Hannah Evans and Mimosa MHJ. Photo ©tbird/Kady Dane Photography
Langley, BC — For young horses, development comes in various forms and at a very wide range of paces.
With every round acting as a learning and information gathering experience, clear rounds can be hard to come by. That was truly the case as the Crooks Show Jumping Young Horse Showcase series kicked off for 6- and 7-year-olds at the Spring Festival.
Just one clear round was produced in each class, with Mimosa MHJ and Casallina’s faultless efforts resulting in their respective wins in the 7-year-old and 6-year-old jump-off classes.
Hannah Evans rode Mimosa MHJ to the top of the 7-year-old division, and while she didn’t need to jump off to secure her victory, she used the opportunity to practice some tighter turning. Her homebred mare (Etoulon VDL x Casantos Lord) aced the test with another smooth, faultless performance.
“I’ve been working a lot all winter on ride-ability. She can get a little fussy in the mouth, and we finally found a bit (a Trust Eggbutt Snaffle with Sweet Iron) that works,” Evans said. “We need to work on some speed, but the turn-ability is there!”
The Crooks Show Jumping Young Horse Showcase has become a key component to Mimosa MHJ’s development. The mare has jumped in young horse divisions at tbird as a 5-, 6-, and now 7-year-old.
“It’s been a goal of ours to get ones in the young jumper classes here. She hasn’t quite hit her seventh birthday. She’s a little bit young. But she’s been awesome,” Evans said. “There was no pressure in the jump-off [today], but I wanted to put the pressure on her a little bit and practice some inside turns, and she rose to the occasion.”
Linda Sferra had the reins aboard Casallina, a mare she bought sight-unseen as a yearling. Sferra knew exactly what she wanted: a filly by the stallion Casall. She entered the keywords in to Google, and Casallina is what the search engine produced. She bought the filly from Tallin Farm in New Jersey and has been Casallina’s sole rider every since.
“The great part about this horse is that if I make a mistake, she is so forgiving. It’s amazing. She puts it behind her immediately, and she makes me feel so safe,” Sferra said. “Today she had just the right amount of energy and was very rideable.
“She’s all heart,” she added. “She loves her job.”
Crooks Show Jumping Young Horse Showcase in Photos
Linda Sferra & Casallina topped the 6-year-old Crooks Show Jumping division. Photo ©tbird/Kady Dane Photography
Kelsey McFarlane and Iolana captured a win in the Crooks Show Jumping 4-Year-Old Showcase. Photo ©tbird/Kady Dane Photography