Kelli Cruciotti had a breakout year in 2015, winning the $100,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon (Pa.) with her Chamonix H, and this year she’s followed that up with some big results in the Under-25 grand prix classes, including winning the Artisan Farms Under-25 series during the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.)

Cruciotti embarked on a quick European tour this spring, competing at Chantilly (France) and Eindhoven (the Netherlands). And then on June 10, she took her winning ways up to Calgary, Alberta and topped the Encana U25 Cup 1.45-meter class with Chamonix H.

Cruciotti, 18, was the youngest rider in the Encana U25 Cup, and this was her first time competing at Spruce Meadows. “It was a feeling like no other,” she expressed. “I was fortunate enough to have a very seasoned horse, but you’re still nervous when you go into a ring like that. It’s very intimidating walking through the clock tower. She jumped incredible in both rounds.”

Cruciotti has been riding Chamonix H, a 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare (Equest Carnute—Wotin, Caletto II) since the fall of 2013 and called her a “real horse of a lifetime.”

While her horse is only three years younger than her, the experience has helped her grow as a rider. “She loves this just as much as I do,” she said. “Even though she’s 15, I feel like she’s found her second wind, if you will. I believe in her, and we feed off each other. She gives you that extra oomph that you want to win and be competitive. It really helps when you have a horse like that.”

Here’s what you need to know about Chamonix H:

• She’s not cuddly. “Most of the time, she tries to bite me. If you go in her stall and try and hug her, she’ll tell you to leave her alone!” Cruciotti said. “She’s not mean at all at heart, but she’s just not a fan of neighbors.

  “She kind of just tolerates us humans,” Cruciotti said. “She’s kind of like a grinch, but she’s also like a grandmother; she’s very caring and loyal. She definitely thinks she’s smarter than everyone, which she probably is!”

Chamonix H isn’t a love-bug, but she’s devoted to Kelli Cruciotti.

• They call her Chammy. “We’ve always kind of struggled with barn names. Chamonix is a hard name to come up with nicknames for!” Cruciotti said.
• She was bought by Cruciotti’s family to give the teenager mileage over the big sticks. “We bought her as a first 1.40-meter, 1.45-meter horse for me. I’d never jumped over 1.35-meter at that point, so she was supposed to be a teacher for me,” said Cruciotti.

  “She’s done so much more than that. She’s one of those horses that you never feel like any jump is too big. Even if you make a mistake, the worst thing she’ll do is push the rail out of the way. That gives you a lot of confidence in doing the bigger classes. She’s just been so reliable. You can go in any class—on the grass, under the lights, anything—and she just takes care of me.”

• Disaster struck when Chamonix first arrived at the Cruciotti’s farm in Parker, Colo., in the fall of 2013. She colicked and spent 10 days at Colorado State University’s veterinary hospital.

  “Colorado is unique because when the storms come in, the barometric pressure changes really fast,” said Cruciotti’s mother, Cindy. “You have to be careful about a lot of horses when they move there, because if they’re sensitive, they might colic.

  “She had an entrapment. They rolled her and it didn’t work, but they didn’t want to operate,” Cindy continued. “Her liver and spleen wouldn’t go back into place. Finally the storm moved out and everything went back into place.”

  “Kelli basically lived there with her for days, sitting in the stall. It was quite a bonding time for Kelli and the horse. She wouldn’t leave her. The two of them really connected,” Cindy continued. “She tolerates the rest of us, but she really loves Kelli.” 

Chamonix H and Kelli Cruciotti.

• Life with Chammy is not dull by any means. “She’s very hot—I don’t wear spurs usually. At home she’s uncontrollable sometimes!” said Kelli. “We rarely jump her at home, but when we do, we do a lot of poles and gymnastics. She kind of does whatever she wants to!”
• At the shows, she loves to go out on the lunge line and buck and play, especially if there’s a big lungeing area. 
• Chammy isn’t a shrinking violet under the spotlight. “I think she likes going to big shows—she knows the difference. When I took her to Central Park, she thought she was the queen. She loved it,” said Kelli.
• Chammy is brave, brave, brave. “I conquered my fear of open water on her, so she’ll always have a special place in my heart,” said Kelli. “She’s the best water jumper—no matter where you get her there, she’ll do it.”

• It took a while for Kelli to adjust to Chammy’s ride. “She was very difficult for me at the start. She was so strong for me; I’d never ridden a horse like that,” she said. “She’d been jumping 1.55-meter classes when I got her, so she had the experience to do whatever I wanted, but it was a serious transition for me to learn to ride her. I think our partnership has really developed.

  “She’s taught me a lot about how to go smooth while you’re going fast. She’s so hot that you have be really smooth when you go fast. You can’t chase her because she’ll get upset. She’s taught me how to use the turns instead of just running.”

• Chammy doesn’t have to watch what she eats. “She eats a ton. She has big hip bones, so she always looks like she’s skinny even when she’s in good weight,” Kelli said.
• Chammy’s a big fan of turn-out. There’s a big field at the Cruciotti’s farm that she shares with Kelli’s first pony, Miss Scarlett, who is 20. “Chammy loves her turn-out time! I think she just likes being left alone,” Kelli joked. “She herds Miss Scarlett sometimes, but Scarlett is smart and runs away. When we haven’t been home in a while and we turn her out, Scarlett runs up to her and says hello.”