PrintThis amateur rider is relieved to win her first grand prix with the only first-round clear.
One of Laura Hite’s lifetime goals was to ride in a grand prix. Actually, she phrased it a bit differently. “I just wanted literally to survive,” said the amateur rider from Coto de Caza, Calif.
She not only survived the $40,000 Menlo Grand Prix, only her second outing at that level, but she and her Pandrels also won the class.
“This is my hobby and my dream. It’s unbelievable,” she said.
The grand prix was a highlight of the Menlo Charity Horse Show, Aug. 5-10 in Atherton, Calif.
Hite trains in San Juan Capistrano with Joie Gatlin and Morley Abey. Neither could be at Menlo, but assistant trainer Tara Metzner was on hand to help. Metzner, realizing Hite was nervous, kept her technical advice to a minimum.
“Have enough pace, keep my reins short and good luck,” were the sum of the instructions, according to Hite.
When Hite entered the ring, only one horse had jumped fault-free over Michael Curtis’ course, and that horse had 2 time penalties. Hite finished clear within the time and won without a jump-off, which was just fine with her. Lise Quintero and Wendy Darling’s Nulli Sucundus settled for second with their 2 time faults.
“I was scared I’d have to do another round,” Hite said, laughing. “It’s the highest either one of us has ever jumped.”
Hite, the CEO of a company that manufactures children’s bath products and vitamins, has three kids. School, marriage and parenthood resulted in her giving up the sport she loves for 18 years.
“When my daughter was old enough to start riding, I decided to start again,” she said.
Hite credited her grand prix victory to Pandrels, a horse she’s owned for three years.
“I have an amazing horse—that’s all I can say. I love him, and he loves me,” she said of her 11-year-old bay gelding. Hite also didn’t hesitate to call on a little help from above. “I just kept praying for safety and clarity, and angels to pull us over these jumps!”
Hunting For Prize Money
Trainer Keri Kampsen had to rise above all others in the $10,000 Grand Hunter Challenge—including her own student—to earn the top check in the richest hunter class at the Menlo Charity.
In the end, she rode Monarch International’s aptly named On Top to victory. Her student, Nicoletta von Heidegger, gave her cause for concern, however.
“Nicoletta went before me and got a 90, so I had to rise above,” said Kampsen, who assists Joe Thorpe at Sovereign Place in Los Angeles, Calif. “It was a nice track—lots of combinations, long gallops.
Kampsen and On Top scored a 95 for an appreciative crowd, as the class preceded the grand prix in an adjacent ring. “It was a great stage,” Kampsen noted.
One of Laura Hite’s lifetime goals was to ride in a grand prix. Actually, she phrased it a bit differently. “I just wanted literally to survive,” said the amateur rider from Coto de Caza, Calif.
She not only survived the $40,000 Menlo Grand Prix, only her second outing at that level, but she and her Pandrels also won the class.
“This is my hobby and my dream. It’s unbelievable,” she said.
The grand prix was a highlight of the Menlo Charity Horse Show, Aug. 5-10 in Atherton, Calif.
Hite trains in San Juan Capistrano with Joie Gatlin and Morley Abey. Neither could be at Menlo, but assistant trainer Tara Metzner was on hand to help. Metzner, realizing Hite was nervous, kept her technical advice to a minimum.“Have enough pace, keep my reins short and good luck,” were the sum of the instructions, according to Hite.
When Hite entered the ring, only one horse had jumped fault-free over Michael Curtis’ course, and that horse had 2 time penalties. Hite finished clear within the time and won without a jump-off, which was just fine with her. Lise Quintero and Wendy Darling’s Nulli Sucundus settled for second with their 2 time faults.
“I was scared I’d have to do another round,” Hite said, laughing. “It’s the highest either one of us has ever jumped.”
Hite, the CEO of a company that manufactures children’s bath products and vitamins, has three kids. School, marriage and parenthood resulted in her giving up the sport she loves for 18 years.
“When my daughter was old enough to start riding, I decided to start again,” she said.
Hite credited her grand prix victory to Pandrels, a horse she’s owned for three years.
“I have an amazing horse—that’s all I can say. I love him, and he loves me,” she said of her 11-year-old bay gelding. Hite also didn’t hesitate to call on a little help from above. “I just kept praying for safety and clarity, and angels to pull us over these jumps!”
Hunting For Prize Money
Trainer Keri Kampsen had to rise above all others in the $10,000 Grand Hunter Challenge—including her own student—to earn the top check in the richest hunter class at the Menlo Charity.
In the end, she rode Monarch International’s aptly named On Top to victory. Her student, Nicoletta von Heidegger, gave her cause for concern, however.
“Nicoletta went before me and got a 90, so I had to rise above,” said Kampsen, who assists Joe Thorpe at Sovereign Place in Los Angeles, Calif. “It was a nice track—lots of combinations, long gallops.
Kampsen and On Top scored a 95 for an appreciative crowd, as the class preceded the grand prix in an adjacent ring. “It was a great stage,” Kampsen noted.
| Menlo Charity Tidbits |
