Mill Springs, N.C.—July 18
When Schuyler Riley goes on a roll, she really knows how to get it done! For the third consecutive weekend, Riley topped a six-figure grand prix at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Where her previous two wins had come aboard Dobra de Porceyo, this week she rode Q-7 to the top of the $127,000 Grand Prix CSI 3*. “I didn’t think Q was going to step up the way he did and I’m so proud and couldn’t have asked for more of an effort from him tonight,” Riley said. She also finished seventh on Dobra de Porceyo.
“It feels like heaven for me right now. Three weeks in a row is unbelievable considering three weeks ago, it was the first grand prix I had won in three years. It all came together at the right moment,” Riley said. “I think that they’re both true championship quality horses and the more they have exposure to classes like this with competition like this, the better they will be in the future. They’re both just 9 and have a lot more to come.”
Schuyler Riley on Q-7 winning the $127,000 Grand Prix CSI3* at Tryon. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography
Riley and Q-7 bested the jump-off round with a time of 50.62 seconds, more than a second faster than Sharn Wordley of New Zealand on Casper. Funnily enough, Riley has recently been working with Wordley, with Q-7 specifically. Wordley rode “Q” several times for Riley as the duo tried to fine-tune the 9-year-old Bayern gelding’s (Que Sera—Peggy) steering in the ring.
“It’s really funny because I went to Sharn earlier in the spring in Kentucky because I was having so much trouble with the steering. [Q] couldn’t figure it out and acted like he always knew where we were going, which he clearly didn’t,” Riley said. “He always tries to pick a direction and 50 percent of the time it’s the wrong direction!
“Sharn got on him and did a little exercise with him to help with the steering and I do it religiously now. He’s just gotten better and better. Sharn has helped me so much with this horse and I can’t thank him enough.”
The flashy chestnut has been slower to progress than his barn sister Dobra de Porceyo, who won the $210,000 Asheville Regional Airport Grand Prix on July 11 and the $127,000 Ariat Grand Prix on July 4.
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In an effort to help him gain confidence, Riley was sure not to push him too far too fast, letting him naturally rise to the top.”I didn’t want to put him into another grand prix until I felt like he was ready and he was ready to go this week, which is why I decided that I would give him a shot,” she said.
“He jumped so well in the Welcome on Thursday. It was all about the rideability and he was just straight as an arrow, so I decided that it was time to step him up.”
Even though the two chestnuts in Riley’s Wolfstone Stables seem similar in stature and attitude, they couldn’t be more different. Dobra is the cool, calm and collected sister, while Q, the silly brother, manifests his nerves internally, making them unique, but in the best ways according to Riley.
“I’ve had both of them for almost the same time, but they’re just two completely different rides. He’s been a little bit slower to develop than her. He’s a bit quirky and has his own mind. Q worries a lot more than she does,” she explained. “He really started coming into his own at Angelstone in Canada last fall. He was always good, but the steering was always an issue. His first real 1.50-meter class was in Miami [at the Longines Global Champions Tour] this past spring and it was a lot to ask of him at that point. Today he showed me that he is absolutely everything we thought he was and there’s so much potential for him. I feel like we’ve only tapped into the surface of what’s there.”
“He’s a type of horse that I just didn’t know as well and it was about gaining confidence in the ring with him,” noted Riley. “He’s always had endless scope and sometimes it’s hard to believe because he’s barely 16 hands.”
Also in fantastic form was caretaker and head groom, Jesus Pimentel, who has accompanied Riley into the winner’s circle for the past three weeks as part of the new Groom’s Initiative Award enacted by Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of the Tryon Equestrian Partners.
Q-7’s groom, Jesus Pimentel (left), celebrated his horse’s big win with Schuyler Riley. Photo by Liz Crawley Photography
“I think it’s so amazing that Mark has initiated this new award. I’m so happy for Jesus and it’s amazing because they work so hard day in and day out. He loves his horses and I’m so proud of him. He’s taken impeccable care of both of them for a long time and they shine because of him,” Riley noted.
As for Pimentel, he was just as thrilled with Q’s win tonight as he was for Dobra’s previous two, “Q is very sensitive and he internalizes things very quickly. You have to let him know what’s going on and go slowly because he’s the type of horse that you have to be patient with,” said Pimentel. “He just stepped up to this level and I couldn’t be more proud of the way he tried his heart out tonight. They’re both incredible horses and I’m so lucky to have the honor to work with both of them.”
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Final Results for the $127,000 Grand Prix CSI 3*:
1. Q-7, 2006 Bayer gelding by Que Sera x Peggy, SCHUYLER RILEY (USA), Wolfstone Stables and Sales, Inc: 0/0/50.627
2. CASPER, 2006 Oldenburg gelding by Falubet x Baloubet Du Rouet, SHARN WORDLEY (NZL), Sky Group: 0/0/51.649
3. CALL ME NUMBER ONE, 2004 Westphalian stallion by Cornet Obolensky x Lucie, RICHIE MOLONEY (IRL), Equinimity, LLC: 0/0/53.351
4. VEYRON, 2006 Oldenburg Springferd stallion by Conterno Grande x Liness van Overis, LIUBOV KOCHETOVA (RUS), Liubov Kochetova: 0/0/54.861
5. BULL RUN’S TESTIFY, 2004 Selle Francais gelding by Dollar Du Murier x Marquise Des Monts, KRISTEN VANDERVEEN (USA), Bull Run Jumpers, Inc: 0/4/46.579
6. BIKNIE, 2006 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Larino x Whisper B, DAVID BLAKE (IRL), Pine Hollow Farm: 0/4/47.183
7. DOBRA DE PORCEYO, 2006 CDE mare by Action Breaker x Sanne, SCHUYLER RILEY (USA), Wolfstone Stables and Sales, Inc: 0/4/47.183
8. LUKE SKYWALKER 46, 2005 Oldenburg gelding by Lord Pezi x Shakira, PAIGE JOHNSON (USA), Salamander Farm: 0/8/45.27
