As he waited to jump-off in the $25,000 Budweiser Grand Prix in Gulfport, Miss., on March 13, Wilhelm Genn was in a humorous mood.

“Another one for the old guys,” quipped Genn to friend and fellow jump-off competitor Jay Land. All jokes aside, Genn proved that he was at his best, taking first on Happy Z and second on Copyright 3.

Genn, 51, is hardly an old man, but lately he’s felt the pressure from younger up-and-coming riders, namely his two sons, Theo and Ryan. Though Wilhelm, Lebanon, Ohio, enjoys seeing his sons succeed in the ring, he doesn’t back down when it comes to their rivalry.

“If they’re going to beat me, they have to earn it,” he said. In the final week of the Gulf Coast Winter Series, neither of his sons had what it took to beat their father. Theo placed fifth on Paradox, and Ryan placed sixth on Marlo.

“I always have high expectations. I’m very competitive by nature,” said Wilhelm, who put more pressure on his older, more experienced horse, Happy, and she didn’t disappoint. Of the three horses who advanced to the jump-off, Happy was the only one to post a clean round. Her time of 43.95 seconds was slightly slower than that of Copyright 3, who earned second place in 43.52 seconds with 4 faults. Throughout the circuit, Happy placed in the top six in each week’s grand prix class, and she won the $25,000 EMO Grand Prix during the Gulf Coast National II.

Copyright was also competitive during the five weeks, earning second-placed finishes in the $25,000 Nutrena Grand Prix during the Gulf Coast Kick Off and the $25,000 Equifit Grand Prix during the Gulf Coast Magnolia Classic IV. The 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding has been giving Happy a run for her money, though he’s not quite as consistent yet.

“My goal is to make him as good as Happy,” said Wilhelm.

Wilhelm has created a solid partnership with Happy over the past seven years. “Happy knows her job. I can make little mistakes, and she makes up for it. We rely on each other,” he said of the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare.

Wilhelm said he enjoys the challenge of understanding his mounts. “I try to adjust to my horses and figure out their strengths and weaknesses. A good rider can help his horse and ride the way they like to go,” he said.
Similarly, he has a close bond with his sons. Balancing the father-trainer role can sometimes be difficult, and Wilhelm has learned that sometimes it’s best to separate his two roles. “When we leave the horse show, I tell them, ‘I’m your dad, not your trainer,’ ” he said.

The Gulf Coast Sunshine Classic V brought the whole Genn family together. Wilhelm’s oldest son, also called Wilhelm, doesn’t ride but was in attendance to watch his father and brothers in the grand prix. Wilhelm Sr.’s wife Patty, who he met through mutual interest in horses, was also ringside.

The Busier, The Better For Jarman

When it comes to horse shows, Aleece Jarman knows that she’ll be busy. The Gulf Coast Winter series was no exception, as the 14-year-old juggled multiple mounts. In the end, her hard work paid off, and she took home three circuit championships. Jarman won the large green pony division on Illusion and the medium pony division on Exclusive. “I like riding the ponies because they’re always so cute,” said Jarman, of Pace, Fla. However, she took the most pride in her success in the junior division. Last year, Jarman and her mount Levi won the children’s hunter, 14 and under, circuit championship. They returned this year and repeated their success, but this time in the small junior, 15 and under, division.

Jarman and Levi had to make some adjustments in order to move up to the junior hunters. “The horse’s step is different and the jumps are bigger, but it’s relatively the same,” she said. With the help of Levi’s steady attitude, Jarman adjusted quickly. “I was nervous at first, but now I’m more comfortable,” she said.
Levi, a 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, earned championships at all five of the Gulf Coast shows.
“He’s always soft and stays the same,” said Jarman. “Even if we didn’t have a great round, all of the jumps were usually nice.”

With multiple horses to show, Jarman had to stay on her toes to make sure she was always in the right place at the right time. However, she didn’t let the chaos affect her focus. “It can get hectic, but I just go with whatever is happening,” she said.

Jarman was helped by her trainer, Michael Newman, who is also her step-father. Though some teenagers might have trouble taking instruction from a parent, Jarman sees their relationship as an advantage. “I think it’s more fun to train with him. He’s easier to talk to,” she said.

With such a busy riding schedule, Jarman chose to be home-schooled. “With all of the shows, it’s just easier,” she said.

Talcott Turns Tragedy Into Triumph

Savannah Talcott and Recover began their partnership following a tragedy, but winning a circuit championship in the junior/amateur-owner jumpers, gave them cause to celebrate happier times. Talcott admired “Ricky” long before she started riding him. He was owned by a boarder at Great Griffin Farms in St. Louis, Mo., where Talcott, 16, also kept her pony. In a bizarre turn of events, Talcott’s pony had to be euthanized, and Ricky was put
up for sale the same day.

Despite her sadness over the death of her pony, Talcott knew she had to pursue the opportunity to ride Ricky. She chose to think positively about the timing of the situation. “We took it as a good sign,” she said. By August, Talcott who trains with Sharon Hicks, owned the gelding.

This year, they moved up from the high children’s to the junior/amateur-owners, a step that was a bit intimidating for Talcott, 16. “I was nervous about it, but he took care of me. He has so much scope,” she said.
The pair competed in four of the five shows at Gulfport and placed well throughout. Talcott had an especially memorable end to the circuit, finishing second in the junior/amateur-owner classic at the Gulf Coast Magnolia Classic IV after an excel-lent jump-off round. At the Gulf Coast Sunshine Classic V, they won their last class of the circuit.

“He was really careful and tried so hard,” said Talcott.

Talcott hopes to qualify her 13-year-old gelding for the Adequan FEI North Ameri-can Junior and Young Rider Champion-ships this year, and eventually she wants to compete at the grand prix level.

Siegel Shines As A Young Professional

Jordan Siegel added to her professional résumé by earning two circuit championships at the Gulf Coast Winter Show Series. Siegel, 26, is establishing herself as a young professional after a dominant intercollegiate career at the Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.).

Siegel rode Fallon Bock’s Cherry Stone and Castle Point Farm LLC’s Jetset to circuit championships in the first year green and 3’6″-3’9″ performance divisions, respec-tively. She turned professional four years ago under the leadership of her mother, Laura Hightower. Together they run Sum-mer Hill Farms in Flower Mound, Texas.
Bock also showed Cherry Stone, a Danish Warmblood, in the children’s hunter, 15-17, division.

“She is a great mover, and she has a good brain,” Siegel said. The pair earned three reserve championships over the course of the five-week circuit. Siegel felt as though their horses competed well because of their preparation at home, which focused mainly on flatwork. “The horses put in a big effort, and the whole experience was great,”
said Siegel.

Siegel attributed her part in the win to the support that her mother gave her. Hightower grew up riding and competing, and she passed her love of horses on to Siegel. “We are both obsessed with it, and that makes it special,” said Siegel.

As business partners at Summer Hill Farms, Hightower does most of the training, while Siegel rides and shows most of the horses. Siegel admitted that sometimes she and her mother don’t see eye to eye on everything, but they work through problems easily. “At the end of the day, we both know we have each other’s best interest at heart,” she said.

During her four years at SCAD, Siegel won the Affiliated National Riding Commission’s individual championship three times and was the first freshman to win the title. She also won the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Regional Cacchione Cup four times. To honor her accomplishments, SCAD created the Jordan Siegel Scholarship, a $500 admissions scholarship awarded to a freshman joining the SCAD equestrian team.

Siegel always dreamed of following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming a professional. Though she was pleased with her results at Gulfport, she’s focused more on the big picture.

“It was very rewarding, but I have much more work ahead,” she said. “I like to challenge myself.”

All The Best Lives Up To His Name

Christina Fisher and All The Best formed an unplanned partnership last year in the large junior, 16-17, division after the gelding was swapped from one Fisher family member to another. This year, they mastered the challenge of a new division, winning the amateur-owner, 18-35, Gulf Coast Winter Series circuit championship.

Christina and younger brother James are not your average teenage siblings. They enjoy the same sport and even seem to get along while doing it. Last year, James was all set to start showing “Cosmo” in the children’s division. But when Christina didn’t have a horse to compete in the large junior division, James generously passed the Hanoverian gelding on to her.

Of the horse swap, Christina said, “James was fine with it. There are a couple of horses we swap back and forth, so we never have conflicts. If we both ride the horses, then we can understand them better.”

This year, as she moved up to the amateur-owners, Christina, 18, was both nervous and excited.

“It’s different competing in the amateur-owners because it’s a bit more competitive, but also more laid back,” said Christina, who trains with Tim Sweat.

Over the course of the five weeks, Christina and Cosmo earned two championships and two reserve championships.

“I loved showing there. The weather was so nice, and Cosmo was consistent every week,” said Christina, of Milton, Ga. For now, Christina and James seem content on their mounts, but future horse trades are never out the question.