Winning an Advanced division anytime is a big deal. It was even bigger for Canadian eventer Sara Sellmer, who did so at the Spring Event at Woodside aboard Jill Walton’s PDQ Leigh. In 2016 at the same venue, Sara’s horse, TF Kreisler, died following an incident on the CCI*** course and Sara hadn’t been back since.
“I wasn’t sure how I would handle it,” the rider acknowledged. “To be doing Advanced again and to win today is amazing. The support of the community here has also been amazing. All weekend I’ve been getting pats on the back in the warm-up ring and everybody telling me that I can do it.”
Sara has had the ride on PDQ Leigh just under a year and describes him as an especially “kind, generous and honest” horse. The pair started the weekend on a 33.80 dressage score from judges Valerie Crail and David Schmutz. On Saturday, they were one of just two pairs, out of 11, to go double clear on cross-country, putting them in Sunday’s catbird seat. They had a rail in hand and needed it. “It was totally mine,” said Sara of the downed pole in the triple element on a Chris Barnard track that used every inch of the Horse Park at Woodside’s big Grand Prix arena.
The win seals their qualification for the Rebecca Farm CCI4*-L in July, the next stop for the rider who is based in Langley, British Columbia.
Organizer Robert Kellerhouse was very happy with the weekend. “Even the things we can’t control – like the weather – went well,” he said. All tolled, 450 horses/rider pairs enjoyed a sold-out weekend of competition, furthering The Spring Event’s reputation for top sport in a beautiful environment.
Upgrades to stabling, cross-country, infrastructure and in other areas were appreciated by all from visiting dignitaries, like US Eventing CEO Rob Burk, to first-time exhibitors. Saturday night’s Preliminary Challenge Dinner Gala crowd was treated to a down-to-the-wire finish and a new cross-country VIP viewing tent was well received. As always, volunteers – about 125 through the weekend – made the Event work, and sponsors were equally critical to its success.
For more details, see daily press releases on www.woodsideeventing.com. For complete event results visit www.evententries.com.
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