Traverse City, MI – The 2010 Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival kicked off the first of three weeks of hunter/jumper competition today in beautiful Traverse City, MI. Held at Flintfields Horse Park, the jumpers began their competition in the Grand Prix Ring and saw wins from many familiar faces as well as some newcomers.  David Beisel won the blue ribbon in the 1.35m Jumpers, while a rider new to the show this year, Kim Farlinger, earned first place in the 1.30m Jumpers.

Today’s classes were set by renowned course designer Pierre Jolicoeur. Jolicoeur set a challenging track in the spacious Grand Prix Ring and tested the abilities of both horse and rider on the first day of competition. The $1,000 1.30m Jumpers were first to compete thanks to the generous sponsorship of Blue Gate Farm and Denise Wilson, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Thirteen exhibitors maneuvered the first round course and just two were able to jump double clear to finish at the top of the pack.  Richard Moloney piloted Olympic Lad to a double clear in 42.345 seconds to take the lead late in the class, but Kim Farlinger and Acardia 3 immediately followed with a faster jump-off round in 38.576 seconds to move into first.  Lisa Jacquin and Udora jumped double clear, but had an unfortunate time fault in the jump-off to finish in third place. Class winner Kim Farlinger was very pleased with her win today and enjoyed her first day competing at Horse Shows by the Bay. Farlinger is from Canada, and runs a business in Ottawa called Farlinger Stables, where she mainly focuses on jumpers. The rider is in Michigan with two grand prix horses of her own as well as several students that will show in various divisions throughout the month.”This is our first time here and it is great so far. It is a nice area and great show grounds, so we are happy,” Farlinger stated. “This horse was great; she is a super horse that Emily Kirch rides herself in the 1.30m Junior/Amateurs. She is really brave, really fast, a good winner and a good horse. I was really happy with her today and I thought she jumped great.”Farlinger commented on the day’s course, stating, “We have jumped Pierre’s courses here and there around. He builds at a lot of different horse shows and he knows what he is doing. His courses are tough enough without being trappy, and I think his they will be great for the week.”Up next in the Grand Prix Ring, Horse Shows by the Bay veteran David Beisel took home a blue ribbon in the 1.35m Jumpers riding Berkley. Beisel has been Horse Shows by the Bay’s Ovation Leading Open Jumper Rider several times over and started this year’s show off on a positive note.Berkley is a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding that Beisel first started in the jumpers few months before Horse Shows by the Bay in 2009. “I had him last summer and I did him up here a little bit, but he had just been doing the jumpers for three months,” Beisel explained. “He moved up in his first 1.40m class here at the end of the three weeks and then he went on to other places and ended up back with me a month ago. He has come back in fine style, so it is nice.”Beisel will compete in Traverse City through the next three weeks and hopes to show Berkley in the Welcome Prix on Friday and possibly the Grand Prix on Sunday if the horse continues to jump well. The 2010 Horse Shows by the Bay Series I will continue tomorrow with more exciting jumper action in the Grand Prix Ring. The professional hunter divisions will also award their championships in the Polk Family Main Hunter Ring. Horse Shows by the Bay continues through August 2 with many of the country’s top horses and riders competing at the scenic Flintfields Horse Park. For more information on Horse Show by the Bay, please visit www.horseshowsbythebay.com.RESULTS$1000 1.30 METER JUMPERS TABLE II, SEC 2 (B)   1   678    ACARDIA 3   KIM FARLINGER     EMILY KIRCH    0    0      38.5762   548    OLYMPIC LAD    RICHARD MOLONEY   LISA KENT    0    0    42.3453    80     UDORA   LISA JACQUIN   FAITH STEWART   0  1   45.7424   667    CARUSO VAN PAEMEL Z   KIM MERVYN    JENNIFER FOOTMAN   0   4   41.755    782    ROMEO    VICTOR SEGOVIA   THE ROMEO GROUP   0   4   44.393 $1250 1.35 METER JUMPERS TABLE II, SEC 2 (B)   1   620    BERKLEY   DAVID BEISEL   FOXRIDGE FARMS STABLES   0    0    36.2262   644    ASLAN   FRANKIE CHESLER -ORTIZ    FRANKIE CHESLER -ORTIZ0    0   0   37.0933   71   CASA BLANCA LA SILLA  LISA JACQUIN    FLINTWOODE FARMS LLC       0     0   38.0904   209    BARACK     SARA KEMPER     SARA KEMPER   0    0   40.4485   98  ASKABAN    BLYTHE MARANO  RIVERVIEW FARM, LLC   0   0    43.851Photo Credit: Acardia 3 and Kim Farlinger won the 1.30m Open Jumpers at Horse Shows by the Bay I. Photo (c) 2010 Lauren Fisher/PMG.