WEF Week 6 in Photos

The Finally Farm team enjoyed a wonderful Week 6 on the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival circuit in Wellington, Florida. The horses were fabulous, the friends fun and the weather was much better than most anywhere else in the country. How could we not have a great time?

Please enjoy this week's collection of candid photos from the Finally Farm photographers.

Hardin Towell and Man In Black Win $50,000 Ariat Grand Prix

Hardin Towell and Jennifer Gates' Man In Black finished the day wearing blue after the $50,000 Ariat Grand Prix CSI2*, held February 2, in Wellington, Florida.

This was Hardin's biggest grand prix victory to date after he and Man In Black had been knocking at the door for the past six months.

Jennifer Wood Media, Inc., published an excellent press release on the class. Here's an excerpt:

Week four of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) concluded with the exciting $50,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 2* on Sunday afternoon held on the grass derby field at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). An exciting eight-horse jump-off finished with a win for Hardin Towell (USA) and Man in Black, with Andres Rodriguez (VEN) and Caballito in second and Lauren Hough (USA) aboard Ohlala finishing third.

Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela was the course designer for week four's finale event. There were 45 competitors on the beautiful grass derby field with eight clear trips in round one to advance to the tie-breaking jump-off. In the second round, four entries cleared the short course without fault.

Lauren Hough set the pace with her clear round in the jump-off aboard The Ohlala Group's Ohlala in 43.24 seconds to eventually finish third. Andres Rodriguez and Arao Enterprises LLC's Caballito upped the ante with their time of 42.94 seconds to end up in second place. Roosje Brouwer (NED) and Stal Heijligers and A. Vogels' SRI Aladdin also completed a clear round over the short course in a slower time of 49.56 seconds to earn fourth place honors. Last to go in the second round, Hardin Towell and Jennifer Gates' Man in Black got the winning edge, completing the course in 42.47 seconds.

Man in Black is a 12-year-old KWPN gelding by Gentleman x Calvados that Towell has been riding for one year. Gates showed the gelding in the Junior Jumpers last year and then handed him over to compete at the higher level with Towell. Sunday's win was the biggest of Towell's career - his second grand prix victory, and his first major win at the FTI WEF. The rider is 26 years old and from Camden, South Carolina.

"With him in the past year, probably starting last year in Thunderbird, I was really close in a lot of classes and I would go too fast," Towell said of his partnership with Man in Black. "On Thursday I was quite close to winning and I knew I should slow down, and I just kept running down the last line. I'm just glad I beat Andres, because in L.A. in November I was winning the World Cup class and was really fast, and everybody was like 'Congratulations you won!' and I said, 'No, Andres still has to go,' and he beat me by about one-tenth of a second. I think today was really close again, so I'm glad I could repay him the favor!"

"It feels very good (to win), and especially since I just started showing him," Towell noted. "He's a little bit strong. I have had a lot of trouble the last six months finding the right bit. I have changed a lot of bits and probably made a lot of mistakes using the wrong bits, but I think we have kind of figured it out. He's a really sweet horse. He is very brave, very scopey, and this is a great venue out in this grass field. He is always good at places like that. He is so brave that he is a little bit impressed out here sometimes, so today he jumped unbelievably. I could not ask for any more; he was fantastic."

Commenting on his winning round in the jump-off, Towell detailed, "I thought in the jump-off I was a little bit smarter. I thought about running and being crazy, and then I remembered, 'You know what, let's just try to be clean,' and I thought I was close enough. I landed and I actually saw a leave out to the last jump, which maybe six months ago or Thursday I would have done and knocked it down, but I decided to try to cut it close and win by just a little bit."

Towell got to compete at some different venues around North America this past year and explained that the experience has helped him grow as a rider.

"It helps a lot," he stated. "I went to different places and competed against different people. My whole life I have kind of stayed in the Southeast. I have never had that opportunity, so I met a lot of new people, and it was nice showing at Spruce Meadows and everywhere we went. I have had a great last year; it has been very lucky. Jennifer has been great the whole year and I want to thank Chris, my barn manager, and my mom and dad, and my sister. We just have a very good team."

To read about Hardin's victory in the Palm Beach Post, please click here.

Photos Courtesy of Sportfot

Brie Tiffany and MTM Cash

Finally Farm's ribbon count wasn't just limited to the Grand Prix ring this week. Brie Tiffany also collected top honors in her respective section, earning the Adult Amateur, 18-35, Hunter Championship in Section B aboard her MTM Cash.

"Brie rode him in the Pre-Greens this week, and he started out a little overwhelmed on Wednesday," said trainer Liza Boyd. "But she persevered and got him through, and by the weekend he just marched around the Grand Hunter Ring and won in the adults. They ended up champions, and I couldn't be more proud of her. It was the most amazing turnaround."

Brie purchased MTM Cash from Tracey Fenney last fall during the Capital Challenge and is still getting to know the now 7-year-old. "We are very excited and impressed by him and so happy for Brie," she added.

Liza also cheered on her friend and fellow professional Erynn Ballard as she guided some of the Finally Farm mounts in the open sections. Erynn showed Quatrain for the first time and picked up ribbons in the Performance Hunters.

"It was fun to watch him go with another professional," said Liza, who is pregnant and currently out of the saddle. "When I told her she was riding Quatrain, she said, 'Oh, that's a lot of pressure!' She did a great job, and it was fun to see how far he's come along and to just sit back and enjoy it. Quatrain and [owner] Laura Critz also earned excellent ribbons over the weekend in the Junior Hunters."

Hardin also picked up the ride this week on Emma Wilson's Ajax and earned top calls in the competitive Pre-Green Hunter section. "It was also fun to watch Hardin ride a hunter," said Liza with a laugh.  "He was second and fifth the one day he showed [the second day was canceled due to torrential rain], and that was exciting to see this nice young horse that we imported last year step right in and get good prizes. Hardin hadn't ridden a hunter in a long time, but it all came back to him easily. I teased him and said, 'It was nice to see you bend over and give that horse a nice release!' "

In the Equitation, Addison Byrd jumped to an impressive eighth-place in the USEF Medal. "This is her first year in the big equitation, and she's doing wonderfully," said Liza. "It was a hard course, with a lot of tough questions, but she walked right in and nailed it." 

Finally Farm's success went from tall to small this week, as Catherine Sharp continued her success in the Small Pony Hunters, taking ribbons on Church Mouse and I Candy, respectively.

Fun at Finally Farm

The Finally Farm team stayed home after the Aiken Winter Classic shows and enjoyed a variety of activities, lessons and preparation for the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival circuit at the end of the month.

Trainers Jack Towell and Liza Boyd taught lessons throughout the week and weekend, with ample time for testing new partnerships, figuring out recently acquired horses and fine-tuning established competitors. The week at home also allowed for pony rides and fun activities for the younger riders.

"We had a great week; everyone came for lessons and hung out at the barn," said Liza. "We are at home, but it's not quiet! It's good exposure for the younger horses, and we have time for lots of training. One of the best parts of the week was that Jack even rode and jumped. Everyone's used to seeing him flat the horses, but he hasn't jumped in a long time, and most people had never seen him jump.

"I think they were really surprised," added Liza with a laugh. "They said, 'Wow, we didn't know he was such a good rider!' Over fences, he loops the reins and is so soft, and he's really good at leaving that hunter gap."

Jack Towell on one of Finally Farm's new imports.

Jack didn't just jump a few fences, either. He rode several newly imported horses and really tested them, jumping 25 to 30 fences while he worked on their training and "Americanization." Then, he came back to the ring the next day to do it all over again.

"By the third day, he was like, 'OK, I'm done; I can't walk!' I don't think he'd jumped in two or three years. It was really entertaining and educational for everyone, and I think they all learned from watching him," said Liza.

Finally Farm also celebrated Blake Boyd's birthday on Monday, January 20, with a cake and celebration ringside in the pavilion.

In addition to continued lessons and training, Finally Farm staff will spend the rest of this week preparing for departure on Monday for Wellington, Florida. Jack and Lisa Towell left for Florida on January 21 to set up and prepare for the arrival of the horses.

"We have 14 horses traveling down from Camden, and then we'll meet up with other clients and horses down there," said Liza. "We'll have about 21 horses competing on the circuit, from ponies to open jumpers."

In addition, Liza will reunite with her brother Hardin, who is in Wellington competing with his own barn and clients. Hardin has already amassed an impressive collection of ribbons over the first weeks of the circuit, including an impressive victory on January 15 in a field of 100 entries in the $6,000 Spycoast Farm 1.40m aboard Jennifer Gates' Cadence. 

McGuire Makes it a Double at Aiken II

Erin McGuire and Kasarr couldn't be stopped during the Aiken Winter Classic II, held January 8-12 in Aiken, South Carolina. For the second consecutive week, the pair topped the Aiken Winter Classic Mini Prix, this time worth $15,000. To read about their victory in the Aiken Standard, please click here.

"Erin and that horse are quite the team," said Liza Boyd, who trained the Finally Farm horses and riders with help from Tamara Berkowitz. "He's really a bit of a freak. He's really slow in the schooling area, but then when he gets in the ring he's like a little firecracker. Sometimes it looks like he'll bolt or go sideways, but then he always pops off the ground in great style."

The view of Erin McGuire and Kasarr that her competitors saw in the $15,000 Aiken Winter Classic Mini Prix!

McGuire and Kasarr jumped clear in the first round and then tackled the jump-off, posting a time that couldn't be caught, even by speedster Daniel Geitner. McGuire's margin of victory was .14 seconds.

Because Boyd is pregnant and out of the tack, Geitner has been helping out with the Finally Farm riding duties, and one of his charges this week was Kasarr.

"It was kind of funny. Erin beat Daniel in the jump-off, and he'd actually prepared the horse for her earlier in the week by riding him a class," said Boyd laughing. "He said after the jump-off that he really had to go for it and then only managed second place. He said, 'What's wrong with this picture?'"

McGuire's winning streak wasn't relegated just to the jumper ring. She and longtime partner Casallo took four out of the five blue ribbons in the Amateur-Owner Hunter section for the championship, and they also topped the Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic.

Boyd credited Berkowitz for holding down the fort while she slipped off to attend the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner on Friday night in Lexington, Kentucky, where Brunello received the USEF National Horse of the Year Award. "I really have to thank Tamara," said Boyd. "My flights didn't go as planned, so didn't get back to the horse show until Saturday night. She took care of preparing the horses and managing the barn, and she did a phenomenal job."

In addition to her duties on the ground, Berkowitz had some time in the show ring competing a variety of mounts in the Performance and Open Hunter sections. She topped an over fences class in the 3'3" section aboard Graffiti and helped prepare him for owner Larson Michener, who went on to earn the Adult Amateur Hunter Championship and placed second in the WIHS/NAL Adult Amateur Classic.

"This is Larson's first year doing the adults, and she's done a great job," said Boyd. "Tamara has really put a lot of work into Graffiti's flatwork, and it's made him a different horse. All of her hard work and training has helped Larson, and it's really evident in their great results."

In the 3'3" Amateur-Owner Hunters, Finally Farm dominated, with Blue Moon and Susan Ross taking the championship and Divine and Tiffany Brie the reserve championship.

"Susan is a great rider with lots of natural talent, and she has a great eye for picking out young horses," said Boyd. Blue Moon is one of her finds, and she has several other nice young horses waiting in the wings.

Like Ross, Brie is dedicated to her horses and even relocated from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Camden so she can be further immersed in all that horsemanship entails.

Catherine Sharp and I Candy

"Brie has a passion for horses, and she wants to learn about it all," said Boyd. "She's an amateur who wants to soak up everything. She sets jumps for us, walks around with the veterinarian, and helps out wherever she can. From the business side to barn management and training, Brie is interested in it all."

Catherine Sharp is also passionate about equines, and this week her hard work paid dividends when she earned the Small Pony Hunter Championship aboard I Candy and top ribbons with Church Mouse.

"It was a competitive division with lots of nice ponies," said Boyd. "This was a big win for her; she's just been leasing I Candy since last fall."

Boyd said Sharp started riding with Finally Farm last summer at age 9 and is extremely dedicated. "I'm really excited about the future," she noted. "Catherine is intelligent and is really quick to learn everything you teach her. This is her first championship on I Candy, and we're really excited about this partnership." 

Special thanks to photographers Erin McGuire and Laura Critz for more great shots!

Brunello Is USEF National Horse of the Year!

Finally Farm is proud to announce that Brunello has been named the 2013 USEF National Horse of the Year!

Liza Boyd and Brunello were both honored during the 2013 USEF Annual Meeting, January 10-11 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Brunello, co-owned by Liza and Janet Peterson, earned one of the coveted USEF Horse of Honor titles, and he was celebrated with a video presentation during the USEF Annual Meeting before being named National Horse of the Year.

Liza received the USEF Emerson Burr Trophy on January 10 for her success in the Hunter ring. The Emerson Burr Trophy is presented to a rider in the hunter divisions in any breed over fences.

With longtime partner Brunello, Liza scored her biggest career victory when she topped a star-studded field in the 2013 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championships. This was the pair's fifth International Hunter Derby win in as many months after topping fields in the Camden Spring International Hunter Derby, the Atlanta Spring International Hunter Derby, the Atlanta Summer International Hunter Derby, and the BRCHS International Hunter Derby.

Brunello's record in Hunter competition is impressive, from the International Hunter Derby competitions to the High Performance Hunter section where he shows his scope and athleticism. Brunello currently stands second in the USHJA International Hunter Derby Lifetime Money-Won Standings with $151,346.  

Finally Farm Stars at Aiken Winter Classic I

 Kasarr and Erin McGuire jump to victory in the $10,000 Aiken Winter Classic I Mini Prix.

Finally Farm's 2014 show schedule started strongly during the Aiken Winter Classic I, held January 1-5 in Aiken, South Carolina.

"For the first show of the year, I couldn't be more pleased," said Liza Boyd who trained the Finally Farm riders alongside her father, Jack Towell. "Everyone rode really well, and I can't thank Assistant Trainer Tamara Berkowitz enough for all of her help. Tamara has been riding the horses because I'm pregnant. She jumped and schooled them, and they were all perfectly prepared."

In addition to Berkowitz, Finally Farm also enlisted showing help from Daniel Geitner, who piloted several mounts to top ribbons.

Finally Farm riders collected three championships, five reserve championships and 27 blue ribbons! In addition, Erin McGuire and Kasarr topped the $10,000 Aiken Classic Mini Prix, the highlight jumper class of the competition.

McGuire, 19, a student at the University of South Carolina, made her debut in the amateurs a winning one in both the jumper and hunter rings.

"The mini prix was a big win for her," said Boyd. "There were a lot of professionals in the class, and this was her first show as an amateur after aging out of the juniors. She was also champion with Casallo in the Amateur-Owner Hunter section. I'm really proud of her."

Boyd also credited McGuire for her tenacity after Kasarr exhibited his aversion for the standing water in the ring during the earlier Welcome class.

"He was spooking at the puddles, and so we had to give him a good flat before the mini prix," she noted. "He's so careful that he was thinking more about the water than the jumps, so we had to come up with a different plan. In the mini prix, she rode great and gave him confidence. She was amazing."

In the seven-horse jump-off, McGuire faced tough competition, but Boyd advised her to ride a neat track and not to focus on the speed. "Her horse is naturally fast and quick in the turns, and with no related lines it was a matter of going fast but not super fast. This horse is a real trier, and he keeps exceeding our expectations. This was a great win for them."

McGuire and Kasarr also received press in the Aiken Standard for their impressive victory. To read the article, please click here.

 Laura Critz and Quatrain earned the 3'3" Junior Hunter championship in their first show together. 

Laura Critz, of Savannah, Georgia, also made a debut at Aiken. She purchased Quatrain--Boyd's veteran Derby mount and winning ride in the 2013 WCHR Professional Finals--during the holiday season, and jumped to championship honors in the Junior Hunter 3'3" section with two blue ribbons, a second and a third.

"It was great to see them start out so well together. He's my baby, so it's fun to bring one along and then step back and watch him do everything that you taught him," said Boyd, who decided to offer Quatrain for sale when she discovered that she was pregnant. "He jumps beautifully for her and loves her. He really needed to keep showing, and it was a great match. They clicked right from the first time she rode him."

Boyd expects Critz and Quatrain to continue on in the 3'3" Juniors while they get to know one another. "It's a great stepping stone for them, and coming from the Children's hunters this new division is a great way to get used to the Juniors. I think she was maybe a little nervous for the Handy class," added Boyd with a smile. 

To view the full results from the Aiken Winter Classic I, please visit www.horseshowsonline.com.

To see a gallery of images from the show, please click on the photo below. Special thanks to photographers Erin McGuire and Laura Critz for their great shots!

Brunello Nominated for USEF Horse of the Year!

Finally Farm is thrilled to announce that Brunello, owned by Liza Boyd and Janet Peterson, has been nominated for the 2013 USEF Horse of the Year!

Brunello and Liza Boyd 

Brunello is one of six champions who have earned their places on the elite list as USEF Horses of Honor, and each will be recognized at the USEF Year-End Awards Gala in January, part of the USEF Annual Meeting, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Lexington in Lexington, Ky.

Additionally, each USEF Horse of Honor will be inducted into the Horse Stars Hall of Fame at the Equus Fête Cheval Étoile on Sunday, March 16, 2014 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, in Wellington, Fla.

From the USEF press release released on December 11: 

Janet Peterson and Liza Boyd's Brunello has been turning heads in the hunter ring with his signature style and consistent top placings for years. With Boyd in the tack, the pair has been a fixture in International Hunter Derby competitions since the program's inception and scored their biggest victory in August when they topped the 2013 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship in Lexington, Ky. They headed into Saturday standing in second place and proceeded to lay down an exceptional Handy Round to claim the largest win of their illustrious career.

With their win in Lexington, Brunello and Boyd notched their fifth International Hunter Derby win in as many months. Their run began in April when they claimed top honors in the Camden Spring International Hunter Derby and continued into May with a win in the Atlanta Spring International Hunter Derby. In June they again won in Atlanta, topping the Summer International Hunter Derby, and in July they headed the field in the BRCHS International Hunter Derby. Brunello's success was not just a spring and summer matter, as he was second in the Jacksonville Finale International Hunter Derby before placing second in the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular.

Two of the six nominated horses will be honored as the overall 2013 USEF Horse of the Year, a mark of distinction that will last a lifetime. We hope you'll vote for Brunello! Please click here to access the voting page. Voting will end at Midnight [ET] on Monday, December 30, 2013.

Brunello and Liza Boyd on the way to victory in the 2013 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship.

Liza Boyd Nominated for USEF Equestrian of the Year!

Finally Farm is proud to announce that Liza Towell Boyd has been awarded the 2013 Emerson Burr Trophy! The award is presented by the United States Equestrian Federation to a rider in the hunter divisions in any breed over fences.

Known as the USEF Equestrians of Honor, Liza is one of eight stars of equestrian sport across the USEF's breeds and disciplines. Just one of them will win the distinguished grand prize and be named the "2013 USEF Equestrian of the Year."

Liza Boyd and Jack Towell celebrate her WCHR Professional Finals victory.

From the USEF press release distributed December 11: Liza has long been regarded as one of the top hunter professionals in the industry, and in 2013 she added to her legacy with a season of which many could only dream. Boyd paired with multiple horses over the last 12 months to earn top prizes at many of the United States' most prestigious competitions in coveted classes. She got the season off to a strong start at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival claiming Champion and Reserve Champion honors in the Gold Coast High Performance Working Hunter division in February. In the fall, she showed her skill and adaptability by winning the WCHR Professional Finals, where riders competed with donated horses over the first two rounds.

However, August would host Boyd's biggest career victory when she bested a star-studded field in the 2013 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championships with longtime partner Brunello. This was the pair's fifth International Hunter Derby win in as many months after topping fields in the Camden Spring International Hunter Derby, the Atlanta Spring International Hunter Derby, the Atlanta Summer International Hunter Derby, and the BRCHS International Hunter Derby. Boyd and Brunello kicked off their championship season with strong second-place finishes in the Jacksonville Finale International Hunter Derby before placing second in the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular.

This is the first year Boyd has been awarded the Emerson Burr Trophy.  

USEF members are invited to select the winner, and, of course, we hope you'll vote for Liza! Please click here to vote!

The winner will be announced when the horse world meets at the United States Equestrian Federation's annual Pegasus Awards gala. This year's gala will be held on Friday, January 10, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Lexington in Lexington, Ky., and broadcast live on the USEF Network, presented by Smartpak.

Liza Boyd and Brunello winning the 2013 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship

In Stride Feature Article

In addition to being highlighted on the cover of the November issue of USHJA In Stride magazine, Finally Farm's Liza Boyd was featured in the news coverage from the Capital Challenge Horse Show.

Click here to read the full article.

The World Championship Hunter Rider program's grand finale is held each year at the Maryland show, and Liza was the star of this year's show!

Erin McGuire and Casallo Star at Capital Challenge

Finally Farm student Erin McGuire and her Casallo earned a variety of top honors at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, including the Large Junior, 16-17, reserve championship as well as the Large Junior Owner/Rider Award, presented by ESP Farm. 

In a super competitive section, Erin and Casallo won the Handy Hunter class and placed third in the Stake and the first over fences class.  A sixth-placed finish in the under saddle added some green to their primary ribbons and the tricolor ribbon to the Finally Farm banner. Congratulations! 

Watch Erin McGuire and Casallo's winning Handy Hunter round at the Capital Challenge.