Manchester, Vermont, USA – August 14, 2024 –  It was a stunning Sunday afternoon on August 11, as exhibitors and spectators alike gathered around the Grand Prix Ring to watch the $24,500 SummitMax Grand Prix, the climactic final grand prix event of the 2024 Hits Vermont Summer Festival. The class marked the end of the six-week summer circuit in Manchester, Vermont, and served as the grand finale to an exhilarating season of equestrian excellence. Amidst the anticipation and excitement, David Jennings (USA) and his remarkable mount, Follow Me, claimed the top prize.

Oscar Soberon from Wellington, Florida, masterfully designed the course, presenting a formidable challenge as rails tumbled and time faults mounted. In a competitive and international field of 21 horse-and-rider combinations, participants hailed from six different countries: the United States, Brazil,  Canada, France, Ireland, and Switzerland. Yet, Jennings and his veteran partner Follow Me rose above the rest, delivering a speedy double-clear round for the victory. 

“I’ve been the bridesmaid all circuit,” laughed Jennings. “So, it’s pretty nice to get the win today. Follow Me is just so careful and so fast. He naturally wants to go fast, so I never have to push him.”

Jennings has been partnered with The Follow Me Group’s 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding (For Edition x Graf Sponeck) for four years, and the pair has found tremendous success up through the grand prix level. The $24,500 SummitMax Grand Prix proved to be another shining example of their talent as they were just one of only five duos to advance to the shortened course. Ultimately, Jennings and Follow Me laid down a speedy jump-off in a time of 38.945 seconds that could not be caught.

Marie Hecart (FRA) and Normandie Connection’s 10-year-old Selle Français mare (Vigo Cece x Sire Major de la Cour), Edonna d’Udine, finished in the runner-up position in a time of 39.960 seconds.

Alysson Siopes (USA) and the David Tromp Show Stables LLC’s 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding Eldo van de Helle (Eldorado van de Zeshoek TN x Arpeggio) rounded out the podium as the final double-clear performance in 43.287 seconds.

“Most of us in this class have jumped Soberon’s courses many times,” stated Jennings. “For the size of the ring and the amount of entries in the class, I thought he did an excellent job.”

A second ahead of the second-place finisher, Jennings was the only rider to take out a stride to the combination in the jump-off, which he believed gave him the winning edge.

“I trusted Follow Me to leave the double up, so I decided to leave the stride out, and it produced the distance that I wanted,” he explained. “He can be a bit tricky. If I push him too much, he kind of becomes unrideable, which is what happened in the earlier classes this circuit. I wanted to go efficiently and smoothly at his own pace, and today it produced a clear round and the win.”

Jennings trains out of his own Full Circle Farm in Reddick, Florida, and chose to make Hits Vermont his home base for the summer.

“What is there for anybody not to like about Vermont,” enthused Jennings. “The views are beautiful, the weather is gorgeous, and the management has done a great job of making improvements. I’ve been coming here for years, and I’ll keep coming back.”

Final Results – $24,500 SummitMax Grand Prix

1) David Jennings (USA) & Follow Me – 0 / 0 – 38.945

2) Marie Hecart (FRA) & Edonna d’Udine – 0 / 0 – 39.960

3) Alysson Siopes (USA) & Eldo van de Helle – 0 / 0 – 43.287

Source: Press Release from Hits Horse Shows

Photos: © Hits Horse Shows / Jess Windhurst Photography

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