Three divisions of Intermediate tackled the red numbered jumps at Rocking Horse III H.T. in Altoona, Florida over the weekend. Let’s meet the winners and watch video of their cross country rounds, courtesy of David Frechette a lá Horse Pesterer!
Intermediate Rider
Hannah Hawkins and Didgeridoo won the Intermediate division, moving from a tie for third after dressage into second after show jumping and finally settling into the top spot after cross country. The 12-year-old Australian-bred Selle Français gelding (Copabella Visage x Brilliant Silver, by Brilliant Invader), owned by Lauren Pollin and the rider, picked up just 3.6 time penalties on course for the win, finishing on a score of 37.8. With his lofty jump and big gallop, this athletic horse is fun to watch — he makes even the biggest tables look like a cakewalk.
Open Intermediate
Another 12-year-old grey gelding with spring-loaded feet stole the show in Open Intermediate. Sharon White and Cooley On Show leapt up the scoreboard from 8th after dressage to 1st, posting double-clear rounds to win on their dressage score of 34.5. The Irish Sport Horse (Ricardo Z x Jogantina, by Grand D’Espagne) owned by the rider was clearly enjoying his romp around the early season course. This established partnership has had some impressive finishes at big gun events, earning 13th at Luhmühlen in 2017 and 8th at Kentucky in 2018, and we’re excited to see what 2019 has in store.
Open Intermediate (1-Day Friday)
Rounding out the Intermediate trifecta was the one-day format division, which took place on Friday. We don’t have video but nonetheless wish to congratulate Melissa Boutin and EWSZ Jalando for their win. The 10-year-old Zweibrucker gelding (Daimler D’Adriers x Calanda, by Calando) owned by the rider rose from 3rd after dressage to the top spot on a final score of 44.8, thanks to a clear show jumping round and a cross country round with 11.2 time penalties. Melissa is from Quebec and this pair represented well at Bromont last year, finishing 4th in the CIC2*. Best of luck to them this season!
View complete Rocking Horse results here.
