Ben Cruise knows the excitement of a victory gallop. But for his rider, David Koss, winning the advanced division at the Ram Tap Horse Trials, April 13-15, in Fresno, Calif., marked a significant step forward—especially for his second attempt at advanced.

Though Koss has been in the saddle since junior high, this year is his first riding full-time and second aboard Ben Cruise.

The 19-year-old Santa Clara University (Calif.) student juggles studying and training with his mother, Vicky Koss, who’s campaigned Ben Cruise and David’s other advanced horse, Candy, at intermediate and advanced levels.

“It’s been hard to balance school and riding, but I’ve kind of figured it out. Riding is actually a really nice get-away from school,” Koss said.

This victory gallop was particularly satisfying for Koss as it reflected some major progression aboard Ben Cruise. “He felt really fit and really on all weekend,” Koss said of the 11-year-old Thoroughbred imported from England. “Show jumping’s been taking awhile for me, but I’m finally getting the hang of it and we’re getting there.”

Koss trains with his mother and Dayna Lynd-Pugh to master the larger and more technical advanced jumps. “But I’m really starting to get a feel for [Ben Cruise] and find that connection and bond with him,” Koss said.

He also welcomed an improved dressage score. “I still get a bit tense when I go in the dressage ring, but that’s getting better too,” he said.

After posting a 38.3-fault test with Ben Cruise, Koss headed to cross-country placed second behind Nicholas Cwick and Asterix. Koss also held the third position aboard Candy, a 12-year-old, Thoroughbred mare, who ran first for Koss on Saturday’s course.

“I actually took the bounce into the water pretty badly on [Candy]. It definitely took a lot more leg than I expected,” Koss explained. “So after that I figured out I’d have to ride it a lot harder.”

While Candy left the course 20 faults heavier, Koss’ riding revision on Ben Cruise made for a clear round and only 4.4 time faults. They snagged the lead with a 6-fault cushion over Cwick and Asterix, who had gained 13.6 faults.

Koss and Ben Cruise dislodged one rail in show jumping but held on to the win as no one posted a clean round. Candy dropped four rails but still managed to retain third place out of the five surviving advanced entries.

David Adamo knew his weekend at Ram Tap was bound to be good after stepping out of the dressage ring in first place, on a score of 30.7. His long-time partner ERISA Edward Jordan had his first go at intermediate level in February at Ram Tap and finished fourth. But this time, both set their sights on blue.

“He really pulled out all the stops this weekend,” Adamo said. “Eddie’s always been a really good dressage performer, and that got us off to a good start.”

Jamie Lawrence and Coolnamara’s test earned second place, but they sat 7 points behind Adamo.

Eddie soared over the cross-country questions, though he did add 1.6 time faults. “He is a warmblood so I have to press him on the time a little bit,” Adamo said. “But we only finished a bit over, and he was honest and bold and seems to be handling all of the questions comfortably.”

Their focused training at home in Petaluma, Calif., made the difference in Fresno as the bending lines and narrows that had faulted Eddie in the past disappeared in the dust behind him that weekend. Adamo said schooling the 10-year-old gelding over single barrels and a variety of narrow fences is producing straighter and more confident lines. “And I think he’s definitely confirmed over the narrow questions now,” he added.

The pair confidently employed their new tricks over question 3ABC, which consisted of a large mound, a fence and a chevron. “I was really happy with how he went,” Adamo said. “He can really hold a straight line now, and he really sees the questions and does what he needs to do.”

After cross-country, he led second-placed Bunnie Shepherd-Sexton and The Usual Suspect by 8 points, affording him two rails in show jumping, which came in handy.

“He does have a bit of spook in him, but generally he’s a very clean jumper,” Adamo said. “My plan was to kind of over-ride him just to make sure there were no stupid stops from spooking at the crowd or something since we have had that issue on occasion. I was a little surprised at the two rails since he’s usually so careful.”

But even with two rails in the dirt, their blue was secure after Sexon and The Usual Suspect—who produced a double-clear cross-country trip—added 4 faults to wind up second.

Adamo and Eddie have shared a partnership for nearly seven years with some initial help from Brian Sabo. Owners Robert and Maggie Weems purchased Eddie for their daughter but found that his strength and impressive potential suited Adamo’s riding style well.

But regardless of ribbon color at Ram Tap, Adamo is watching Eddie progress with great delight and said he owes much of his success to the support of the Weems. Advanced horse trials in the fall are certainly in his thoughts.

Joshua A. Walker