Halifax, MA – May 21, 2011 – Twenty-three-year-old DJ Volandre, of Norwell, MA, rode Gina Volandre’s Tequila to victory on Saturday afternoon in the $25,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix at the Fieldstone Spring Festival Horse Show. Held on the beautiful grass Grand Prix Field at the Fieldstone Equestrian and Show Facility in Halifax, MA, the class featured many of the northeast region’s best horses and riders in a fantastic display of competitive show jumping.
Douglas Russell, of Ocala, FL, was the course designer in the Grand Prix Field today. Despite a rainy week, the sun was shining in the afternoon, and the grass field was pristine for the day’s competition. Russell set a beautiful course that added a special atmosphere to the scenic backdrop of the facility, and spectators cheered on their favorites from the VIP seating set ringside.
A Beautiful Aerial View of the Fieldstone Equestrian and Show Facility during Saturday’s Competition
The $25,000 Grand Prix saw five horse and rider combinations jump clear over the first round course, and an exciting jump-off followed. Only two of the five returning competitors were able to jump clear in the second round, and Tequila and DJ Volandre had the fastest time of 47.532 seconds to earn the victory.
Showing first over the short course, Kristen Bumpus and Cupid had an unfortunate rail at the second fence to earn four faults in a time of 44.879 seconds to eventually finish in fourth place. Volandre and Tequila returned next and put down what turned out to be the winning round. Elizabeth Kenny followed, finishing the only other clear jump-off round in a time of 48.327 seconds to place second with Sangre Azul, owned by Alvaro J. Lozada.
Juan Lavieri and Don Pedro, owned by Jessica Herman, were next to compete, but had two rails and one time fault to land the pair in fifth place. The final round belonged to Cory Hardy riding Ami Des Gemmes, owned by International Group LLC. The duo had the fastest time of 44.770 seconds, but incurred four faults to finish in third.
Class winner Tequila is a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare. Volandre is now a professional, but trained with his mother Gina as well as the legendary George Morris during his junior career. Morris found Tequila for Volandre eight years ago, and the mare has been a fantastic mount for the rider ever since.
Volandre smiled as he spoke about Tequila after his win, stating, “I owe everything to her; she is a great horse. I have brought her along since she was six years old, so I know her very well. I really owe a lot to George for finding her because she has been great for me in every class.”
Tequila and DJ Volandre won the $25,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix
Volandre explained that he and Tequila have won many classes over the years, but this is the mare’s first grand prix win. He spoke about his strategy for the jump-off, stating, “She is a fast horse on her own, so I just let her gallop the way she wants. I was careful in a couple of places because I knew that I wanted go a little faster, but I was not crazy because I wanted to be double clear.”
“She is a bit of a hot horse, but she knows her job and she is careful,” he added. “It is definitely rewarding to win and I am just grateful that she has been such a good horse for me all of these years.”
Volandre and his mother run a boarding and training business in Norwell, MA, which is conveniently located just 20 minutes from the Fieldstone Equestrian and Show Facility. The rider has been competing at Fieldstone since he was a child on ponies, and enjoys the quality of the hometown show. As the season continues, he will be competing in Vermont next and will then return to Fieldstone for the Plymouth Rock Hunter Jumper Classic this summer, which runs June 21-25, 2011.
Volandre was thrilled with his win this afternoon and added a special thank you to his mother for all of her help.
Alissa Kinsey and Grisset Top $5,000 Child/Adult Jumper Classic
In addition to the afternoon and evening festivities, Saturday featured an exciting win for Alissa Kinsey and her unstoppable mare Grisset in the $5,000 Child/Adult Jumper Classic earlier in the day. Kinsey and Grisset were the fastest of three clear jump-off rounds in the class with a time of 32.857 seconds. Addison Gierkink and Pikpardin finished second with a clear round in 36.411 seconds. Tarik Sentissi and Killigrew’s Attraction placed third with a clear round in 37.737 seconds, and Camilla Bennett and Bantry Bay completed the jump-off course with four faults in 36.640 seconds to place fourth.
Kinsey and Grisset have won classes at most of the top horse shows in the country in the past several years and are on an amazing winning streak this spring, dominating classes here at Fieldstone as well as the St. Clement’s Saratoga Horse Show in New York. This month’s success comes after Kinsey and Grisset earned their fourth consecutive Adult Amateur Jumper circuit championship this winter at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Kinsey also earned the reserve circuit championship aboard her newest mount, Caretina, who showed in today’s class as well.
“Grisset cleaned house again in Wellington this year and Caretina was right behind her,” Kinsey smiled. “I completely took a break the month of April after that and then I just did the past two weekends up in Saratoga. Grisset won every class there, so I guess she enjoyed her vacation and rewarded me again. So far she has won every single class she has been entered in this spring; she has been perfect.”
Grisset is a 14-year-old Hanoverian mare, owned and ridden by Kinsey out of her hometown of Salem, NH. Salem is just over an hour drive away from the Fieldstone Equestrian and Show Facility, which makes the Fieldstone horse shows ideal for Kinsey and her horses.
“This horse show feels like it is in the back yard compared to everything else, which is really nice,” she acknowledged. “This is a great place for us to show and I wish they had more shows here because it is so close. It is a great facility and even with all the rain we have had it still stayed nice. They have good footing and they always have a back-up plan, which I really appreciate.”
Alissa Kinsey and Grisset won the $5,000 Child/Adult Jumper Classic
Commenting on the class, Kinsey stated, “I rode Caretina first and she was naughty, so I knew I really had to do something with Grisset. The course was nice and the footing was great. In the jump-off I just planned my track and turned tight. I got to see everyone else go and they all went fairly quick, so I thought that I would just go quick and turn a little tighter.”
“I went, and I turned a little tighter, and then I looked up and we were really, really fast,” the rider laughed. “I even added down the last line and that was not my plan, but it didn’t matter because she just turned so well everywhere else.”
Kinsey travels all over the country with her horses and noted that the two mares are great friends. “They are my children,” she smiled. “They are like sisters – they are so perfect together. It is like that one car commercial with the break and the gas pedal. They say that in every couple there is one person that is the break and the other person is the gas pedal, and that is them. Caretina is the gas pedal and Grisset is the breaks. She is the more level headed one and Caretina is the springy wild one, but together they are great.”
Following a fantastic win this weekend, Kinsey and her two mares will now travel to Pennsylvania for the 2011 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. Kinsey hopes to repeat her championship win with Grisset from two years ago and also looks forward to showing Caretina at Devon for the first time.
The 2011 Fieldstone Spring Festival will continue with its final day of competition tomorrow. The day will feature a $10,000 3’3″ Open Hunter Derby in the morning as well as a $2,500 2’9″ Hunter Derby and a $2,500 Pony Derby Classic in the afternoon, all held on the beautiful grass Grand Prix Field.
For more information on the Fieldstone Horse Shows, please visit www.showfieldstone.com, call 781-679-0701 or email ShowFieldstone@aol.com.
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Final Results: $25,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix
1 Tequila DJ Volandre Gina Volandre: 0/0/47.532
2 Sangre Azul Elizabeth Kenny Alvaro J. Lozada: 0/0/48.327
3 Ami Des Gemmes Cory Hardy International Group LLC: 0/4/44.770
4 Cupid Kristen Bumpus Kristen Bumpus: 0/4/44.879
5 Don Pedro Juan Lavieri Jessica Herman: 0/9/50.767
6 Peaches Jean Sheptoff Jean Sheptoff: 2/81.370
7 El Grecco Robert Lee Robert Lee: 4/75.784
8 Kec Felix Emily Zildjian-Bickford Emily Zildjian-Bickford: 4/76.279
Final Results $5,000 Child/Adult Jumper Classic
1 Grisset Alissa Kinsey Alissa Kinsey: 0/0/32.857
2 Pikpardin Addison Gierkink Wesley Gierkink: 0/0/36.411
3 Killigrew’s Attraction Tarik Sentissi Kintar Sporthorses LLC: 0/0/37.737
4 Bantry Bay Camilla Bennett Rebecca Margolis: 0/4/36.640
5 Quica Hannah Janson Kimberly M. Janson: 1/80.257
6 First Glance Katie Murphy Katie Murphy: 2/81.031
7 Cortend Brianna Raab James LaLa Sales: 2/81.796
8 Gold Twist Madeline Stover Elizabeth Richter: 8/75.925
Photo Credit: Aerial Photo (c) 2011 Fieldstone Equestrian. Tequila and DJ Volandre, Grisset and Alissa Kinsey Photos © 2011 Anne Gittins Photography. www.annegittins.com. Photos may be used only in relation to this press release.