Laura Kraut has known that Allegiance is an up-and-coming star for a while, but so far this year, he hasn’t put his name up in lights. “We’ve had sort of a four-fault year. He’s jumped in a lot of big classes with one down,” said Kraut.

That all changed at the Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show, Aug. 10-15 in Zionsville, Ind. Allegiance and Kraut topped the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Indianapolis and claimed second in the $25,000 Russell Fortune Jr. Memorial Grand Prix there.

“He finally put it all together. He’s had a lot of frustrating four-fault rounds this year, like at Rotterdam [the Netherlands] and in the Queen Elizabeth Cup at Spruce Meadows [Alta.]. He had a little break after Spruce Meadows [in July] and this was his first one back and he felt super,” said Kraut.

Allegiance and Kraut laid down the winning trip in the $50,000 class as the first to jump off. They blistered around clean in 40.19 seconds. Kraut wasn’t sure her time would hold, however, since speedster Aaron Vale came right after her.

“When Aaron’s after you, you know you’re in trouble, and he came very close, but I knew I was fast. There were only four in the jump-off, and I had another one in it, so I felt pretty good that I would be right there,” she said.

Vale and Picasso S 2 jumped clean and into second with a 40.41-second time. Kraut’s second horse, Miss Independent, turned in the fastest jump-off of the day, in 39.88 seconds, but collected 8 faults for fourth. Laura Linback guided Remember Me 9 to a clean but conservative jump-off time of 45.19 seconds for third.

Allegiance and Miss Independent, an 8-year-old mare, had taken second and third just two days earlier in the $25,000 grand prix, each with clean jump-offs just slower than winner Margie Engle on Nobility.

Kraut has been bringing Allegiance, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Animo–Gosseline), along for four years. She bought him from Frank Conway, who was showing the bay gelding in the 6-year-old young jumper division. “He came along quickly. As an 8-year-old, he jumped in a couple of grand prix classes, but not much, and last year he did quite a few big classes, but I always try to go back and let him do something easy again after I’ve pushed him,” she said.

Kraut’s main grand prix mount, Anthem, has had a light schedule due to a foot injury, so Allegiance has been stepping up. “He really had to go strong this year. He’s been really good, just a bit unlucky,” said Kraut. Allegiance benefited from a trip to Europe to compete this summer when Kraut opted to not compete in the U.S. Olympic selection trials.

Instead, Kraut rode Anthem in the Super League Nations Cups at La Baule (France), Rome (Italy), and Lucerne (Switzerland), and chose Miss Independent for the Super League at Rotterdam (the Netherlands). Allegiance jumped a four-fault first round in he Grand Prix of Rotterdam and placed 15th. He also placed 15th in the $154,250 Queen Elizabeth Cup at Spruce Meadows with a four-fault score.

“Now, he’s jumped a lot of big tracks, and I feel confident now that he can do it with no problems. He had about four weeks at home [after Spruce Meadows] when he could take a breath and reflect on it, and he came out at Traders Point and jumped super. He jumped three classes and six clear rounds and felt great,” Kraut said.

Hmm, That Kind Of Hurts

Kraut made a rare appearance in the hunter ring earlier in the week at Traders Point. Barbie Bancroft had guided her two regular working hunters–Ducati and Patricio–to trade wins the first day of the division, but an injury kept her from the saddle for the second day. Her friend Kraut kindly stepped in to take over Ducati’s reins and clinch the championship, while Bancroft’s junior student, Ariana Wallace, finished up the division on Patricio and took reserve.

Bancroft’s injury actually happened before she rode her regular working horses the first day, but in typical horseman style, she ignored the pain. Just before the regular working division, she took a fall when a training jumper spooked at the first fence, then jumped it awkwardly. In trying to hold on, Bancroft dislocated her right elbow. “But I didn’t know this. It hurt, but it had popped back into place. It swelled up almost instantly, about the size of a softball. But I still had to ride the regular workings,” she said.

She got on her first hunter, and there were signs of problems. “I notice that I can’t pull very well with my right hand, but I figure we all pull too much usually anyway, so it’s just as well; their mouths can have a little rest. But then I notice that when I release with my right hand over the jump, I can’t reach forward very far. But other than that, it seems fine,” said Bancroft.

It wasn’t until after she finished showing that Bancroft deigned to go to the hospital and found out about the dislocation. She had to take a few weeks off riding, but should recover. In the meantime, Kraut rode Ducati to two wins over fences on the second day, while Wallace took two third-places with Patricio.

Traders Point was Bancroft’s one-year anniversary with Ducati; last year, it was their first show together. “He’s the dearest horse I’ve ever met,” Bancroft said. “You have to understand him; if you accept him how he is, he’s absolutely the best in the world. You have to put him in the frame of mind to just jump around. I just keep it simple.”

Ducati, a 9-year-old Hanoverian, also shows in the adult amateur division with his owner, Lesley Keiser, who has had him for four years. “She gets along with him beautifully and is absolutely devoted to him,” said Bancroft.

Patricio also does double duty, though he doesn’t have Ducati’s years of experience. Bancroft bought the 8-year-old Holsteiner in May, from Mexico, where he was competing as a jumper.

“He’s had to do a whole lot of relearning in a short time,” said Bancroft. “But he’s very kind and talented.” Wallace shows Patricio in the junior hunters, and he also helped another junior student earn equitation ribbons at the Lake Placid (N.Y.) horse shows in July.

Liking The Challenge

Denise Wilson made her presence at Traders Point known with championship tricolors in the children’s hunters with A Thousand Words and in the children’s jumpers with Vendome D’Uriat.  Wilson only got A Thousand Words, or “Rocco,” five weeks before the show.

She’s leasing the 7-year-old warmblood-Thoroughbred cross for the year. “He’s tricky and he needs a confident ride, but he has loads of potential and talent,” said Wilson. Her trainer, Brenda Mueller, also shows Rocco in the pre-green division.

“We tried about 10 horses when we finally found him. He’s very cute, and he’s phenomenal over the jumps. And he really tries hard to do it right. But he keeps me on my toes. He’s very sensitive and it’s a real challenge for me. But I like the challenge and we get along great,” said Wilson, 15, of Oconomowoc, Wis.

Wilson started riding when she was 6, but she first rode and showed saddle-seat horses. When she was 9, she “thought it would be fun to try jumping,” she said, so she switched to hunters and never looked back.

Wilson made another transition last year at Traders Point, when she bought Vendome D’Uriat, her first jumper, from Laura Linback. “I bought him as a teacher,” she said. “He’s probably the coolest horse I’ve ever owned. He’s easy until you start trying to win and doing tight turns. I’m still learning where to go fast and where to take chances, and he’s teaching me all of that.”

The Linbacks told Wilson that they called Vendome D’Uriat “The Little Horse That Could,” and she agrees. “He’s only 15.2 hands, but don’t underestimate him. He’s got so much scope and he’s so careful,” she said of the 17-year-old warmblood. Next year, Wilson plans to move up to the junior hunters with Rocco and the low junior jumpers with Vendome D’Uriat.

Maria Dritsas had the typical junior showing career, but she never was able to compete at the indoor finals as a junior. “I could never afford to just have a whole bunch of horses and spend a lot of time on the road, so I dabbled a little bit in everything,” she said.

Now a professional rider, she’s eyeing the indoor finals with Passport, who she showed to the second year green championship for owner Casey Scudder. “He’s very sweet and kind-hearted. He’s just an all-around talented horse,” said Dritsas. Passport, an 11-year-old Selle Franç¡©s, showed lightly in the first year division last year.

“He made his share of mistakes, but he’s gotten easy in every way. He knows he’s a show horse, and he just goes out and performs and he comes out and gets his carrot,” said Dritsas. Passport also shows in the junior divisions with Scudder, and their main goal for the fall is to qualify for the Pennsylvania National.

Dritsas dabbled for four years in the amateur divisions after her junior days were over. “I had some young horses that I brought along in the adult and amateur-owner divisions, but I can’t really afford to be an amateur. It worked out better to be a professional. And I love it,” she said. She rides for Steve Wall’s Harmony Farm in Waukesha, Wis.