The Polk Family Main Hunter Ring hosted the Equiline Adult Amateur Over 35 Hunter division on Friday and Saturday, where Garland Alban took home top honors out of 25 competitors with her own Capella at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF).
Garland Alban and Capella. Photo by Diana Hadsall Photography
The pair captured third and second place on Friday in the initial two over fences rounds of the division, but returned on Saturday to win the under saddle and finish first and second in the remaining two over fences rounds for the championship tricolor.
“He’s a wonderful horse,” Alban said of the 11-year-old gelding. “When I bought him, my trainer showed him in the First and Second Year Greens and then I got to inherit him. Now he’s happy doing the 3′ amateurs with me. He’s a great partner.”
“I was really happy that he kept his attention in the ring. I was a little bit nervous in this ring because we hadn’t shown in here before and there was a lot to look at, but he was really great. He gave me all of his attention and I was very pleased with him.”
The reserve championship went to Terri Irrer, trained by Heather Irvine of Hillside Farm, and Cafe’ Noir, owned by Debra Gross, who won both of Friday’s over fences rounds.
Alban, who is from Lutherville, Maryland, and trains with Tim and Kelly Goguen of Boggs Hill Farm, and the Hanoverian gelding concluded their Week II competition schedule at GLEF with a second place finish in the competitive PJP Farm NAL/WIHS Adult Amateur Hunter Classic on Saturday. The pair completed both rounds of competition with top performances to claim the red ribbon out of an original starting field of 32 entries.