Laura Hite of Trabuco Canyon, CA, topped a field of 21 competitors to win the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Year-End West Coast Championship on Sunday, November 20. The Championship, held at the Las Vegas National Horse Show, was an exciting climax to the year-long Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series.
Hite, an amateur-owner competitor, rode her own Solos Consept and was one of only three riders that made it through to the jump-off. Hite had the difficult position of going first in the final round, but she kept her cool and was the only competitor to leave all the jump poles in their cups with an unbeatable pace of 40.164 seconds.
When asked about her strategy going into the jump-off, Hite commented, "I really wanted to set the pace. I didn't go as fast as I wanted to and I'm not the fastest rider, but my ultimate goal was to go double clean which has always been my best strategy. My horse is incredible and I owe it all to him. He was amazing!"
Fifteen-year-old junior rider Hayden Zadel of San Jose, CA and Triskel De Kerliven took second place with four jump-off faults and a time of 40.429 seconds. Amateur-owner rider Taylor Siebel of Redwood City, CA and Windoctro took third place with four faults and a time of 40.896 seconds.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series hosts separate divisions for junior and amateur-owner riders in two Conferences - the East Conference and the West Conference. Series standings are used to help determine junior and amateur-owner entries at the National Horse Show and Las Vegas National Horse Show.
The Las Vegas National Horse Show and Show Jumping Hall of Fame also honored Sydney Hutchins of Westlake Village, CA, for winning the Show Jumping Hall of Fame West Conference Junior Division Series after earning a year-long total of 450 points aboard Zorlando. Allyssa Hecht of Del Mar, CA, and Calvatos Z won the SJHF West Conference Amateur-Owner Division with a total of 520 points for the season, but was unable to attend the Las Vegas National Horse Show to be a part of the ceremony.
Picture: McCool Photography
