The 2013 Canadian Show Jumping Reserve Champion was veteran Beth Underhill of Schomberg, ON.
Underhill also had an inspiring story behind this year’s success, due to the challenging history of her mount, Viggo (an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding).
“(Viggo) had a full year off due to an injury and I honestly didn’t think he’d be coming back to major competition whatsoever. He just started to do the big FEI grand prix classes again in the last six weeks of the outdoor season, so he’s quite rusty at the 1.60m level at this moment,” she explained.
This unfortunate setback didn’t stand in the way of the duo’s foot-perfect performance over all three phases of the championship. A clear jumping effort in Round 1 took them into Round 2 with just 1.62 penalties-a score they would ultimately finish on after two more faultless trips.
“I was mostly proud of my horse because it’s been two years since he’s jumped indoors,” said Underhill. “A lot of horses here had the opportunity to jump a little bit at some of the other indoor shows, or at least came here last year. But, it’s been a two-year hiatus for him. I really didn’t know how he would step into this ring after that break, but he just felt like he jumped better and better every round.”
BU & Viggo 2Angela Covert of St. Lazare, QC rounded out the top three with a total score of 4.33 penalties aboard Utan, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by the Eastwood Group.
As the top two finishers in the Canadian Show Jumping Championships, Candele and Underhill have also qualified to compete in the international division of the Royal Horse Show, which gears up next week.
“I came here thinking I really want to be top two and earn our berth for the international week, so I’m really proud that we were able to do that. I’m looking forward to getting to stay down here and keep jumping,” commented Underhill.
Additional Canadians qualified to enter the international division are Mac Cone, Angela Covert, Karen Cudmore, Jordan MacPherson, Ian Millar, and Ainsley Vince.
2013 Canadian Show Jumping Championships – Final Results
Placing / Rider / Horse / Final Score
1 / Yan Candele / Showgirl / 0
2 / Beth Underhill / Viggo / 1.62
3 / Angela Covert / Utan / 4.33
4 / Jordan MacPherson / Piccobello du Val de Geer / 4.66
5 / Isabelle Lapierre / Vicki Vale / 6.74
6 / Ainsley Vince / Frieda / 8.19
7 / Christian Sorensen / Bobby / 8.62
8 / Ian Millar / Star Power / 8.65
9 / Lauren Patava / Sly / 13.48
10 / Mac Cone / Amor van de Rostal / 19.35
Toronto, ON – November 10, 2013