This young rider sweeps the children’s, 13 and under, division with two young hunters.
For Tara Spencer, transitioning from ponies to horses has been successful and, in her opinion, a lot of fun. And her enjoyment increased twofold when she took the championship and reserve tri-colors in the children’s hunter, 13 and under, division at HITS Desert Circuit VI in Thermal, Calif., on March 3-8.
She rode Brielle Mariucci’s Game Day, a 7-year-old dark bay gelding, and Gaetan Moran’s Ideal, a 5-year-old mare, and said she enjoyed her trips on both of them.
“Game Day is a blast, really cool and really nice to ride because he has a huge step. You just kind of lope down the lines, and he’s really smooth,” Spencer said. “Ideal is so easy for a [young horse]. She walked in the ring and didn’t look at a single jump and was so adjustable and simple. She’s really fun to ride.”
Spencer, 12, Westlake Village, Calif., has been riding since she was 4 years old and spent her first several years under the tutelage of Mark Watring, Thousand Oaks, Calif., before beginning to ride with Jeni Brown, Fillmore, Calif., when she was 10.
Last year, she spent a good portion of the year on the East Coast riding for trainers Bibby Farmer Hill, Don Stewart Jr. and Bill Schaub, allowing her to see the sights in Jacksonville, Fla., Ocala, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., Devon, Pa., Culpeper, Va., and Kentucky. This year, she’s been riding for John French and Randy Henry and plans to spend most of her time on the West Coast.
“I kind of wanted to stay home this year,” she said. “I home-schooled in 2007, but I missed my friends so I went back to school. It was really difficult [to balance] with traveling and was really hectic, so I decided to home-school again this year.”
Home-schooling allowed Spencer to compete all seven weeks of the Desert Circuit, where she has won championships across the board. In her first week of competing on horses, she also won the 12- and 13-year-old equitation championship on Jenny Van Konynenburg’s Jonas.
| HITS Desert Tidbits
• Little Valley Farm’s Cadett 7 and Ashlee Bond won the $50,000 Desert Circuit VI Grand Prix CSI-W, guaranteeing them a spot at the Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Nev., in April. The pair narrowly edged Harry and Mollie Chapman’s Flexible, ridden by Rich Fellers, by posting a clear round in 34.87 seconds. Flexible and Fellers stopped the clock at 34.89. ADVERTISEMENT• Cathy Morris-Schmitt, Greenwood Village, Colo., took the championship and reserve honors in the amateur-owner, 36 and over, division aboard Caymus and High Cotton. • Amy Brubaker, Pasadena, Calif., was the adult equitation, 36-50, champion riding Melissa Doddridge’s Punkt, and the adult hunter, 46-55, champion and reserve riding Tanya Levorchick’s Golden Eye and Glenda Lippman’s Red Label. • Newmarket, Inc.’s Helicon Take Notice was the small pony hunter champion, and Marigot Bay Farm LLC’s Made For Me took the reserve championship, both with Pearl Theodosakis, Encinitas, Calif., in the irons. • Destry Spielberg, Los Angeles, Calif., won the medium pony hunter championship on Newmarket, Inc.’s Mercury and the reserve championship on Pegasus Show Stables, Inc.’s As You Wish. She also won the large pony hunter reserve championship on Olivia Jack’s Love And Laughter. • Nicole Kane, Newport Beach, Calif., began riding Kelly Straeter’s Sin City during week 2 of the HITS Desert Circuit and won the adult amateur, 18-35, championship during week 6. “He’s super scopey and an awesome mover. Riding him feels so amazing,” said Kane. “When he jumps he’s so slow in the air, and he always jumps his best. He’s probably one of my favorite horses to ride.” |
“I’m tiny, and I look like an ant on him,” she said of the 17.2-hand gelding. “He’s so incredibly lazy, but he’s awesome. He’s got the [biggest] stride and is a wonderful horse to ride. One week I had to counter-canter an oxer [in an equitation class] and a lot of people walked and counter-countered. I just did a flying change to the counter lead and he said, ‘OK!’ I’m so grateful I get to ride him.”
While Spencer had her first successful weeks on the horses in the hunter divisions, she’s also looking forward to continuing in the equitation and jumper rings, and she’s competed in her first WIHS Equitation Classic.
“The Washington jumper phase is so creative, and you really have to think about it,” she said. “If you miss you really have to plan to get out. You can’t just guess.
“I want to go and do the equitation finals,” Spencer continued with enthusiasm. “I love equitation. This is really a growth year for me, figuring out everything. I would like to stay home a little more and really want to focus on my riding skills and planning where I want to be.”
Spencer also credited French and Henry. “I’m so grateful to them, and I love being at the shows and being there all day,” she said. “It feels like home.”
Asparagus Rules
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Although this equitation horse might have an unusual moniker, being named after a lanky green vegetable didn’t stop him from starring in the equitation ring with Cayla Richards, Calabasas, Calif.
The pair won the hunter phase and overall WIHS Equitation Classic, the USEF Medal, the USEF Talent Search Medal, and Richards earned the best junior rider award during week 6 of the HITS Desert Circuit.
“He had that name,” Richards said with a laugh.
After a stint to the East Coast last fall where they earned top ribbons at the Capital Challenge (Md.), they’re preparing for a return visit as Richards has already qualified for the ASPCA Maclay Regionals and the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search-West for 2009.
On the Desert Circuit, Richards also won the large junior hunter, 15 and under, championship aboard Portia DeRossi’s Granted and the small junior, 15 and under, reserve championship on Stephanie Danhakl’s Glenview.
“Granted is a nice horse,” said Richards. “I am so thankful to be riding him. Glenview is young and green, but he gets better and better every week.”
During week 5, Richards and Granted won the large junior hunter classic in addition to the division championship, and they also took the blue in the classic during week 3.
Richards has been training with Jenny and Kost Karazissis, Calabasas, Calif., since she was 5 and hopes to continue to show in the equitation ranks as well as in the junior jumpers with Orage, a mare she imported from Belgium.
This year she has also appreciated catch riding for trainer Archie Cox in addition to competing her own horses.
