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Reed Kessler and Onisha demonstrate power and speed

May 11, 2012

It was a great day for the team from Plain Bay Farm as student Reed Kessler won the 1.40m Open Jumper class, and trainer Katie Prudent placed second, as well as claiming her own victory in the 1.35m Open Jumpers. In the 1.40m Power and Speed event at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, Kessler piloted her talented mount Onisha to the blue ribbon prize with quick speed. Prudent placed second with V, who was also very fast during the speed phase. Earlier in the day, Prudent won the 1.35m Open Jumpers with a double-clear effort aboard V, which was just as speedy and good enough for the blue.

Kessler, now of Lexington, KY, is currently atop the Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team, and hopes to make a bid for the 2012 London Olympics. Tomorrow, the Kentucky Horse Park and the Rolex Stadium will host the first of their Observation Events with the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, and the events will continue on Sunday with the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix.

Although Kessler was not aboard one of her Long Listed mounts (Cylana and Mika), the victory in today's 1.40m Power and Speed class with Onisha proved that the talented young rider is still in top form. The pair jumped easily over the power track, which included a double combination, a triple combination, and a liverpool oxer. They quickly changed gears for the speed round and galloped handily over the obstacles, crossing the finish line in a blazing 32.525 seconds, which jumped to the top of the leaderboard and eventually heard the winning title.

The apple does not fall far from the tree, and picking up the second place award in the 1.40m Open Jumpers was Kessler's trainer, Katie Prudent. She rode V, owned by Mike Smith of Winchester, VA, to a very quick time of 33.199 seconds. Nineteen of today's entries were clear in both the power and speed phases of the class, so riders really had to race to be in the money.

Also earning a top finish in the 1.40m Open Jumpers was Ashlee Bond with Wistful, owned by Little Valley Farms of Hidden Hills, CA, who set a quick pace early in the class for third, and Jessica Springsteen with Temmie, owned by Stone Hill Farm of Los Angeles, CA, who placed fifth. The fourth place honors went to Prudent, for her ride aboard Psychee D'Amour, owned by Sleepy P Ranch of Bartonville, TX, as the Plain Bay Team continued their domination of the day.

For more information about the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, please visit www.KentuckyHorseShows.com.

Source World of Showjumping