Erynn Ballard Scores Five and Six-Year-Old Wins Twice in a Row

For the second time in a row, Erynn Ballard and Windus topped the Six-Year-Old Division when the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series was held at the Collingwood Festival Horse Show in Collingwood, ON. Photo Credit – Christine Walch

Hot on the heels of two victories at the Capital Classic Show Jumping Tournament, Erynn Ballard once again rode Windus to the top of the Six-Year-Old Division and Trocadero to the win in the Five-Year-Old Division of the 2005 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series at the Collingwood Festival Horse Show on August 12 in Collingwood, ON.

Course designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil, who recently set the tracks at the 2005 World Cup Final in Las Vegas to rave reviews, conceived the courses that would test the young horses’ bravery, scope and rideablity. Ballard of Hornby, ON, and Windus passed the test with flying colours, topping a large field of 28 entries. In the six-horse jump-off, Ballard guided Windus to a clear round in a time of 35.87 seconds to take the win. A Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Holter Leasing, Windus is by Skippy II, the same sire as Ballard’s Grand Prix mount, Robin Van Roosendael.

Colombia’s Roberto Teran, who has also laid claim to his fair share of victories this season with Distant Star, had to settle for second place in Collingwood. Despite being the final challenger on course, his jump-off time of 36.09 seconds was not fast enough to catch Ballard. The 2004 National Five-Year-Old Reserve Champion, Distant Star is a grey Canadian Sport Horse mare owned by KingRidge Stables of King, ON. Bred through embryo transplant, Distant Star is by the KingRidge Stables stallion, Class Action, and out of Betwixt, a former grand prix show jumper ridden to success by Hugh Graham.

Hyde Moffat of Brantford, ON, was also double clear in the jump-off to place third with Denver, a German Trakehner gelding by Donauwalzer that was only recently imported to Canada by owner Hawkestone Farms, while Rob Carey had the only other double clear to place fourth riding Liz Currie’s Carolla Z, a Zangersheide mare by Cumano that was bred in Belgium.

Carey also took fifth place riding Fahari, a Belgian Warmblood mare by Canadian River and out of a Major de la Cour dam, for owner Bonaventure Farms while Ballard rounded out the six-horse jump-off field with the W. Charlot Farms entry of Cabardino, an approved Holsteiner breeding stallion imported to Canada earlier this year.

Ballard again stood in the winner’s circle at the conclusion of the Five-Year-Old Division after beating out 21 other entries. The final entry in the class, her Trocadero, a Dutch Warmblood gelding by Nassau out of a Quidam de Revel dam, posted a clear round and greatly impressed the style judge, John Kersley, to take the win.

Chris Pratt of Belfountain, ON, rode Split Decision, an imported Dutch Warmblood gelding by Calido out of a Continue dam, to second place for owner Susan Grange of Lothlorien Stables. Ballard was again in the ribbons with the third-placed entry of Pour Patrice W, last year’s Ontario Four-Year-Old Champion. Bred in Canada by W. Charlot Farms, Pour Patrice W is a Hannoverian gelding by Pour Gagne out of a Rio Grande dam that is now owned by Charles Ormston.

Fourth place went to the KingRidge Stables bred and owned entry of Executive Privilege. Shown by veteran Canadian Equestrian Team member Hugh Graham, Executive Privilege is a Canadian Sport Horse gelding by the Dutch Warmblood sire, Class Action, and out of an Aerobic Z dam. Rounding out the top five was the Mill Creek Stables entry of Sandhya, a Luxemburg mare by the Oldenburg stallion, Silvio II, who was ridden by 20-year-old Tonya Henning of Cambridge, ON.

Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill guided VDL Ulando H to the top of the Four-Year-Old Division for owner Tim Millard of Schomberg, ON. Bred in Canada by Hogendoorn Dutch Warmbloods, VDL Ulando H is a fully approved Canadian Warmblood stallion by Corland out of an Ahorn dam.

Augustin Walch and W. Charlot Farms of Stratford, ON, took the next three spots in the standings with Ballard in the saddle. She rode the homebred Viva’s Lightning W, a Hannoverian gelding by Viva Voltaire out of a Sandro dam, to second place while another W. Charlot Farms- bred entry, Pour La Vie W by Pour Gagne and out of a Rio Grande dam, took third place. Fourth place went to Vasco Da Gamma, an imported Hannoverian stallion by Voltaire out of a Raphael dam.

Rounding out the top five was Ottawa-based rider Alex Rohling riding Patriot, a Hannoverian gelding by Pythagoras Z, owned by Lower Saxony Farms Ltd.

Comprised of ten events, the best five results for each horse in the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series is counted towards the overall standings. Incredibly, Ballard is currently heading all three divisions – the Six-Year-Old Division with Windus, the Five-Year-Old Division with Trocadero, and the Four-Year-Old Division with Vasco Da Gama. The next competition in the Series will take place on Saturday, September 3, at the Halton Valley Summer Tournament in Milton, ON.

The purpose of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series is to encourage the development of young show jumping talent and to give Canadian breeders additional incentives to breed superior show jumping prospects. Competing on a level playing field, the horses are divided according to age and jump at a level suited to their development as four, five and six-year-olds. This careful development allows the horses to gain valuable experience and advance to the higher levels of show jumping competition with confidence. The Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series also gives prospective buyers for the hunter and jumper markets an opportunity to view a large group of prospects in a competition setting.

The Ontario Hunter Jumper Association, together with its proud supporters - 4 Star Trailers, TD Waterhouse, Scotia McLeod, Peter Miller, Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association, W. Charlot Farms, Gary Cooper Chev Olds, Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Ltd., Dutch Masters Construction Services Ltd., Dr. Al Manning, Brubacher’s Harness Shop, KingRidge Stables, Mr. Charles Ormston, the Hannoverian Breeders Club of Eastern Canada, Mr. Michael Boyd, Mrs. Elaine Gray, and other friends present the 2005 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series.

 

2005 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series – Results from Collingwood, ON

 

Six-Year-Old Division

Horse Owner Rider
1. Windus Holter Leasing Erynn Ballard
2. Distant Star* KingRidge Stables Roberto Teran
3. Denver Hawkestone Farms Hyde Moffat
4. Carolla Z Liz Currie Rob Carey
5. Fahari Bonaventure Farms Rob Carey

 

Five-Year-Old Division

Horse Owner Rider
1. Trocadero Looking Back Farm Erynn Ballard
2. Split Decision Lotherlorien Stables Chris Pratt
3. Pour Patrice W* Charles Ormston Erynn Ballard
4. Executive Privilege* KingRidge Stables Hugh Graham
5. Sandhya Mill Creek Stables Tonya Henning

Four-Year-Old Division

Horse Owner Rider
1. VDL Ulando H* Tim Millard Beth Underhill
2. Viva’s Lightning W* W. Charlot Farms Erynn Ballard
3. Pour La Vie W* W. Charlot Farms Erynn Ballard
4. Vasco Da Gama W. Charlot Farms Erynn Ballard
5. Patriot Lower Saxony Farms Ltd. Alex Rohling

NOTE – The star * beside a horse’s name denotes that it is Canadian-bred.