Hester And Arly Win $25,000 Foley Rv Center Grand Prix!

Hester And Arly Win $25,000 Foley Rv Center Grand Prix!
t was a sweet Valentine's Day for Lauren Hester and Hester Equestrian, LLC's Arly when he gave her his first win in grand prix competition and took the blue in the $25,000 Foley RV Center Grand Prix!

Nancy Wallis of Lambertville, New Jersey designed the course and set the time allowed at 87 seconds. Only five advanced to the jump off.

The first to go clean was Sarah Scheiring of Stockton, New Jersey in the irons of Molly Ben-Menachem's Dontez who was sixth in the order of go. The pair posted a first round time in 83.580 seconds.

Cerulean Stables, LLC's HHS Louis, ridden by Amanda Forte of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, followed Scheiring with a clean round in a time of 81.879 seconds, to the delight of the crowd, insuring there would be a jump off!

Hailey Henderson of LaFayette, Louisiana and her own Zine Dine, joined the jump off order after posting a clean first round in a time of 82.663 seconds.  Then Meco Equestrian, LLC's Cord II, ridden by Penny Brennan of Buhl, Alabama, added themselves to the trio after posting a clean first round in a time of 81.021 seconds. It wouldn't be until the last to go, Lauren Hester of Lexington, Kentucky, in the irons of Hester Equestrian, LLC's Arly, would add themselves as the enviable last to go in the jump off order, after posting a clean first round in a time of 79.69 seconds.

Scheiring and Dontez were first to go in the jump off and while they posted a time of 31.028 seconds, well within the 41 seconds time allowed, eight jump faults with four left to go kept it anyone's win.

Forte and HH Louis followed and went clean in a time of 32.184 seconds, taking the lead and setting the new time to beat. Henderson was next in the irons of Zine Dine and although the pair went clean, their time of 33.408 seconds would not be fast enough to take the lead and the pair found themselves for the time in second place.

Brennan and Cord II followed Forte but a rail at the first fence in a time of 31.277 seconds would keep them away from the blue ribbon.

Amanda Forte, not only won the second place ribbon in the $25,000 Foley RV Center Grand Prix with HH Louis, she also received the Kastel Denmark Style of Riding Award selected by the Gulf Coast Classic Company staff as the rider who exhibited the best American style of riding and possessed the respectful, dignified, courteous and workmanlike manner of a true sportsman Week I of the Gulf Coast Winter Classic Gulfport Circuit.

Third place was awarded to Hailey Henderson and her own Zine Dine, fourth was awarded to Penny Brennan and Cord II, fifth went to Sarah Scheiring and Dontez, sixth and seventh to Hester and Wender and Clueless P, eighth place was awarded to Christian Rogge of Spring, Texas and his own Cassuro Tsp, ninth was awarded to Francois Lamontagne of Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada and his own Chanel Du Calvaire, tenth was awarded to Konstanze Wachholtz of Spring, Texas in the irons of her own Bull Run's T-Mac, eleventh place went to Jennie Nolen of San Antonio, Texas and Daryl Nolon's Quasi Modo H and Jason Berry of Verona, Virginia riding Willoughby Stables' Varios took home twelfth place.