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Gold Coast shows appeal to variety of riding levels

Special to the Horsetrader - July 2nd, 2009 - Show & Event News
Addie Browne (left) with Shasta and trainer Tommi Clark get ready to show at the Gold Coast hunter/jumper series.

Courtesy of LEG Up News

Addie Browne (left) with Shasta and trainer Tommi Clark get ready to show at the Gold Coast hunter/jumper series.

BURBANK — Gold Coast hunter/jumper shows at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, produced by Langer Equestrian Group, have been known as quality shows with an inviting format. Despite its USEF “B” rating, the Gold Coast Series appear more like “A” shows, but with classes for just about every level of horse and rider.

“We go to as many Gold Coast shows as we can,” trainer Devon Gibson said. “There’s something for everyone. We can school on Thursday. They have all the hunters, all the medals. Everybody can get into the rings early in the morning to school.” With close to 400 entries, Gold Coast 3 from May 15-17 continued to attract exhibitors.

Kylee Arbuckle and Tres Bien, owned by Jennifer Noski, won the Junior Hunters and Modified Junior-Amateur Hunters. The gelding earned good ribbons in the Green Working Hunter, including a first place. Noski has owned the 7-year-old hunter for almost two years before moving him up into Juniors this year. “We work on his rhythm and his confidence at verticals, teaching him where to jump and how to curl up,” Gibson said.

The show was Arbuckle’s first ride on Tres Bien. “He was great; he has a really big stride,” Arbuckle said. “His jump is really fun; it really feels good.” Arbuckle comes from a riding family; her mother is a trainer. She catch rides in equitation, jumpers, as well as hunters. “I like it all,” Arbuckle said. “I like equitation a lot; it’s hard.”

Tommi Clark is another trainer who goes to many Gold Coast shows. “I love the Gold Coast Horse Shows,” Clark said. “There is just the right amount of competition, with something for everybody. The shows give the kids confidence because you don’t have to over face them.”

Clark owns and trains Cardiff Private Affair, a medium Welsh pony and winner of the Children’s Pony Hunter section. “He’s pretty much the easiest pony I’ve ever had,” she said. “He’s done Fourth-Level dressage. Jumping came naturally. They gelded him two months before we got him and he has babies on the ground; we have one of his babies in the barn. He put his brains on his babies. He’s won every under saddle. Any kid can get on him. One of my little kids showed him in walk, trot, and canter classes and she never competed at that level of competition. They got some nice ribbons.”

Next year they plan to show him in Green Pony section. Haylie Robinson, a student of Rebecca Bruce, catch rode him. “She rides fabulous, has a great attitude, and is delightful to be around,” Clark said. “She got on him to school the day before the show. The show was only the second time she rode him.”

Clark showed her new jumper Raska for the first time in the 1.30M jumpers where she took home a blue in her only class in that division. “She creamed them,” Clark said. “She’s not very tall but feels big. We plan to show her in Grand Prix next year.”

Alanna Bloomberg rode Roosevelt, her 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding, to the championship in the Pre-Green Hunter division. He was reserve with Kristine Castillo in the Restricted Division. She has had the horse for two years. “He just needed mileage; we had him for six months in training before we showed him,” Bloomberg said. “We might step up to the greens. He is a pleasure to ride; he comes out the same every day. He enjoys his job; he’s perceptive and is in tune to what’s going on.”

In the Modified Hunter division, Laurel Hick’s Tall, Dark, and Handsome won the championship as well as the “B” Rosewood medal. “She rides as 13 so it was exciting for her to compete against all the older riders,” Bloomberg said. “We work on keeping him straight and moving forward. He’s such a ‘Gumby’, and that’s what makes him such an incredible athlete.”

Theresa Petyo trains Lauren Stasand, champion of the 18-35 Equitation. Aboard Constanto, she won all the equitation classes in the section, the PCHA/Victor Hugo Adult Horsemanship Class, and was second in the CPHA medal class. Patyo started in the amateur ranks this year. “When she came to ride with me two years ago, she was in Long Stirrup,” Petyo said. “She loves horses and is a nice rider. She’s a really good horseman.”

While Petyo has ridden hunters, she prefers jumpers. “I want to pursue jumpers and equitation is a good foundation,” Petyo said of her goals. “Constanto has a really big stride and sometimes gets strong. I try to adjust his stride, but it i hard for me. He has the biggest heart and will jump anything.” She hopes to ride in the various medal finals at the end of the year.

Trainer Mark Purcell had two champions from his barn: Emily Kerr riding Lucky Charm in the Large Pony Hunters, and Ashyln Matheus aboard Perfect Summer Day captured the Children’s Hunter tricolor. “We work with our students a lot on equitation and holding their position,” said Carrie Nass, Purcell’s assistant. “We work on riding the horse from leg to hand and being more connected. We work on how to make the horse jump better, finding a distance, and letting the horse jump.”

Molly Peddicord, who trains under Kost Karazissis, won all three classes in the Equitation 12-14 section to nail down the championship. Peddicord rode Going Dutch, her 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood. “We work on flexibility; I had a mare before who was more forward going,” Peddicord said. “When I had both of them, it was hard going back and forth. I’ve qualified for a couple of medal finals and hopefully I’ll be in one of the finals work offs.”

Peddicord also leases Entourage, a jumper. She likes both jumpers and equitation the same. “I rode Entourage in the Low Children’s Jumpers and the .90M,” she said. “I ended up champion in the .90M. The equitation helps me in the jumpers; it keeps me from not just throwing my body.”

Rebecca Bruce imported Three Wishes, winner of the Baby Green Hunter division, as a 4-year-old and the Dutch Warmblood is turning 6. “We showed him last year a handful of times,” she said. “He was really green, and we did a lot of transitions and broke him on his flat work. He’s grown up and is figuring out his job. My kids ride him at home and take him in lessons. He’s ready to move up, but what we’re doing now is working so why change it.”

Gold Coast 3 was the third in the series of seven shows comprising the 2009 Gold Coast Series. Gold Coast 7 from Oct. 15-18 will serve as the final show of the series, with horses and riders earning bonus points toward the series championships. Gold Coast Series standings are listed at at: www.horseshowtime.com/showserieschampion.asp?Show=2512

For complete results from Gold Coast 3, visit: www.horseshowtime.com/results.asp?Show=2512&how=20090516010153

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