Posted February 12, 2006

Caroline Moran and Pave Sparkle in Amateur-Owner Hunters at Winter Equestrian Festival

Wellington, FL – February 11, 2006 – At the world’s largest and longest running equestrian event, there are some people that stand out. In the Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions, the two section champions’ names are synonymous with success. In the third week of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), the Amateur-Owner 36 & Over Hunter division was split into two sections due to high entries, but that did not make the competition any lighter.

In Section B, Caroline Moran and the delicate bay gelding Pave won the tricolor. They jumped to first and second place ribbons on Friday and came back today for a fifth over fences and a third under saddle. Reserve champion was Trout Line with Teri Kessler.

Pave had big wins last year, but he was not an immediate match for Moran. “To tell you the truth, when I bought him, Havens Schatt did him in the First Year Green. I really didn’t get along with him all that well,” she admitted. “I actually considered selling him for a while because he really wasn’t my kind of ride.”

In drastic contrast to her previous horses, Pave is smaller and more typey. “He’s totally different than my other horses. They were very, very sturdy!” she said with a laugh. “You have to be a little more delicate with him than the other ones.” Moran found originally that he was not her type of ride. She recalled, “He’s real low. Like St. Nick and In Return, I like to have a little bit of horse in front of me. I really wasn’t all that confident.”

At one point, Moran found that Pave was the only horse ready to show. “He was the only one I had left, so I started putting more effort into him,” she explained. “We really got together better then.” With time and hard work, Moran discovered that Pave was a winning mount for her. “My other ones are pretty much the same, they all go the same way, and they all carry themselves the same way. So, he’s taught me to ride in a different style than some of the other ones. He’s made me a lot more versatile,” she concluded.

In Section A of the division, the championship was awarded to Attache and Ellen Toon. Toon, who won the division in the first week of WEF on her other horse, In Disguise, was very pleased to do well with “Donald.” Attache and Toon were first and second over fences on Friday, and they returned today for third and sixth over fences and eighth in the under saddle. Milan and Caroline Clark Morrison were reserve champions in the section.

“He felt great last week, but there were a lot more horses in the division, and it was split this week. I was really happy with him,” she said.

Although this is only his second year in the Amateur-Owners with Toon, Attache has had plenty of experience in the show ring with professional rider Shachine Belle. Toon believes that this year he will only improve. “He’s coming back even better than last year,” she noted. “He always jumps great, but he’s much easier to ride. Maybe I wasn’t as sure with him then as I am now. For some reason, he just seems really simple right now. He’s very well broke. He knows his job and what he’s supposed to do.”

Tomorrow concludes the Kilkenny/ICH Internationale week at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Championships to be awarded include the Junior and Pony Hunters.

Photo Credit: Pave and Caroline Moran, Amateur-Owner 36 & Over Hunter champions at Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo by Jennifer Wood.