Friday night provided hours of entertainment with a silent auction, live music and the 14th Annual Wine Tasting, sponsored by Allen Lund. Everyone enjoyed the festivities and were treated to a wonderful evening of competition, which kicked off with the Far West Farms Grand Prix Hunter Derby.
The Far West Farms Grand Prix Hunter Derby was the second Grand Prix Hunter Derby to count towards year end points for the 2015 Show Season. We saw 18 first rounds, with a course of 10 obstacles, designed by John Manning. There were two options in the course, one being the first fence, a vertical option of two different heights and angles to set you up for a tighter turn to fence two. The second option was a roll top with two different heights, which set you up for a more direct track to the final fence, a lovely oxer. Of the 18 first rounds, Jenny Karazissis and Dealmaker and Michael Leon and C Coast Z ended within a few points of one another, an incredible 104 points to Karazissis and 97 points to Leon, initiating a second round.
The second round of the Far West Farms Grand Prix Hunter Derby consisted of a course with seven fences, including the same options available in round one. Karazissis and Leon had beautiful, clean rounds and were very efficient with their time. Karazissis ended with a second score of 87 and Leon received a well deserved 92. Karazissis and Dealmaker's overall average came out to a stunning 191 points to win the class and Leon and C Coast Z just behind her in second place with 189 points!
After the conclusion of the exciting Far West Farms Grand Prix Hunter Derby, the entertainment continued with the Annual Tandem Class, presented by Allen Lund! The fun class is no joke, as these teams of three practice their Tandem Jumping well before the event, choose a team name and have a song picked out to represent their team as they execute the course! Ten teams comprised the Tandem Class over three different heights and each team presented the Flintridge La Cañada Guild with a Basket for their Silent Auction to support their efforts in raising money for the Huntington Memorial Hospital. The Tandem Class is an annual favorite to watch at the Annual Flintridge Horse Show and provides a great deal of fun for everyone, with impressive costumes and riding!
