GRAND NATIONAL
Highlights
2012
2011
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Grand Nationals - 2011
This year the 2011 Grand National Show was held in Memphis, TN. Everyone was feeling excited about competing in the National show. We all had worked hard through out the show year and now it was time for the big test! We got an early start, loading up our show string of seven beautiful Paso Finos and headed to Memphis in our new rig.
It’s always interesting when a husband and wife compete in the same class and this was true when Jim and I competed in the 4Y Fino Fillies. We didn’t care who won just as long as we were in the ribbons. Jim had a fantastic ride on his beautiful horse, Portalinda. The three judges were unanimous in their decision, awarding Jim first place and second place to me, riding Gondola Royal. After receiving our ribbons and plaques, Jim and I held hands and rode the victory lap together to the music of ‘Love and Marriage Go Together Like a Horse and Carriage’. We were later told our horse were in step with each other. How perfect was that! And a BIG congrats to Jim for going on to win the Grand National Champion A/O Fino Mare. And once again Jim was awarded the - 2011 High Point Amateur Owner. Well done! See the Grand National Champion A/O Fino Mare - Portalinda de Shelbran:
Wow what a show and as if it couldn’t get any better our Performance Stallion, Caprechio went on to win the National Champion Performance Stallion AND the Grand National Championship in the Open division. I rode him in the Amateur Owner classes and pinned second in the class and won the Grand National Championship A/O Performance Stallion. Amazing! Words can’t express how fantastic this horse is. His list of achievements started as an undefeated 3Y Performance Colt and he has not looked back. Caprechio is a power house and so thrilling ride.
The Pleasure horses were in the ribbons, except for Sonadora who got a stone bruise. We’d like to thank all the PFHA staff and the TVPFHA for putting on a fantastic show. You all deserve a big round of applause! We’ll be back next year to defend our titles. Until then, keep safe and enjoy the horses.
It's the closest show for us, only three hours away. I must say, Kay and her wonderful helpers really put on a good show. It's always friendly and well run. Thanks! Fox Hill took seven horses, including our 3Y fino colt, Excelente. He had a chance to experience the hustle and bustle of a show. Our horses did well and we are proud of them all. Jim and I competed in the same class and we came out even. Love it when that happens, it makes for good family fun. We got to spend some time with Richie Wingfield and his lovely family, Richie was giving private lessons at the show. What a surprise ... I was the A/O High Point winner of the show and won a free breeding to Experimento! We want to wish our friend, Glen Van Loon a speedy recovery after suffering a fall at the end of a class. Next show - Murfreesboro, TN
Asheville Alive -2011
This is the 4 day show we've all been waiting for! The competition is tough, with good quality horses and riders. Each day we'd look forward to the challenging events. Our Performance stallion, Caprechio did his best at the first show and was placed second but in the second show, the judges saw it differently and he won the Championship. Way to go Caprechio! Portalinda was fantastic and strutted her stuff in great style. Little Gondola was no slouch. She won the A/O Fino Mares Championship. Not bad for a bare footed 4 year old. A big thank you goes to Nelson Del Valle, who rode Portalinda and competed against his brother, Joel, who was on Gondola in the 4Y Fino Fillies class. The show was amazing and as usual we were sad to see it end. Packing up and heading for the long drive home is a drag. But we are grateful to all the good Piedmont folks who worked so hard to put on a spectacular show. See ya next year.
We had a great time catching up with all our friends and making some new ones too. Because Jim had to sit this one out, he's recuperating from a knee replacement! Joel and I only rode three of our horses. Our very young fino colt got his first look at a show ring and all things considered he did pretty good. The other two more seasoned horses had a fabulous show and Caprechio was the darling of the show. He pounded the board and thrilled the crowed. He's my pride and joy. Well, we can't wait for Asheville and for Jim to get back in the saddle - it's just not as much fun without him competing. Oh and to my surprise I got High Points A/O, I think there's a trophy that comes along with that. Thanks to all those folks who worked so hard to put on the show, it was friendly and fun. See you all next year.
Watch Caprechio doing his thing!
Paso Finos in Memphis
What a fantastic time we had at the Memphis show!Thanks to Norman and Debbie Timbs for all their hard and to all the great folks in the TVPFHA, you couldn't find a nicer group of people. Joel, Jim and I all competed with our six horses and we bought home a bunch of blues! What a great way to start off the show season. We are looking forward to attending Nationals in Memphis this year!!!
Performance Stallion - Caprechio
Fino Mare Championship - Gondola Royal
Fino Mare - Portalinda
After maintaining the horses through the winter with light workouts, it was time to get serious and we began with a two day, Richie Wingfield Clinic. The first day was the toughest. All the horses and riders got a good workout and on day two we were amazed with the results. Our horses were much softer and collected. Richie set us up with some foundation exercises to help keep the horses supple and bending at the poll. Jim, Joel and I are all excited about working with the horses in the coming weeks. Richie will return to Fox Hill for a more intense clinic. We are looking forward to learning more and improving our horsemanship skills. We send a big Thank You to Richie and his son Layne, whom we enjoyed very much!
