Aboard Imodo and Calvados Son, Winkelmann qualified two entries for Olaf Petersen Jr.’s short course, giving him two chances at the win. After his first horse had a miscommunication early on course, resulting in an unfortunate elimination, his chances got a bit slimmer, but he returned with the proper mindset for his second horse, Imodo.

“I’m so happy with the horse,” Winkelmann said of Imodo. “He did a fantastic job. He was jumping great in the first round and he jumped even better in the second round. I was lucky enough to have two horses in the jump-off; the first one didn’t go exactly as planned. I got to come back and execute the plan we had. He jumped fantastic so I could really execute the plan and risk everything.”

His winning time of 39.45 seconds proved comfortable among the four double-clear rounds. He beat out Mckayla Langmeier (USA) and Riesling Van de Gaathoeve (Iron Man van de Padenborre x Diamant de Semilly), who took second, and Taylor Land (USA) and Escobar WW (Etoulon VDL x Lord Pezi) were the next fastest for third place.

It’s easy for riders to be affected by a round gone wrong, but Winkelmann was able to shake off his first jump-off attempt and put it behind him. When asked whether his first horse’s result impacted how he approached his second ride in the jump-off, Winkelmann reflected that the nature of having two different horses eliminated any uncertainty for him. 

“It’s a completely different horse,” he said about returning with Imodo, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Quasimodo Z x Broere VDL Corland), knowing he still had a chance to win. “I get off [the first] one and the second horse doesn’t know what happened so he’s mentally in a great place. I was going to try to give him his best ride and I think that worked out today. With every jump it got better because he was just jumping so well; it was a lot of fun.”

“I was just saying I should have come here sooner, and next summer I’ll be spending more time up here,” he said about his short stint in Northern Michigan. “It’s obviously great coming to a show and winning; it always makes you want to come back. It’s a fantastic feeling. We’ve had great weather this week, the facility’s amazing. I was here two years ago and seeing how much has changed and improved in the meantime is great. We should all be grateful as riders to have facilities like this.”

As for the Tournament of Champions, Winkelmann will have to sit that one out as he heads to his wedding, marrying fellow show jumper Tanimara Macari (MEX). If he returns for more of the Traverse City season in 2027, he’ll be a serious threat in FEI competition.

Sunday of GLEF VI will feature the final installment of the $10,000 World Wide Technology Non Pro Team Jumper Challenge, the $20,000 1.40-1.45m Jumper Classic, and an opportunity for adult equitation riders in the $10,000 Frank and Eileen 3’ Adult Equitation Challenge. Hunters will contest the $10,000 USHJA National 3’ Hunter Derby presented by Uphill Farm & The Karret Family.