Calgary, AB – The first western event of the 2010 Jump Canada Young Horse Series took place during the Bow Valley Classic II held May 19-23 at Anderson Ranch in Calgary, AB.
The top-placed combination in the Six-Year-Old Division was Eric Martin of Oakbank, MB, on Kumano. Owner Jan Ash-Gross imported the dark brown Oldenburg stallion by Kannan out of a Landjunge dam to Canada in January of 2009. Just seven months after arriving in Canada, Kumano competed in the 1.15m division at the Spruce Meadows summer tournaments, earning top three ribbons. Now competing at the 1.30m level, Kumano is proving his potential.
“Eric was thrilled with Kumano’s performance,” said Ash-Gross. “He is responding so well to the Young Horse program. He is really on target for where we want him to be, even a bit ahead of schedule! We are hopeful that he is at least a 1.50m horse.”
In addition to performing in the show jumping ring, Kumano is also a breeding stallion. “He has the talent and the temperament; unless you knew him, you would never know that he is a stallion,” said Ash-Gross of Kumano’s laid-back attitude. “He is just a real pet. There aren’t many Kannan babies in North America, they aren’t easy to find. Plus, he loves showing, he puts on weight at the shows. You can just see that he loves to jump.”
C’est Samurai Sun, ridden by Andrea Harris, topped the Five-Year-Old Division. The grey Canadian Warmblood gelding is by Carthago Sun I and out of a Lord Caletto dam that was bred and owned by Margie Morstad of Alberta. Despite competing for the first time on a Grand Prix field, nerves were not a factor for the young gelding.
“He exceeded my expectations,” said Harris, who has been riding C’est Samurai Sun for the past three months. “I gave him an extra 10 seconds just to look around, but the minute he sees his first jump, he is all business. Fence three was the liverpool, right out of the gate. It was very challenging, and there were some spooky combinations. They weren’t easy on the five year olds, but he did so well. He has such a great character.”
As for his future potential, Harris, who operates Alpine Show Jumpers in Millarville, AB, commented, “From what I can feel scope-wise, he could be a nice grand prix prospect. I’ve only been riding him for three months but I’m really enjoying him. This is the favourite part of my job. It is so rewarding to see the progress in the horses.”
Morstad selected Harris as her rider specifically based on Harris’s past experience riding both the sire and dam of C’est Samurai Sun. In fact, Harris rode Carthago Sun I from time he was three until he was seven years old.
As for C’est Samurai Sun, Harris explained how he received his name, saying, “The owners wanted to name him Samurai because he is a warrior. He was hung up in a fence as a foal, so the owners have been through a lot with him. You can tell that he loves jumping and loves being a riding horse. He is a really interesting horse, quite full of himself. He is a big, strong horse and he is very brave.”
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 http://www.equinecanada.ca/jumpcanada/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&id=88&Itemid=3
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