Leipzig, Germany – May 3, 2011 – G&C Farm has started their spring well as they make their way through Europe. After a solid show at the Hermes CSI 5* in Paris, they moved on to the 2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Leipzig, Germany, where Pablo Barrios and G&C Quick Star placed 17th overall. G&C Farm is based in Wellington, FL, and owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal of Venezuela. Barrios, who competes for Venezuela, is also based in Wellington.
Barrios and G&C Quick Star, a 13-year-old KWPN mare by Quick Star x Grannus, competed through all three days at the World Cup Finals. This was Barrios’ first time competing in the World Cup Finals.
Barrios and G&C Quick Star
Gustavo Mirabal stated, “The World Cup Finals was a fantastic championship. Pablo and Quick Star did very well, and I’m very happy with the results. We made the cut and got into the Finals, which was one of our goals.”
Though Barrios and G&C Quick Star had eight faults on the first day, their quick time kept them in the hunt. Barrios recalled, “The first day, I used the hackamore that I normally use with her. I knew that by jumps 3 and 4 that it was too strong and too tight. I had to ride the rest of the course with not much help off the ground. Every time I tried to help her a little bit, she felt it was too much. The next day, I changed the hackamore and put a softer one on. It was a little risky because it was the first time I tried that one. But it felt good in the warm-up and I took the risk. It paid off and she was clean in that class.”
In the second day’s competition, a jump-off class, Barrios and G&C Quick Star were the first to go clear over a more difficult course. They went first in the jump-off and finished seventh in the class.
They made the cut to the final day, where they had to compete over two rounds. They had trouble in the first first round, but came back strong in the second round with just four faults to finish 17th overall. Barrios said, “In the last phase in the first round, I had some bad luck at a couple jumps. Then she finished strong in the second round. I had one too many strides coming into the combination and she only had one down. I think she really showed that she was capable of doing it though.”
Barrios was pleased overall with the competition. “I think it was a great experience. I think the balance at the end was good. I had some good rounds and I really enjoyed it. I made the Final and was able to show every day, which was really good for me,” he noted.
Adding another international championship to his list of accomplishments is important as well. “It was good experience to be with the best in the world. It was good to get more experience indoors, which we don’t have that much of in America. I think I learned a lot and will be more competitive next time, for sure. I’ll have a better strategy to try and improve our results,” Barrios remarked.
Before they traveled to Leipzig, G&C Farm competed at the Hermes CSI 5* event in Paris. There Barrios and G&C Quick Star placed sixth in the 23,000 euro 1.45m jump-off class. Riding G&C Sinatra, Barrios was also sixth in the Prix GL speed class.
“The Hermes show in Paris was our first time in Europe this year,” Mirabal said. “We had really good results and it was very special to jump in the Grand Palais. We look forward to continuing here in Europe until September.”
G&C Farm will travel next to Valencia, Spain to compete in the Global Champions Tour, CSI 5* on May 6-8, 2011.
Please visit www.farmgc.com for more information on G&C Farm, their riders, and their horses. You can also find out more by visiting the G&C Farm page on Facebook or follow G&C Farm on Twitter.
G&C Farm brings exceptional horses and top Venezuelan jumper riders to the highest levels of competition. Their state-of-the-art, full-service facility is located in Wellington, FL.
The vision of G&C Farm is to improve the instruction and training of their top jumper riders and horses in order to seek a place on the Venezuelan team for all high level tournaments and top competitions, including the World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games. G&C Farm sponsors top grand prix rider Pablo Barrios of Venezuela, as well as other up and coming riders. The technical advisor at G&C Farm is Olympic Games course designer Leopoldo Palacios.
For more information on G&C Farm, please visit www.farmgc.com.
Photo Credit: Pablo Barrios and G&C Quick Star competed in the 2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals. Photo © Ken Braddick/www.jumper-news.com. These photos may only be used in relation to this press release and with full photo credit.