44/ JUNE 2023 THE RIDER


Jacob Pope And Family Affaire Claim Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Regional Championship


City are one of six regional offerings throughout the U.S. The Green Hunter In- centive Program as a whole was developed to encourage the development of green horses in the hunter ring, a mission that is shared by Traverse City Horse Shows. With


qualification


now in the bag, Pope not only has his eye on the 2024 P l a t


i n u m


Jacob Pope & Family Affaire. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography Hunter action kicked


up a notch during the second week of the Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, with the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Regional Championships coming to Flintfields Horse Park. With two crownings of overall champions at their respec- tive heights (3’/3’3” and 3’6”/3’9”),


anticipation


Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Champi- onships taking place in Lex- ington, KY, this August. Earning top call in the


$10,000 3’6”/3’9” section, Jacob Pope of Columbia, MD, and Family Affaire, owned


by Judgement


Farms, LLC, collected a combined score of 176 and qualification for the overall championships. “He’s quiet, always


grew for the 2024 Platinum wants to jump in good style,


Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Champi- onships, but also on prepar- ing Family Affaire for the upcoming Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships with rider Claire Mullally. “He came to me as a


careful and really has a great brain.” gushed Pope of the nine-year-old Selle Français gelding by Contendro L. “For me, that brain—espe- cially for a junior/amateur horse—is the number-one thing. He’s a good enough mover but he’s the whole package, which we love about him.” The Platinum Per-


formance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Regional Championships in Traverse


jumper sale horse from my friend Marissa Metzger,” said Pope. “As soon as I got on him, I knew he would be a really good hunter. I put Claire on him and they matched perfectly. She’s been looking for a small junior for a while, so she ended up buying him and it’s honestly been like a dream come true to keep him in the barn.” Mullally will compete


the aptly named Family Af- faire at the Junior Hunter


Jacob Pope & Family Affaire. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography


National Championships— also being help at Traverse City Horse Shows—at the end of June. As for Pope himself,


he is making the most of the season in Traverse City, a horse show he considered to be just like home. He will compete in Saturday’s $25,000 Platinum Perform- ance/USHJA International Hunter Derby North Central Regional Championship and continue to split his focus


with the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel Interna- tional Ring aboard his string of jumpers. “I love it up here,”


said Pope of Northern Michigan and the Traverse City Horse Shows. “We’ve been here for a few years now and the weather’s un- beatable, the rings are won- derful, and the show overall feels new every year. The horses get up here and are refreshed after they’re long


winter circuits, so it’s a great place to be and the horses love it.” Claiming the reserve


title for the day in the 3’6”/3’9” Green Hunter In- centive Regional Champi- onship, Kyle Muckler of Ocala, FL, pocketed a score of 170 riding MTM Idol- ized, owned by Lynn Parker. The third spot went to Nick Haness of Temecula, CA, and his own Ponté on a score of 164.5.


UF professor heads for Paris this summer as team veterinarian for Team Australia’s equine athletes


By Sarah Carey


GAINESVILLE, Fla. — From his native Australia to Florida and next to Paris, Robin Bell, B.V.Sc., lives and breathes elite perform- ance horses. As a clinical professor


and equine sports medicine specialist at the University of Florida College of Veteri- nary Medicine, Bell spends his days safeguarding the health and well-being of some of the world’s most exceptional equine competi- tors. He is one of a team of veterinary specialists based at the UF Veterinary Hospi- tal at World Equestrian Cen- ter in Ocala, Florida. But his passion extends


far beyond the hospital’s walls. Bell has the distinct honor of serving as a long- time team veterinarian for Team Australia, a role that will soon take him to Paris. For Bell, the competi-


tion marks his third tour on equestrian sport’s grandest stage, a journey that traces back to his youth, when he rode and participated in eventing, even during his veterinary training. Since joining the Australian team in 2013, including stints in Rio and Tokyo in 2016 and 2020, respectively, Bell has played a pivotal role in preparing the nation’s equine athletes to thrive under the intense interna- tional spotlight. In Paris, his


responsibilities will focus on the Australian show jumping team, and will in- clude meticulously monitor- ing each horse’s health to ensure peak performance. “Being part of Team


Australia is a dream come true,” Bell said. “I’ve been involved with elite eques- trian sport since before vet- erinary school and have continued to compete in low-level show jumping ever since. So to be able to combine my expertise with my lifelong passion at the highest level is incredibly rewarding.” As a team veterinarian,


Bell’s role involves moni- toring the horses’ health, performance and recovery before, during and after competitions. In this past year, leading up to Paris, he has traveled extensively to qualifying events across the U.S., Canada and Europe to evaluate horse-and-rider combinations vying for se- lection. During the world-stage


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events, Bell’s days start be- fore 6 a.m. and often don’t end until after 8 p.m., as late as 11 p.m. on competition nights. He watches every ride, administers treatments when needed and ensures optimal recovery after travel to and from competitions. “These competitions


bring immense pressure, and there are always curve- balls clinically,” Bell said. “But we have a strong, skilled team that works well together to keep the horses at their peak.” Balancing his role with


the Australian equestrian team and his UF responsi- bilities is a juggling act, but one he welcomes. “My work with Team


Australia complements my daily job amazingly well,” he said. “I get to apply the same approaches I use with the elite horses I treat at UF, just at the highest interna- tional level.” UF has


supported


Bell’s role by providing re- lief coverage during his ex-


Dr. Robin Bell, an equine sports medicine specialist, is pictured with a horse at the UF Veterinary Hospital at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, where he is based.


tended absences. His col- leagues have embraced the opportunity,


watching


livestreams of Australian competitors during gaps be- tween cases. “We are honored that


one of our faculty members gets to be part of such an in- credible experience,” said Diane McFarlane, D.V.M., Ph.D., a professor and chair of Bell’s college academic department, large animal


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clinical sciences. “We’ll of course be cheering for our American team, but also for Robin and the Australian equestrians every step of the way.”


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