Keri Potter Pulls out All the Stops on Kalimera to Win the $40,000 Premier Equestrian American Standard Open Classic

By Jumper News USA on February 20, 2025

Thermal, California, USA – February 15, 2025 – Roughly seven months ago, Keri Potter (USA) received a call from U.S. Olympian Karl Cook asking her to take on a project horse. As Potter recalls, that project horse, Kalimera van de Nethe Z, “didn’t really want to jump many jumps at all” at the time. Fast forward to today, and the mare is not only jumping many jumps, she is doing it well – and quite quickly.

**Keri Potter** (USA) & **Kalimera van de Nethe Z**

Last Saturday night, Potter piloted Kalimera van de Nethe Z to victory in the $40,000 Premier Equestrian American Standard Open Classic, marking the duo’s first win under the lights at the Desert International Horse Park.

On her way to victory, Potter was amongst the 31 entries to take on the class and one of the six riders who qualified to the jump-off.

Potter pulled out all the stops to take home the win with a lightning-fast time of 39.392 seconds aboard Kalimera van de Nethe Z.

Kevin Winkel (USA) and Vertige de Galarzacs took home second place with a time of 41.589 seconds.

Finishing in third place was Jessica Gleason (USA) who rode Source Code to a time of 42.837 seconds.

“I knew that I had to [do some leave outs in the jump-off],” explained Potter. “Then, she’s just so fast across the ground that I kind of left the rest to her…She’s the queen of speed.”

Potter continued, “We slowly started this process. I just started in the 1.0m jumpers this summer, and somehow, it evolved to her trusting me and building a relationship to the point where now she feels comfortable jumping this kind of stuff. She’s a mare – a really, really special mare – that is all about trust and bond. I’m the only one that rides her, and the relationship between she and I has just become something that she really, really trusts. I think just the consistency of me working with her daily has gotten her to believe in herself and be able to do what I know she can do which is fly.”