Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) concluded the fourth installment of the eight week Tryon Spring Series this past Sunday (May 7-May 10), with numerous divisions of hunter and jumper classes followed by a competitive Grand Prix finale. The Spring Series continues this week with Tryon Spring 5 (May 13-May 17), highlighting World Championship Hunter Rider week, offering Premier Rated hunter competition and Level 6 jumpers alongside the first “Saturday Night Lights” Grand Prix of the season, beginning at 6:30pm in the George H. Morris Stadium on Saturday, May 16. Derek Petersen of Archer, FL, capped an impressive week aboard Forgiven, a 10-year-old Belgium Warmblood gelding (Chatman x Polydor), adding a win in the $25,000 Tryon Grand Prix after capturing the $5,000 Suncast® 1.45m Welcome Stake earlier in the week. Petersen and Forgiven laid down a clean first round in the Grand Prix, designed by John Manning, moving them forward to the jump-off where they finished in 36.361 seconds to take the win. Jay Land of Atlanta, GA, and his own Nepal finished just behind Petersen in 37.428 seconds and Kristen Vanderveen of St. Charles, IL, placed third aboard Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili finishing in 37.665 seconds with four faults. The pair, who have quickly forged a strong bond, will look to add to their recent success in the coming weeks at TIEC, as they are slated to compete in the Tryon Spring 5 $15,000 Welcome Stake and the “Saturday Night Lights” $50,000 Grand Prix. “Right now we’re going to see how he does this coming week, and we’ll figure out what the plan is from there. If we can keep on winning, we may stick around a little bit longer,” explained Petersen. “I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do as a living, something I used to do as a kid for fun. I pinch myself everytime thinking I’m dreaming because I really am living the dream.”
