Karin Binz’s Meant To Be carried rider Karli Postel to the Green/High Performance Conformation Hunters championship at the Temecula Valley National Horse Show. It is only the horse’s first year competing over the 3’9″ fences, but the pair captured the division win with a cumulative 46 points earned over the course of two days of competition.
Postel and “Lucky Binz” consistently laid down stellar trips, nabbing the top spot in four of the five classes to earn the tricolor honors. Meant To Be will continue competing during the Temecula Valley National Horse Show with his owner in the Amateur-Owner Hunter division.
Karli Postel and Meant To Be. Photo by Phelps Media Group
“His name is Lucky Binz, show name Meant to Be, but we call him Lucky Binz because Karen Binz is his owner,” Postel shared. “He is 8 years old this year. Last year we were doing the 7-year-old Young Hunters and he was Horse of the Year in the division. I really got to know him last year and this year we have moved into the Green 3’9″ Hunters and started trying some International Hunter Derbies.”
Postel shared her thoughts on the horse show at Temecula Valley, “It’s great! It’s really nice that it’s smaller and so much more intimate. I think they have done a nice job with the rings. We love that our stabling is 10 steps from the hunter ring so that makes it easy. Everyone is super happy to be here and it’s always fun to be somewhere new.”
“We always think it’s good to support something new and we wanted to come check it out. We [Brookway Stables] are sponsoring the hunter derby this week. Ali Nilforushan is great and I think he’s trying to do a really good thing here. We are excited to be here this week, and all of our amateurs are excited to be here.”
After maneuvering to an impressive lead on day one, Nicolas Haness made no moves to slow down on the final day of divisional riding in the Performance 3’6″ Hunters and Green 3’6″ Hunters. Scoring a perfect 50 and five blue ribbons, Haness and West Coast Equine Partners, LLC’s Saphir swept the Performance classes to clinch the title. Soon thereafter, Haness added to his repertoire of accolades, piloting Kumano, also owned by West Coast Equine Partners, LLC, to the coveted top spot in the Green 3’6″ Hunters, nabbing first place in three of the five classes.
Nicolas Haness and Saphir. Photo by Phelps Media Group