Emily Sutherland and Phineas

Parker, CO – July 12, 2013 – The Junior Hunter divisions at Summer in the Rockies V opened with strong showings from several up-and-coming junior riders. Emily Sutherland and Kai DeVoglaer established themselves as the ones to watch in the 3’6″ Large Junior Hunters, while Hunter Holloway and Madeline Thatcher put in outstanding performances in the 3’6″ Small Junior Hunters. DeVoglaer and Colleen McKenzie’s Castello started the Large Junior Hunters off with a win in the first class over fences, while Sutherland and Phineas, owned by Lisa Sutherland, took fourth. They swapped places in the handy, where Sutherland and Phineas took first place and DeVoglaer and Castello finished fourth. They faced off again in the hack and took the top two spots in that class as Sutherland edged out DeVoglaer for the win.”I thought it was just a really fun course,” Sutherland said after the handy. “I had a good plan. For all of the bending lines, I tried to jump in big and open his step and get all the strides done, and he managed to do it really well. He jumps really good – he takes care of me.” Sutherland, who lives in Wichita, KS, and trains with Brandie Holloway, credits Phineas with helping her move up the ranks in the year she’s had him. “Last year I was doing the 3′ Children’s Hunters with him, so he helped me move up, and he’s been great,” she explained. “He’s super good in the flat. He’s just light as a feather – you have to have a really light hand. His jump is smooth and he doesn’t really have any weaknesses. He’s a very solid horse.” This is Sutherland’s second season competing at the Colorado Horse Park, and both she and her horse enjoy spending their summer in the Rockies. “There are great rings and nice judges,” she said. “The mountains are beautiful and the weather is good. For sure, it’s a great setting. He loves it here.” She and Phineas now have their sights set on the US National Junior Hunter Championships (Junior Hunter Finals). They plan to compete at the East Coast location at HITS On The Hudson in Saugerties, NY. “I just really want to excel with him in the hunter ring because that’s my strength right now,” Sutherland said.

Kai DeVoglaer and Castello

DeVoglaer is also qualified for Junior Hunter Finals, but she has a new equitation horse and has been shifting her focus as she attempts to qualify for the major equitation finals. She and Castello put in lovely, consistent rounds to set themselves up to challenge for the divisional championship on Saturday.”As a rider, you always love when you and your horse just click, and he was a superstar today,” DeVoglaer said. “It just all came together. He couldn’t have been better. He’s an awesome partner.” She has been leasing Castello from Colleen McKenzie for the past year, and she said they have formed a good partnership over that time. “He’s a super sweet guy,” she described. “He’s got a little bit of a wild side that can come out sometimes, but it’s good to have a little fire in him. I’ve always loved to spend time around my horses and get to know their behavior on the ground too, which has helped. It’s good to have that connection.”

In the Small Junior Hunters, Hunter Holloway and Chianti’s Dream, owned by Hays Investment Corp., marched out with confidence in the first over fences class and scored the top placing. “It was a great course,” Holloway said. “The lines were set very nice. My horse is amazing. He was perfect as always and he just went out there and did his thing. He’s very straightforward. There are no tricks to him. You just go out there and ride. He’s been super – we love him!”

Hunter Holloway and Chianti’s Dream

Holloway and Chianti’s Dream followed up their blue ribbon with a third in the handy and a fifth in the hack. Holloway plans to join Sutherland at Junior Hunter Finals and sees Summer in the Rockies as good preparation. “It’s a fun show,” she said. “You have good competition here so it prepares you for bigger shows. We’ve been here the last couple years, and it’s been a great show.”Madeline Thatcher and Pony Lane Farm’s Stuck On You had a smooth, well-planned ride in the handy that earned them the first place ribbon. Thatcher has had Stuck On You for about six months, and the pair got off to an impressive start at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, where they won their first handy together and went on to qualify for and compete in the USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular. Thatcher described her trip in the handy. “The first jump is an oxer, which I thought was a good challenge,” she said. “He jumped that great. He let out a little head toss right after because he was proud of himself. Then there was a nice inside turn to the two-stride, and he marched right up to the oxer, turned around to the trot jump, which was great, and took another inside turn to the vertical. Then we went smoothly around the jump on the quarter line to the last oxer, and continued down nicely to the snake. It was a nice smooth course – I thought it was a great handy.” Thatcher, who is from Utah, has competed at the Colorado Horse Park for years and has moved up the divisions each year. “I did short stirrup here, and now it’s cool because I’ve come full circle and I’m doing the grand prix,” she said. “Colorado Horse Park has obviously put in the money to invest and improve, and it’s been great. I love it here.” Thatcher and Stuck On You, nicknamed Elvis, have a busy fall schedule ahead of them, including the Capital Challenge and the Alltech National Horse Show. “He’s fantastic,” Thatcher said. “I love that horse and he loves his job.”

Emily Hilton and Wodan

Along with the Junior Hunter divisions, the Olson Family Hunter Arena also featured top equitation classes. Emily Hilton and her own Wodan came away with the win in the ASPCA Maclay, while Kelli Cruciotti and her own Monterrey followed up a second place in the Washington Jumper Phase with a win in the Washington Hunter Phase to clinch the overall title. Hilton felt her earlier ride in the jumpers – she rode her own Tattoo to eighth place in the $5,000 Low Jr/A-O Speed Derby – got her in the right mindset for a flashy equitation round that earned her the first place finish in a class of 20 riders. “I think I was really lucky because I just did the jumpers over there, and today was speed, so you’re going for the most efficient track,” she explained. “So my thought going into this was, ‘what’s the most efficient way to do this?’ In the equitation you want to show off as much as you can. That was my plan with all of the options. I think that helped us stand out.”Hilton, who trains with Cara Anthony at Potcreek Meadow Farm in Seattle, WA, is competing at the Colorado Horse Park for the first time. “We heard this place had been totally redone and it was a wonderful show, so we figured we’d come check it out,” she said. “I think we’ll be back next year. It’s a wonderful facility. The competition is really good.”

Madeline Thatcher and Stuck On You take the trot fence in their handy round

Kelli Cruciotti’s consistency won out over the two rounds of qualification for the Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals. She and her own Monterrey earned an 88 in the Washington Jumper Phase to take second behind Caitlin Boyle, who rode Micaela Kennedy’s Loredo to score a 90. Cruciotti returned in the Washington Hunter Phase with another 88 to score 176 overall and clinch the win. Boyle and Loredo scored 78 in the Hunter Phase to place second with a total of 168. “The jumper course had a lot of options,” Cruciotti said. “You could do the inside turns. They incorporated the banks, which I really enjoy, and my horse is so good at them. I did all the banks and all the options, and I was second with 88.””And then I came into the hunter round and had a nice smooth round,” she continued. “He’s wonderful. I’m very lucky.” Cruciotti is looking forward to Sunday, when she and Monterrey will compete in the USHJA International Hunter Derby. She won the Derby at Summer in the Rockies III and will seek to defend her title against a fresh slate of challengers. “I’m very excited,” she said. “There’s a lot of great competition and a lot of great horses and riders.”Kelli Cruciotti and MonterreyThe Junior Hunter divisions wrap up on Saturday, and Amateur Owner Hunters will also take the stage. Sunday will feature the $15,000 USHJA International Derby as well as the $5,000 USHJA National Derby and $2,500 CHP Pony Derby.Results: Summer in the Rockies V – Friday, July 12, 2013 (Number/Horse/Owner/Rider)230. Large Junior 3’6″1. 324/Castello/Colleen Mc Kenzie/Kai DeVoglaer2. 590/Dolce Vita/Hannah Pattermann/Hannah Pattermann3. 227/Simply Said/Emma Willsky/Emma Willsky4. 629/Phineas/Lisa Sutherland/Emily Sutherland5. 515/Levitation/Marnina Seller/Marnina Seller6. 635/Elliot/Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway8. 672/Landego 35/Ashland Farms/Kira Telford 231. Large Junior 3’6″ Handy1. 629/Phineas/Lisa Sutherland/Emily Sutherland2. 635/Elliot/Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway3. 262/Union Square/Allison Cederberg/Allison Cederberg4. 324/Castello/Colleen Mc Kenzie/Kai DeVoglaer5. 515/Levitation/Marnina Seller/Marnina Seller6. 242/R’Mani/Samantha Seiler/Samantha Seiler7. 590/Dolce Vita/Hannah Pattermann/Hannah Pattermann8. 227/Simply Said/Emma Willsky/Emma Willsky 234. Large Junior U/S1. 629/Phineas/Lisa Sutherland/Emily Sutherland2. 324/Castello/Colleen Mc Kenzie/Kai DeVoglaer3. 568/Frank The Tank/McKenzie Booker/McKenzie Booker4. 262/Union Square/Allison Cederberg/Allison Cederberg5. 613/Uriela CWF/Audrey Slouka/Audrey Slouka6. 242/R’Mani/Samantha Seiler/Samantha Seiler7. 590/Dolce Vita/Hannah Pattermann/Hannah Pattermann8. 552/Summer Place/Pony Lane Farm/Madeline Thatcher 215. Small Junior 3’6″1. 633/Chianti’s Dream/Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway2. 396/Intuition/Porter Allen/Sedona Chamblee3. 406/Toska/Courtnay Edwards/Courtnay Edwards4. 730/Newman/Hailey Livingston/Hailey Livingston5. 588/Maverick/Kara Kahn/Kara Kahn6. 554/Stuck On You/Pony Lane Farm/Madeline Thatcher7. 627/Finders Keepers/Caitlin Boyle/Caitlin Boyle8. 310/Calido’s Son/Amanda Hauser/Amanda Hauser9. 418/MG Vivaldi/Eva Coringrato/Eva Coringrato 216. Small Junior 3’6″ Handy1. 554/Stuck On You/Pony Lane Farm/Madeline Thatcher2. 730/Newman/Hailey Livingston/Hailey Livingston3. 633/Chianti’s Dream/Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway4. 418/MG Vivaldi/Eva Coringrato/Eva Coringrato5. 588/Maverick/Kara Kahn/Kara Kahn6. 396/Intuition/Porter Allen/Sedona Chamblee7. 310/Calido’s Son/Amanda Hauser/Amanda Hauser8. 406/Toska/Courtnay Edwards/Courtnay Edwards9. 627/Finders Keepers/Caitlin Boyle/Caitlin Boyle 219. Small Junior U/S1. 310/Calido’s Son/Amanda Hauser/Amanda Hauser2. 554/Stuck On You/Pony Lane Farm/Madeline Thatcher3. 730/Newman/Hailey Livingston/Hailey Livingston4. 627/Finders Keepers/Caitlin Boyle/Caitlin Boyle5. 633/Chianti’s Dream/Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway6. 588/Maverick/Kara Kahn/Kara Kahn7. 406/Toska/Courtnay Edwards/Courtnay Edwards8. 396/Intuition/Porter Allen/Sedona Chamblee9. 418/MG Vivaldi/Eva Coringrato/Eva Coringrato 402. ASPCA Maclay1. 193/Wodan/Emily Hilton/Emily Hilton2. 265/Coretto/Brittyn Niemi/Brittyn Niemi3. 629/Phineas/Lisa Sutherland/Emily Sutherland4. 613/Uriela CWF/Audrey Slouka/Audrey Slouka5. 491/Scarto/Donald Stewart/Camila Trejo6. 231/Zygo/Alessandra Sozzi/Alessandra Sozzi7. 824/Holyfield/Misty Redd/Misty Redd8. 248/Theodore K/Hannah Hlopak/Hannah Hlopak 404. Washington Hunter Phase1.247/Monterrey/Kelli Cruciotti/Kelli Cruciotti2. 633/Chianti’s Dream/Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway3. 788/Samsonite/Katya Schwab/Katya Schwab4. 231/Zygo/Alessandra Sozzi/Alessandra Sozzi5. 628/Loredo/Micaela Kennedy/Caitlin Boyle6. 491/Scarto/Donald Stewart/Camila Trejo7. 729/Asante/Hyla Palermo/Hyla Palermo8. 151/Seraldo/All Seasons Farm/Isabel Johnson 405. Washington Jumper Phase1. 628/Loredo/Micaela Kennedy/Caitlin Boyle2. 247/Monterrey/Kelli Cruciotti/Kelli Cruciotti3. 788/Samsonite/Katya Schwab/Katya Schwab4. 325/War Eagle/Donald Stewart/Kai DeVoglaer5. 491/Scarto/Donald Stewart/Camila Trejo6. 248/Theodore K/Hannah Hlopak/Hannah Hlopak7. 824/Holyfield/Misty Redd/Misty Redd8. 151/Seraldo/All Seasons Farm/Isabel Johnson 4050. Washington Overall1. 247/Monterrey/Kelli Cruciotti/Kelli Cruciotti2. 628/Loredo/Micaela Kennedy/Caitlin Boyle3. 788/Samsonite/Katya Schwab/Katya Schwab4. 2. 633/Chianti’s Dream/Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway5. 491/Scarto/Donald Stewart/Camila Trejo6. 325/War Eagle/Donald Stewart/Kai DeVoglaer7. 151/Seraldo/All Seasons Farm/Isabel Johnson8. 701/No Excuses/Melvin Pitts/Katherine Pitts Full results available at http://www.showplaceproductions.com/chp/resultsDivisionList.php?competition=22.