Katherine Newman and Dandelion have taken over the lead in Round 2 of the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship with a 265! There are just 30 remaining in the 3'3" before we wrap-up Round @.
Posted by EQSportsNet on Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Katherine Newman and Dandelion displayed spritely, forward momentum not only over the day two course at the Platinum Performance / USHJA Hunter Incentive Championship, but also up the leaderboard, edging out Scott Stewart and Playbook for the best score of the day on a 265.
An 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, Dandelion looked absolutely deadlocked on the course from the first fence, and moved through the course with significantly more energy and momentum than the slower style that often typifies top hunters, and the judges rewarded it handsomely.
The mare likely owes this forward style to hunters being her second career – she was previously competing in the jumpers in Europe before coming to America and switching gears to the judged ring.
“She’s very personable and people-oriented,” said Katherine about Dandelion. “We imported her at the end of 2015 from England, then we sort of started slow. She showed for the first time as a hunter a year ago in July. Now I think we have to re-evaluate what we’re doing because this was our end goal so we’ll see what’s next!”
For their spectacular round, they skyrocketed from 14th after round one to second place after round two. The following day, the pair came back on a clean slate score for the championship, and once again put in a top notch performance, ultimately earning the reserve championship behind Scott Stewart and Playbook. But it may be this forward, engaging round that people remember for years to come.
Full Results, USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships
Winning rounds can be viewed on EqSportNet Facebook Page, or with a subscription you can livestream the full event on their website.