The 2012 Horse Shows by the Bay saw great competition from trainer Tom Wright and Uphill Farm over the course of the previous three weeks. Earning numerous championships, the talented horse and rider combinations took the top honors in the hunter, jumper and equitation rings.
The first two weeks of shows saw nothing short of greatness for the team at Uphill Farm. The first week of competition showed exemplary efforts from Hayley Barnhill. She took the Baby Green Hunter Championship with Why Wonder, owned by Missy Luczak-Smith, sweeping the division with ease. She also earned the Performance 3’3″ Hunter Championship aboard Caliber, owned by Laura S. Karet, with two first place finishes in the over fences, as well as the first place award in the under saddle. Barnhill also took the second place finish, out of a field of 21 entrants, in the $30,000 Grand Traverse Bay Grand Prix with Ultaire, owned by Janet L. Mc Carroll.
“Ultaire was unbelievable,” Barnhill explained. “We just got him the week before the show, and we weren’t really expecting that much, but he tried so hard, and we couldn’t have asked for more.”
Barnhill’s success continued into the second week of Horse Shows By the Bay, guiding Timber Ridge, owned by Shane B. George, to the reserve championship in the Regular Conformation Hunters. The talented pair was awarded the WCHR Week High Score for their efforts in the Conformation Hunters. She also exhibited Missy Luczak-Smith’s Baby Green to the championship prize nearly sweeping the over fences, as well as earning two first place wins in the Special 2’6″ Hunters with Luczak-Smith’s Why Wonder.
Barnhill also took top awards during the second week of shows when she guided Caliber to the Performance 3’3″ Hunter Championship. The pair caught the judges’ eyes with their smooth easy pace and scope. They were awarded the first, second and fourth in the over fences, as well as the second place ribbon in the under saddle.
“It is a great horse show, and it is in a great area where there are so many things to do. I loved my time there, and I have a lot of horses that show there. The facilities are wonderful, and the classes are competitive. All of my horses did great, I was really pleased,” Barnhill continued.
In the 1.25m Jumpers Barnhill took the second place award aboard Tissem, owned by Reid Patton, and also rode her Toucan Tango to the third place finish. It was her second place finish in the $30,000 Grand Traverse Bay Grand Prix that really earned her attention. She navigated Ultaire, owned by Janet L. McCarroll, around the difficult track, putting forth a speedy time of 35.031 seconds, just narrowly missing the target time.
“I was the last to go in the order, and seventeen riders had gone clean before me, we were really trying for the time. I knew we had to go fast to get a ribbon. We went as fast as we could and got second we were really happy about that,” Barnhill elaborated. “It was really exciting to have the Grand Prix. It has been a really long time since I have had a Grand Prix horse, so it was exciting for me to get back in the ring again.”
During the third week of shows, Barnhill’s consistency was impeccable. She once again took the reserve championship honor aboard Timber Ridge in the Regular Conformation Hunters. In the $30,000 Grand Prix of the Great Lakes, she rode Ultaire to the fourth place finish.
During both weeks of shows, John Ingram earned the Amateur-Owner 35 and Over Hunter Championship with Superman. Ingram and Superman also placed second in the $1,000 Amateur-Owner 3’6″ Hunter Classic. Their exceptional talent earned the duo the Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter award. Ingram’s daughter, Martha, also took her mounts to the top of the divisions earning the Large 15 and Under Junior Hunter Reserve Championship and the $1,000 Junior Hunter 3’6″ Classic with Cayero. She also jumped to the top in the Pessoa/USEF 3’6″ Hunter Seat Medal with Tenacious, as well as the ASPCA Maclay, earning second and third place, respectively. Martha also earned the second place award in the $2,500 NAL/WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic with Game Twist, owned by Cara Cheska. Sarah Ingram also rode to the top of the standings in the Low Adult 2’6″ Hunters aboard Rockford, earning the division’s championship during week one, and the reserve championship in the second week.
Missy Luczak-Smith showed her own Surf’s Up to the championship honors in the Adult Amateur 36-49 Hunters during the first two weeks of the show. She also took the Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter award for her efforts aboard Encore during the second week of the show.
“Encore is fairly new to us, we have only had him for about two months, but I have been learning more and more about him everyday,” Luxzak-Smith explained. “He is a really smart horse and he has a huge stride, and although he is huge, sitting at 17’2, he needs a little bit of a softer ride-he’s sensitive and we have been working to rebalance him. At the jumps he is very careful, and always gives 100 percent. He is a very honest horse, a true stand-up guy.”
Luczak-Smith continued, “I have to give Hayley a lot of credit. She prepares him for me, and sets him up for me. She has really perfected her ride on him, which makes such a difference in the world. Tom has always admired the horse, and he is a huge part of the picture. Tom gets Encore and me. Between Tom and Hayley everything gets worked out, those ‘green’ moments seem to disappear with their help. My job was pretty easy out there, I just had to point and shoot, and give him a little bit of support. They had him right where I needed him.”
Under the guidance of Wright, Reid Patton and Lennon rose to the top of the Small 16-17 Junior Hunters, where they secured the reserve championship during the Horse Shows by the Bay II. Patton also guided Foreign Encounter to the Large 16-17 Junior Hunter Championship during Horse Shows by the Bay II, and the reserve championship during week three. In the Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, Patton took the championship award aboard Tissem for two weeks consecutively, consistently placing at the top. The duo dominated the $750 Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers with a first place finish, posting a clean round and time that proved unbeatable for both weeks two and three of competition. During Week III, Patton also rode Von Dutch to the third place slot in the Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic.
After three weeks of fierce competition in Michigan, the team will now head to the 89th Annual Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show from July 24-29, 2012.
Although originally from California, Wright has trained show hunters, jumpers and equitation on the East Coast since 1980. Wright and his team of trainers and riders at Uphill Farm, have become an unstoppable force in the equestrian sport, earning top honors at the best nation’s most prestigious horse shows. Using a training technique that stresses methodical preparation, encourages strong horsemanship, and uses forward thinking; Wright has worked his way to the top. Wright is the only trainer to have won the AHJF Hunter Spectacular of Pam Beach an astounding five times. He has trained numerous Maclay and Medal winners, including 2010 USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals and 2010 ASPCA Maclay Finals winner, Hayley Barnhill.
