Rider and had won six championship and 12 reserve championship titles. “The competition is very strong at the big shows,” admits Emanuel, who travels between his home and horse shows around the U.S. “There are so many really good riders competing right now. You don’t only need nice horses, but you need to ride well. You must also have a strong horsemanship program to make a winning partnership with your horse.” While some young riders like Emanuel are regular
competitors in the Open classes, others are using select Grand Prix classes to enhance their education and give them a taste of things to come. It is not all about winning, but more about the process of learning and mastering the next level. Not only does the young rider have to take on the challenge of the physical aspects of riding over higher, more technically challenging courses, but they must also deal with the mental stress that can come by facing seasoned competitors who are often their idols!
TWO DEBUT IN COLORADO Two more teens made their Grand Prix debut in 2012, taking on the pros at the Colorado Horse Park’s Summer in the Rockies series. One was Jackson Brittan, who trains with John Roache at Silver Oak Farm in Westlake, Texas. He was only 13 years old when he competed in the $40,000 Weathertech Grand Prix. Riding the Belgian Warmblood Brooke Van de Zuuthoeve (by Thunder Van De Zuuthoeve out of Diancara)
The second was Daniela
Stransky, who trains with Hector Florentino at her family’s Stransky’s Mission Farm in Wellington, Florida. Entering her first Grand Prix at 15 was the next natural step. While Daniela did compete in the Pony Hunters and Equitation when she first entered the show ring, she has been concentrating on the jumpers ever since she entered her first children’s jumper class as a pre-teen. Her mother, Liliane Stransky, Hector and Daniela all agreed last summer that it was time for her to try the next level. They also wanted to choose just the right class and venue to build her confidence, enhance her education and add to her credentials. Daniela had already represented her native Venezuela many times internationally and competed at the prestigious Gucci Masters in Paris, where she was the youngest rider entered. So finding the right Grand Prix in the U.S. was paramount. “We put a lot of thought into what would be the
Daniela Stransky riding Anemone’s Vicky.
who he’d been showing in the Junior Jumpers, he faced off against a field of 40 riders, putting in a solid four-fault round. “I had been having success in the High Juniors and was
Jackson Brittan
competing in the High Juniors in Wellington.
confident in my new horse,” remarks Jackson. “That made all the difference.”Needless to say, he was thrilled with the experience, though he has not had the chance to do it again since. “I had a rail, but doing this class was my biggest highlight in my riding so far. I think experience is the best advantage anyone can have in the sport,” he adds. “I would love to do another Grand Prix soon but at some shows, like WEF, I don’t meet the age requirement. It was amazing though, and I can’t wait to do it again!”
appropriate horse show for Daniela to make her Grand Prix debut,” Hector confides. “I am very proud to have seen her move up from the Children’s to the Open Division in such a short time. I find Daniela, and other young riders like her, to be very focused. I prefer to use that word instead of mature,” explains the Grand Prix rider and trainer who started his career in the Dominican Republic. “These juniors have already developed the necessary physical and technical abilities to ride the more difficult, bigger courses. It is their focus on basics, as well as the job at hand, that help them deal with the pressures that come with stepping into the Grand Prix ring at night, in front of big crowds, with big names competing along side them! I believe there is a new generation of very talented riders coming up through the ranks that will be a force to be reckoned with in the Open Jumper classes and the Grand Prix.” “We had been showing at the big competitions in
Wellington, Kentucky and Atlanta, as well as at select horse shows overseas. We had been discussing me doing a class for a couple of months,” recalls Daniela. “We chose the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix, as we thought that both the horse show and the Colorado Horse Park were good choices to start. I’d been doing consistently well with my KWPN mare Anemone’s Vicky (by Krunche de Breue out of
Warmbloods Today 29
Mancini Photo
Mancini Photo
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