meisterider.com

Twenty one horse/rider combinations saddled up to tackle a tough and technical Grand Prix course at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center’s Winter Series II “A” show, held on Saturday, February 12, 2011  and set up by course designer Michel Vaillancourt.

First on the course was German born rider Christian Rogge aboard Carl Loui TSP, finishing the course with only 1 rail down.  This score would hold the lead through past half of the field, as rider after rider found themselves with multiple faults due to downed rails or refusals.

The triple combination at fence 7 (two verticals with an oxer at 7C) proved to be a challenge, with many riders leaving rails on the ground. Immediately after this difficult combo, Vaillancourt set up a hard right to a narrow vertical at fence 8 that also saw many downed rails.

It was not until teenage rider Jordan Appel and her horse Einstein (13th in the jump order), who managed to put up the first clean round of the evening. It is worthwhile to mention that she also held the distinction of being the youngest rider in the field!

There were several riders who would eventually finish with 4 faults total, including Stephanie Tropia and CR Napoleon, Rogge, and Erin Davis aboard Alamo. They would go on to claim spots 3rd through 5^th respectively. The crowd in attendance had to wait until the very last rider to find out whether there would be a jump off. That last rider was Heineking on the irons of his second mount of the night “River of Dreams” owned by Kai Handt. The dapple grey and his rider putting a classic clean round, well within the time allowed, to earn the second and last spot on the jump-off.

So that left only NTEC’s Heineking and his student Appel on the jump-off.  Jordan was the first to go, and put a quick round of 48.084 sec. but had an unfortunate rail at the last fence, and thus would claim second place overall. Heineking, her trainer and competitor was next, and put in his second clean round of the night, stopping the clock at 47.560  to claim the blue ribbon.  Overall, a great evening for North Texas Equestrian Center (NTEC).