Underdog I
BY CHRIS BAILEY
t seems like yesterday that I looked at one of Elaine Kerri-
I concentrated on riding her on the trails and we also did a few
gan’s yearlings and thought, “Yep, this one looks like a nice
limited distance endurance rides. At age 6, Elaine was asked to
trail horse prospect for a 40-some-year-old rider.” Since I
perform a Quadrille at a CDI show and she asked to use Jull for
had had my fill of difficult Arabians and wanted to give up
the fourth black horse in this event. She also mentioned showing
endurance riding, I was only interested in finding a nice “old lady
her in Training Level since we would already be at the show.
horse.” I had always admired Kerrigan Bloodstock and noticed
To our huge surprise, Jull placed 2nd in a huge CDI/CDS class
that her horses had good minds and great elastic gaits so I took
of Warmbloods with a score of 66%. I thought to myself, “A Quar-
the plunge and spent a whopping $3000 for 14-month-old KB
ab should not be able to be competitive in dressage,” but little
Jull Fahim. Jull was by Elaine’s young stallion KB Omega Fahim
did I know her future. Elaine rode Jull through Second Level but
and was his firstborn. Her dam was Wild Irish Rose, an ordinary
it soon became time to pass the baton to another rider. Since
Overo Paint mare owned by a friend of Elaine’s.
Omega was with the talented Chelsey Sibley, we approached her
In the early years, Elaine rode and trained Jull herself. Then,
to ride Jull on a limited basis. Chelsey was kind enough to take
at age 5 she entered her first schooling show and did quite well.
my soon-to-be “Seabiscuit” and work with her. Eventually, Chel-