Te Judgements Are In By Charlene Strickland
how jumping legend Judgement ISF—part of the first U.S.-born generation of Dutch horses—has produced a second generation of jumpers bred in the U.S. and Canada. Like their sire, they are powerful athletes who com- fortably tackle big courses. Here we feature three Judgement offspring. Tese horses
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are currently winning for their riders, whether professional or amateur.
Worlds Judgement – Always a Bridesmaid It’s a jump-off at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta in September 2015. Two Canadian Olympians, each on a mare, finish first and second: Eric Lamaze on the horse he’ll eventu- ally take to the 2016 Olympic Games, and Lisa Carlsen on Judgement’s superstar daughter, Worlds Judgement (Judge- ment x Farmer). Known as “Lola,” Lisa’s mare is Canadian- bred. Like her sire she excels on the turf of the International Ring at Spruce Meadows. At the 2015 Spruce Meadows Masters CSIO5* ATCO
Structures & Logistics Cup, Lola sped through the jump off in 39.88 seconds, taking the lead. On the Hanoverian Fine Lady 5 (Forsyth x Drosselklang II), Eric was just a hair faster, at 39.70. “I went against Eric Lamaze and I was actually kicking at her to go faster,” says Lisa. “I think she held that against me for a bit. ‘How dare you kick me?’ I was trying to get Eric, and he beat me by .18.” Te bay mare has a strong personality, but she and Lisa click. “I think she’s wonderful. She’s a true competitor. She wants to be the winner. She’s a bit of a showoff, in a good way,” Lisa says. Foaled in 2003, Lola is part of Judgement’s first foal crop. Lisa calls her “intelligent and opinionated.” Her breeder, Alycia Hayes of Northlands Equestrian
Centre, Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, tells how Lola was a diva from day one. “She was the most inquisitive little foal we ever had. She was born a couple of weeks early at 3:00 in the afternoon. Te mare, Snifflientje, did not even make it into the foaling stall.” “She was born in a regular box stall. ‘Let’s get the show
on the road!’” says Alycia with a laugh. “We could not touch her for three weeks. Tis little foal did not want to have any- thing to do with us. She had a way of doing things her way!” Alycia chose Judgement after seeing him jump, saying, “Tat was the quickest, easiest and best decision I ever made. I saw Judgement being ridden by Beezie Madden at Spruce Meadows on television in 2002.” What appealed to her? “Power, Power, Power! Tat re- minded me so much of the horses that I rode over in Europe. I was so excited to see a horse of that caliber, right here in North America,” she explains.
46 September/October 2016 SPECIAL KWPN-NA SECTION When she contacted Iron Spring Farm, Alycia found that
they were offering the first release of Judgement semen that year. “I leased a fantastic imported Farmer xVoltaire mare from my Dutch friend Marijke Woefel, and Iron Spring Farm approved. Te rest is an amazing journey.” Lola wasn’t a tall youngster, and Alycia decided to leave her out of the KWPN-NA keuring. “She was not presented for the keuring, even though we were hosting one at our facility. I thought her size would be a deterrent. And we did not want to have any negative marks against our special little horse. Size was not an issue for her.” Lola grew to only 15.2 hands, and Alycia wanted her to de- velop with a top rider. “Jeff Campf’s mother Claudia Cojocar was our guiding light. We knew that a horse with these special qualities required a special person. We collectively choose Lisa Carlsen,” Al- ycia explains.
Lisa is based at
Trademark Stables of Okotoka, Al- berta. She started riding Lola in 2011, saying, “She had done some meter-20 jumping. Claudia thought I would get along well with the mare, so they sent her to me. She was very good that first year of stepping up, although the height kind of got her. She did some meter 40s that year, as an eight-year-old, and placed well in some of them.” Lisa watched Judgement jump at Spruce Meadows and
Above, Top: Worlds Judgement and Lisa Carlsen in a Grand Prix jumpoff, HITS Ther- mal, 2016. Bottom: Worlds Judgement and Lisa Carlsen over the Domino oxer and ver- tical combination at HITS Thermal, 2016.
she doesn’t think he and Lola are similar. “He was quite mel- low. He loved Spruce Meadows. He was super there, whether it was the effect of jumping on the grass or all the cheering crowds.” Two years later the mare had “a bit of a tough year,” ac-
cording to Lisa. “I don’t know why—she was angry at the world. She was always difficult in the warmup, where she
All photos by Charlene Strickland except for that of Chivas.
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