FEI competition commenced Thursday as competitors brought forth their mounts for the opening day of Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) at Thunderbird Show Park. Winning the first CSI5* event, the $1,000 Two Phase 1.40m CSI5*, was Tanner Korotkin (USA) and NE President Van Koekshof.

Eighty competitors came forward in the $1,000 Two Phase 1.40m CSI5* to familiarize themselves and their horses with the atmosphere and take a shot at the track designed by Canada’s Peter Grant. The course offered a total of 12 obstacles, the first six of which represented the first phase before riders advanced to the speed phase for the final six obstacles. The short course presented opportunities to take risks and be quick, including two sharp rollback turns and long bending lines. Early in the order, Korotkin and his newest mount, a 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, cruised around the speed phase.

“He’s a newer horse,” remarked Korotkin on NE President Van Koekshof. “I’ve only had him for about two months now. He’s still 9 years old, and the plan was just to get him more confident going at a quicker pace. We just cruised around; he was jumping great. He’s in great form for the rest of the week and it was super round. We just turned out to win it.

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