Lauren Hough Earns Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Title for Winter Equestrian Festival Week 2

U.S. Olympian Lauren Hough was presented with the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award on Saturday night, January 19, during the second week of competition at the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) running through March 31, 2019, in Wellington, FL.

Hough piloted a new mount, Valinski S, to win the $36,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup Round 2 CSI2* earlier in the week before placing second in the $72,000 NetJets Grand Prix CSI2* during Saturday Night Lights. Her two top finishes aboard the 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Wyndmont helped Hough to secure the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award for WEF 2.

“It’s certainly a great way to start off the circuit,” said Hough, who was presented with a bottle of champagne, bouquet of flowers, and gift certificate to a shopping spree at Hunt, Ltd. for the title. “Martha offering this provides a bit more incentive for us. She gives us really nice gifts, and we’re most grateful for it. It’s nice to see that there are a lot of women riding at this level, with almost half the class tonight being women. It’s an honor and I applaud Martha for supporting this award for many years.”

A Top Two Finish For Lauren Hough And Valinski S In $72,000 NetJets Grand Prix CSI2*

Week Two of the 2019 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) hosted the first international grand prix of the 12-week circuit on Saturday evening. The International Arena saw 44 combinations turn out to compete under the lights over course designer Oscar Soberon’s technical tracks. Eight horses and athletes cleared the 13-fence first round track to advance to the jump-off.

Following their win on Wednesday in the WEF Challenge Cup II, Lauren Hough and Valinski S made another podium finish, jumping to second, behind Canada’s Mario Deslauriers.

“He was fantastic all week,” said Hough of her partner Valinski S. “I am so grateful to have the ride. He’s a wonderful horse who has been wonderful to so many riders. As I left after my round in the jump-off, I knew I had left the door open a touch. I slowed down quite a bit to the double after going very fast the other day. I felt a touch on the flat side so I didn’t take every risk there. Mario had a super round and his horse has a very big stride. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

“Ronnie Beard and Michael Dorman have been very good friends of my family for many years,” Hough continued. “I did ride the horse four years ago for a brief time but when I went back to Europe, they went in a different direction. I have always followed him, and they rang me in the fall and asked if I could start to ride some horses for them this winter. With Ohlala hurt—I left her in Europe for the winter—it really fit nicely and I am just honored that they asked me. I am really enjoying riding him. He’s just a fantastic little campaigner. We might do the 3* next week and then I will give him a little bit of a break.”

Lauren Hough and Valinski S Victorious in $36,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup CSI2* at Winter Equestrian Festival

Lauren Hough rode Valinski S to the win in the $36,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup CSI2* on Thursday, January 17, at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL. The 12-week WEF circuit features hunter, jumper, and equitation competition and continues through March 31, 2019, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.

A starting field of 100 entries faced off in Thursday’s featured event, the $36,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup CSI2*, with 15 advancing to jump off over the Oscar Soberon (MEX) designed short course.

As the sixth pair to return for the jump-off, Hough (USA) and Valinski S tripped the timers in an unbeatable clear round time of 38.812 seconds. In clinching the win, Hough edged out fellow U.S. Olympic veteran McLain Ward who finished in second place with a time of 39.449 seconds aboard Queen Jane, owned by Walstib Stables LLC. Rounding out the top three with a time of 39.550 seconds were Alex Granato and Carlchen W, owned by Page Tredennick.

While Valinski S, a 17-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Wyndmont, is a WEF veteran – having most recently been shown at the venue by Todd Minikus and Shawn Casady – the partnership with Hough is new.

“I rode him many years ago for just a couple months, but this is just my second week showing him,” said Hough. “Ronnie Beard and Michael Dorman, the owners, are very good friends, and they asked me back in the fall if I had time to ride some horses for them. I knew Valinski, and I’ve always loved him. He’s a veteran, and he knows his job. I was thrilled to be able to have the ride.”

“He’s a small horse, but I like small horses,” continued Hough, who has ridden to great success aboard other notable small mounts including the 15.2-hand Ohlala. “He’s very careful and very fast. It makes my job quite easy.”

While Hough elected to forego an inside turn in the jump-off, Valinski S’s natural foot speed more than made up for it and secured them the win over the course that Hough cited as an “unbelievable job” from course designer Soberon.

“This is one of the most difficult weeks in my opinion because there’s a maximum height [that the course designer can build] but very, very good riders,” said Hough. “To end up with 15 clear is pretty much a perfect course. The time was a bit of a factor; I think for the first week FEI here, it was really a nice welcome for the young horses, for the older horses, for new riders.”

Hough will now set her sights on Saturday night’s featured grand prix with Valinski S before taking the remainder of the season week by week.

“He’s 17 now, and we always want to do what’s best for him,” concluded Hough. “So I’ll jump him Saturday night and then we’ll plan from there.”

To watch the winning round, please see here.

Paloma Jumps to Two Wins at ESP Holiday Finale

Paloma began her 2019 season with two blues—one in the 1.40m and the other in the 1.45m—at the ESP Holiday Finale. See our round here:

Absolhut Races to the Win in the Christmas Speed Jumping at CSI4* Sweden International Horse Show

Absolhut (Quick Star x Ramiro) jumped a beautiful and quick clear round to win first place in Sunday’s Christmas Speed Jumping class at CSI4* Sweden International Horse Show. The 8-year-old, bay, Selle Francais mare jumped fantastic all week at the show, finishing well in the two classes she jumped prior to the finale. Full results of the 1.40m speed class can be found here.

Videos of “Abbie” from the show are here:

Lauren Hough Stars in Barn Talk and Masterclass USA on Horse & Country TV

Olympic showjumper Lauren Hough is the latest star of our popular Barn Talk and Masterclass USA series.

Equestrian family

Lauren is a three-time Pan American medallist and currently ranked in the top 50 showjumpers in the world. She has represented the USA at the Olympics and World Equestrian Games, and ridden in seven FEI World Cup Finals.

Born into a family of equestrians in northern California, Lauren was destined for great things. Her father, Charles ‘Champ’ Hough, won an eventing bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and her mother, Linda, was a successful Hunter rider.

Lauren now divides her time between the USA and the UK.

Masterclass USA

In Barn Talk Lauren talks about her life, her horses and her hopes for the future, and shows us around her home and yard in Gloucestershire.

In her Masterclass USA, Lauren takes us through a number of simple, but effective, exercises that help with the rideability of your horse. Lauren starts with a more experienced horse, and then jumps an up-and-coming youngster in part two.

Lauren works both horses over cavalettis before moving onto a serpentine with larger fences.

“I try to really pay attention to the small details, so that when you go in the ring it’s a lot easier to execute,” explains Lauren. “If you let them get away with bad habits at home it will carry on in the ring.”

Both these shows premiere on Wednesday 14 November. Barn Talk: Lauren Hough is on at 7pm which is followed by H&C Masterclass USA: Lauren Hough at 7.30pm in the U.K. You can find Horse & Country on Sky 184, Virgin TV 298, Horse & Country TV, Amazon Video and Roku.

Watching it in the U.S? You can find Horse & Country on Horse & Country TV and Roku.

—via Horse & Country TV

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