This week World Equestrian Center went to the dogs (in a good way) as we celebrated the grand opening of the Shaggy Chic Pet Parlor in Vendor Village. Friday night a group gathered in the Paddock Club for a dog-themed sip & paint party, Saturday we hosted an adoption party with the Wilmington Area Humane Society and a demonstration from Spikes K9, as well as a dog puissance. On Sunday, we celebrated January dog birthdays in Vendor Village!
Thursday in the Sanctuary, Ireland’s Kevin McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS raced to the win in the $5,000 Welcome Stake 1.35 m sponsored by CWD. Eight entries jumped a double clear round, calling for a true race against the clock. Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Sovereign jumped mid-pack in the order of go, setting an impressive time of 31.697 seconds in the jump off. The pair held their lead for a few rounds, until Ireland’s Kevin J. McCarthy entered the ring aboard his own Catch A Star HSS (Tolinda x Nimmerdor). McCarthy and Catch A Star were unstoppable, besting Goldman-Smolen and Sovereign’s time by almost three seconds, riding a clear jump off in 28.873 seconds for the win in the $5,000 Welcome Stake 1.35 m sponsored by CWD.
Friday‘s action included a fantastic one-two victory from husband and wife duo Jason Berry and Alisa C. Berry in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby. The pair beat out twenty other entries for the win in the National Hunter Derby, both jumping phenomenally stylish rounds. Jason Berry rode Lee Cesery’s Shakespeare (Sir Donnerhall x Stutbuch) for an 82 in the first round and a 92 in the second round, for a two-round-total of 175. Alisa C. Berry rode Michael Cline’s Fate (Cosmos x Dolce Vita) for a 79 in the first round and an 89 in the second round, bringing their two-round total to 168. Both of the Berrys were thrilled with their rides in the Derby.
The Wilmington Area Humane Society joined us in Vendor Village on Saturday along with four of their adoptable furry friends. The Wilmington Area Humane Society is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization formed to promote the welfare of dogs and cats in Clinton County and to provide programs to the residents of the area to nurture and strengthen the human and animal bond. They were joined by Avis, an adult female Husky, Sorcha, a young female Border Collie, Shaggy, an adult male Wirehaired Fox Terrier, and Penelope, an adult female Wirehaired Fox Terrier. The best news? Sorcha and Penelope were adopted during their visit to World Equestrian Center!
In the $7,500 Futures Prix 1.30 m sponsored by Voltaire, David Q. Beisel and Phyllis Harlow’s For Sunday (For Pleasure x Patoile T.H.) delivered a jump off round that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The pair were at the top of the order of go in the class and set a blistering pace at 32.581 seconds in the jump off. Though many attempted, none could catch Beisel and For Sunday, and the pair took home the win.
Spikes K9 Fund visited World Equestrian Center on Saturday along with five police officers from neighboring towns along with their K9 partners. Spikes K9 Fund is a non-profit dedicated to protecting dogs in the line of duty by supplying them with protective vests, some of which are bulletproof, depending on the dog’s needs. The organization relies completely on donations to outfit dogs with vests, as most police and military department budgets are not large enough to supply this kind of protection for K9s in the line of duty. Between the $7,500 Futures Prix and $25,000 Grand Prix, the group demonstrated some of the tasks police and military dogs perform on a daily basis, which include take-downs of dangerous subjects and drug detection. The crowd was amazed by the strength, agility and intelligence of the highly trained K9s. A special thanks goes out to Officer Liedenbor and K9 Raider of Green Township, Officer Herren and K9 Bragi of Williamsburg P.D., Officer Manning and K9 Onil or North College Hill P.D., Officer Scheeler and K9 Pako of Springfield Township and Officer Bibelhausen and K9 Mack of Loveland P.D. for donating their time to come out to World Equestrian Center for the demonstration. For more information on Spikes K9 Fund or to donate, visit their website.
After Spikes K9’s demonstration was the $25,000 WEC Grand Prix. The class saw a head-to-head battle from Jill Gaffney and Lisa Goldman-Smolen. Gaffney challenged Goldman-Smolen to a quick pace in the jump off, crossing the timers aboard Freestyling Farms LLC’s Jordan at 37.212 seconds. Goldman-Smolen then took over the lead with Barbara J. Disko’s Sovereign, jumping clear in a time of 35.393 seconds. Knowing the time she had to beat, Gaffney returned aboard Freestyling Farms LLC’s Carlton Cafe (Carlton Clover x Moytura Spook) and raced for the finish, stopping the clock at 35.333 seconds, just barely beating Goldman-Smolen for the win.
After the $25,000 WEC Grand Prix, the dogs took to the arena for a dog puissance. The pups were divided into three sections: small dogs, medium dogs and large dogs. Each dog jumped a horse jump, which got one hole higher with each round, until one dog prevailed. The dog’s owners get into the action too, some jumping the jump with their pup pals. Everyone had great fun and the dogs enjoyed some play time in the ring after their competition.
Also on Saturday was the $2,000 Non Pro Hunter Derby. The class saw twelve entries vying for the win, but it was Traci Ribeiro aboard Kalanov Equestrian’s Abudabi that emerged victorious. The pair competed successfully in several divisions throughout the weekend in both the Hunter and Jumper rings. Traci Ribeiro and Abudabi took home a third, seventh, and eighth place finish in the Intermediate Adult Hunter 2’6″ division, as well as a fourth place in the Intermediate Children’s/Adult Jumper .80m and a sixth place in the $500 Novice Children’s/Adult Jumper Classic .95m.
We wrapped up the week on Sunday with a birthday party for all of the dogs with January birthdays (though all dogs were invited to join). The pups wore birthday hats and ate Frosty Paws ice cream as a group gathered to sing happy birthday.