Harlu and Mickie Sage

Parker, CO – June 13, 2013 – Mickie Sage received the perfect birthday present on Wednesday, the opening day of the Colorado Horse Park’s Summer in the Rockies II: a blue ribbon in the Performance Working Hunter 3’6″ O/F class aboard Laurie Brants’ Harlu. Sage guided Harlu through a confident, forward round to claim the win.”He is fairly new to the hunter ring,” Sage said of Harlu. “Today was one of the first days I really felt him start to stretch out and act and go like a hunter. He’s only 6 – he just turned 6. He was a really good boy today.” Sage, who is based in Parker, noted that keeping the horse’s attention is key to ensuring they have a good round. “The hardest part for him is the outside of the ring,” she explained. “He loses his concentration. He’s very distracted by everything outside the ring. So what I try to do is just keep him focused on the jumps ahead of him.”  Sage faces tough competition in the Performance Working Hunter 3’6″ division, however. Audrey Buck and Edwina, owned by Patricia Murphy, followed up a fourth-place finish to Sage with wins in both the handy and under saddle classes. Buck and Edwina also took home the blue in the Colorado Horse Park Open Hunter O/F class.

Audrey Buck and Edwina

Buck said Edwina specializes in the handy rounds. “She definitely gets a little fazed by some of the fences and she is a little spooky, but it actually makes it better for the handy, because I can sit down and ride her a little harder,” she explained. “We just have fun!” “The turns are actually easier for her,” Buck added. “She doesn’t have as much time to think about everything. She does very well in the handy rounds. They’re kind of made for her.”   Jennifer Hulkko rode Lisa Martinez-Bates’ Brego to the first-place finish in the Performance Working Hunter 3’3″ O/F class. Their score of 85 was enough to clinch the win in the field of 26 entrants. Hulkko, who has just recently begun competing Brego, was thrilled with the horse’s effort. “I thought he was awesome!” she said. “He was so good. Just kind of right on it. He’s pretty much the same horse in the show ring as he is at home to practice on. He’s really solid.”Hulkko’s goals for Brego include moving up to 3’6”, and she wants to improve his performance in the handy by perfecting trot jumps. “We’re just getting him fit, so we’re going to step up to the 3’6″ Performance and then do the hunter derbies,” she said. The trot jump was one of the most challenging elements of the Scott Starnes-designed handy course, which began with a long approach to a single oxer and gave competitors several options for inside routes.

Calido’s Son and Heidi Hildebrand

While the trot jump tripped up several competitors, Heidi Hildebrand and Calido’s Son, owned by Amanda Hauser, took it in stride en route to a victory in the Performance Working Hunter 3’3″ Handy. Hildebrand said her main challenge in the handy was keeping Calido’s Son energetic and forward throughout the course. “He felt just a little bit behind my leg today,” Hildebrand said. “So when we started the handy, I just tried to catch a really good gallop to the first jump. I thought our trot jump worked out really well. From then on, I just really tried to maintain a nice gallop and let it flow. We did the inside turn after the five-stride line. It wasn’t super smooth, but he made it work.”Hildebrand said the initial plan for Calido’s Son was to compete in the conformation hunters with his owner, but Hauser moved up to the juniors and has been successful there. “Primarily my goal is to keep him ready for her,” Hildebrand said. “I used to do some of the hunter derbies with him. He won in Tulsa this year with her and he won in Tulsa last year with me, at the very same show, so it’s kind of fun. Now she’s stepping up and doing the hunter derbies.”

Amoro De Legante and Mark Mead

Mark Mead with Laura Fereday’s Amoro De Legante and Paul Rohrbach with NTM Enterprises’ Up In Smoke traded wins in the Working Hunter division’s over-fences classes. Amore De Legante and Mead won the first over-fences class, scoring 82 to second-placed Up In Smoke and Rohrbach’s 78, but the tables turned in the handy as Rohrbach scored 83 to Mead’s 78. “He rode great – he can still be a little bit on the green side sometimes,” Mead said of Amore De Legante. “He’s normally better in the handy rounds. Today he just was great in the first round and then got a little green in the handy round.” Amore De Legante began his career as a dressage horse: owner Laura Fereday, who rides him in the juniors, purchased him in California from owners who had imported him from Holland for that purpose. “I just think he likes jumping better!” Fereday said. With Mead in the irons, Amore De Legante has become increasingly comfortable in the hunter ring. “He’s a cool horse,” Mead, who is based outside of Boulder, said. Mead noted that both he and his horses appreciated the Colorado Horse Park’s new GGT footing. “I like it,” he said. “It feels like my horses are taking a deep breath on it, so it’s good.” The Working Hunter division and the Performance Working Hunter 3’6″ and 3’3″ divisions conclude Thursday. The $1,000 Open Hunter Classic will also be featured as Summer in the Rockies II continues at the Colorado Horse Park.Results: Summer in the Rockies II – Hunters – June 12, 2013 (Number/Horse/Owner/Rider)Performance Working Hunter 3’6″ O/F1. 411/Harlu/Laurie Brants/Mickie Sage2. 333/Simply Said/Emma Willsky/Ashley Keeler3. 204/Sir Topham Hat/The Cottonwoods Ltd/Charlie Dennehy4. 496/Edwina/Patricia Murphy/Audrey Buck5. 199/Uriela CWF/Audrey Slouka/Audrey Slouka6. 435/Jazzo/Kali Barnes/Paul Rohrbach7. 329/Rio’s Firefly/Christen Tuxworth/Christen Tuxworth8. 158/CR Explosive/Katie Crone/Katie Crone Performance Working Hunter 3’6″ Handy1. 496/Edwina/Patricia Murphy/Audrey Buck2. 199/Uriela CWF/Audrey Slouka/Audrey Slouka3. 411/Harlu/Laurie Brants/Mickie Sage4. 329/Rio’s Firefly/Christen Tuxworth/Christen Tuxworth5. 435/Jazzo/Kali Barnes/Paul Rohrbach6. 333/Simply Said/Emma Willsky/Ashley Keeler7. 158/CR Explosive/Katie Crone/Katie Crone8. 404/Chakira/Catherine Schoelzel/Jennifer Rhodes  Performance Working 3’6″ U/S1. 496/Edwina/Patricia Murphy/Audrey Buck2. 312/Leoncito/Lucy Hunsaker/Meredith Houx Remiger3. 333/Simply Said/Emma Willsky/Ashley Keeler4. 435/Jazzo/Kali Barnes/Katie Rosenzweig5. 329/Rio’s Firefly/Christen Tuxworth/Christen Tuxworth6. 404/Chakira/Catherine Schoelzel/Jennifer Rhodes  Performance Working Hunter 3’3″ O/F1. 793/Brego/Lisa Martinez-Bates/Jennifer Hulkko2. 438/D’Anconia Copper/Natalie Hejda/Katie Rosenzweig3. 223/Hennessy/Tony Font/Tony Font4. 500/Golden Girl/Lindsay Gersoff/Ashley Keeler5. 429/In Like Fynn/NTM Enterprises/Paul Rohrbach6. 165/Showtime/Patricia Murphy/Erin Murphy7. 184/Concierge/Elizabeth Richter/Meghan Felts8. 858/Briscoe/Gretchen Brictson/Mark Mead Performance Working Hunter 3’3″ Handy1. 765/Calido’s Son/Amanda Hauser/Heidi Hildebrand2. 165/Showtime/Patricia Murphy/Erin Murphy3. 429/In Like Fynn/NTM Enterprises/Paul Rohrbach4. 110/Rio/Chelsea Magness/Stacey Swink5. 500/Golden Girl/Lindsay Gersoff/Ashley Keeler6. 858/Briscoe/Gretchen Brictson/Mark Mead7. 223/Hennessy/Tony Font/Tony Font8. 190/Brunello/Megan Engel/Brianna DavisWorking Hunter O/F1. 366/Amoro De Legante/Laura Fereday/Mark Mead2. 427/Up In Smoke/NTM Enterprises/Paul Rohrbach3. 405/Simone/Catherine Schoelzel/Jennifer Rhodes4. 328/Barista/Anne Fitz/Laurie Jueneman5. 445/Alla’ Mint/Stacy Sibel/Stacy Sibel Working Hunter Handy1. 427/Up In Smoke/NTM Enterprises/Paul Rohrbach2. 366/Amoro De Legante/Laura Fereday/Mark Mead3. 361/Metternich/Karen King/Laureen Mc Kenzie4. 328/Barista/Anne Fitz/Laurie Jueneman5. 445/Alla’ Mint/Stacy Sibel/Stacy Sibel6. 405/Simone/Catherine Schoelzel/Jennifer Rhodes Working Hunter U/S1. 361/Metternich/Karen King/Laureen Mc Kenzie2. 427/Up In Smoke/NTM Enterprises/Katie Rosenzweig3. 366/Amoro De Legante/Laura Fereday/Mark Mead4. 405/Simone/Catherine Schoelzel/Jennifer Rhodes5. 445/Alla’ Mint/Stacy Sibel/Stacy Sibel6. 328/Barista/Anne Fitz/Laurie Jueneman Colorado Horse Park Open Hunter O/F1. 496/Edwina/Patricia Murphy/Audrey Buck2. 790/Baseline/Kramig LLC/Jennifer Hulkko3. 165/Showtime/Patricia Murphy/Erin Murphy4. 499/Rocket Man/Lindsay Gersoff/Ashley Keeler5. 184/Concierge/Elizabeth Richter/Meghan Felts6. 346/C. Quito/Margot Snowdon/Jessie Lang7. 295/Hutton/Lexi Mulkey/Megan Ghere8. 446/Snow Day/Patricia With/Laura Simpson