John McConnell had only one thing on his mind in the jump-off of the $25,000 Colorado Classic Grand Prix. He just wanted to be sure he was clean. McConnell came back sixth of seven in the second round, and none to that point were clear.

“I didn’t worry about the time,” said McConnell, a professional based in Elizabeth, Colo. He opted not to try the two inside turns offered by Josh Meyer’s jump-off course. “I was thinking I’d probably be safer going around, and I’d keep going and hopefully be double clean,” he said.

The strategy worked—McConnell got his clear round, and stayed within the time. McConnell was mounted on Klein Ranch’s Carolina, an 8-year-old Holsteiner he’d imported in May of 2006. The gray mare has only recently started campaigning over the bigger courses, and McConnell didn’t want to run her too fast.

“She’s green, she’s young, she’s just starting,” he said.

The last horse to go in the Saturday night class dropped a couple of rails, and Carolina notched her second win in three weeks. The grand prix was the finale of the Colorado Classic II horse show, held June 26-30 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
McConnell liked Meyer’s course well enough—winners usually do—but said that it was a little too soft. Meyer had to set a track to match the horses in attendance, a field that included juniors and amateurs. McConnell said this is backwards. He believes that if the courses were more difficult at the smaller events, more riders would be likely to bring their grand prix horses to the shows.

“I think it could be a hair bigger for $25,000. You’re not going to gain the field by not promoting the course,” he said. “It’s written up as a national level; it needs to be set at that level.”

McConnell wants the smaller grand prix events around the country to act as legitimate stepping stones to the bigger challenges ahead. If the courses are too soft, it makes the transition to the big time much more difficult. “You start thinking, ‘This is easy,’ ” he said. Then the rider goes to one of the bigger events and is in for a shock. “Wait a second!” McConnell said. “These jumps are bigger, they’re wider, you need to kick, go faster, everything.”

Something Special
When you name your horse Unsurpassed, it suggests you think it’s something special. That is certainly the case with the Cottonwoods Ltd./Pat Carleton mare of that name.

“She has an attitude,” said Michael Dennehy, who rides professionally for his father Wilson. “The ones that are truly the top horses are set apart by their attitude. They want to win.”

Michael rode Unsurpassed to the second year championship and led the victory lap in the $10,000 Fast Lane Farm Open Hunter Classic. Wilson knew Unsurpassed was going to be a special horse when he first saw her in Europe. He couldn’t wait for the young mare to arrive in Colorado.

“She came on Thanksgiving day in ’04,” said Charlie. “Dad was so excited about her he insisted we go out and school her on Thanksgiving.”

The younger Dennehy was a bit disgruntled at having the family holiday disrupted but soon got over his irritation. “She was such a kick in the behind to ride, it was worth it,” he said.
 
Keiri Kaneps had a chance to win the $10,000 classic with her Brescia but got jumped loose at a critical juncture in the course. Her score was still good enough for second, but the Colorado trainer was disappointed.

“She was wanting to be really good, but I literally got jumped off,” said Kaneps, shaking her head. “I need better glue. It wasn’t because she was bad, but because I needed to stay on better.”

Brescia has outstanding bloodlines. She is by All The Gold out of Bayern, and Bayern is Bavaria’s daughter. Brescia looks and jumps like her grandmother, and Kaneps fell in love with her at first sight. It’s an infatuation that has lasted long past that first rush.

“I just adore her,” said Kaneps. “She makes me happy. I make an effort to groom her myself. I ride her in the mornings before anything else in the horse show—she makes my day.”

In Her Blood
Hunter Holloway is just 9 years old, and at the beginning of her show career. Holloway, who rides with her mother Brandie, showed in the junior hunters for the first time, and the result was a championship with her wonderful roan hunter Burberry, as well as the win in the  Fast Lane Farm Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic.

“He’s a saint,” said Holloway of the 8-year-old, Dutch gelding. “I love him to death.”

Holloway never had a pony; she was mounted on horses from the beginning. “I started with a horse named Annie,” said the Kansas youngster. “She was a Paint, and every time she leaned over to get something to eat, I fell off over her neck.”

Amy Hershey had another excellent week in her string of amateur-owner, 18-35, hunter victories. Hershey, a student at the University of Colorado in Boulder, was champion with her Thoroughbred mare Lola and reserve with Mr. Flash.

“She’s just been on a roll,” said Hershey of the brown mare. “At home she’s really tough. She’s really hot.” But that all changes once she gets to the show. “You go to horse shows, and you float the reins, let her do her thing, and she’s great.”

Hershey’s trainer, Lindsay Kendall, is a newcomer to Colorado. “She’s one of the best people I’ve ever worked with,” said Hershey. “I really owe her everything because she has me so confident, has me going so well.”
 
Bette Renz McColley took her Bagalut to the championship in the adult amateur, 36 and over, hunters. McColley bought the big warmblood on the advice of her trainer, Jenny Paisley. Dressage was Bagalut’s game at that point, but Paisley was sure he’d make an excellent hunter.

“He just turned out to be the perfect horse for me,” said the Greenwood Village, Colo., amateur. “He was very capable and kind and forgiving.”

Helping PAALS
The Colorado Classic benefited People And Animals Living Synergistically, an animal-rescue organization that offers sanctuary for abandoned, disabled and elderly animals. At last count they had 40 horses at their 160-acre Dreampower Ranch near Castle Rock, Colo. Add to that about 80 or 90 dogs (“That’s subject to change because some are adopted out and some are coming in,” said Executive Director Lois Gruening) and at least 50 cats.

“The elderly dogs that are permanent residents actually live in one of the volunteer’s houses,” said Gruening. “They go out in their kennels during the daytime, or in the yard, and play in the sunshine. But at night they come into a house environment. It’s not like a lot of other sanctuaries where they keep the animals kenneled all the time.”

No animals are euthanized at the PAALS facility. In fact, many of their new arrivals come from overcrowded area shelters. “We take in some younger animals that just run out of time at shelters and give them the chance, the exposure, and the time to find a home of their own,” Gruening said.

You can find out more about this group at www.paals1.org.
 
Matt Hinton