Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by adminahb
International show jumping competition kicked off once again on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York. The exciting four-star division headlines the action-packed HITS Championship week, which represents the culmination of an incredible summer of equestrian sport. In the highlight class of the day, the $31,020 CSI4* Jumper Classic, it was Chloe Reid (USA) that scored the first win of the week for the home nation riding Chelsea 179.
The opening class included 29 top competitors representing eight nations to contest the speed track designed by world renowned course designer Olaf Petersen Jr. (GER). In the faults-converted format, fallen rails and resulting jumping penalties became added seconds to the overall time, necessitating a careful and efficient performance.
Fifth in the starting order, Reid laid down a clear round with Chelsea 179 in a blistering pace of 67.99 seconds that saw the remaining riders chasing her time. Still firmly holding the lead several combinations later, Reid then returned on her second mount, the extravagant jumper Crossover 4, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cascadello x Chacco-Blue) owned by Team Reid LLC. After stopping the clock fault-free in 69.02 seconds, it looked like it might be a 1-2 finish for the talented American rider. However, one of the final duos to head into the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium, U.S. Olympic team gold medalist Will Simpson and his veteran partner Chacco P, the 15-year-old Mecklenburg gelding (Chacco-Blue x Elite) owned by Will Simpson Sables Inc., gave “fast” a whole new meaning. They galloped through the timers in 64.73 seconds, but a jump down on course meant a final time of 68.73 seconds and the runner-up spot to split Reid’s two entries in the top three.
“Olaf did an amazing job, and the course really suited us nicely,” commented Reid. “I always love his courses. He always builds careful, but with a nice start so that you can get a good gallop. I think that really builds confidence in a horse if they can go in and feel really secure, and I’m excited for the rest of the week.”
Chelsea 179, a nine-year-old Oldenburg mare (Cador 5 x Laudabilis) owned by Live Oak Plantation LLC, is a younger horse in Reid’s string. She has had the ride for two years after the mare was previously campaigned as a young horse by 2024 Olympic Champion Christian Kukuk of Germany. Together, they have scored numerous impressive placings at the 1.45m and 1.50m height through the five-star level. With her boyfriend, five-star German rider Rene Dittmer, on hand for guidance, the $31,020 CSI4* Jumper Classic marked Reid and Chelsea 179’s latest international victory.
“She’s a lot of mare,” said Reid. “She has a lot of power, so it has been a lot of just trying to figure out the right gears. She’s naturally a very fast paced horse, and I’ve been trying to improve her stride and get her stride bigger also so then I have the speed and the stride together. I feel like today it all came together nicely.”
While Reid’s last trip to HITS Hudson Valley was back when she was taking on the pony ring, she is certainly making the most of her return to the venue.
“It has changed so much since I was here all those years ago, and I don’t have a single complaint,” she enthused. “The FEI stabling compound is super nice with a dedicated riding area, and it’s very quiet; plus, we have had beautiful weather so far. I think it’s going to be a fun week!”
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