Horse jumping is hot in Johnstown

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JOHNSTOWN — One of the nation’s top venues for horse show jumping is a short ride away from Delaware County.

Brave Show Horse Park in Johnstown gets two world-class events on the Split Rock Jumping Tour’s 2019 schedule — a Grand Prix event with a combined $86,000 purse that took place last weekend (Sept. 25-29); and this weekend’s Longines Jumping World Cup Columbus. The Oct. 2-6 event, with a $135,000 purse, is a qualifier for the FEI (International Federation of Equestrian Sports) World Cup Finals taking place next April in Las Vegas.

On Sept. 29, there were 48 starters, and 13 made it to the jump-off round by riding fault-free over the 16-obstacle course. Canadian rider Ali Ramsay and her 10-year-old Westphalian chestnut gelding, Lutz, won with a clean ride and a time of 34.01. Also on the podium were Ali Wolff (USA) aboard Quirie 2 with a time of 34.26; and Jim Ifko (Canada) on Celine La Silla at 35.47.

“I thought I could do well, though maybe not as good as winning,” Ramsay said in a news release issued by SRJT. “Especially after watching (Ifko) go, I thought he ripped. I said to myself it would be nice for Canada to be one-two and thought I might be two, but Lutz was real fast.”

Ramsay and Lutz will be among the competitors this weekend, as well.

Other events that took place last weekend were finals in several classes (based on jumping height), including the Children’s/Adult and Junior/Amateur divisions, and a “Fist Pump Award” was handed out to the most enthusiastic competitor.

The SRJT began in 2015 and now holds shows at the Kentucky Horse Park and Split Rock Farm (both in Lexington, Kentucky); Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Sonoma Horse Park (California). The events attract riders from 20 countries. For more information, visit www.splitrockjumpingtour.com or phone 859-252-3247.

“We’d like to thank all of our incredible sponsors for supporting our expanded 2019 Split Rock Jumping Tour,” states Derek Braun, Split Rock founder and CEO, in a release. “It’s because of their support that we have been able to achieve our goal of expanding our Tour across the country and truly create an ‘unparalleled show jumping experience’ nationwide.”

Brave Horse Show Park, at 1029 South County Line Road in Licking County, opened in 2016. It is a scenic 75-acre equestrian showgrounds with 250 permanent stalls and multiple rings, two of which are used for competition. For more information, visit https://www.brave-horse.com or call 614-404-1150.

Canadian rider Ali Ramsay and her horse, Lutz, were winners at a Show Jumping event in Johnstown last weekend.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2019/10/web1_ali-ramsay-and-lutz-in-johnstown.jpgCanadian rider Ali Ramsay and her horse, Lutz, were winners at a Show Jumping event in Johnstown last weekend. Courtesy Photo | Winslow Photography

By Gary Budzak

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Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0906 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.

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