2009 YOUTH NATIONALS necessarily so, according to Long. “He is constantly nipping at you, being playful. He loves to chase Macie around the pasture. He is just a real character,” she says. “Sometimes when he comes out of a class, he will give a little playful buck.” Although Peborr doesn’t require any special feed or treatment other than an annual hock injection, Long does plan to retire him at the conclusion of this year. “He’s been such a great horse for all of us.” SRC Phoenix Rising Rises to the Occasion
wouldn’t need to be in any more shows with him.” But the young woman rallied. “My mom and trainer kept telling me that Gus was watching and he would never give up. I decided I would do my best and try to win for Gus.” And win she did. Quincy rode SRC Phoenix Rising to the championship in Dressage Training Level JTR 13 & Under, besting 26 other competitors with a score of 72.2. The duo also captured the reserve championship in Half-Arabian Hunter Pleasure JTR 13 & Under in a field of 43. She also was High Point Dressage Rider in her age category of the show. Quincy had ridden SRC Phoenix Rising before, so he wasn’t a completely new mount to her. “I ride Phoenix in Half-Arabian Hunter Pleasure and equitation and had won two equitation medals on him last year, so I knew I could ride him,” she says. “We just needed to stay calm and ride the dressage test like it was an equitation class. I kept telling Phoenix that Gus was watching us, and he had to be his best. We rode early in the class and would have to wait all day to see the scores from the other riders. So, I relaxed and pretended I was back at home in our training barn and rode the test as relaxed as I could.”
When DA Salvatore (Allionce x Tomorrows Flirt), winner of last year’s largest class (Arabian Hunter Pleasure JTR 14-17), suffered a bout of colic and died unexpectedly at this year’s Youth Nationals just days prior to the show’s start, everyone at Stonehurst Riding Club was devastated. In fact, the entire Arabian community was devastated, as indicated by the outpouring of support via cards, flowers, calls and e-mails. Many junior riders rode this handsome grey gelding, and two were scheduled to compete on him at the 2009 Youth Nationals. With careful examination of the rules, good coaching by Adrienne Hancock-Leong (owner, trainer and instructor at Stonehurst), support from friends and family, and determination from two junior riders, a new mount was selected to ride instead. SRC Phoenix Rising (Loki x Wind Fli), who had been ridden by both competitors in the past, was called upon. Originally scheduled to carry one rider through the show, he would now carry three. But given the circumstances, how would the horse perform with additional classes and riders? How would the riders perform with a different horse on such short notice and in the face of such a fresh loss? Quincy Hernandez, 11, was one of those riders. Her dad, Joe, received the news about DA Salvatore while the family was on a sightseeing excursion, taking some time away from the showgrounds. As Quincy recalls, when her parents told her the news, “I was really sad and couldn’t stop crying. I kept thinking if I could just go home and see Gus in his stall, I
SRC Phoenix Rising wasn’t fi nished with his work. Another of DA Salvatore’s scheduled riders, Katie Pelphrey, needed him for the Dressage Training Level JTR 14-17 Championship and for the Dressage First Level JTR 14-17 Championship. The two were named champions in the training level test out of 48 competitors and reserve champions in the First Level competition, with 31 vying for the title. Pelphrey describes SRC Phoenix Rising as a horse with a huge heart. “He probably has more heart than any horse I’ve ever worked with,” she says. “There may be other horses out there with more talent, but Phoenix never quits trying for you. He’s always been one of my favorites.” Th is amazing 9-year-old gelding also helped Quincy’s younger sister, Lexi, earn the national championship in Half-Arabian Hunter Seat Equitation Not to Jump Walk/ Trot 10 & Under. The two also claimed a top ten title in Half-Arabian Hunter Pleasure Walk/Trot 10 & Under. Both Joe Hernandez and Denise Pelphrey, Katie’s mother, point to the entire Stonehurst Riding Club team for the outcome of the group’s Youth Nationals. “We are like one big family, and everyone rallied around the girls,” says Denise. “They leaned on each other.” All agree that DA Salvatore will never be forgotten, and neither will SRC Phoenix Rising.
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