Deusser and Kiana van het Herdershof went just two trips later, putting in a blazing fast time of 59.12 seconds that would hold up through the entire class for victory.“I watched McLain a little bit and knew he had a very fast horse as well, so I tried to do the turns a little bit tighter and it worked out,” admitted Deusser. “If you wanted to win today you really had to try.Third place went to Kristen VanderVeen (USA) and Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili. Vanderveen and the 16-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion by Berlin x Darco owned by Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC were clear in 59.64 seconds.
“She is naturally a very fast horse,” he said of the 11-year-old BWP mare by Toulon x Starlight VD Hemelseschoot. “She is one that wins and that I use more for speed classes, and I have to say she was pretty consistent here. It’s not easy on a horse if you ask too many times to go fast because sometimes they know a little bit already which direction you have to go, and faults can happen that way. But already two weeks ago she did a fantastic job here and then again today; it’s quite unbelievable.”Deusser termed Kiana as a “very nervous horse,” which helps with more speed in the ring, but that she does tend to be quieter at home.
“She knows what is the show and what is home, but the excitement at the show is also her strength,” he said. “In the end that’s why she wants to fight in the ring. She wants to be careful in the ring, and that’s why she’s also fast. In that class even if you have a fast horse and you want to win, as a rider it’s not enough to just want to win. You need to have a competitive, fast horse, otherwise you can’t win a class like that.”