APRIL 2023 THE RIDER /51 Nicolas Gamboa Gets the Win in $100,000 Lone Star State Grand Prix


Katy, TX – Nicolas Gamboa rode away with the top two spots in the $100,000 Lone Star State Grand Prix, spon- sored by American National Insurance, on Saturday, Feb- ruary 25, in an exciting con- clusion to grand prix competition at the 2023 Texas Winter Series in Katy, TX.


Gamboa clinched the


win aboard NKH Mr. Darcy, owned by Neil Knox, and finished second riding Gin, owned by Ella Heineking. Gamboa’s


entries


made up two out of six horses from the original 17- horse starting field that qualified to come back for the jump-off, designed by Michel Vaillancourt. As the second to return, Gamboa and Gin set the early clear time to beat at 40.042 sec- onds. That time would only be toppled when Gamboa returned two horses later aboard NKH Mr. Darcy and tripped the timers in 39.460 seconds. Colleen Acosta and


Lancome, owned by CAA- costa LLC, were the second- to-last to return, and while they looked like they could have the time, they ulti- mately finished just off Gamboa’s pace to take third


Nicolas Gamboa and NKH Mr. Darcy. Photo by Jerry Mohme Photography


with a time of 40.364 sec- onds.Finishing in fourth place was Leah Curtiss rid- ing Fortuna, owned by Kent Farrington LLC, and both fifth and sixth place went to Alwaleed Alrashid riding RSH Grand-Dessert and RSH Freedom, respectively. In speaking of his win,


Gamboa was quick to first acknowledge Gin and NKH Mr. Darcy. “They’re super, super


horses,” said Gamboa, who


hails from a family of equestrians and rides repre- senting Colombia. “Those horses, those people on the ground, the entire team – that’s what makes the differ- ence.” Gamboa began riding for Heineking Show Stables in 2021, and the 22-year-old earned his first grand prix victory less than a year ago at the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, also aboard NKH Mr. Darcy. In the


months since then, Gamboa has impressively notched more than half-a-dozen ad- ditional grand prix wins. “That horse, [NKH Mr. Darcy], and Neil Knox, the owner, have changed my life,” said Gamboa. “I want to say one big thank you to the whole Heineking family and October Hill Farm and the whole team there; I can’t do it without them. “Tonight,


first I wanted to go clean. The first


Nicolas Gamboa rode NKH Mr. Darcy to the win in the $100,00 Lone Star State Grand Prix. Photo by Jerry Mohme Photography


horse I had in the jump-off, Gin, he’s a fairly new mount,” said Gamboa of the 10-year-old gray Hanover- ian gelding. “He jumped great in the first round; he felt really confident toward the end. I wanted to test him a little bit in the jump-off but also just give him a good round. With Darcy, I’ve


known that horse a little while now. He had a bit of a break, so he’s a bit fresh, and he’s game for any- thing.”


Gamboa will head


next to California before re- turning to the Great South- west Equestrian Center in Katy, TX, for the 77th an- nual Pin Oak Charity Horse


Show, to be held March 29 through April 16. For full results of the $100,000 Lone Star State Grand Prix, click here. To learn more about competi- tion at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center, visit www.gswec.com.


NATDA Announces Formation of Women in the Trailer Industry Committee


St. Petersburg, Fla.– The North American Trailer Dealers


Association


(NATDA) announced today its intent to form the Women in the Trailer Industry com- mittee. The inaugural com- mittee will be chaired by Caitlin Jugert, president of The Trailer Parts Outlet and founder and co-host of the popular Women in the Trailer Industry podcast. “The


focus of


NATDA’s Women in the Trailer Industry committee is to support women in the industry through education and networking,” says An- dria Gibbon, NATDA Exec-


utive Director. “We are very fortunate that Caitlin Jugert agreed to serve as chair. As a pioneer in the industry through the Women in the Trailer Industry podcast, she’s the ideal person to lead the committee as it estab- lishes its framework and goals.”


“More and more,


women are rising to leader- ship roles in what has histor- ically


been a male


dominated industry, and I am excited to help NATDA create a network and re- sources to address the very issues that Lacey Baker and I discuss on our podcast,”


beneficial and educational platforms. From printed publications like its bi- monthly magazine and an- nual buyer’s guide to the annual NATDA Trailer Show, NATDA’s promo- tional outlets result in abun- dant


networking


adds Jugert. “It is my hope that this committee will em- power women in our indus- try to succeed and thrive.” The committee will


establish a LinkedIn group to offer women in the light- to-medium duty trailer in- dustry a place to learn, share their insights and experi- ences, ask for guidance, and


build valuable connections. Those interested should fol- low @natda4trailers on LinkedIn, Facebook, Insta- gram or Twitter for updates. The Women in the


Trailer Industry committee has a few remaining seats available. Women who are interested in serving may contact Andria Gibbon at


andria@natda.org or 727- 360-0304 x102.


ABOUT NATDA NATDA


(North


American Trailer Dealers Association) serves the light and medium-duty trailer in- dustry by connecting deal- ers, manufacturers, and suppliers through various


ABOUT THE NATDA TRAILER SHOW The NATDA Trailer


Show is the first and only industry event that caters specifically to dealers and is


opportunities with high- quality,


industry-specific


contacts. Learn more at natda.org.


not open to the public. The show’s mission is to unite the light to medium-duty trailer industry under one roof to showcase the best and most innovative ideas, products, and solutions to help dealerships strengthen their performance year after year. The show features manufacturers,


dealers,


product and service ven- dors, and financial institu- tions. The event represents all industry segments in- cluding the cargo, race car, horse, livestock, marine, dump, flatbed, and toy hauler markets.


Visit www.therider.com


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