With two horses in the $25,000 King Shavings USGPL Grand Prix on March 13 in Tucson, Ariz., Guy McElvain knew he had twice the chances of his competitors.

And he profited from his experience on Courcheval and then guided Corcel to the fastest time. It meant he took the $7,500 winner’s check home to Lemitar, N.M.

The Arizona Desert Finals, on March 9-13, was the climax of the HITS Arizona Winter Circuit.

Peter Holmes, the grand prix course designer, planned a course that would be a positive end to the circuit.

“I want to make them feel they succeeded,” he said. “Those who are prepared well should be able to handle the basic questions.”

Of the 16 horses in the first round, three made it to the jump-off. Fence 11, the triple bar on a bending line after the water jump, and fence 12A had the most casualties. McElvain had problems with Courchevel at 12A.

“Courchevel thought he was done after the water and the triple,” McElvain said. “There’s a long gallop afterwards, and he thought we were circling. When I walked the course, I thought it would be a lot easier.”

Courtney Frederick and Flocon de Milles were the first to return to jump off. They turned in the fastest time (40.26) but lowered two rails. Nick Novak and Malone faulted at only one fence, but they had a slower time (42.94). McElvain had to just go clear to claim the victory, but Corcel dislodged a pole at fence 7, so he put “the pedal to the metal.” Corcel made a good turn inside fence 8A and left out at least one stride to the final triple bar to finish more than 2 seconds in the clear.

Horses are a family affair for the McElvains. Guy’s mother, Elizabeth, breeds Holsteiners, and Corcel is by her stallion, Columbus. She started him, as she does all their horses, with basic dressage. Then Guy, his wife, Sharon, and their children, Chenoa and Clayton, take over. They hunt and show the horses.

“I shared the ride on Corcel with Chenoa for the first three weeks,” said Guy. “I rode him this week. We had a problem with the water, but we were ready to try the grand prix. She gives him a quieter ride and gets him relaxed. The plan is for her to eventually ride him in young riders.”
While Guy was winning in the jumping arena, Clayton was earning his first two tricolors in the medium stirrup division for week 6. Last year, Chenoa was medium pony hunter circuit champion on Starbucks; this year, Clayton steered the pony to victory and was reserve circuit champion in the short stirrup division.

“Hunting is his favorite thing to do,” said Guy. “He foxhunts this pony. On junior day, Clayton was fieldmaster. It was cold and raining and snowing, and he was out for four hours. When we went to show in Colorado, he and I hunted with the Arapahoe hounds. It was 20 degrees with snow on the ground. We galloped all day.”

This was only the second grand prix for the speedy Frederick and Flocon de Milles. In their first grand prix, during week 5, they had a clear first round and finished fifth. Frederick, an amateur from Tulsa, Okla., originally got the Selle Franç¡©s to show in children’s jumpers. She’s ridden in the North American Young Riders Championships three times, earning a team bronze medal.

On her other horse, Royal T, Frederick was low junior/amateur-owner jumper circuit champion. She meets Colorado trainers Alex Granato and Teri Knowlton at horse shows.

“This is the first long circuit she’s ridden Royal T,” said Granato. “They’re working on a good partnership. It’s fun to work with her. She’s a great student.”
Granato was the circuit’s leading jumper rider, riding both Monsoon, the open jumper circuit champion, and Crazy U, the level 5 circuit champion. He’s had Monsoon, a 15-year-old Thoroughbred, for three years.

“Dr. Charles Woodall, our veterinarian, owns him,” said Granato. “I rode him in the juniors. He’s easy and knows his job. He loves being in the ring.”

Repeat Performance

A number of riders who were circuit champions in 2004 repeated this year, sometimes in different divisions. In 2004, Susie Scoggins was the equitation champion, 36 and over. She repeated that victory this year and added the amateur-owner hunter, 36 and over, circuit championship on Great Scott. Scoggins got her first pony at 10 and grew up with horses.

“She’s an accomplished horsewoman,” said trainer Betty Beran. “She has a full-time job but still manages to ride four times a week. [Great Scott] has a bit of a peek, so I take him in one class before she comes to the show. Everyone should have a horse like him to ride.”
They don’t jump much at home, opting to do gymnastics and flatwork to keep him fit. Scoggins works on being patient, waiting for the spot, and keeping steady to a distance.

“Everyone comments on how he moves,” Scoggins said of her 11-year-old Hanoverian. “Every time he comes out of the ring, someone will say, ‘I never saw a horse trot so well.’ “

Beran also trains Rebecca Hofmann’s Jeeves, who won the green conformation hunter circuit championship with rider Rebecca Johnson Hofmann. Hofmann’s Blue Hill Farm just purchased the Selle Francais, and before moving up to the green division, Hofmann and Jeeves won the amateur-owner, 18-35, championship during weeks 1 and 2.

“He was in jumper mode,” said Hofmann. “We’re leveling him out. We do a lot of flatwork and low jumps and gymnastics. He’s beautiful. He has a huge step and a beautiful jump. His real place is in the equitation ring, but this is a good way to start.”

Another Beran student, Gillian Hormel, rode her new pony, Tattle Tale, to the circuit championship in the medium pony hunter division. Her old pony, RH Showstopper, became lame.

“He’s not as lazy and easier to get going,” she said. “He keeps a good pace and gets the numbers easily. He can get there.”

Southern Sojourn

Arizona welcomed a large contingent of Minnesota exhibitors, who left behind the snow and cold for warmth and horse showing.

Trainer Andre Haraseth’s barn took back tricolors as rewards for the long trip. Carrie Fleischhacker and Manitou won the adult amateur, 18-35, hunter circuit award, and they also won two Marshall & Sterling adult hunter classics. The 9-year-old Thoroughbred, complete with name, was a surprise gift from Fleischhacker’s mother. She named him after an island in Minnesota where the family had a summer home when Fleischhacker was young. She grew up in a riding family.

“My dad, Frank, was a horse trainer, and my mom, Patti Napier, rode as an amateur,” she said. “I’ve been riding all my life. I started showing at 9 or 10 on a pony that my grandparents bought.”

Haraseth works on slowing Fleischhacker down; the horse has a big stride and “likes to go fast.”

Liza Macmillan rode the Irish-bred warmblood mare Cloverhills Trinity to the circuit title in the modified junior/amateur-owner jumper division. Macmillan also comes from a riding family. Her great-great-grandmother was the first woman in Ireland to ride astride (not side-saddle) to hounds. Her father, Robert Scott, was master of the Long Lake Hounds (Minn.).

“I don’t even remember when I started riding,” she said. “I was 3 or 4. But I took a 15-year break to have children.”

In addition to Cloverhills Trinity, Macmillan owns Rebound, and during weeks 2 and 3 Haraseth won the second year green championship on the Irish-bred Thoroughbred. Macmillan rode Cor de la Nuit, a Westphalian, to good ribbons in the high junior/amateur-owner jumper division.

“In the summer, we’ll show in the high amateurs and try some mini prix,” she said. “I can’t help myself. It’s an addiction, and it’s inbred. Both my daughters and my stepdaughter ride.”

She gave some of the credit for the barn’s success to Haraseth’s grooms.

“They are the most outstanding staff of grooms on the planet,” she said. “They love horses and take great care of them and us. They always have a smile and are willing to do anything.”

Student Rebecca Renier won the small junior hunter circuit championship on her Danish Warmblood Sea Captain. She echoed Macmillan’s praise for the barn staff.

“The horses get great care, and the training methods are conservative,” she said. “Our horses are happy. Andre teaches by feel, by what a horse is doing. It’s just little things–go straight after the jump, don’t turn too early.”

Renier’s sister, Jessica, rides Time For Tiny in the younger amateur-owner hunter division and was reserve champion for three weeks.

A Matter Of Attitude

Ashley Dennehy won the circuit championship in the amateur-owner hunter, 18-35, division for the second year in a row. This year, she won it on Burberry, an imported Hanoverian mare she’s been riding for six months. Burberry started jumping nine months ago. They purchased the mare par-tially because she is related to mother-in-law Sandy Dennehy’s famous Riff Raff.

“She’s got the most wonderful attitude of any horse we’ve ever dealt with,” Ashley said. “She has the right mind and attitude and is extremely, extremely, athletic. We work on going in the ring and not getting nervous. We take a lot of time. We hack in the morning, let her get out and look at the show grounds and the golf carts.”

Dennehy started riding when she was 9. “My parents put me in lessons, and it grew from there and never stopped,” she said.

Like so many others, Kristen Cooper started riding with a parent. She and her mother ride together every morning before school; she’s ridden since she was 4. Cooper’s Talk Of The Town was the large junior hunter circuit champion. She bought the 9-year-old Thoroughbred from Janet Hischer three years ago.

“He’s been a really good boy, and really consistent,” Cooper said. “He used to be green, but now he’s figured out his job.”

The Arizona circuit was a family activity. Her mom showed Big Sur in the low adult jumpers and won a class.

Last year, Kathy Johnson’s student Christine Gabel won the short stirrup hunter division on her Appaloosa mare, Over The Rainbow. This year, they moved up to children’s hunter, 13 and under, and won the circuit championship in that division and the 11-and-under equitation circuit award.

“We work on tighter turns for equitation,” Gabel said. “I’m trying to sit up and use my leg more.”

Johnson also trains Audrey Halle’s Rivoli, who finished second last year in the USEF standings in the regular working hunter division. In Arizona, Tim Herrick guided Rivoli to the regular working hunter circuit championship.

“This is Tim’s first circuit with him,” said Johnson. “You just put the bridle on and go to the ring. He’s very straightforward.”

Last year, Cassie Moffatt and Swiss Miss won the schooling pony circuit award. This year, she steered her new pony, Never Been Kissed, to the circuit championship in the large pony hunter division. She leased the 13-year-old, Welsh-Thoroughbred mare in February.

“I don’t have to ride as aggressively on her as I do on my horse,” she said. “But I have to make sure she’s awake enough for the first jump. She’s not always paying attention. If I sit up tall to the jumps and go into my corners, it helps get good distances.”

Moffatt is using this year to transition to her horse, Made You Look. They got high ribbons in the modified children’s hunter division. Paula Randall, co-trainer with Lucy Alabaster, rode the horse to the reserve championship in the Tucson high hunter division.