Erynn Ballard couldn’t let the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders, end without one more win. Coming into the $20,000 1.40-1.45m Jumper Classic on a winning streak, she produced one more fast double-clear aboard Engerupgaards Cezanne to finish on a high and add another victory to her resume (she also won the $31,100 CSI3* Speed on Friday riding Ashley de Talm.)
“He’s a fairly new ride for me,” Ballard said of her winning ride, a 15-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Balou du Rouet x Lucky Light). “I’d never jumped with him until we got here five weeks ago. But it’s a super competitive horse. I’m really enjoying the ride on him. The goal is to jump him in some two-stars.”
Ballard just barely edged out Paul O’Shea, who finished in second with Primo CBI Cornet, less than half a second off the pace. Only a tenth of a second off O’Shea’s time was Jake Endicott aboard Kariludine S, so the race for the top spot was tight.
Ballard was on a mission from day one in Traverse City to go faster, and while she feels she succeeded over the six weeks, she still sees room to improve.
“My future goal is to be stronger in the grand prix,” she explained of where she feels she fell short. “I was placed top 10 in every single grand prix that I did, but I never had a win. So for myself, it is those classes I need to improve on.”
Ballard now takes that momentum to Europe, where she will represent Canada at the FEI World Championships in Aachen.
“I never had a bad class,” she continued. “I think this week I won 10 classes. From the seven-year-olds to the three-star speed, and now this class. To be that strong is a testament to the crew that we have, to our program, to our horses, to our grooms, to our owners, and everybody that’s here cheering for us, it certainly doesn’t take just one. And I’m so lucky that I can win on so many different horses.”
The winning feeling is a great one to have as she takes her next venture over to Europe. She’ll pilot Fave d’Athuit, who had a strong circuit and is fresh and ready to go on one of the world’s biggest stages.
“That success going into Europe, it’s a good last class to have,” she remarked. “It’s a good vibe to keep rolling with. We roll with that through Europe, and then we come back here strong in September.”
Her season just keeps heating up from this point, so Ballard will be back and eager for more wins come September in Traverse City.
“The fall is certainly five-star heavy in North America, so we plan for that,” she remarked. “I think that we’ve had a great circuit. None of our horses have done too many classes. They’ve all jumped the right amount of classes. They’re all confident, and now we see what we have at the next level.”
Rupert Carl Winkelmann and Imodo raced to victory in the $116,500 Traverse City CSI3* Grand Prix during the final week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. (Natalie Suto Photography)
Rupert Carl Winkelmann Wins $116,500 Traverse City CSI3* Grand Prix
Rupert Carl Winkelmann (GER) arrived in Traverse City just in time for the final week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders, and made his brief visit count, winning Saturday’s $116,500 Traverse City CSI3* Grand Prix
Aboard Imodo and Calvados Son, Winkelmann qualified two entries for Olaf Petersen Jr.’s short course, giving him two chances at the win. After his first horse had a miscommunication early on course, resulting in an unfortunate elimination, his chances got a bit slimmer, but he returned with the proper mindset for his second horse, Imodo.
“I’m so happy with the horse,” Winkelmann said of Imodo. “He did a fantastic job. He was jumping great in the first round and he jumped even better in the second round. I was lucky enough to have two horses in the jump-off; the first one didn’t go exactly as planned. I got to come back and execute the plan we had. He jumped fantastic so I could really execute the plan and risk everything.”
His winning time of 39.45 seconds proved comfortable among the four double-clear rounds. He beat out Mckayla Langmeier (USA) and Riesling Van de Gaathoeve, who took second, and Taylor Land (USA) and Escobar WW were the next fastest for third place.
It’s easy for riders to be affected by a round gone wrong, but Winkelmann was able to shake off his first jump-off attempt and put it behind him. When asked whether his first horse’s result impacted how he approached his second ride in the jump-off, Winkelmann reflected that the nature of having two different horses eliminated any uncertainty for him.
“It’s a completely different horse,” he said about returning with Imodo, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Quasimodo Z x Broere VDL Corland), knowing he still had a chance to win. “I get off [the first] one and the second horse doesn’t know what happened so he’s mentally in a great place. I was going to try to give him his best ride and I think that worked out today. With every jump it got better because he was just jumping so well; it was a lot of fun.”
After the win, Winkelmann was definitely wishing he had more time in Traverse City.
“I was just saying I should have come here sooner, and next summer I’ll be spending more time up here,” he said about his short stint in Northern Michigan. “It’s obviously great coming to a show and winning; it always makes you want to come back. It’s a fantastic feeling. We’ve had great weather this week, the facility’s amazing. I was here two years ago and seeing how much has changed and improved in the meantime is great. We should all be grateful as riders to have facilities like this.”
As for the Tournament of Champions, Winkelmann will have to sit that one out as he heads to his wedding, marrying fellow show jumper Tanimara Macari (MEX). If he returns for more of the Traverse City season in 2027, he’ll be a serious threat in FEI competition.
Looking Ahead: The Tournament of Champions Awaits
The Tournament of Champions offers two consecutive weeks of five-star competition, highlighted by Major League Show Jumping and the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Traverse City for the American Gold Cup presented by Frank & Eileen.
With approximately 10 of the world’s top 30 riders expected to compete, juniors and amateurs already onsite at Flintfields Horse Park will have a front-row seat to world-class sport, joined by spectators from across the region for one of North America’s premier fall destinations.
More information here.
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