Harrisburg, Pa.—Oct. 21

The 3’3” amateur-owner hunter divisions concluded Friday at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show—you can check out our coverage of the champions here and here, but there were three horses competing in the division who were throwing it back to the good old days of the American Thoroughbred show hunter.

Well, 2 and 3/4 horses if you want to be technical, I suppose. Thoroughbreds Cooperstown (shown by Cree Sauer) and Promised Hand (shown by Jennifer Blacker) and ¾ Thoroughbred, ¼ Trakehner Tres Bien (shown by Janet Vanderslice) all competed in the 3’3” amateur-owner division, and each pair has a unique back story on their journey to the hunter ring at Harrisburg!

Cree Sauer and Cooperstown. Photo by Ann Glavan

Cooperstown and Cree Sauer placed fifth and sixth in their two over fences trips Thursday in the amateur-owners, 18-35, with scores of 82 in both rounds.

Sauer has owned “Cooper” for the past 7 years, since the 11-year-old gelding (Mystic Replica—Himalayan Sword) was 4.

“He was my first big girl purchase, and my first Thoroughbred,” Sauer said. “He started in the jumpers, we did up to the medium [amateur-owner] jumpers, and then we decided that he was better suited for the hunters,” Sauer said. “He likes to go slow.”

Sauer began transitioning the gelding to the hunter ring two years ago, and this is the first time the gelding has come to an indoor final for a hunter division—his last indoor appearance was in the adult jumpers at the Washington International Horse Show.

“Here we are, we got in to here off the wait list, so that was fun, and he got fifth and sixth, hanging with all the big warmbloods,” Sauer said.

Sauer grew up competing in the equitation and jumper divisions with various warmblood horses, and sees the value both types of horse have in the show ring.  

“I feel like you can flow across the ground a little more with a Thoroughbred, it’s just a different ride, the warmblood rides are great too,” Sauer said. “But definitely feel like you can kind of just gallop around with him a little easier.”

Sauer works at an engineering firm in Maryland, which means she has to get creative to fit in time to ride—she also does all of her own barn work and grooming, including braiding Cooper.  

“It’s a lot of late nights and early morning rides,“ Sauer said. “But it kind of all came together this year.”

Promised Hand and Jennifer Blacker. Photo by Ann Glavan

Promised Hand and Jennifer Blacker scored an 80 in their first over-fences trip in the 3’3” amateur-owners, 18-35, on Friday to place tenth in the class.

Better known as Bentley back in the barn, Promised Hand started out his competitive career as an event horse. The 12-year-old gelding (Prenup—Gracefully Stated) was bred to be a sport horse, and competed in two novice events before switching disciplines to the hunters.

“Ed Lane found him for me, he has a knack for finding the best horses,” Blacker said. “He’s a slow horse, and he likes to go slow and jump nicely, so he said he should be a hunter!”

Blacker lives in Purcellville, Va., and does marketing for 15 different hotels across the country, and Bentley has proven to be the perfect horse for a busy amateur on the go.

“He’s definitely a horse of a life time for me, he’s so easy,” Blacker said. “I travel constantly for work and he’s just a steady Eddie. He’s always there, he doesn’t require a lot of work. You come to Harrisburg and everyone is nervous,” Blacker continued. “But I know he’s going to take care of me.”

Blacker rode a Thoroughbred in the children’s hunter divisions as a junior, and said while she didn’t intentionally set out to buy a Thoroughbred on either occasion, both horses proved to be perfect for her.

“I have to tell you, Thoroughbreds are the best horses,” Blacker said. “They’re sensitive, and the biggest issue I think with them is they’re so smart, they can be too smart. But they’re fun, and when you have a good Thoroughbred there’s nothing better.”

Tres Bien and Janet Vanderslice. Photo by Ann Glavan

Tres Bien and Janet Vanderslice competed in the 3’3” amateur-owner, 36 and over, division.

Vanderslice bred “Tre” herself—he is by the Thoroughbred stallion Mystic Replica, and out of Vanderslice’s Throughbred-Trakehner mare, Oakledge Baeli.

Vanderslice competed Oakledge Baeli in eventing competitions, taking her from the novice to preliminary level. Vanderslice grew up horse showing, she got into eventing after college because of her coincidental proximity to an eventing facility, and she tried to transition back to the show ring with Oakledge Baeli, but the mare wasn’t having it.

“She was either really good or just really not good. She was an event horse, she wanted to go,” Vandderslice said with a laugh.

Luckily, her babies had other ideas of fun. Vanderslice bred Oakledge Baeli three times, and still has two of her off spring including 10-year-old Tre (Oakledge Baeli died last year at the age of 32).

“His barn name is Tre because he was my third baby, and his half-brother is actually Cooperstown, they have the same dad,” Vanderslice said.  

See all of the Chronicle’s Pennsylvania National coverage. Click here for full results from the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, and don’t forget to check out the Nov. 7 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse for more in-depth coverage from the show!