With over 20 horse and rider pairs to see in the class and the covered berm full of spectators, the pressure was on as Jamie and Quarter Note were second to see in the first round of competition.
“I went early in the class,” Jamie explained. “Since I went second, I tried to be as smooth as possible, staying at one constant speed and finding my distances to the fences from my half seat.”
Jamie and Quarter Note put together a harmonious first round without any riffs, striking the judges’ attention and earning the pair a score of 91.
“Quarter Note is an eight-year-old mare and she’s really coming into her own,” Jamie said. “This was her first ever hunter derby win. We thought it would be fun to put the mare in the derby. She is very sweet, loves to jump, and loves her job.”
Jamie especially enjoyed the course design by Christopher Edward-Jones of Calgary. “Both courses were really fun,” she said. “There were some interesting lines and rollbacks, which really helped keep this mare focused. In the handy round, I sliced the second to last fence to take an inside track and hand-gallop to the last fence. I saw my distance and she just stepped right up to the gap.”
The pair clinched the win with a high score of 94 in the handy round for an overall score of 185.
Jamie also won the USHJA National Hunter Derby back at Gold Coast February on Elite (Alexa Kramer, owner) making Jamie eligible for a LEGIS Rider Bonus at Gold Coast October aboard two different horses, Elite and Quarter Note.
Jamie looks forward to hopefully coming back to ride for the bonus. “I love that LEGIS offers an incentive program for riders,” she said. “Showing a horse is really a team effort. It’s very generous and meaningful to riders because riders don’t always get extra rewards. The footing is great here and they did a nice job dragging the ring and starting the classes on time.”
If Jamie wins the USHJA National Hunter Derby at Gold Coast October (Oct. 19-21) on either Elite or Quarter Note, she will be collecting a $500 LEGIS Rider Bonus Check!
