Aldergrove’s Kassidy Keith captured the $5,000 MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m on Saturday (July 2) at tbird, riding her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Havana.
“She is naturally fast and I can leave a stride out when I need to,” Keith said of Havana’s strengths.
“She’s always game to do whatever I ask. Today’s course fit her because it was flowing and it allowed me to do some inside turns and leave a couple strides out to help me win.”
Keith has had Havana since the mare was only four years old.
“We have built a partnership,” she commented.
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At 10, Havana isn’t slowing down.
“She’s got bigger things to come,” predicted Keith, who hopes to “eventually make Nations Cup teams on her.”
Like most competing at the West Coast Classic, Keith considers tbird one of her favourite shows.
“I’ve been showing at tbird since I was really little,” she reminisced. “It’s a great facility to have right in our backyard and it allows us to bring all the clients, plus my young horses all the way to grand prix horses. There’s something for everybody and they really put on a great show. They have great hospitality, great staff, and they’re always so friendly.”
Keith works alongside her mother Cheryl at Keepsake Farms in Aldergrove, where Keith rides, trains and coaches.
Also on Saturday, ,juniors, amateurs and professionals alike took to the various sections of the $10,000 tbird Hunt & Handy in the Grand Hunter Arena.
Taking the wins in the 3’6” Open section and the 3’-3’3” Junior/Amateur/Green section, respectively, were Rodney Tulloch and Dustin Goodwin.
Tulloch convincingly snagged the top spot in the $10,000 Open aboard Jembey Van’t Eigenlo.
Tulloch’s mount has not always excelled in the hunter rings, however.
“He used to do the grand prixs with Gary Brewster,” Tulloch said of Jembey Van’t Eigenlo. “He still, every once in a while, thinks he’s a big jumper so we have to be a little careful and manage him. But he just goes forward and always jumps the jump, and you know he’s got the scope. He’s not a classical hunter, but he’s a really fun derby horse.”
As the 3’/3’3” section got underway, Goodwin wowed the crowd early on. Just 11th in the order of 42 with the 6-year-old Dolce’ Dacapo (Westphalian by Diacontinus), he scored a perfect 100.
“I actually just met this horse this week,” Goodwin commented about Dolce’ Dacapo.
“He’s a young sales horse that the owner offered me the ride on. I showed him in the Green 3’3” Hunters this week and he was champion, and today was his first derby. He’s young and he’s only been to a handful of horse shows, so he has a pretty special brain and seems really well suited for this. He was just a trooper out there.”
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