When Kent Farrington packed his tack trunks to head home after the conclusion of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, he had to find a little bit more room for all the prize money checks he picked up during the last week.
Farrington decided to bring three horses across Florida to Ocala for the weekend from his home base in Wellington, and he returned with three big prize money checks in the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix.

He rode Top Gun to first place, Uceko to second, and he rounded out the top five with Valhalla in fifth. The class was the grand finale of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, held during the HITS VI Ocala Winter Celebration, March 15-20.

When the dust settled after the first round, six horses were on the list to come back for the jump-off, and Farrington’s name was listed as rider for half of them. Top Gun was his first horse in the ring, following Matthias Hollberg, who led the jump-off aboard Wadisson and had the skinny vertical at 10 down.

Top Gun’s powerful jump and long stride helped subtract seconds as Farrington shaved the turns. As they crossed the timers, the top rail of the skinny vertical that Hollberg had displaced was perched precariously on the edge of the cups after Top Gun nudged it. But Farrington’s luck held—the rail stayed up, and they were clear in 40.80 seconds.

“I have to stay within his comfort zone of speed. He can go fast, but he’s not a screamer. I tried to put in a neat, competitive round and make everybody else have to try a little bit,” Farrington said.

Andre Thieme and Coco 135 tried quite a bit to catch Farrington. Thieme, a German rider who winters in Florida, has been a consistent winner on the HITS Ocala circuit, and Coco 135 won the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix the week before. The scrappy bay gelding has a huge jump in a little body, and they were right on target to give Farrington a run for his money when Coco slipped on a turn and almost unseated Thieme. They got back on track quickly but had lost precious seconds. Their clean round in 42.26 seconds was good enough for third.
Farrington closed out the day on Uceko, loping around the course easily to claim second place on the dapple gray with a clean round in 42.14 seconds.

“When I knew I had it won on the other horse, I thought I would just go quick enough and try to be first and second. I went as fast as I thought I could without taking any huge risks,” he said.

Farrington has had the ride on Top Gun, 11, since July. The Dutch Warmblood gelding (Corland—Joyce, Wellington) is owned by Iron Horse Farm of Caledon, Ont., and was previously campaigned by Canadian rider Beth Underhill. Underhill and Top Gun were considered strong candidates for Canada’s 2010 Alltech FEI World Eques-trian Games team, but the owners moved the horse to Farrington before the team was named.

“He’s incredibly consistent,” Far-rington said. “He’s like a Disney pony—he’s gray and cute, and he jumps in
really good style. He’s just a nice horse and very simple to ride. You just point him at the jumps and go. He was a good horse before I rode him, and I think it’s a testament to him being a nice horse that he’s goes well for who-ever rides him.”

Farrington usually shows at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, but he made the trip to Ocala two weekends this year to show in an effort to qualify for the HITS Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix (N.Y.), to be held on Sept. 11.

Meant To Be

Last year at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Kriss Eisaman’s grandmother picked out a pretty pony based just on his stunning good looks. Imagine Eisaman’s surprise when the pony her trainer, Bibby Farmer, wanted her to try a week later was the very same one.

Eisaman’s grandmother, Elva Knavel, fell in love with Losander’s Camelot’s beautiful palomino color and cute face, but it was his lovely jump that sold Eisaman. “When I tried him, I thought he was amazing. So I’m happy, and my grandmother’s happy!” she said. Eisaman is leasing Losander’s Camelot, a 10-year-old Welsh pony (Losander—Shagana) from owner Isabelle Caccamise and rode him to the HITS Ocala large pony circuit championship.

“He’s the sweetest pony. All my past ponies would bite and were mean, but he’s really sweet,” said Eisaman. “When I first started riding him, I had a hard time figuring him out. I couldn’t find a distance very well the first couple of horse shows. But Bibby really helps me with that, and it’s gotten much better.” They were champion four out of the six weeks of showing at Ocala.

Eisaman, 12, lives just a few minutes from the HITS Ocala showgrounds, and she grew up with horses, since her family runs Eisaman Equine. There, they focus on breaking and training Thoroughbred racehorses, lay-ups
and pinhooking 2-year-olds. Eisaman started riding at an early age and showed locally.

Last fall, she began riding with Farmer. “She’s definitely focused on all the details of my riding. She’s helped with my position a lot,” said Eisaman who also showed a children’s hunter for Farmer. She hopes to make the move from ponies to horses soon.

Another Farmer protégé, Emma Kennedy, was very proud of her special project. Roxbury, a pony Kennedy picked out and convinced Farmer to buy, was the medium pony circuit champion and the medium green pony reserve circuit champion in her first year of showing.

“She’s never had any experience other than this. She’s been a great pony, so I’m really proud of her,” Kennedy said. Kennedy rode Roxbury, 8, in the green division, while Ashton Alexander held the reins for the me-dium pony classes. “We’ve both ridden her together, and we’ve had a lot of fun with her. She was wiggly to the jump, but she’s never spooky. She’s gotten much straighter when she jumps, and she’s a beautiful jumper,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy spotted Roxbury, a Welsh cross (Super Star—Farnley May Pop), at Debi Connors’ farm. “As soon as I saw her, I loved her. Bibby wasn’t sure about buying her. She said she already had enough ponies, but I said, ‘What’s one more?’ ”

Kennedy, 16, is originally from the Atlanta, Ga., area but moved to Ocala three years ago to ride with Farmer and Don Stewart, leaving her family behind. “Bibby picked me out and asked me to come ride for them. I’m so appreciative of everything she’s done for me. I’ve learned so much from her and Don,” she said.

Filling In

A few young horses are doing their best to step up and fill the shoes of the great Lone Star for Hunt Tosh. And they’re doing a pretty good job, as Tosh collected multiple circuit cham-pionships in the parade of champions on the last day. Of the 27 classes in which Tosh showed Cold Harbor at HITS Ocala, the striking bay won 24. He showed four weeks and was green conformation hunter champion four times. Needless to say, he was the green conformation circuit champion. The results are all the more impressive since the past weeks marked Cold Harbor’s first appearances showing as a hunter. Tosh, Cumming, Ga., imported the 6-year-old Holsteiner by Lordanos for owner Douglas Wheeler Jr. in January after Bobby Braswell spotted him in Europe.

“For as green as he is, for him to come out and be as consistent all winter as he’s been is outstanding. He’s easy, and he wants to jump; he’s a classic hunter all around,” Tosh said. “We were questioning whether to do him in the pre-greens or start out in the conformation, but he did great. He’s a spectacular jumper, and he’s scopey.”
Tosh also rode Triton Z to the circuit tricolor in the first year green division. Wheeler Jr. bought the 6-year-old warmblood from Emil Spadone just after the Capital Challenge (Md.). There, Kate Conover had ridden him to the future hunter, 5 and under, championship after a successful year in the pre-green division.

Tosh started showing Triton Z during the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, and they showed just three of the six weeks.

“He’s a beautiful jumper and super brave. I think he’ll be one that will be able to do the derbies eventually. He’s a good horse,” Tosh said.

Tosh definitely feels the absence of Lone Star, who was sold to Betsee Parker last year and is now at her Middleburg, Va., farm. “With him, I always knew I had my anchor to count on,” Tosh said. “Having a new group to bring out is fun, but it’s also a little nerve wracking, because you don’t know for sure how they’re all going to be.”

To The Next Level

With tricolors in the children’s hunter, 14 and under, division all of the last four weeks of the circuit, Hannah Showell easily claimed the circuit championship aboard Zivago, a horse she was leasing for the winter.
“He’s just been a dream. Riding him is like riding on a cloud. His jump is amazing. You can feel that he uses every inch of his body,” said Showell of the Dutch Warmblood (Solitair—Makita).

“He’s taught me so much. I’m a better rider because he’s taught me about finding the jumps and riding horses. I’ve ridden ponies before, and this is my first big horse experience. He’s helped me step up to horses and that level,” she said.

Showell, Bishopville, Md., showed locally in Maryland for years, but she took her riding to a new level when she started training with Patty Foster and Mary Lisa Leffler of Rolling Acres last summer. “I really wanted to see how far I could go with my riding, and I knew that Rolling Acres was the place to go,” she said.

Sydney Wilder owns Zivago, and the 7-year-old gray gelding showed in the children’s hunter classes with her and in the green conformation division with Leffler last year. He also showed in three USHJA International Hunter Derbies with Leffler, won the $10,000 Devoucoux 3’3″ Hunter Prix in Week 4 of Ocala and was regular conformation hunter champion in Week 3.

“You show him where the jump is, and he perks his ears up and goes. He’s a horse that loves to jump and loves his job,” said Showell, 15, who also showed Mizzentop in the large pony hunter classes. Showell is on the hunt for a horse of her own to show in the junior hunters. “I’m hopefully going to look for a horse just like him, because he’s amazing,” she said.

Ashley Reed and Grace Christerson took turns showing Madonna at HITS Ocala, and the gray mare won a circuit championship with each of them. Reed, who owns Madonna, rode her to the high children’s jumper title, while Christerson guided her to the high adult amateur jumper, 18-49, tricolor.

“She’s the most amazing horse. She can do the children’s and the adults, and probably the grand prix the next day,” Reed said. Reed didn’t mind sharing Madonna with Christerson. Both riders train with Lance Williamson. “It keeps her sharp, and Grace is good with her,” she said.

Williamson found Madonna, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood, sitting in a field in Maryland. “Lance thought she had potential. And I was the one lucky enough to get her,” said Reed, 16, who bought her last year. And while Reed enjoys Madonna, the mare isn’t, so to say, a saint. “She can be a little naughty at times. She’s very agile, and she can trick you, so I have to be on my toes. I’ve learned to be more aggressive,” Reed said.

Reed, of Chicago, Ill., has been riding since she was 9, but she just got into the jumpers four years ago when she started riding with Williamson. She’s competed on the Ocala circuit before, “but this was definitely my most successful one. Madonna made it great,” she said. She hopes to move up to the low junior jumpers this summer.