Parker, Colorado, USA – July 23, 2024 – Kaitlin Campbell (USA) was prepared going into the final Grand Prix of the Summer in the Rockies series. She had to be. With five horses going in the class, organization was key.
“All of the horses get ridden before the class,” she noted.” Luckily, I have someone that helps me ride them before so I rode three and she rode two before the class. We also have five grooms here so it all works pretty smoothly.”
Her first of the five horses to go was Palina de L’Escaut, an entry of SWS Training & Sales. According to Kaitlin, Palina is the horse that she knows best having ridden her for almost exactly five years. She also knows the mare is better when she does the add step so Kaitlin based the rest of her rides on how that first one went.
And even though the class was the only National Standard Grand Prix of the summer series, Kaitlin knew the course was going to be solid to ride. “Guilherme Jorge (BRA) always does a fantastic job of not only building to spec, but also knowing his field of horses/ riders,” she added.
When it came time for the jump-off, Kaitlin had three of the five horses competing. Having gone early in the class, Palina was the first to see.“I did Palina first, who is actually the fastest horse, but I played it a bit safe hoping the other two riders would have rails,” Kaitlin observed. “When Rachel Long went clear and fast, I just put Connecticut on full tilt to chase her.”
The strategy paid off. She and Connecticut, owned by Makenna Lemstra, sped to the win leaving Rachel and her HH Diamant Blue in second place. And Kaitlin was third on Linda Starkman’s Sun Warrior, a 10-year-old gelding that she brought up through the jumpers starting in the .80Ms four years ago. Palina was fourth.
Kaitlin ended up with all five horses finishing in the top ten spots. She rode Camille LeBlond’s Kaiser Van Het Lambroeck to the seventh award and Alexandra Biederman’s Tashmir Z to ninth place in a class that featured all female riders, something that Kaitlin doesn’t see very often.
Source: Press release from Leg Shows & Events
Photos: © Leg Up Shows & Events / Captured Moment Photography
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Categories: Results
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