Temecula, Calif. – May 29, 2022 – Sunday morning called for classic whites and braided manes as a field of 35 junior and amateur athletes converged in the Grand Prix Arena at Nilforushan Equisport Events’ Temecula Valley National II to ride for the prize in the $2,500 Low Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic sponsored by Equestrian Lifestyle Boutique. The class is the final qualifier for the National Equestrian Tournament to take place during week III of the Temecula Valley National Horse Show. Concluding a week of emotional wins, stellar riding, and tough courses, amateur rider Olivia Esse and Fay Lovsky S.V.L. closed out jumper competition with a glorious victory.
Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) course replicated many obstacles from the $50,000 Grand Prix from the night before, presenting many troublesome elements for junior/amateur riders. The class ran under Table II.2.b format, meaning that riders moved onto the jump-off round following a clear first phase. The first round of competition consisted of 14 total obstacles ending on a triple oxer-vertical-vertical combination which saw many faults throughout the class. The short course asked riders to be clever, finding opportunities to make up time in the turns while also pulling their strides together to keep the horses careful in the one-stride and related four stride line. Of the 35 competitors, 16 of them made it to the jump-off round.
As it proved to be a competitive group of incredibly talented juniors and amateurs, Esse and Fay Lovsky S.V.L. took everything in stride and did not waiver at the chance to go fast and showcase their skills. Following seven double clear rounds, the pressure was on for the duo to answer all of the questions of the technical course designed by Jorge if they wanted to take the lead. The 12-year-old KWPN mare owned by Oscany, INC, took to the track with the most pleasant expression and carried Esse to the win as she made a turn untried by the rest of the field. From the gymnastic element 8A-B to jump 2 in the second phase, Esse put the trust in her mare and together they executed it with ease. The pair was victorious with a second round time of 39.865 seconds.
Following closely behind was Madison Sanders aboard her own Cascalido. The pair sat at the top of the leaderboard for a brief moment after they laid down two solid efforts, ultimately bested by Esse. The 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding showed experience beyond his years as Sanders guided him through all of the tricky parts of the track with composure allowing him to jump in perfect form and give it his all to carry her all the way to the victory gallop. Sanders demonstrated well established flat work allowing Cascalido to jump straight off of the ground and leave all of the rails up in 40.84 seconds to secure their red ribbon.
Quinn Ferreira and Bordeaux Z went at the bottom of the order and entered with their game faces on in an attempt to knock Esse out of the top spot. The duo was hopeful after an incredibly successful first round and went to step on the gas pedal to take the lead. Ferreira demonstrated flawless technique as Tina Yates 10-year-old Zangershiede gelding showed his freshness as he was playful in the turns. Though the duo was quite quick across the ground, they were a touch more conservative adding a step around the corner to the final jump, finishing in 40.987 seconds to round out the podium.
Jumper competition will continue on Wednesday, June 1 at 8:00 a.m. to kick off the awaited National Equestrian Tournament at Temecula Valley National II.
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE:
On their partnership:
“I got her four years ago and she is so much fun. She is super affectionate and friendly and I wish that she could live in my yard. She is sassy and loves her job. She is always excited to go out and jump.”
On Fay Lovsky S.V.L.
“She is just so sweet and is like a puppy dog. She is so social with people and with other horses.”
On the plan:
“Luckily I did the class before so I had been in the ring and rode some of the lines. I wanted to make sure she was being careful in the first round. Sometimes she gets going and gets on a roll so I have to take a second to get her back. In the jump-off, I was unsure about one of the inside turns but after the first round I decided to just go for it and trust her.”
On Nilforushan Equisport Events:
“This is my first year here and I have really liked it. I am doing the tournament next week so I am super excited for that. I got to go to Sean Kingston last night so of course that was fun. It has really been a lot of fun at this show.”
On the future:
“We are going to go and do a couple of weeks in Traverse City for the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival and hopefully get her back up to the 1.30m. Before Temecula she had a little bit of time off so we are just getting her back into the groove of things.”
Results
$2,500 Low JR/AM Classic
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / Country / R1 Time | R1 Faults / R2 Time | R2 Faults
1. Fay Lovsky S.V.L. / Olivia Esse / Oscany, INC / USA / 83.35 | 0 / 39.86 | 0
2. Cascalido / Madison Sanders / Madison Sanders / USA / 81.92 | 0 / 40.84 | 0
3. Bordeaux Z / Quinn Ferreira / Tina Yates / USA / 79.51 | 0 / 40.98 | 0
4. Skara Glen’s Clarissa / Harper Gottlieb / Harper Gottlieb / USA / 80.00 | 0 / 42.68 | 0
5. Emi Initia / Emma Guevara / Emma Guevara / USA / 78.94 | 0 / 42.94 | 0
6. Fastday VDL / Lauren Kay / David Artos / USA / 79.12 | 0 / 43.79 | 0
7. Lightning McQueen / Rachel M. Torok / Rachel M. Torok / USA / 84.38 | 0 / 44.34 | 0
8. Skyfall / Olivia Slutzky / Olivia Slutzky / USA / 85.98 | 0 / 44.59 | 0
9. Vivallo 3 / Isabel Ikast / Isabel Ikast / VEN / 85.08 | 0 / 46.62 | 0
10. Calando / Jennifer Hodgson / Jennifer Hodgson / USA / 84.86 | 0 / 48.31 | 0
11. Gran Canyon Van HD / Lexie Looker / Lexie Looker / USA / 83.93 | 0 / 52.62 | 0
12. Cantinus 3 / Devi Ferreira / Devi Ferreira / USA / 79.14 | 0 / 39.31 | 0
