Brooke Morin and NKH Carrido. Photo©tbird/Kim Gaudry
Langley, BC — Brooke Morin (USA) jumped her first five-star competition over the summer, but at the Summer Fort Welcome CSI3*, she made a conscious decision to step down from the FEI ranks to the U25 division.
The move paid off, as she and her longtime partner NKH Carrido impressed in the MarBill Hill U25 1.40m Sunday at tbird, besting a two-horse matchup with Charlie Jones (GBR) and Montserrat OS. Last to go, the winning pair crossed the timers of Anderson Lima’s (MEX) short 1.40m course in 36.31 seconds. Jones and Montserrat finished second (37.59s). Dyland Jordan (CAN) and Naxos 27 finished third with two time penalties in the first round (83.58s).
“My trainer (Kyle King) is actually in Michigan right now, so I had a friend help me while he is gone,” Morin said. “I watched Charlie, and he was really fast, so I had to definitely pull out something to win.”
Eric Krawitt (CAN) stepped in to assist Morin and ended up the winning coach. His temporary student bounded around the jump-off, pulling ahead with a bold turn back to the penultimate vertical and a furious dash to the final fence. Never taking up on the reins, Morin put her unwavering trust in her partner on full display.
“He has the best mouth ever. I barely have to touch the reins,” Morin said.
With her coach returning at next week’s Summer Fort Classic, Morin will have both a hot hand and a fresh perspective as she steps back up to the international level.
“I’ve done quite a bit of stuff by myself. It’s different, but it’s interesting hearing what the other trainers have to say, when you have someone else helping you,” she said. “[Krawitt] is amazing; my favorite part is his course walk. He has so much good information to give, so when I’m going around, I just hear his voice in my head.“
MarBill Hill U25 1.40m Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time
1. NKH Carrido / Brooke Morin / USA / Strasburg Morin Inc / 0/0 36.31 2. Montserrat OS / Charlie Jones / GBR / Stone Ridge Farms LLC / 0/0 37.59 3. Naxos 27 / Dylan Jordan / CAN / Mariam Ameli / 2 83.58 4. Onyx / Georgia Knight / CAN / Joelle Froese / 4 78.08 5. Ielinea JTL / Jaydan Stettner / CAN / Jaydan Stettner / 4 78.85 6. Laviata / Cashelle Levasseur / CAN / Cashelle Levasseur / 4 79.94 7. First Focus Z / Clara McDanniel / USA / Clara McDanniel / 5 82.48 8. Connador / Stella Chernoff / CAN / Stump Lake Ranch and Cattle Co / 8 76.43 9. Fair Play d’Esquelmes / Nyah Chernoff / CAN / Stump Lake Ranch and Cattle Co / 9 82.28 10. Gutascha / Stella Chernoff / CAN / Stump Lake Ranch and Cattle Co. / 12 75.99