Maggie Jayne rides the elegant bay to the top of the $15,000 The Chronicle of the Horse USHJA International Hunter Derby.

Maggie Jayne hasn’t had much time to get to know Early Applause. She’d just shown him once before they took the green conformation hunter tricolor at the Devon Horse Show (Pa.) at the end of May.

But they’re quickly learning how to string victories together, as they cantered off with the top check in the $15,000 The Chronicle of the Horse USHJA International Hunter Derby, held June 9 during the Showplace Productions Spring Spectacular II in Wayne, Ill.

“They put up a beautiful course. He was great in the first round, but then in the second round he was more comfortable out there, and he jumped even better,” Jayne said.

Early Applause made a name for himself early in his career, winning the $42,500 AHJF Hunter Classic Spectacular (Fla.) in February under the guidance of Kelley Farmer. Farmer and “Texas” then took third in the $50,000 ASG Software Solutions International Hunter Derby (Fla.) at the end of March.

The Thatcher family, Jayne’s students, bought the elegant bay after that, but Texas didn’t meet up with Jayne until May.

Jayne showed him once at Showplace before heading to Devon. There, they not only took the green conformation title, but also placed third in the $10,0000 ASG Software Solutions International Hunter Derby.

Taking Her Time

 At Showplace, the second round of the derby was an interesting face-off, since Farmer had ridden to the top score—182—in Round 1 aboard Upshot. She laid down a solid second trip with a score of 178 and then watched as Jayne tried to beat it on her former mount.

With slick inside turns and a foot-perfect trot jump, Jayne and Texas garnered a 185—good enough for the
blue over Farmer and Upshot.

“He doesn’t really want to go fast, but once he understood that I wanted a little more gallop, he said, ‘OK, let’s go!’ ” Jayne said.

The derby course was set in the jumper ring at Showplace and harkened back to old-style hunter courses. There was a sod-covered rolltop, a coop, a snake jump and a post-and-rail box set as a two-stride in-and-out. The solidly built natural jumps inspired the horses to jump their best.

“He’s able to go so slow but still make such a powerful jump. He really fires off the ground. You don’t have to set him up as much as some horses—he can fire from anywhere, and I think that’s kind of unusual. It’s an incredible feeling. I can take my time and canter around, and no matter how we get to the jump, he jumps with perfect form.”

Riding Early Applause took some getting used to for Jayne, though.

“He’s got such a big step as you’re cantering around the ring that it doesn’t really feel like you’re going anywhere. And at first I would be worried about getting down the lines. But he gets to the jump and just explodes off the ground and makes it easily down the lines,” she said.

While the elegant 7-year-old warmblood’s jump is explosive, his demeanor is anything but.

“He’s so quiet, and when he walks in the ring he puts his ears up and is ready to show. He says, ‘I can do this. Let’s go.’ He’s not at all nervous or tense,” Jayne said.

Farmer and trainer Larry Glefke had told Jayne about Texas’ calm nature, but Jayne was pleased to discover it for herself. “A lot of people, when they sell you a horse, tell you, ‘He never spooks.’ But this one really never spooks!” she said with a laugh.

Farmer and Glefke still give Jayne pointers about riding Texas and enjoy watching him go.

“Any other horse, it might have been a bit difficult to get beaten, but not him,” Farmer said. “He’s a great horse, and I can’t take anything away from him. It gives me great pleasure to see him go on and be successful and win. They love him and appreciate him, so I’m happy.”

Hard To Find Another One

Farmer’s pretty happy herself, since Upshot seems prepared to step into Texas’ big footsteps.

“I never thought I’d be so lucky as to have two such good ones in one year. You very rarely get lucky enough to have one like Early Applause, and then to have a second really good one like Upshot is great,” she said.

Farmer spotted Upshot showing in Florida this winter and called client Jane Gaston.

“I said, ‘I found you a really nice horse.’ I tried him once and jumped him and thought, ‘This horse can do the four-foot jumps easy.’ I had a feeling Early Applause wouldn’t be in the barn much longer, so I knew I wanted another one. So Jane bought him, and then I had to call her and say, ‘Now you own a horse, and you need to name him,’ ” Farmer recalled.

“Jane’s a great owner because Jane likes having a winner and appreciates having a four-foot horse and a derby horse,” Farmer added.

Upshot started winning in the regular conformation and regular working divisions right away.

“He’s got a ton of ability. For a little horse—he’s probably right about 16 hands—he’s got a huge stride and a ton of jump,” Farmer said. “He tries to win, which is really nice. He’s got a little bit of an attitude, which Early Applause did too, which I like. He wants to be a good horse.”

Showplace was Upshot’s first hunter derby appearance.

“There was one inside turn that I didn’t make, but he was really smooth. Upshot’s just learning the inside turns and things, even though he does the regular working handy classes really well,” Farmer said.

Gaston has started winning with Upshot as well—they were the grand amateur-owner hunter champions at the Keswick Horse Show (Va.) in May.

Changes Afoot In The Derby Arena

The 2009-2010 The Chronicle of the Horse USHJA International Hunter Derby season kicked off at the Showplace Spring Spectacular (Ill.), and competitors and spectators encountered a few changes to the series, now in its second year.

Amendments to last year’s specifications include:

• Judges now have the discretion to award bonus points in the classic round, as well as the handy round. The Round 1 bonus points will reflect “jumping style, quality and movement,” while points awarded in Round 2 will continue to honor “handiness of round and brilliance of pace.”

• The jumps have inched up. While last season fences were set at 3’6″ to 3’9″, with options set at 4’0″, this season the jumps range from 3’6″ to 4’0″—with no more than 25 percent of the jumps to be set at 3’6″—and the optional fences are set at 4’0″ to 4’3″. 

• The specifications for the handy round have been rewritten, now offering greater detail for course designers and riders. Most notably, the rules state that the course should simulate riding over
“trappy hunt country,” but should not include “gimmicky options.”

• Derbies may now be held at A-rated as well as AA-rated competitions.

• Tie-breaking procedures have been laid out in greater detail.

• Horses must be ridden in the designated warm-up area during the entire class with their numbers on, and riders must complete an Exhibitor Declaration Form before the competition.

• Shows must now hold an officials’ meeting and a riders’ meeting before the class.

For a full list of the new specifications, please click here.