Mary Lisa Nicholson Leffler gave herself an early birthday present by winning the $25,000 Encore Grand Prix.
   
Leffler and the 12-year-old, gray Hanoverian mare, Gerona 92, jumped one of only seven clear first rounds out of the 33 entries who attempted Pierre Jolicoeur’s grand prix course at the Lexington Spring Encore, May 9-13 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va.

“I don’t think it [the course] was over anybody’s head. It gave some people a chance to go in for the first time. But I think it caught you if you weren’t paying attention,” Leffler added.

The win was a pleasant birthday surprise for the Brookville, Md., rider who turned 40 the next day. This is her second year of campaigning the 17-hand Gerona 92, who she described as talented, scopey and uncomplicated. Peter Pletcher imported Gerona from Germany, and Leffler bought her before she ever left quarantine.

“I tried her and I didn’t think there was any way I was going to be able to stay on her,” she admitted. “She has such a big jump. But my sister, Patty Foster, kept encouraging me and telling me that I would be able to learn to ride her.”

Gerona wasn’t an established grand prix horse at the time. “She didn’t have a lot of mileage, but I still liked that because I wasn’t buying anyone’s used car,” Leffler said.

The winning pair was almost 4 seconds faster than second-placed finishers Melissa Jones Sarle and Lavaro, indicating that their recent focus on “learning to go faster” was paying off.

“She has such a big step,” Leffler said. “I went for a while where I kept pulling a rail because I was thinking about the time too much. Now I think about doing the speed early in the course and then concentrating on the job at hand.”  Sarle and Leffler were the only riders with clean jump-off rounds.

The Horse Center’s indoor coliseum seemed to be a good fit for the big mare, despite the technical questions posed. “She’s always been good in the small spaces,” Leffler said. “When she gets outside, she almost gets too casual. Indoors, she’s always looking at her fences and is a little spunkier.”

Leffler took Gerona 92 home following Lexington to relax before heading off to Devon (Pa.) and Upperville (Va.) in June.

Jolicoeur said he designed his course with the idea of allowing riders to move up. “The first part of the course was a rhythm thing, a give-away,” he said. “It put the horses to sleep both mentally and physically.

“Then the second part hit them very fast. It was really to separate the younger riders from the older riders, and to make sure the winner was really the winner.”

Jolicoeur was pleased that at least a couple of younger riders made it into the jump-off, including 18-year old Kristin Vanderveen riding Bull Run’s Lavinia. Vanderveen ended up in fifth place.

Pin-Up More Than Just Pretty
Hilary Scheer Gerhardt, 40, of Warrenton, Va., added the Best Adult Rider title to her championship in the adult amateur, 36-45 division at the Lexington Spring Encore. A mother of two, Gerhardt fits riding into her busy schedule that includes volunteering with com-munity service organizations and a part-time job with a land conservation group.

Pin-Up, a 6-year-old Hanoverian mare, arrived from Germany two years ago to Kitty and Johnny Barker’s farm in Middleburg, Va., after competing briefly as a jumper in Europe. “She didn’t want to be a jumper,” Gerhardt explained. “She’s very lofty and slow in the air but a pretty mover. When I sat on her, I just fell in love.”

Gerhardt said she had been really looking for a more experienced horse because of her time constraints. But the mare’s attitude, coupled with her small size—15.3 hands—made it her perfect fit. Last year, Pin-Up did the pre-greens with Kitty Barker and Holly Orlando while Gerhardt showed in the adult amateurs.

The pair is now focusing on consistency. “She’s been such a ‘steady Eddie,’ forgiving, and a wonderful pet,” Gerhardt said. Home for both horse and rider is the family farm, Elmwood, where Gerhardt has lived all her life and is now raising her children. Showing her horse, she said “is my outlet. It’s an added bonus when you do well, but what’s important is to have a good time with your horses and your friends.”

Saturday was the last day at the show for the amateur rider because “tomorrow is soccer, two birthday parties, and, oh yes, Mother’s Day!” she said.

Lumiere Shines
Jane Gaston wasn’t looking for another horse a year ago, when she bought Lumiere. She was taking a horse to Bob Crandall’s farm to be tried and happened to spot the 6-year-old Oldenburg.

“I really liked him, and I had to take him home with me,” she said.  “He was really pretty, with a great attitude and a powerful jump.” Gaston’s impulse buy paid off with the first year green tricolor at the Lexington Spring Encore.

A “great person” is how Gaston, of Middleburg, Va., describes her horse, because he doesn’t indulge in annoying equine behaviors like “getting attached to other horses and refusing to ship alone,” she said.
Maybe that’s partly the case because Gaston is a firm believer, in her words, in letting “a horse be a horse” and keeps the 16.2-hand German import at a fox-hunting farm where he can be turned out and trail-ridden. She even foxhunts her show horses on occasion, admitting “I’m a real abnormality.”

Gaston is also known for her artwork, particularly commissioned portraits of horses and other animals in watercolor. She has created the artwork for the front of the program for the Washington International Horse Show (D.C.) for the last 11 years. Her work has also been featured on the Chronicle’s cover many times. Art adds balance to her life and keeps things interesting, Gaston said. “It keeps me from getting tired of one or the other.”

He Knows His Stuff
A familiar buckskin pony helped yet another youthful rider earn wins at Lexington. At 17, Benlea Neptune proved he still has what it takes to bring home the ribbons.

Holly Shearin, 12, of Virginia Beach, Va., rode the Welsh gelding to the reserve championship in the small pony hunter division. Acquired by the Shearins in 2000, “Neppie” took Holly’s older sister, Taylor, from the short stirrup division all the way to the Pennsylvania National and Washington International (D.C.) in 2003; and now Holly has her sights set on the same goal.

“King Neptune” is how the pony is known at the Shearin family farm where he uses all of his 12.2 hands to lord over the family’s 12 other horses. His status as a member of the family has even resulted in Neppie’s being invited, and coming into, the house, Holly said.

Neppie has also already started giving Holly’s 3-year old brother longe-line lessons so he will be able to take over the reins when Holly moves up in another few years “We’re hoping she waits on that growth spurt,” added Mary Shearin about her 4’8″ daughter.

Holly said Neppie’s “bossy attitude” can carry over to the show ring where he can be “really slow and lazy.” She said she and trainer Chris Wynne have been working to get the pony to extend down the long sides. “He can be sneaky at times, but he’s gotten to trust me more this year,” Holly said.

“We always say, it’s his way or the highway,” Mary added.