Wayne, Il. – July 31, 2017 – The SBS Farms, Inc. team, led by head trainer Jennifer Alfano, kicked off the first week of Equifest strong at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. Horse-and-rider combinations from SBS Farms claimed multiple division wins and placings, representing the performance team well.
Alfano gave a stellar performance aboard her own mount, Candid, to win the championship title in the competitive High Performance Conformation 3’9″ Hunter division. Their well-ridden rounds earned them multiple blue ribbons in the division to contribute to their overall win. To add to the impressive victory, it was also only Alfano’s second time back in the saddle with Candid since her knee injury, which sidelined her in 2016.
“[Candid] felt great,” Alfano explained. “I thought he was great in each round. This is only my second time showing him since I’ve been back after being hurt. I felt much better on him this time than I did at the last show. He was great today.
“He has a freaky good jump,” Alfano continued on Candid. “It’s always the same, whether you’re a little deep or a little long. He just always gives you an amazing jump.”
Candid was not the only SBS Farms mount who took home tricolors during the first week of Equifest. Girl Crush, owned by Susan Kimberly, was victorious in the Green 3’6″ Hunter division with Alfano as well. The pair earned two blue ribbons and a second place in their over fences rounds as well as a first place in the handy round and second place under saddle to claim the championship.
Sweetwater and rider Kathy Chiaf also clinched a championship win in the Amateur-Owner Hunter division, earning top placings in their classes including a first place ribbon in the under saddle.
Chiaf also rode her own Silver Lining to a victory in the Adult Amateur 50 and Over Hunter division, winning three out of the five classes within the division and finishing second and third in the remaining two. Silver Lining also grabbed more blue ribbons with Alfano in the Performance 3’6″ Hunter division and with Chiaf in the Modified Junior/Amateur-Owner 3′ Hunter division.
In addition, Alfano rode Sharon O’Neill’s Talladega to a blue ribbon and several other high placings in the Green 3’3″ Hunter division, while Miss Lucy, also owned by Sharon O’Neill, took the reserve championship title in the competitive High Performance Hunter division with Alfano, earning two blue ribbons and one red ribbon.
Alfano also rode Chiaf’s Kindred to an excellent reserve champion placing in the Green 3′ Hunter division and Crisp, ridden by Emma Walters and owned by the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, earned another reserve championship in the Junior 3’3″ Hunter division.
Competition resumes this week at the Lamplight Equestrian Center as Equifest II kicks off on Tuesday, Aug. 1, and the SBS Farms team is gearing up for another exciting week of showing!
SBS Farms, Inc. continues the proud tradition of the Buffalo Saddle and Bridle Club as one of the top show stables in the Northeast. Located in Buffalo, New York, Susan Schoellkopf is the executive director of the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, which houses both the Buffalo Equestrian Center as well as SBS Farms. Built in 1922, the 160-stall facility is a historical landmark, with its unique English Tudor and Gothic-style architecture.
For more information on SBS Farms, please visit www.sbsfarms.com. For more information on the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, please visit www.thebtrc.org.
