The very competitive CWD Saddlery 3’6” Performance Working Hunter concluded in the Rost Arena on Thursday morning. Thirty-five horses vied for the championship honors, resulting in a California split of the division. Kelley Farmer and Dalliance were crowned Section A champions, and Tara Metzner piloted Celebrity to the Section B championship title. Kelley Farmer, of Keswick, VA, piloted well-known mount Dalliance to 24 points on their way to the champion honors this week. The pair earned two second place ribbons, as well as a first and fourth over fences. Farmer has been competing Dalliance, who is a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by Avatar Real Estate, for a little over a year. The pair has stacked up quite a few blue ribbons, including a USHJA International Hunter Derby win. “He’s just a good horse,” Farmer said about the gelding’s character and temperament. “He’s always careful, always jumps good, always quiet; he walks from the stall to the ring.” Tara Metzner, of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, was pleased with Celebrity’s performance this week. The pair placed first, seventh, second and third over fences and fourth in the under saddle. “The courses were nice. I found the lines a little more open today than yesterday so we got to show off a little and gallop,” Metzner said about her jumping rounds on Thursday. Celebrity is a nine-year-old gelding owned by Davlyn Farms, who was originally meant to be an equitation horse. Purchased and imported from Europe as an eight-year-old, the gelding suffered an unfortunate bone bruise upon his arrival in the United States, which sidelined him from competition for six months. Once Metzner began showing Celebrity last summer, it became apparent to the team at Davlyn Farms that he should be a hunter. “The more we ride him, the fancier he gets, so we decided to make him a hunter instead of an equitation horse,” Metzner explained. “He’s just such a good egg. He gets better each time in the ring.” Celebrity also competes in the Low Adult Hunter division with rider Tammy Williams. While Metzner generally shows the gelding in the Performance Hunter divisions as a warm-up for Williams, the more she shows him, the more she believes he will make an excellent derby horse. “For sure I think he’s going to end up being a derby horse. He’s super brave. We’ll probably start doing those at the end of the season here and see how it goes,” she said. The Section A reserve championship was awarded to Louise Serio and eight-year-old gelding As Promised, owned by Meralex Farm, Inc. Section B reserve honors went to Holly Orlando and Tidal Wave, who is owned by Elizabeth Monaco.
