Wellington, FL – March 3, 2016 – The First Year Green Hunter division, presented by Equine Tack and Nutritionals, crowned Victoria Colvin and Take The High Road LLC’s Style with the championship title this morning in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring. Seventeen horses competed for the tricolor honors this week, but it was Style, a seven-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, that stole the show.
Victoria Colvin and Style. Photo: Sportfot
Colvin topped two of the four over fences classes and placed third and seventh over jumps on Thursday morning. Scott Stewart settled for the reserve championship title aboard Frontman. The duo earned two second place ribbons, a fourth, and a sixth over fences. They also took home the blue ribbon in the under saddle class. Frontman is a six-year-old German Sporthorse gelding owned by Rivers Edge Farm.
Colvin, of Loxahatchee, FL, is making quite a mark in her first winter as a young professional. She and Style already have a few tricolors under their belt. “I’ve shown him four times. He was champion three times and reserve once,” Colvin commented.
Style is a relatively new mount for Colvin. “We got him at Capital Challenge last year from Russell Frey,” she explained. “I showed him in the Pre-Greens twice and I’ve been showing him here at WEF in the First Years. He’s been so lovely, really a dream. Karen Long Dwight bought him for me. I’m really appreciative of that.”
Colvin loved the gelding from the moment she first rode him. “When I got on him for the first time he was so nice. He felt so rangy and really comfortable. He was very easy and jumped really great, so I kind of fell in love with him the first time I rode him,” she recalled.
The First Year Green division saw a smaller field of horses this week, which Colvin took advantage of. “There weren’t as many as usual this week in the First Years, but the course was nice and they brought in the hay bales and some nice jumps, which I liked,” Colvin stated.
Colvin plans to continue showing Style in the First Year Green division this year, with the hopes of qualifying him for the indoor shows in the fall. “I think he is fancy enough to do the divisions, but he’s really, really brave and super scopey, so I think next year he will be one to do in the derby classes,” Colvin said.
The eighth week of competition at the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival continues on Friday featuring the $150,000 FEI Nations’ Cup in the International Ring in the evening. The Ariat National Adult Medal will be the highlight class in the Rost Arena in the morning. For more information and full results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.
Lauren Fisher and Callie Seaman for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.