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10 Saddlebreds Shine in Eventing at 2020 Champagne Run Horse Trials

American Saddlebreds weren’t just shining in Rolex Arena this weekend at the Kentucky Horse Park! At least 10 Saddlebred eventers were competing at the Champagne Run Horse Trials. ASHA was proud to be on-site to see these fantastic representatives of the versatile American Saddlebred and help share their Saddlebred Story. We had Saddlebreds competing from Training Level to Starter and many placing at the top of their divisions! Check out the highlight of our Instagram Takeover here now!

ASR Diplomat of the Breed Royal Crest’s Granite Permission and Lily Callahan had a great win at Training Level. They bested 20 other competitors and were the only combination to jump a double clear in the stadium phase. Lily & “Moose” are qualified to compete at Training Level at the 2020 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena in September! This team will also be making the Bluegrass home even sooner as Callahan is on a scholarship to compete for the Transylvania University Collegiate Eventing Team. She will bring both her trusted partner Moose and her up and coming American Saddlebred eventer, The Phantom Pistol, who also won his Starter Level division this weekend.

It was also great to see several horses who had excelled in the show ring finding great success in their second and sometimes third careers. CH Good Deal, CH Juicy Fruit, Golightly Independence, and Sultan’s Salutation are American Saddlebreds who spent years in the show ring that were there competing this weekend.

CH Good Deal is a horse who likes to make history. The first American Saddlebred to ever earn his champion designation with solely points earned in the hunter country pleasure division also went on to become an FEI Combined Driving horse before taking on the Eventing world with his devoted partner Kim Moore. This combination is already qualified to compete at the 2020 American Eventing Championship at Beginner Novice and had a great weekend putting some new techniques to use as they prepare for that championship.  

CH Juicy Fruit, 2017 Adult Country Pleasure World’s Champion, had a big weekend taking on the Beginner Novice level with trainer Elizabeth McGinley for longtime owner Karen Thompson. Thompson is thrilled that her mare, which she enjoyed so much success in the show ring, shows a love for her second career. Juicy took home a third-place finish in a group of 17 challengers. Thompson is thrilled to be able to have another beloved American Saddlebred to enjoy eventing with.

Golightly Independence is an American Saddlebred that has been with his kid since walk and trot. Vivian Sandifer started showing “Indy” in 2012 in the 10 & Under Saddle Seat Equitation Walk and Trot at Burlington Spring Horse Show. These two continued the saddle seat division until 2015 when Sandifer felt ready to try something new. While she wanted to try a new discipline, she had no interest in finding a new breed or even a different horse. So, Indy went from a saddle seat training barn to see if he could join his kid in a jumping career. Sandifer said it took a while, and at first, when he saw a dressage ring, he thought it was “showtime”, but he has come to love his new career and enjoys jumping! It was fitting that one of the last big breed shows they attended was Lexington Junior League that they returned to Kentucky to compete in the Starter division this weekend.

Sultan’s Salutation and longtime owner Beth Cahill who spent years competing in the Hunter Country Pleasure division across the country at breed shows, are making their way into the Eventing world. They competed at Starter and took home a tremendous fifth-place finish this weekend.

In addition to these competitors was the group from Kris Wallace’s Columbia Equestrian Center in Missouri. This weekend they came as a group of four Eventing enthusiasts that have fallen in love with the American Saddlebred breed.

Wallace discovered the American Saddlebred while attending William Woods University. She is a professional that loves the Sport Horse disciplines, but found a passion for eventing when she acquired her American Saddlebred gelding Absolute Lionheart, “Dan.” Dan not only endeared Wallace to the breed but also has influenced her to make her business centered on training saddle type sport horses.

At Champagne Run, she brought four American Saddlebreds to compete from Novice to Starter Level. Wallace and Absolute Lionheart, along with Emily Bruhn and Cat On A Mission, were strong representatives for the breed at Novice Level. Kaya MacLeod, a first-time horse owner, made her Horse Trial debut with her beloved Flynn Rider at Junior Beginner Novice Rider. Lady Sassafras and Josie Patton took on the competition at Starter Level.

ASHA is proud to see such a wide array of American Saddlebreds finding second careers, their niche, and a new audience to fall in love with the breed. The 2020 Champagne Run Horse Trials was just one example of a great-expanded appreciation for the American Saddlebred and Half Saddlebred that is happening across the country in the Eventing community. We look forward to continuing to be involved in supporting and reaching more enthusiasts of the breed we all love the American Saddlebred.

Learn more about the Saddlebred Sport Horse Award Programs, and don’t forget to enroll your Saddlebred Sport Horse today to get a free sticker and eligibility for the high point neck ribbons!