Bering C will head to a new home tomorrow, but before Sachine Belle loaded him on the trailer, they picked up one last green hunter tricolor for Lindsey Irvin today, Oct. 30, at the National Horse Show at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament. SBS Farms’ Jersey Boy left the Oncenter in Syracuse, N.Y. with reserve honors.

Belle struggled to control her emotions after she walked out of the ring after a winning trip in the stakes class. “I looked over at his groom and we were both crying,” said Belle. “I said ‘Oh, we’re so pitiful!’ ”

Irvin’s trainers Bob Braswell and Christina Schlusmeyer asked Belle to show the horse at Devon, and the two clicked so well she stayed aboard all season. Despite their short tenure together, Belle has grown remarkably attached to the flashy chestnut.

“He’s such a good guy. I never have to worry about him spooking or being bad,” said Belle, of Farmington, Conn. “He’s so perfect, I tell everyone a monkey could ride him!  He always tries so hard—it’s sad to see him go.” 

An Exemplary Performance
As a horse-crazy pony rider, Keri Kampsen dreamed of two things: riding like Havens Schatt and winning a major championship at the fall indoor show. So when Kampsen rode Stephen Borders’ Exupery to the regular working hunter championship at this year’s National Horse Show, it was only fitting that the division’s trophy honored  Schatt’s legendary mount, Ashford Castle.

“I used to idolize her, so winning this is a really big deal for me—especially since it’s the first time I’ve won at a big show,” said Kampsen.

Borders recruited Kampsen to take Exupery a year ago, and since then the 11-year-old has been making a big mark on the California circuit. “Soup” earns his keep in the amateur-owner ring with Borders, who bought him as a 4-year-old in Verden, Germany, while his wife was on the hunt for a dressage prospect.

“When you have a young one, no matter how talented they may or may not be,  you never know how they’re going to turn out,” he said. “Then when they turn out to be easy to ride so that I can ride them as well it’s even better!’

Sting Steps Up

Helen Lenahan’s Sting topped all three over fences classes to jump to the top of the regular conformation division with Jennifer Alfano aboard. Molly Ashe-Cawley rode De-Lovely to reserve for Caroline Lasersohn.
 
“Winning here is really huge.  Last time I showed at the National was at Madison Square Garden, and I was champion there with G.G. Valentine,” said Alfano, of Buffalo, N.Y.  “It’s really specal to do it again.”
 
Alfano first paired up with Sting at the end of last year’s HITS Ocala circuit (Fla.), when the Oldenburg had just a few shows under his belt. Sting stepped right up to the green conformation division from the pre-green ring, but he still had plenty of growing up to do.

“He’s really come a long way,” said Alfano. “This is only his second time doing the four-foot. His owner came to Syracuse, and I think this is her first time watching him, so it worked out perfectly.”

Alfano nicknamed Sting “Pacman” after his habit of non-stop nipping during the jog.  “He’s kind of a little brat,” said Alfano. “He’s like the kid that’s always getting into trouble, and he’s constantly at everyone but I love him, he’s sort of my pet.”

Sambalino Dances To The Top
Gina Day’s Sambalino claimed the green conformation hunter and grand hunter championships with Ken Berkley aboard. At last week’s Washington International (D.C.) Berkley and Sambalino finished as runners-up behind barnmates Scott Stewart and Ovation, who took reserve today. 

“The indoor circuit is a true test of first year horses, whether or not they react to the environment,” pointed out Berkley. “You know a horse even before you show him inside whether he’s going to come undone or not.  With [Sambalino’s] mind, a bomb could go off and he wouldn’t even move.”

Berkley, of Farmington, N.J., describes Sambalino (Samba Hit—Urania H) as a dream ride. “He’s as uncomplicated as they come,” he said. “He couldn’t get any easier or nicer.  He has a great mind.”

Sambalino will head into next year as the only green conformation star out of River’s Edge, as Stewart’s stalwart partners West Point and Ovation age out of the division.

Invincible Amateurs
Ellen Toon made her own mark at this year’s National, topping the amateur-owner hunter, 36 and over, division aboard Invisible, with Stephanie Riggio taking reserve with her Indian Summer.

Invicible earned reserve honors at last year’s National in Wellington, Fla., and Toon made one of her goals for the year to try to best that performance. “It’s definitely special to win at the National,” she said.  “The take so few, and you’re competing against the best in the country. You work so hard to get here, and so does everyone else.”

According to Toon, her horse’s biggest asset is that he lives up to his name, which helps with the special challenges presented by an indoor horse show where the horses are stabled in the parking garage. “They’re going from cold to hot to cold to hot—and yesterday they had to walk down the street through the snow—they have to be numb to all that. This horse I can say now, knock on wood, there’s nothing that bothers him,” she said.

In the amateur-owner hunter, 18-35, division Tracey Scheriff picked up her third tricolor of the fall Indoor season aboard Lavari, having topped the division at the Pennsylvania National and Washington International (D.C.). 

Scheriff, 25, couldn’t have been happier with her 12-year-old warmblood. “He was amazing and I’m really lucky to have him,” she said. After performing so well for her this fall, Scheriff, who trains with Havens Schatt, has planned a light schedule for the coming year, just pulling him out for the bigger shows.

More News From Syracuse

Ashley Pryde’s Smitten kept his cool in the green hunter stakes today when the fire alarms at the Oncenter started sounding two fences in.  The gelding didn’t bat an eye as lights flashed and a loud recording urged evacuation.  Not surprisingly, dismissive spectators took repeated urging to leave the warm arena for the 35-degree streets of downtown Syracuse.  Within half an hour the fire department checked out the problem, confirming a false alarm. 

Stone Hill Farm’s Tiziano took the lead in the large junior hunter division after winning the over fences class and taking third under saddle with Jessica Springsteen up.  The small junior hunter division is up for grabs, with Katie Dinan’s Angelo and Old Oak Farm’s Red Rooster each taking  blue.

McLain Ward took a tumble off Phillipa in the Pasmore Stables Horsemans’ Cup, over a course Jill Henselwood dubbed “dasterdly.”  But Ward ponied up to win the Atlas Fence Speed Challenge with Quo Vadis.  “It wasn’t such a good start to the evening,” admitted Ward. “But that’s the sport. One day you’re a hero, and the next day you’re at the bottom.”

The action gets underway tomorrow morning with the junior hunters starting off the day.

For full results, please click here.