Pony Lane Farm Cleans Up at Circle City Equestrian Horse Show
RELEASE: July 24, 2009
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By Lauren Fisher
Kelsey and Madeline Thatcher of Pony Lane Farm in South Jordan, UT, had an excellent week of competition at the Circle City Equestrian Horse Show this weekend. Held in Indianapolis, IN, the show ran July 15-19, and the girl's swept the competition, earning multiple championships with their talented horses.
Kelsey Thatcher did exceptionally well in the hunters this weekend, earning the championship honors in both the Large and Small Junior Hunter 16-17 divisions. Kelsey rode Mirasol to the championship tricolor in the Small Junior Hunter 16-17, and topped the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 with Gianni. Kelsey rode in the $1,000 Junior Hunter Classics as well, earning top ribbons during both days of competition. In the first Classic, Kelsey placed first with Early Applause, second with Gianni, and fourth with Mirasol. In the second Classic, she was first with Mirasol, second with Gianni, and third with Early Applause.
Kelsey also showed in the jumpers this week, and rode Merlin 369 to a second-place finish in the $5,000 NAL Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. She is now in Lexington, KY, where she will be jumping her mare Carlotta on the Zone 8 Junior Team at the Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships, presented by Gotham North.
Madeline continued her success in the hunters this week, taking home another championship tricolor in the Medium Pony Hunters with Hillcrest Blue Cwilt. Madeline dominated in the $500 Pony Hunter Classics held over the two days of competition, riding Beau Rivage, owned by Casey Green, to the first-place honors and Hillcrest Blue Cwilt to second-place in both classes. Madeline also had top ribbons with her Large Junior Hunter Francesca and her Small Junior Hunters Capone and Enticer.
In the jumpers, Madeline rode her pony Bally Mac to a second-place finish in the Low Children's Jumpers, and rode Victor to a third in the Children's Jumpers and a fifth in the $5,000 NAL/WIHS Child/Adult Jumper Classic.
Kelsey and Madeline's trainer, Maggie Jayne, was very happy with the girls' results and said that they continue to improve every week. "They did very well," Jayne stated. "We have been showing outside in huge rings, so it was a big change showing indoors and having a different course designer and everything coming up so quickly, and they reacted very well."
"I think that they each make a little bit of progress at every show," Jayne continued. "Maddy is doing great with Francesca and every trip is a little more solid than the last. Kelsey has had really consistent trips on Gianni. He is a little spooky and every show is a little different, but she has really figured him out."
Jayne shows Kelsey and Madeline's horses in the professional divisions to get them prepared for the girls, and she also did very well this week. Jayne showed Madeline's Large Junior Hunter Francesca in the Regular Conformation Hunters and earned the championship tricolor after winning all of the division's classes. She showed Kelsey's Junior Hunter Gianni to the championship in the Second Year Green Hunters, and Early Applause to the championship in the Green Conformation Hunters.
Jayne had a clean sweep of the top three spots in the $1,000 Open Hunter Classics held during each day of professional competition. On the first day she rode Early Applause to first place and was second with Francesca and third with Gianni. On day two, Early Applause was first again, with Gianni second and Francesca third.
In the jumpers, Jayne rode Victor to the reserve championship in the Seven- and Eight-Year-Old Young Jumpers. She also rode Milous De Fontaine to a third-place finish the $40,000 Circle City Equestrian Grand Prix and placed fifth in the $10,000 Open Jumper Welcome Stake.
"It is so much fun getting to show the girls' horses and it is really fun to see them do well with the horses after I do," Jayne noted. "I think tha