Langley, B.C. – The second event in the western division of the 2010 Jump Canada Young Horse Series took place during the Thunderbird Show Park Canadian Premiere held May 26 to 30 in Langley, BC.
Winning the Seven and Eight-Year-Old Division was 1984 Canadian Olympian Liz Ashton on Vibrance, her eight-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding. Bred in the United States, Vibrance is by Burggraaf and out of a Calvados mare. Ashton was double clear with Vibrance for the win, finishing the jump-off in a time of 33.07 seconds and beating out the second placed finisher by more than two seconds.
“I was really happy with him,” said Ashton, who has enjoyed an illustrious career as a three day eventing competitor, winning Team Gold at the 1978 World Evening Championships in Lexington, Kentucky. “I bought him as a four-year-old. He is a complete and utter character, but in the ring he is all business. Sometimes, because he is so talented, I forget he is still so young. I hope that he will be a grand prix horse. He is doing 1.40m now, and hopefully next year he will do FEI classes. He is doing so well.”
Of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series itself, Ashton says, “It is such a valuable series in terms of promoting the wonderful horses that we are breeding in Canada. They often do not get a chance to be developed, because so many of the big riders are still buying in Europe.”
Lokomotion, a bay Hannoverian stallion ridden by Gary Brewster, topped the Six-Year-Old Division. By Lordanos and out of a Landsieger I dam, Lokomotion is owned by Laurel McLaughlin of Pemberton, BC, who imported him from Germany as a youngster. Despite wet conditions, the young stallion was able to produce a clear first round followed by four faults in the jump-off.
“I was very pleased with his performance,” said Brewster, who is showing Lokomotion for the second season. “It was his first 1.20m class, and the weather was not at all cooperative, but he handled the conditions perfectly. Now we know he is a ‘mudder’ as well.”
As for the stallion’s character, as well as future plans, Brewster commented, “He comes to life when he walks through that gate into the ring. He is pretty laid back and he has super temperament and ability. Right now, we are really excited about the Jump Canada Young Horse Series Western Final in September. John Anderson and Rocky Mountain are putting on a big competition, and it should be a big deal this year in the West.”
Placing second in the Six-Year-Old Division was Brian Morton aboard Versace, a brown Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Angela Keith of British Columbia. Bred in the Netherlands, Versace is by Indoctro and out of a mare by Cavalier. Morton and Versace were clear in the first round and had only four faults in the jump-off, but were not quite quick enough to keep up with Brewster and Lokomotion.
Liz Ashton also topped the Five-Year-Old Division, this time piloting Cando, a bay Canadian Warmblood gelding that she purchased last August. Bred by St. George’s Stables in Calgary, AB, Cando is by Carthago Sun I and out of a mare by Capuccino.
Like Brewster and Lokomotion, Cando performed well despite the wet conditions. The duo had a rail down at the second fence in the first round but recovered to jump the rest of the course clear.
“He was very good,” noted Ashton. “The rings were muddy but he jumped very well. It’s a good experience for a young horse; they have to learn to deal with it.”
The purpose of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series is to encourage the development of young show jumping talent and to give Canadian breeders additional incentives to breed superior show jumping prospects. Competing on a level playing field, the horses are divided according to age and jump at a level suited to their development. This careful development allows the horses to gain valuable experience and advance to the higher levels of show jumping competition with confidence. The Jump Canada Young Horse Series also gives prospective buyers for the hunter and jumper markets an opportunity to view a large group of prospects in a competition setting.
The 2010 Jump Canada Young Horse Series is truly national in scope with competitions being held from coast to coast. The *National Young Horse Finals *will take place at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held from September 22-26 in Palgrave, ON. Recognizing that many horse owners from the Western division will not be able to attend the National Finals in Ontario, a total of $20,000 in prize money will be offered during the final Western division event, the Rocky Mountain Classic III to be held at Anderson Ranch in Calgary, AB, from September 1-5.
For more information on the Jump Canada Young Horse Series, including rules and registration forms, please visit www.equinecanada.ca/jumpcanada/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&id=88&Itemid=3.
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