It didn’t take Kristin Bachman long to recognize that her young eventing prospect was more of a Gryffindor than a Budweise. After all, she thought he embodied the traits of courage, chivalry and boldness associated with the Gryffindor dormitory in Harry Potter.

And he proved her right as he got the season off to a strong start with a win in a competitive division of open intermediate at Galway Downs, Temecula, Calif., Feb. 4-5.

When Bachman bought “Griffin” about six years ago, he was a 5-year-old, off-the-track Thoroughbred (Country Light–Lani Molly) who’d been racing under the name Budweise. “I thought he was a little too classy to be ‘Bud,’ ” said Bachman with a laugh.

The win at Galway was the first run of the season for Bachman, who headed east after the event to prepare for the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** in April. Last year the pair completed the Foxhall Cup CCI*** (Ga.) and finished 10th in the Jersey Fresh CCI*** (N.J.). They also won the 2004 Rebecca Farm CIC***W (Mont.). Bachman has quit her job at a barn in Seattle in order to move to the East Coast.

“He doesn’t travel well; he internalizes everything, so to get the best out of him, it was only fair to base [on the East Coast],” said Bachman, 34, of Redmond, Wash.

So Bachman, her chocolate Labrador Retriever, Sage, and Griffin crossed the country together. At the moment, she’s roaming from event to event, and after Kentucky she plans to either settle on the East Coast or return to Washington.

And Bachman thinks the world of her partner. “If he was a guy, I’d marry him in a second,” she said with a laugh. “He’s smart, good-looking, and very good at his job.”

He attracted her from the first time she saw him. “I fell in love with his eye,” she said. “It’s huge, intelligent and kind. I got really lucky. He’s been a continuous joy to work with, and he steps up every time I’ve asked him to.”

Although Griffin came with some off-the-track baggage, like curling under and displaying some tension on the flat, Bachman said he has a wonderful mind. “He’s easy to teach things to; he understands quickly,” she said.

Right before Galway, Bachman worked with Kim Severson in a developing rider clinic, and she’ll continue to work with Severson, as well as Jan Thompson, this spring.

And she thought Galway was the perfect course to start their year. “There’s always great questions, a lot of skinnies,” she said. “Often in his first run [of the year], he’s not very attentive and gets bullyish, and this was not a ‘gimme’ course. He went out and focused well on everything.”

Last year at Galway Griffin ran past a skinny, the final fence at the four-element water complex. “I knew I had my work cut out for me,” she said. “It was a good field, and I didn’t go in expecting to win.”


“I Have A Houdini”
Julie Ann Boyer scored her first win with Rumor Hazit, a 7-year-old mare she’s owned for four years, in one of Galway Downs’ preliminary divisions.

“I was getting frustrated trying to find a horse, so I called [horse dealer] Ira Schulman. I told him I had limited funds but to send me something that looks promising,” said Boyer, who bought the mare sight unseen.

She was “track broke” when Boyer got her. “She was a little quirky and high strung,” she said. “But she’s very sensitive and learns fast. She’s smart. I have to do dressage in a rubber snaffle, but I have to have a gag on cross-country.”

At Galway, however, Boyer wasn’t sure for a few hours if she was even going to be able to compete. When she arrived at the barn on Saturday at 5:30 a.m., she found “Rumor’s” stall door open, and the mare was nowhere in sight.

“I got my flashlight out and couldn’t find her,” said Boyer. “She was running around in the race horse barns. I called her, and she actually came to me. She had scrapes on her hock–but not too bad–and she was sound. I was just so relieved to find her. She was a long way from her stall. I guess I have a Houdini–I put hooks on her [door latches] after that.”

Boyer, 47, of Acton, Calif., thinks her mare is ready to move up to intermediate now. “It felt like it was simple for her,” she said.

She manages to ride five times per week, despite working as a police officer on the “graveyard shift.” She also has to make frequent appearances in court–in fact, the week before Galway she had to be in court every day. “My riding was a little abbreviated,” she admitted.

Although she was disappointed not to place in the dressage, her goal for Galway had been to make the time in show jumping, and a clear round moved her up into third place after that phase. She then grabbed the victory after finishing her cross-country round inside the time.

“She’s very willing, and I’ve really got some hopes for her,” said Boyer.

She hopes Rumor can return her to the advanced level, as she had to sell her last advanced partner, Kipling. Since she didn’t have the finances to compete at that level, she sold him to Lauren Whitlock, who competed him at the 2005 FEI World Cup Final in Sweden. “I’ve never even been to Sweden!” said Boyer with a laugh. “My heart still misses a beat every time I see him, but maybe my second chance is here with Rumor.”

Boyer, who keeps her horses at home, also enjoyed getting to see everyone at Galway after the winter break. “I love eventing, and I’ll do it as long as I can crawl on a horse,” she said. “If I get too old to ride, I’ll be cheering on the sidelines for everyone else, but I don’t think I’ll get too old to ride.”