Wilmington, Ohio – The $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby sponsored by Standlee saw a group of 15 accomplished hunter athletes compete over Bobby Murphy’s (USA) tracks Friday evening. In the end, Havens Schatt (USA) earned the highest scores of the day with her own Chance (Connect x Paloma S) to take the lion share of prize money.
The acclaimed professional of Lexington, Kentucky, has made WEC – Ohio her recent destination to aid in the development of her string of talented young horses.
“This year was the first year that we came during the summer. I needed to get ready for Green Incentive Finals. I felt like the facility here was great preparation with the jumps, the courses that they make, and the ability to do everything that you need to do with young horses. Our experience was awesome. We have a lot of young horses that need a lot of practice, and they don’t need it in a big pressure situation. We will be here for all five weeks of the fall for the same reason, and the facility is always in perfect condition.”
Returning to the R+L Arena for Fall Classic 4, Schatt and the eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding jumped in picture-perfect form for impressive scores of 94 and 93 for a winning two-round total of 187.
“Chance is eight years old. He has become the barn mascot! He belonged to two of my clients, one imported him from Europe, and one saw him and wanted to buy him. He isn’t difficult, but we call him special! He doesn’t like the grind and he doesn’t like the pressure. I try to take the pressure off of him a little bit. I show him in a lot of these classes and the 3’6 greens, things that I think aren’t too overwhelming for him. I move up and down with him a little bit. I ride him in a rope halter to warm up and I turn him out a lot. I try not to bother him, and it seems to be working,” laughed Schatt.
Schatt reflected on her rewarding experience with Chance after their win, “Chance has been a great learning experience for me. It is something new. You can never stop learning in the sport; you have to do what makes a horse shine in their own right.”
WEC – Wilmington sponsor 2nd Round Equestrian presented a $500 bonus to Melissa Donnelly and Corlando 49, the second place finishers after the conclusion of the second round of the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby.
$15,000 Standlee USHJA National Open Hunter Derby Results:
1 Chance, Havens Schatt, Havens Schatt | 94 | 93 | 187
2 Corlando 49, Melissa Donnelly, Elizabeth Becker | 86 | 92 | 178
3 Copa Du Cache, Kathleen Caya, Colleen Nagy White | 88 | 86 | 174
4 Clekinchie, Natalie Hauber, Stephanie Maahs | 82 | 84 | 166
5 Designated, Havens Schatt, Caroline Moran |81 | 82 | 163
6 Cinda, Melissa Donnelly, Elizabeth Becker | 83.5 | 79 | 162.5
7 Benji, Devin Milan, Cynthia Chaconas | 75 | 86 | 161
8 Waterfront, Quincy Hayes, Tania Burrows | 83 | 77 | 160
9 TC E2, Michaella Gerlacher, True Course | 80 | 78 | 158
10 Eurythmix, Kathleen Caya, Susan Winchester | 79 | 72 | 151
Kiera Phlipot & Red Roc Claim Victory in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby
Of the 19 horse-and-athlete combinations in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby, the judges were most impressed by Kiera Phlipot’s combined performances with her own Red Roc (Roc USA x Rhea) at the conclusion of the class.
Phlipot, of Manchester, Michigan, is a longtime exhibitor of World Equestrian Center – Wilmington and has utilized the opportunity to prepare for the indoor finals season each year.
“I have come here the past few years to prep for indoors. There is nowhere better to go to set you up. The jumps are perfect, the courses are wonderful, and the atmosphere is just like it would be at indoors. You can set yourself up to practice pretty much however you want. The course today was beautifully decorated and really made you stay straight and keep track of your numbers. I feel like it set me up really well for the National Horse Show next week.”
Aboard her own 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Phlipot returned for the handy with a score of 86, and secured the win with her second round score of 89.
“He almost out handys himself sometimes, especially off the left lead. I was thinking about going inside and inside to the in-and-out, but I ended up splitting the gap so that I could leg yield him a little bit in the turn to make sure he was listening to my left leg. Other than that, I just have to look where I am going and he follows me, as long as we don’t climb over the trot jump, were pretty good to go!”
The longtime partners took home the blue with an overall score of 175.
$15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby Results:
1 Red Roc, Kiera Phlipot, Kiera Phlipot | 86 | 89 | 175
2 Diatendro, Kelley Corrigan, Kelley Corrigan | 83.5 | 85 | 168.5
3 Sullivan GS, Ashley Grinyer, Ashley Grinyer | 88 | 72 | 160
4 Cosmo Cool, Grace Hildebrand, Grace Hildebrand | 71 | 82 | 153
5 In The Groove, Pearl Thurston, Pearl Thurston | 70 | 79 | 149
6 Constable, Taryn Mcentire, Shayne Wireman | 79 | 69 | 148
7 Quax, Alana Salaiz, Ilan Ferder | 74 | 73 | 147
8 Caruso Des Flagures, Stephanie Maahs, Stephanie Maahs | 76 | 70 | 146
9 Crescendo W, Elysa Batista, Sharon Batista | 83 | 58 | 141
10 Oassis V, Ava Lindsay, Ava Lindsay | 87 | 48 | 135
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Results can be found at wec.net.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.