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Wellington, Fla. – October 2, 2017 – Known for her prowess in all three rings, Victoria Colvin has been no stranger to the winner’s circle throughout her entire equestrian career. Now a professional, the young phenom has continued her winning ways and, with her sights ultimately set on becoming a staple in the grand prix classes, has partnered with famed trainer George H. Morris to add some firepower to her presence in the jumper classes. Morris hand-selected and purchased two young mounts – a mare and a gelding – for Colvin to bring up through the levels in order to exponentially increase her already impressive skill level in the jumpers.
“I’m so honored to be working with George, and flattered that he believes enough in my talent and hard work to provide me with two horses. Partnering with him has the potential to open so many doors for me,” said Colvin. “I’m excited to keep working with these two horses, and have really enjoyed training them so far. They’ve come a long way already and I’m hopeful to see them go far.” A proven contender in the grand prix ring with victories at the Winter Equestrian Festival, the Washington International Horse Show and the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, to name a few, Colvin has demonstrated time and again that she has the raw talent to ride clean and clear rounds over the massive fences. With a string of elite hunter horses, Colvin has been raking in the victories there, as well, most recently claiming top honors at the 2017 $268,550 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship. What she has been missing is an opportunity to grow her own jumper prospects, but thanks to Morris, that all has changed. “Tori is a very nice girl and she is an extremely hard worker – she’s horses dawn to dusk. She has a very rare talent. She is a competitor, she is a winner. She has had a lot of nice hunters, but she had to have a little leg-up in the jumper ring,” said Morris. Though he has not owned a horse since he was chef d’equipe of the United States Show Jumping Team, Morris purchased Chagrand, an 8-year old Oldenburg gelding by Chacco Blue, through Eduardo Menezes and Enrique Gonzales of E2 Stables for Colvin earlier this year. Soon after, Morris purchased Conpardie Z, a 7-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood mare, in partnership with Belgian show jumper Ludo Philippaerts.
“I just liked [Chagrand]. He is well-bred. He is a difficult horse, but he is a very talented horse and I think if she can make a partnership with him he could eventually jump big jumps,” said Morris. “[Conpardie Z] is a young horse that needs a lot of time. She is an interesting jumper, but she needs a lot of schooling.” Since acquiring the ride on the horses, Colvin has been training both of them, and has shown in classes ranging from 1.10m to 1.35m across the country. With Colvin in the irons, each horse has earned multiple victories, and they are quickly moving up the ranks. With Morris‘ help, Colvin may already be sitting on her future grand prix mounts but, as with all young horses, the future is uncertain, so the next step is to acquire a string of high-performance horses to solidify Colvin in the ranks of the international show jumping sphere.
“These are young horses, they are green and they are projects. I can’t predict how they are going to turn out, but it gives Tori a leg up in the jumpers – it gives her a project and she has to make the horses. It’s not on a silver platter or some trillion dollar made horse,” said Morris. “These are projects, but hopefully sponsors will realize that she is a great girl, hard worker and most talented rider at the horse show, and will get on board so they can help support her for bigger horses.” Visit victoriacolvin.com to find out more and follow her on Facebook. |
