The Inaugural Royal West Tournament hosted the $15,000 Jump Alberta Western Canadian Young Horse Championships on Monday afternoon in the prestigious new indoor venue located at the Western Event Center in Stampede Park.
The impressive group of young horses competed in two classes with ribbons to eighth place in both. In each round, horses were awarded a style score and a jumping score that were combined to produce the placing’s to eighth. After the two rounds of competition an overall Champion was declared in each of the three age categories.
Throughout the show season, Jump Alberta has sponsored the series in order to encourage the development of young show jumping talent in the industry. The series also gives breeders an additional incentive to breed superior show jumping prospects with opportunities to develop horses and compete on the international stage.
Sixteen horses competed in the five-year-old age category but none could beat Shawna Dunn and her mount Leilani who placed second and first in the individual classes to earn the overall Championship title. Bosch Farms Eragon, owned and ridden by Tamie Philips also had a good showing with a first and third place finish.
The Western Canadian Champion in the six-year-old division was Peninsula Riversong owned by Hayley Patmore and ridden by Jacqueline Colborne. Peninsula Riversong finished first and fourth to claim the overall title in their age category. Dereusa S owned by John Van Den bosh and ridden by Fenke Van den Bosch put in a solid performance ending up third in both classes.
Rounding out the day in the highly competitive seven/eight year old division was Rabenschwartz owned and ridden by Patrick Billes. Rabenschwartz won the first class and finished third for a combined score high enough to be awarded the championship in the category. Carousel’s Bling owned by Carousel Ridge and ridden by Shauna Cook narrowly missed winning overall with an impressive first and second place finish.
The Jump Alberta Western Canadian Young Horse development series is a program that is imperative to the health of the sport. The series gives perspective buyers the opportunity to see horses of the same age perform together throughout the season. It also gives riders a platform to develop their horses in a positive and structured way as they learn new skills in the ring. Thank you to Jump Alberta for sponsoring the series and congratulations to the three Championship winners! The Royal West is pleased to host the Championships and looks forward to another great year of young horse development.
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