High level hunter, jumper and equitation training
“The first two clean rounds to return, both owned by Georgy Maskrey-Segesman, were Tasha Visokay on Caspa 7 and Kilian McGrath aboard BB Casablanca. With two rails in the jump-off, Visokay finished with an eight-fault score in 44.47 and McGrath had a single rail, in 44.92.”
Excerpt from Blenheim Equisports. To read full press release click here.
Congratulations to Mackenzie Drazan and Morgan Dickerson on their success in the 2015 Zone 10 NAJYRC trials. Good luck to you and the entire Zone 10 team!!
2015 Zone 10 NAYR and NAJR Teams Named
The June Classic I show serves as the selection trials that determine both the Junior and Young rider teams to represent Zone 10 at the 2015 North American Junior Young Rider Championships, July 14-19, in Lexington, Kentucky.
All participants competed over three days, accumulating points in a speed round, a jump-off round and a winning round (two-round format) at the appropriate fence heights.
The Young Rider Team for Zone 10 will be represented by Uma O’Neill (Trainer, Lori De Rosa), Sydney Callaway (Trainer, Lori De Rosa), Mackenzie Drazan (Trainer, Karen Healey), and Sarah Baz (Trainer, Harley Brown), with Morgan Dickerson (Trainer, Karen Healey) as alternate. Karen Healey will serve as Zone Ten Chef d’Equipe.
Excerpt from Blenheim Equisports press release, to see full article click here.
Somis, CA – December 10, 2014 – George Morris’ trip to the West Coast will continue this weekend as he heads to Whitehorne Ranch to teach a clinic at Karen Healey Stables. Scheduled for December 12-14, the legendary horseman and coach will be instilling the foundations of good horsemanship to eager riders and auditors from Southern California and surrounding areas.
After retiring as Chef d’Equipe of the United States Show Jumping Team, Morris has set his sights on developing the future of the sport by conducting clinics around the world. Focusing on helping riders develop correct form and function, Morris has often been referred to as the founding father of hunt seat equitation. Second to none, his teachings, technique and style are revered around the world. Over the course of his career, Morris has been highly successful as a rider, coach, clinician, author and judge.
“Every year, I get inspired and I learn something new every single time he comes,” said Melissa Jones of Karen Healey Stables “I think it’s a check-up for us to make sure we are doing things correctly. He is the best there is, and it’s perfect for us because Karen is a disciple of his. She learned most of her teaching style from him. I think he’s a brilliant, wonderful man. It’s such a pleasure to have him here every year and to continue learning from him.”
While spots to participate as a rider in the clinic filled up immediately, auditor positions are still available to gain knowledge from the esteemed Morris through observation. A waiting list is also available for riders should spots open up. Auditor spots are offered for $200 for all three day, $90 per day, or $50 per session. For group rates please contact Melissa Jones at (805) 794-0214.
The daily clinic schedule will begin with the first group of jumper riders at 9:00 a.m., followed by advanced riders at 11 a.m. The final group of equitation riders will commence at 2:00 p.m.
These Regional Finals occurred on Sunday morning, with 16 talented young riders displaying their equitation skills and strengths. Held for the first time in San Juan Capistrano in an outdoor ring, the course asked riders to demonstrate a sense of adjustability and adaptation throughout the track.
Despite the change in venue from last year’s finals at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Shelby Drazan proved to be capable of success in any ring, earning the top spot in the finals for a second year in a row. Drazan, of Redwood City, CA, rode Marco and trains with Karen Healey.
The reserve champion was Ransome Rombauer, who rode Gaston and trains with Daniel Ighani. The third place ribbon went to Cayley Boyd riding Classic, and trained by Kost Karazissis.
As preparations begin for the Las Vegas National in November, Blenheim Equisports wraps up a tremendous season of medal finals, young jumpers and grand prix show jumping in San Juan Capistrano. The Showpark Fall Festival will end the 2014 Southern California season.
USEF Zones 8, 9, 10 Hunter Seat Medal Regional Finals
Place – Entry – Rider – Horse – Trainer
1. 188 – Shelby Drazan – Marco – Karen Healey
2. 199 – Ransome Rombauer – Gaston – Daniel Ighani
3. 386 – Cayley Boyd – Classic – Kost Karazissis
4. 525 – Nina Vogel – Koster – Kost Karazissis
5. 561 – Pilar Flournoy – Corrye Sanders – Mark Bone
6. 622 – Peyton Warren – Black Label – Jill Humphrey
7. 296 – Claire Follmer – Arezzo – Mark Bone
8. 290 – Jayme Omand – Bedrock – Kelly Van Vleck
9. 191 – Sarah Jane Haskins – Sirocco Van Het Schepershof – Karen Healey
10. 639 – CeCe Manze – Curacao – Michael Chaney – Joe Thorpe
Reposted from Blenheim Equisports.
Phase III: Show Jumping
After the challenging Flatwork and Gymnastics Phases on Saturday, twenty-six riders returned for Show Jumping, Phase III, in the hopes of advancing to the Final Four. Course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio set a technical track with 16 efforts in a time allowed of 88 seconds. Reminiscent of today’s grand prix and elite jumper level tracks, the course asked many questions and tests of riders, as part of the final’s tradition of uncovering emerging young talent to represent the United States in future competition.
D’Ambrosio took this tradition to heart, incorporating elements such as a double and triple combination, a triple bar, liverpool, and the open water, laid out throughout the course and connected by stride counts that asked riders to alternatively collect and open their horses’ strides.
Riders returned in reverse order according to the highest combined score from Phases I and II. Fence 8, an oxer with red rails set after the open water, caused the vast majority of rails, followed by fence 3, the liverpool set in the middle of the Grand Prix field. Several riders had a foot in the open water, and a handful accumulated time faults.
Final Four
With the finish of the final phase, both riders and spectators anxiously awaited the Final Four decision of judges Ronnie Beard and DiAnn Langer. The top six riders jogged before the testing began. Nina Vogel, who trains with Far West Farms, jogged in sixth place. A solid jumping round today helped her climb up to from 14th to 6th position. Robert Sean Leckie, who trains with Leslie Steele, also had an excellent ride over today’s difficult course. Despite a stop in Saturday’s gymnastics phase, he moved up from 18th to jog fifth.
Jogging in fourth place was Mitchell Endicott with Avion. Endicott made huge leaps up the standings throughout the three phases, starting at 22nd after the flat, bounding to 9th after the gymnastics phase, and finishing the three phases in fourth. Michael Williamson, jogged third with Long Island Ice Tea. Williamson earned scores in the 80s in both the flat and gymnastics phases before turning in a clear round with a single time fault in the show jumping phase.
Savannah Dukes jogged in second with Chincharro Z. Dukes also earned high scores in both of the first two phases before jumping clear in the final phase. Sydney Hutchins jogged in the first place spot with Sorcerer. Hutchins came into Phase III with the highest combined score from Phase I and Phase II and solidified her top spot with a smooth show jumping round, scoring only two time faults.
The Final Four featured four rotations, requiring each rider to pilot his/her own mounts first and then each of the other finalists’ horses around a shortened course. Consisting of nine efforts in a time allowed of 57 seconds, this course incorporated an entirely new fence layout and included a double combination and several rollbacks and related distances.
Riders were given a short time to warm up in each rotation before navigating the course. In the first rotation on their own horses – Endicott laid down a solid round but with seven time faults; Williamson had a cross-canter incident and was slightly long to fence 7; Dukes had a rail at fence 8, and Hutchins turned in an excellent clear round.
Rotation two began with Williamson piloting Endicott’s Avion. An unfortunate stop at fence 4 and a rail at 8 led to a total of 19 faults including the exceeded time allowed. Dukes was next with Williamson’s Long Island Ice Tea, and despite a stop in the warm-up ring, completed the course successfully with only a single rail at fence 8. Hutchins returned with Dukes’ Chincharro Z and accumulated a single time fault. Endicott finished the second rotation on Hutchins’ Sorcerer executing a beautifully clear round.
Rotation three saw the return of Dukes first this time aboard Avion. They had a cross-canter mishap and a rail at fence 8 as well as one time fault. Hutchins and Long Island Ice Tea navigated the course well with two time faults. Third was Endicott on Chincharro Z. A stop at fence 5 and a rail resulted in 16 total faults with 12 faults on the clock. Williamson and Sorcerer ended the third rotation with 4 faults.
The final of the four rotations brought Hutchins back first on Avion. They had trouble with an extra stride before fence 7 but completed the course with two time faults. Endicott and Long Island Ice Tea had a rail at fence 5 and two time faults. Williamson and Chincharro Z were in sync with a lovely clear round. Dukes finished the Final Four testing on Sorcerer and demonstrated another faultless ride to wrap up the series of rotations.
Final Results
The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals provide the ultimate canvas for developing young riders to test their skills at a level of competition resembling the top of the sport. Just a few weeks ago four of the best show jumpers in the world contested similarly in the Final Four at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. And as noted above for these top four, rails and time faults played a role in the final results at the Games as well.
After three solid phases and performing well in the final four test, the 2014 championship went to Sydney Hutchins, whose horse Sorcerer was also named Best Horse of the finals. Savannah Dukes was second, with third place awarded to Mitchell Endicott and fourth to Michael Williamson.
Fifteen-year-old Hutchins, of Westlake Village, CA, can add this coveted tricolor to a growing collection of awards, as last week she was also the champion of the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Regionals West. This is Hutchins’ second time competing in this final with Sorcerer.
When asked about her favorite horses of the final four, sixteen-year-old Dukes, who has only been partnered with Chincharro Z for the last month, picked her own mount and Sorcerer. This year was also her second year competing in this final.
Sixteen-year-old Endicott, from Rancho Santa Fe, CA, and fourteen-year-old Williamson, of Loomis, CA, were both on horses they’ve been riding since the winter and were also both competing in this final for the first time.
Platinum Performance/ USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West
Place – Entry – Rider – Horse – Trainer
1. 352 – Sydney Hutchins – Sorcerer – Elvenstar
2. 498 – Savannah Dukes – Chincharro Z – Karen Healey Stables
3. 154 – Mitchell Endicott – Avion – Michael and Christa Endicott with Karen Healey Stables
4. 294 – Michael Williamson – Long Island Ice Tea – Patty Ball
5. 282 – Robert Sean Leckie – Netflix – Leslie Steele
6. 388 – Nina Vogel – Aquino 49 – Far West Farms
7. 195 – Eve Jobs – Emerson – Ben Hey
8. 494 – Kilian McGrath – Salerno – Karen Healey Stables
9. 332 – Miela Gross – Zoe – Emily Esau Williams
10. 293 – Megan Hilton – Laterit – Candida Anthony
Reprinted from Blenheim Equisports.
Ingalls, Browne and Nagler Top CPHA Foundation Finals
Del Mar, CA – The Showpark Summer Classic hosted the second rounds of the California Professional Horseman’s Association (CPHA) Foundation Finals on Sunday, wrapping up the three sections of competition. Divided into 22 & over, 21 & under, and 14 & under age divisions, riders of all ages brought their medal finals game to Del Mar this weekend. Esteemed judges Robin Fairclough and Scott Williamson scored, tested and ultimately awarded the final placings.
Browne Brings Home the Blue in the 14 & Under
Round 1 for the youngest division started on Saturday afternoon, with 31 entries showcasing their equitation skills. First place went to Madison Myro aboard Gff Tizz Cassina with exemplary scores of 87 and 86 for a first-round average of 86.5. Second went to Kayla Lott on Vancouver with another high first-round average of 84, while Katie Browne on Chadwick earned third with an 82.875. Just behind Browne in fourth for the first round was Tali DeJong on Spero with an 82.75, while fifth went to Tylor Nowell on Nonchalant with an 82.00.
The excitement mounted for the younger division as Round 2 began on Sunday morning, with all 31 riders returning to try and earn one of the eight places in the work-off. The 14 & under and 22 & over age divisions had identical courses, so the younger group had the advantage of watching the earlier rides.
Four of the top five from Round 1-Myro, Lott, Browne, and Nowell – all turned in impressive scores in Round 2, which, combined with Round 1, earned them high total average scores to qualify for the work-off. Grady Lyman, Dorothy Kauffman-Skloff, Nicole Leonard, and Katie Aoki also each had high total average scores to fill the other four work-off spots.
This work-off differed from that of the older age division, and included both options at 7a-b and trot jump 6, as well as a tricky counter-canter. Several entries had trouble accomplishing the counter-canter, which was set off a tight rollback after the trot jump.
The overall top prize went to Katie Browne, who earned a spectacular work-off score of 86 for a cumulative total of 169.69. Reserve champion was awarded to Kayla Lott, who had a grand total of 166.19. A solid work-off score catapulted Dorothy Kauffman-Skloff’s grand total to 164.13 and the third place, rounding out the top three places on the winners’ podium.
Glowing from the thrill of her first big medal win, Browne enthusiastically shared her thoughts on the course. “The track was really nice and challenging, I thought it put us all to the test. The work-off was a great test, I was a little nervous going in but it went as well as I could’ve hoped!” she said.
Browne trains with the team at Karen Healey Stables. “This is actually the first show I’ve done on Chadwick. Linda Ladove owns him and I started riding him a couple of weeks ago. I just fell in love with him, his personality, he’s so much fun to ride. He took great care of me.”
Browne is headed to Onodarka Finals, PCHA Finals, and Rosewood Finals within the next couple months and hopes to compete in the Big Eq in the upcoming years.
CPHA Foundation Finals 14 & Under
Place – Entry No. – Rider – Trainer
1. 237 – Katie Browne – Karen Healey
2. 774 – Kayla Lott – James Hagman
3. 634 – Dorothy Kauffman-Skloff – Ginny Plancke
4. 274 – Madison Myro – Judy Nielson
5. 397 – Katie Aoki – Jan Hainze
6. 113 – Tylor Nowell – Nina Alario
7. 305 – Grady Lyman – Richard Slocum
8. 504 – Nicole Leonard – Shayne Wireman
9. 578 – Lexie Looker – Nick Haness
10. 239 – Elli Yeager – Karen Healey
CPHA Foundation Finals 21 & Under
Place – Entry No. – Rider – Trainer
1. 836 – Julia Nagler – Benson Carroll
2. 773 – Halie Robinson – James Hagman
3. 182 – Melanie Selleck – Archibald Cox
4. 351 – Savannah Dukes – Karen Healey
5. 425 – Hadley Boyd – Kost Karazissis
6. 586 – Maile Burtech – Penny Wahler
7. 495 – Summer Hill – Andrea Simpson
8. 731 – Peyton Warren – Jill Humphrey
9. 502 – Blythe Bonan – Richard Widger
10. 818 – Phoebe Coffin – Diana Yeater
Reprinted with permission from Blenheim Equisports
CPHA Medal Finals Crown Jorgensen and King
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Kicking off the medal finals season, Blenheim EquiSports hosted the California Professional Horsemen’s Association (CPHA) Junior and Adult Finals at the Blenheim Summer Classic. An impressive crowd gathered at Blenheim Farms’ indoor ring for the Final Round. Three experienced female equestrians made up the judging panel, Stacia Madden, Rita Timpanaro, and Debbie Sands.
After two qualifying rounds, the top ten juniors and top eleven adults came back to contest for the overall top prize in each of their respective final rounds. Abby Jorgensen from Woodside, CA won the Junior section decisively, holding her second round lead. Leina King of Santa Barbara, CA topped the Adult section.
King Crowned on Foot
In the first round for the Adults Mackenzie Drazan took home first place, Leina King was second and Serena Anand awarded third.
Like the Juniors, Round 2 and the Final Top Ten Round were both on Saturday. The adults were on their game in Round 2, scores of 85, 84, and 87, Leina King topped the round, and her total score from Round 1 & 2 of 511 sent her to the Final Round at the top of the leaderboard. Serena Anand held the second-highest Round 1 & 2 total score of 498, while Mackenzie Drazen rounded out the top three with a Round 1 & 2 total score of 497.
The final round for the Adults was similar to the Juniors, including a serpentine bending line to two sharp rollbacks at the end of the arena.
Coming back on top, King maintained her cool and earned consistent scores of 80, 82, and 81 across the board, propelling her grand total to 754 and the overall championship. Serena Anand earned a grand total of 742 and was awarded the reserve championship, while Mackenzie Drazan had a grand total of 723 and rounded out the final placings in third.
King was elated at her top placing; however her horse was even more thrilled. King’s mount was so excited in the awards presentation that she lead him out of the ring and did her victory gallop on her own two feet to whoops and applause.
Heading into her sophomore year at SMU, King sees riding in a new light. “It’s funny now that I’m an amateur, there’s so much less stress because I feel like I have so much more time,” the Karen Healey student said. “I’ve done the final quite a few times before so I know what to expect, but I’ve been away at school at haven’t showed much this summer. My horse, Santa, fits really well into Karen’s program and is just perfect.”
CPHA Junior Medal Finals
Place – Show # – Name – Trainer – Final Score
1. 181 – Abby Jorgenson – Waldenbrook Farm – 775.00
2. 349 – Halie Robinson – Jim Hagman – 731.75
3. 384 – Nina Vogel – Kost Karazissis – 713.00
4. 103 – Tylor Nowell – Nina Alario – 701.25
5. 150 – Melanie Selleck – Archie Cox – 699.00
6. 278 – Mckenna Skelton – Kasey Ament – 680.00
7. 394 – Chandler Hopper – Nathalie Marring – 655.50
8. 287 – Ransome Rombauer – Karen Healey Stables – 588.75
9. 581 – Savannah Dukes – Karen Healey Stables – 569.00
10. 430 – Ce Ce Manze – Joe Thorpe – 474.75
CPHA Adult Medal Finals
Place – Show # – Name – Trainer – Final Score
1. 223 – Leina King – Karen Healey Stables – 754.00
2. 617 – Serena Anand – Allison Sherred – 742.00
3. 220 – Mackenzie Drazan – Karen Healey Stables – 723.00
4. 604 – Clara Plestis – Ginny Plancke – 689.00
5. 268 – Natasha Pappas – Leila Ward-Maroney – 665.50
6. 422 – Nori Burby – Amy Self – 647.00
7. 122 – Juliana Ronn – Buddy & Vanessa Brown – 548.00
8. 439 – Kacie Doyle – Hap Hansen – 522.00
9. 631 – Belle Calkin – Joe Thorpe – 519.00
10. 420 – Holly Scapa – Holly Scapa – 492.00
Excerpt from Blenheim Equisports.
July 14, 2014 | By Jackie McFarland for ProEquest
This couple’s story began in the 1960’s on the East Coast with an accomplished equestrian named Sue Bauer. As one of George Morris’s first students, Sue earned 6th in the Maclay Finals in 1964 and 2nd in 1965. Her brother Fred also took up the sport, and when his skills earned him time with George, he too shared the spotlight, winning the AHSA Medal Finals in 1969 and the Maclay Finals in 1970. So clearly both sister and brother spent ample time growing up at horse shows.
Meanwhile, also on the East Coast, Karen Healey was developing her riding skills and determining her life path. The Bauers and Healey would cross paths at various events; Sue and Karen were good friends. Karen remembers watching Fred win the finals.
Sue married Ronnie Mutch and together they had Nimrod Farm. Karen started her professional career with George Morris, and discovered her love for teaching, which, as many of us know, she has excelled in for many years.
Fred decided to go the college route, attending Harvard. He finished in three years and went on to get a law degree. His law career moved him to San Francisco in 1979. Karen moved to Los Angeles in 1981 to try taking her East Coast education to the Wild West.
Jump forward a decade or so when Fred was a high-powered professional in the corporate world in San Francisco and Karen was one in the horse world in Los Angeles. This was when their paths crossed again. No longer having time to ride, Fred stayed involved through judging (which he continues to do today) and committee work. Karen had developed a successful hunter-jumper business on the West Coast and was also an “R” judge and committee member.
It was serendipitous that both Fred and Karen had switched coasts. When the two struck up a friendship again in the 1990’s, they found they had more in common than their passion for horses. Together since 1998 and married in 2002, they’ve now spent many years doing what they love – Fred got back in the saddle, quite successfully; Karen honed her gourmet cooking skills, also to delectable success (or so we are told); they adore their dogs, large and small, enjoy the arts, especially live theatre as well as traveling together. These days they travel to horse shows, of course, but they have also judged all over the states together and when time allows they take a vacation to an exotic location.
I took the time to interview them individually to learn more about their perspectives on the past and each other.
The Marble Arch Years
The year was 1998 and Karen told Fred, “If you are going to come see me at the horse shows, you better start riding again or you’re going to be bored to tears.”
Fred hadn’t ridden in fifteen years. So Karen went shopping for a nice starter, get back in the ring type and found Marble Arch. Fred had Michael Endicott coach him in his return to the show ring. After jumping the wrong jump in the jump-off at his first show back in the Modified Division, he went on to win the Low Classic at Del Mar National and then moved into the Highs the following week, which at the time included the Jumper Derby.
Marble Arch and Fred Bauer kept on winning. The pair won the $25,000 Junior/Amateur Invitational in Culpeper twice. As Fred put it, “We believed in each other. Neither of us thought we couldn’t do it.”
Calm, Cool, Collected and Looking Forward
A redhead, Karen is naturally fiery and passionate. Fred keeps his, and her, cool. As Karen explained, “We don’t always agree but we definitely discuss. I tend to be much more emotional. I get fired up and passionate – he levels that out. Fred is a lot cooler in general and not personally involved so at times his vision is clearer.”
Professionally they both do quite a bit of judging and are actively involved on several committees with the USHJA and USEF. Post a solid end to his junior years in the show ring, a successful career in the corporate world and multiple years of commitment to the sport as an adult, Fred continues to look for a way to combine all his knowledge into a position in the industry.
Karen is on a high. She has a great group of riders, a superior staff that work well together and a gorgeous facility as a home base. The program embraces training at all levels, from young riders and horses to grand prix. Plus she finds time to give clinics and judge as well as to continue extracurricular involvement in the sport with the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program and Trainers Certification Program, not to mention Task Forces and Committees.
The Not-So-Newlywed Game
So as a final fun aspect, in Newlywed Game style I asked each to answer a few questions about some of their favorites as well as their partner’s.
Favorite horse show:
Fred: The National at Madison Square Garden. The atmosphere was incredible. The second round of the Maclay Finals in 1970 was in front of 12,000 people. I got to compete there again with Marble Arch in 2000, the last year they had it at the Garden.
And yes Karen knew that answer right away.
Karen: The National Horse Show in Lexington – they’ve done an amazing job of presenting it – it is the closest thing we’ve got to the Garden of the past. It’s a horse-friendly indoor facility with a nice atmosphere.
Fred thought Karen would say the horse shows in San Juan Capistrano and Del Mar managed by Blenheim EquiSports. Although once she heard this she agreed that Blenheim is a top management team, her favorite single show is one that stands out for making all involved feel special.
Favorite food:
Fred: Indian food.
Karen thought he would say pizza. They have a pizza oven and make some great pies. When she heard Fred’s answer, she said she needed to conquer cooking Indian food well. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s made some since our interview.
Karen: Risotto. Her homemade risotto with ingredients such as mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, asparagus and shrimp…
And yes Fred knew that.
Favorite vacation spot:
Interviewed separately, without hesitation they both answered Africa. After going there in 2003 they would return in a heartbeat.
Where would they like to venture where they haven’t yet been? Again, they both answered Turkey and Egypt, agreeing that it would be best to wait until it is safe to travel there.
Balance
A partnership that involves similar yet different backgrounds, balances personal strengths (and weaknesses), and is consistently supportive. One calms the other; both enjoy involvement in the sport as well as escaping from it altogether together.
Each has made history in this sport. Together, and apart, they are a powerful combination.
Reprint with permission from ProEquest.
Karen Healey had not just one but six clients earn top spots in tough competition this past Sunday. In the 2012 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West, at the Los Angeles International Jumping Festival on September 19-23, first, second, third, and fifth places went to Karen Healey students Samantha Harrison, Olivia Champ, Kilian McGrath, and Savannah Jenkins. And Hannah Von Heidegger took the USEF Zones 8,9,10 Hunter Seat Medal Regional Finals win.
After three challenging phases, flat, gymnastics, and jumping, over three days, the clincher in the USEF Talent Search is the work-off. Similar to the final at the World Equestrian Games Final Four, the top four scoring riders all switch and ride each other’s horses, and all start with a clean slate zero score.
Samantha Harrison (20, La Canada, CA) and Santika, who also won the Best Horse Award, had a high score of 94 and were sitting on top going into the work-off. Harrison showed poise and confidence on all four horses. Her consistency and scores in the eighties as well as the nineties paid off with a victory. She finished with a final total score of 350.
Healey described, “She rode beautifully all the way through it. Her gymnastics ride was very good. Horses love her; she’s very unassuming. In her own way, she’s confident and gets it done when she wants. Every time she’s ridden other horses, they get around beautifully. They’re relaxed and soft. I was very proud of her.”
Harrison is no stranger to the winner’s circle. She and Santika have moved up from the six-year-old Young Jumpers to win individual silver and team gold medals at the FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships, and currently compete in the grand prix ring.
“The mare is a tough old bird,” Healey laughed. “I thought she’d be the hardest of them all to ride, but she actually went beautifully for the other riders. Sam just adores the horse and the horse adores her. She took the time to build a relationship with her. We had ups and downs along the way, but they never gave up on each other. And it’s paid off.”
Harrison commented on her relationship with Santika, “In the past couple years, we’ve really grown to have a great connection. I know how she’s going to act. We have this great bond and truly love each other. I know if I’m in the ring and I ask for a long distance, she’s not going to be naughty. I feel like she’s going to be there to help me.”
While Harrison has shown in the Talent Search Finals for five years, this was her first ribbon in the class. “I am thrilled about winning,” she said. “I’m really proud of my horse because she was so good for all of the phases. It was such a great experience, especially getting on the three different horses in the work-off. I’m so grateful that I got to experience that.”
Harrison feels that the tutelage of Karen Healey has helped her reach this point in her riding career. In addition to her success on the “A” circuit, she is also a varsity NCAA rider for Oklahoma State University.
“I’ve been with Karen a long time,” she related. “We always do a lot of flatwork and work on the basics. She’s so supportive every time I have a lesson or am at the in-gate. She knows that I can do better and she’ll push me. I have had a lot of hard lessons with her and when I tough it out, it all comes together in the show ring.”
Harrison also took the time to thank Karen and her staff and her family and friends for all of their support through the years.
Although Karen Healey has had many successful Talent Search Finals, a one-two-three finish is a first for her.
Olivia Champ of La Canada, CA, on Parrandero, owned by Katie Harris, placed second. She has been at Karen Healey Stables just over a year, and after her horse had colic surgery, they found Parrandero, who won last year with Demi Stiegler, for her to ride at these Finals. “Olivia suits him really well,” Healey said. “He’s a gem.”
Champ adds this to her resume of wins at the PCHA Finals and CPHA Foundation Medal 14 & Under Finals.
Kilian McGrath of Thousand Oaks, CA, rode Salerno, owned by Rolling Oaks Ranch Inc. to third and Healey said she “rode pretty solid” throughout the competition. Savannah Jenkins of Virginia Beach, VA on Capilan 2, owned by George Maskrey-Segesman, finished fifth. “Savannah just missed the top four. It was really close. I’m really thrilled with all of them,” Healey commented.
In addition to the great Finals, Karen Healey student Hannah Von Heidegger, whom she co-trains with Simpson Show Jumping, won the USEF Zones 8, 9, 10 Hunter Seat Medal Regional Finals.
What’s next is a trip to East Coast where Karen Healey Stables riders will compete for more victories at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Washington International Horse Show, and Alltech National Horse Show.
“All the girls were great. A solid preparation for what’s to come. We have our eyes on the indoor finals now,” Healey said.
Reprinted with permission from Jennifer Wood Media.
After three days and numerous tests, Samantha Harrison (La Canada, CA) found herself leading the victory gallop of the 2012 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West. The win was made even more sweet for the Oklahoma State University junior and member of the NCAA Equestrian team. “Winning means so much to me because every single year I’ve gone in on Santika, something has gone wrong. It was a really big accomplishment to go out there and be consistent in all three phases.”
Samantha (Karen Healey, trainer) was particularly happy to win on Santika, who also won the Best Horse Award, as the pair has been together for many years. “I’ve had her a really long time. We’ve had a connection ever since I got her, and we’ve only gotten to know each other even better. We’ve really learned to figure each other out over the years,” Samantha explained. From the Six-Year-Old Jumpers to Junior Jumper Show Jumping Hall of Fame Western League Champion to riding on the Gold medal Zone 10 team at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North to winning ribbons in her first grand prix events, Samantha and Santika have a long, rich history together. The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West is another exemplary accomplishment for Samantha and her bay mare.
Given her riding resume, Samantha was well prepared going into the Talent Search Finals. Because of her NCAA experience, Samantha is no stranger to riding unknown horses, which gave her an edge in the work-off and contributed to her consistency. Karen Healey, Samantha’s trainer, commented, “Samantha has been with me for seven years and even though she is super sweet, she can be a tough rider and get it done.” Samantha was focused on getting it done and throughout the entirety of the Talent Search she adopted an all or nothing attitude.”
Samantha concurred. “I just thought to myself that I had to ride every step and take nothing for granted. I knew if I went out there and gave it my all and just rode, everything would fall into place,” she said.
Everything did fall into place, and Samantha exemplified the effectiveness the judges were looking for. “She rode really well on all four horses and was very, very solid on every horse she rode. She was solid enough that the little mistakes some of the others made caught up with them,” Chrystine Tauber said. Bernie Traurig added, “The cream rose to the top. There was just over a handful of riders that were quite talented and impressive. It was the changing horses that separated the class and made it easy to judge.”
The final day of competition started on Saturday afternoon on the grass Cricket Field at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center during the Los Angeles International Jumping Festival (Sept. 19-23). For Phase 3, competitors jumped over a difficult Grand Prix style course on the grass field. The course, designed by judges Chrystine Tauber and Bernie Traurig, challenged riders with a very technical course with several natural obstacles, including a bank and a wide open water jump.
Bernie commented, “This course asked all the questions you would find in a grand prix. In some cases, it was even a little more demanding because we were looking for riders who had control and rideability. We put a lot of emphasis on their ability to negotiate technical lines and approaches. In addition, we added the natural jumps like the bank, which you wouldn’t usually see in a class.” Though it was unusual, no rider or horse struggled to jump down the bank. “It surprised me because that’s not an easy bank,” Bernie said. Chrystine agreed and added, “Everyone jumped the bank very well all day long.”
However, the open water after the bank did cause problems for many of the riders and horses. Bernie and Chrystine purposefully incorporated the difficult water jump in order to truly test the riders. “Water is a big issue, and it’s certainly not something they would encounter in any other equitation class,” Bernie noted. The water jump was eleven feet wide without a pole and had a low flower box set at the takeoff. “If we had had a bigger brush in front, then the horses would have backed up and jumped up higher. But the lower takeoff didn’t help you at all and you really had to ride to the water,” commented Chrystine.
In addition, Bernie and Chrystine changed the course to make the line even more challenging. Riders had to jump down the bank, ride a long distance to the water, and then immediately turn left and jump a triple combination. “Jumping down off of a bank puts the horse’s balance down low for the first couple of steps. Then many riders sat up and started trying to find a balance, but then they lost the pace. That in itself ended up creating a wonderful test of being able to land and rebalance as you ride forward. So many of them got trapped into pulling back to get the horse in balance, but then they were dead at the water,” Chrystine explained. “Then after the water, you had to immediately look for the turn and then start building to get back uphill to the triple combination. You had to jump the water, bring the horse back, look around the corner, and then keep the impulsion up the hill. It was a very technical line.”
All of the Talent Search finalists had the opportunity to ride the challenging course, but all eyes were focused on the top riders coming into Phase 3. The top six returned in reverse order: Kilian McGrath (Karen Healey, trainer), Savannah Jenkins (Karen Healey, trainer), Morgan Geller (Kay Altheuser, trainer), Samantha Harrison (Karen Healey, trainer), Olivia Champ (Karen Healey, trainer), and Lauren Myers (Cara Anthony, trainer).
Kilian (Thousand Oaks, CA) made the difficult course look effortless on Salerno (Rolling Oaks Ranch Inc., owner) and scored a 92, setting the bar high for the riders who came after her. Savannah (Virginia Beach, VA) rode a clean course on Capilan 2 (George Maskrey-Segesman, owner) and scored an 85 for her efforts. Unfortunately for Morgan Geller (Manhattan Beach, CA), Sicerto B (Q of E Farms LLC, owner) caught the edge of the open water jump and she fell off as he stumbled. Thankfully, the pair suffered no major injuries and both walked out of the ring.
Next came Samantha on Santika (LLC Harrison Farms, owner) and her extraordinary round won the audience and the judge’s approval. The pair scored the highest score of the phase with a 94. Returning in second place, Olivia (La Canada Flintridge, CA) turned in a slow and consistent round aboard Parrandero (Katie Harris, owner), earning her an 87. At the top of the leader board after the first two phases, Lauren (Seattle, WA) rode a good course on Dinero (Francesca Giammalva, owner) and scored an 84.
Though scores were released after the completion of the Talent Search, at the time, riders had no idea where they stood after their jumping rounds. The top four were announced in no particular order and Kilian, Samantha, Olivia, and Lauren were all excited to enter the ride-off.
For the ride-off, each rider had to ride a shortened course on her own horse and then ride the course on each of the other horses. Modeled after the Show Jumping World Championships, the top four each started with a score of 0 going into Phase 4, with the start order determined by the cumulative score of Phases 1 to 3.
Going into the ride-off, judges were focused on the effectiveness of the riders. “The riders who were just sitting there and not effectively influencing the outcome of each jump got into trouble on the course,” Chrystine noted. Bernie added, “It’s a great class because it allows the flexibility of judging and some flexibility of riding because it’s with a jumper theme. It’s not a pose contest.”
Hoping to impress the judges with her riding ability, Kilian rode first in the ride-off on Salerno. Her ride was flawless and the pair received the highest score of the day with a 95. Lauren and Dinero unfortunately earned their lowest score of the competition with a 76. The competition remained fierce as Olivia scored a 90 aboard Parrandero and Samantha, riding last, scored a 91 on Santika.
Then the excitement ramped up as Lauren’s saddle was put on Salerno. Once mounted, riders had exactly two minutes to warm up on the new horse before entering into the arena. Lauren commented, “I always like riding different horses. It’s a good experience because you have to adjust to a new horse in two minutes. I did a few bending left and right to make sure they were listening.” All four horses and riders held up amazingly well under the pressure, heat, and hard work as the long competition continued. Though all of the girls rode best on their own horses, they showed off their impressive riding abilities on the other horses as well.
Lauren scored in the 70s on all four horses, which gave her a cumulative score of 296 for Phase 4 and earned her the fourth place ribbon. Lauren was pleased with her results and explained, “This is my third time in the finals, and my first time in the final four, so I was definitely super excited. My goal for next year is hopefully to win!”
After a great round on her own horse, Kilian struggled a little with Parrandero and Santika and placed third with a score of 316. Youngest of the top four, Olivia turned in three high scores and placed second with a score of 341. But it was Samantha who turned in four extremely consistent rounds, all in the 80’s and 90’s. She finished with a score of 350 and the judges were impressed with her riding skills.
In addition to her long time equestrian partner, Samantha also had two of her barn mates in the top four as well as several other barn mates and her sister competing in the Talent Search. “It was helpful having Kilian and Olivia in the top four for support, but really all four of us supported each other and gave each other advice on our horses,” Samantha enumerated. Lauren agreed and said, “Everybody helped each other out in the warm up arena. For example, they would say whether you should or shouldn’t wear spurs, and everyone was really nice about it.”
Though Santika won the Best Horse Award this year, last year’s winning horse, Parrandero, carried Olivia to second place in Olivia’s first Talent Search Final. “I wanted to go in there riding forward and confident. At home since I train with dressage trainer Claudia Roberts, I do mostly flatwork and dressage work,” Olivia stated. “Having a strong foundation in dressage is especially helpful when riding other horses because you know how to lengthen and shorten their stride.”
Karen praised Olivia’s work ethic and said, “Olivia is a quick learner and is always very focused. She also has a great feel.” Karen continued, “Now Kilian is a little more aggressive than Olivia. Her only issue is her nerves and she has to remember to calm down and breathe.” Kilian herself admitted, “I psyched myself out a little bit during the work-off since we had to ride our competitors’ horses. I was worried something would happen to Salerno.”
But Kilian schooled her nerves and her third place finish had the additional benefit of qualifying her for the Maclay Final. “I accomplished my goal of being in the top four,” Kilian stated. “It’s just such a great experience because it shows who has the most ability to become a professional, and I’m just so happy.”
As the trainer of three of the top four girls in the Talent Search, Karen explained how she prepared the girls for the Talent Search Finals. “All of my kids are very strong on the flat because my training program is very flatwork oriented. I also made sure they all schooled on the grass field to prepare for the jumping phase,” Karen said. “In addition, I will be judging the Talent Search Finals East this year for the third time, so I know what is expected to win. The Talent Search is one of the best finals because it truly shows the depth of a rider.”
In addition, Chrystine hopes the experience was beneficial for all of the riders who participated. “You had three different phases that could have exposed some of your weaknesses. What did you learn from that? I hope everyone comes away from this experience having recognized what they need to work on and that it will help improve their riding in the future.”
Reprinted with permission from USEF Network.