is mine, I own it, and I am going to lay down a perfect trip. My horse was right with me and Karen was right with me; it was a great feeling. I feel like this win set me up for back east and now I have my feet wet and I know where I am.”
Dilandri was responsive to the competition in the class. She knew there were a lot of great riders, and she acknowledges much of her success to Karen Healey and her team.
“When I see round like that, of course it makes me raise my game, but I really wanted to use this final as a warm-up for the back east finals and test out where I am and where I stand,” said Dilandri. “I think without the help of Karen and her staff, I for sure wouldn’t be where I am. I haven’t shown a lot this summer. They prepared him, and got him ready. Karen did some great training and I just walked into the ring.”
Throughout the different rounds, Dilandri thought the hardest part was in the second round of competition. She and Karen made a risky decision that ultimately led to her win.
“There were some blind turns and skinny options. There was a skinny vertical with just three rails and another skinny vertical with three planks. There was a big swedish oxer to a bending line to another bending line to a set of planks to another set of skinny rails,” said Dilandri. “I think that was pretty trappy because the planks were definitely a different option, but with the rails, if your horse isn’t careful, you are going to have both of those down. So it was pretty tricky, you had to think about it. Overall, it separated who went in and who went in with something to prove. In the last round, Karen said to me, go get it. There was a line everyone was getting eight in, so Karen said go get seven. So I galloped it, and I think that was what the judges wanted to see; to show you wanted it.”
Tina Dilandri and RSVP, winners of the CPHA Medal Finals. Photo © 2008 Randi Muster
Reserve champion of the CPHA Amateur Medal Finals was barn-mate Lauren Hester. She was close to winning in all of her rounds, and came away with a well-respected reserve champion. Liz Dickinson rode well and ended up sixth in the class.
Juliana Ball’s horse Sjapoo was a star in the 1.25m Jumpers with rider Kasey Ament. In the division, the pair rode to first and second-place finishes. Sjapoo and owner Juliana Ball were winners in the $1,500 Modified Junior Amateur Jumper Classic, beating the class for a first-place finish.
Shelby Wakeman also had a fantastic show last week. In the Low Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers, Wakeman and Punker, owned by Golden Goose Investors, LLC, came out on top with a blue ribbon. Jocelyn Neff was right behind Wakeman with a second-place ribbon on Donna Neff’s horse Golden Flip. Liz Dickinson was right behind them with a fourth-place finish aboard HMG Farm’s horse Dimenos 3.
Coming in third in the $2,000 Low Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Classic was Carol Bird and her horse Mambo. Right behind Bird in the fourth-place spot was Lauren Kay and her horse Damiro 21.
Continuing her success in the jumpers and equitation ring, Navona Gallegos was first in the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search. She was second in the $5,000 Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Classic on Acrobat, owned by Bar X Ranch, LLC. In the Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers, Gallegos was fourth. In the Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal, Gallegos was sixth and she was also seventh in the WIHS.
In the Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers, rider Sam Harrison and her horse Santika received some great ribbons. The pair came away with second and fifth-place ribbons in the division. In the $5,000 Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Classic, they were a respective eighth in the class. In the hunters, fourth place award went to rider Yvette Harris and horse Christopher Robin in the Schooling Hunters.
In the equitation ring, Healey’s clients continued to dominate. In addition to Gallegos winning the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search, Sam Harrison was second and Shelby Wakeman was third, sweeping the top three. Wakeman also took a blue, winning the Overall in the WIHS. Dilandri was first in the Jumper Phase and ended up second Overall. Harrison won the Hunter Phase and was third overall, again sweeping the top three places in the class. Winning the ASPCA Medal Maclay was Hannah Bibb.
Reprinted with permission from Phelps Media Group.
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