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.

WCHR Professional Finals in Photos

A gallery of images from the 2013 WCHR Professional Finals, held October 4 at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Liza Boyd Wins Her First WCHR Pro Finals

When Liza Boyd heard about the new format for the $5,000 WCHR Professional Finals, she had a premonition that this might be her year. The six top riders in the WCHR Professional National standings qualified to compete over two rounds on unfamiliar horses and then rode their own horses for the third and final Handy Round.

"I brought Quatrain here specifically for this class and the Pro Challenge," she said of the 9-year-old Westphalian gelding she owns with her parents and Janet Peterson. "I'm so fortunate to have him, and I know him so well and trust him."

That familiarity turned out to make all the difference in the Handy Round, as Boyd earned the night's highest scores of 95, 95 and 95 to clinch the victory with an overall score of 274.66. Her solid performances aboard the borrowed horses Crack On and Corduroy in Rounds 1 and 2 had put her third going into the Handy Round, just within striking distance.

 "So, Quatrain won this class for me, for sure," said Boyd. "He's amazing, and I'm so proud of him. He's really coming into his own, and I kind of knew early on in the week. He got an 88 and won the handy in the High Performance section, it was pretty much a no-brainer that I should ride him."

Boyd's trip to the winner's circle had a few nail-biting moments, though. She had to place eighth in the WCHR Professional Challenge on Wednesday to qualify for the Professional Finals, but after a rider error in the first round she just squeaked into the second round in 12th.

Liza and Quatrain showed off their handiness with tight turns.

"I've never worked so hard for an eighth-placed ribbon," she said with a laugh.

Scott Stewart, of Wellington, FL, took the lead in the first round aboard the borrowed mount Contelido and maintained that position with a second solid round aboard All The Right Moves.

He returned for the Handy Round with Fashion Farm's Declaration, but a slip on the turn from fences 1 and 2, and a few bobbles later in the course, earned a score of 76 in the round and a 257.66 overall for sixth.

"I chose Declaration, who I've had for a really long time," said Stewart. "He's usually really, really good in the handy rounds-until tonight. I don't know what set him off. He's usually perfect. I'll have to try again."

Amanda Steege, of Far Hills, NJ, was the sole rookie in the field of veteran professionals, and she moved up in the Handy Round from fourth to second overall with a stellar performance aboard Zidane.

"This is the first year that I've shown him," said Steege. "I show him in the High Performance, and I did my first [USHJA International Hunter] Derby Finals on him this year. [Owner] Susan Darragh shows him in the Modified Adults. He's totally dependable, and I knew he would help me out when I needed it."

Peter Pletcher, of Magnolia, TX, returned to the Handy Round in sixth place, but an impressive performance with Eva Bisso's Aura vaulted him to third place overall with a score of 87.33 and an overall total of 262.49.

The 2013 WCHR National Professional Champion Kelley Farmer, of Keswick, VA, finished fourth overall with 261.16. John French, of Woodside, CA, dropped down in the standings to fifth during the Handy Round (257.83) after Lily Blavin's Sander stepped off his lead.

Liza and Quatrain successfully navigated the bounce.

With just 6.5 points separating the six riders going into the Handy Round, those third-round performances shuffled the standings tremendously, providing for an exciting finish for competitors and spectators.

This year's horses were generously donated by: East Coast Sport Horses (All The Right Moves); Georgy Maskrey-Segesman and Savannah Dukes (Contelido); King's Wood Farm, LLC (Corduroy); Old Willow Farm & Emma Heise (Crack On); Katherine Boettcher (Lamont); and Alexis Graves (Copperfield 39).

Contelido, the horse donated by Maskrey-Segesman and Dukes, earned this year's Far West Farms Perpetual Trophy awarded to the high-score horse of the competition. Contelido, trained by Karen Healey, achieved an average of 90.83 with rides by Stewart and Farmer.

With this victory, Boyd, of Camden, SC, will have her name engraved on the All The Way Perpetual Trophy. She also won prizes from USHJA/WCHR sponsors Blue Ribbon Blankets, the Official Cooler Sponsor of WCHR and Charles Owen Inc., the Official Helmet of the USHJA.

Liza Boyd and Brunello Best in USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship

After three previous appearances in the $170,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship and a second- and third-placed finish, Liza Boyd was hoping for a little luck this time. And, today, it came in the form of a four-leaf clover given to her by Jen Alfano, last year's winner.

The good fortune carried through and Boyd and Brunello, her 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding, jumped to the top of the $120,000 Tier I section of the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

"I'm really happy for the horse. He deserved it," said Boyd, of Camden, SC. "He's an amazing horse."

Scott Stewart, who held the top spot after yesterday's Classic Hunter Round with Garfield, couldn't quite repeat the performance tonight under the lights and placed eighth. Stewart didn't go home empty handed, however, as he guided Fashion Farm's Declaration to victory in the $10,000 Consolation Round held earlier today.

Boyd and Brunello placed second in the Classic Hunter Round yesterday with 276 points, 10 points behind Stewart and Garfield. Brunello's Handy Hunter Round tonight was brilliant and scored 301.75 points, giving them the win.

Tonight's competition at the Kentucky Horse Park featured a beautiful Tier I and II Handy Hunter course by acclaimed designer Steve Stephens. The fences and decorations created a feeling of cantering through hunt country, with natural jumps of planks and logs, abundant trees and shrubbery and decorative elements such as carriages and barns. The fence heights ranged from 3'6" to 4' and offered riders an opportunity to pick up bonus points by taking any one or all of the four option fences set at a minimum of 4'3".

The 11-obstacle course featured several areas where riders could show off their handiness with tight turns and rollbacks, a trot fence at 4, and for the grand finale riders could choose the safe route over a 3'6" oxer or an impressive 4'6" higher option set in the center of the arena, which offered spectators in the stands a beautiful view.

The final fence became an influential part of the course, with multiple rails down. Boyd and Brunello had a light rub there but otherwise their performance was spectacular.

Liza Boyd and Brunello in action.

"I tried to listen when Steve was talking about how he wanted the course to ride," said Boyd of her strategy. "He said, 'This is a jumping contest, and I don't want the course to win. I want the riders and the horses to win.' There were no traps; it was really well done, and I took that to heart. He designed it, and he knew what he had in mind, so that helped me. You needed scope and careful, which is what these derbies are supposed to be."

Kelley Farmer and Mythical, co-owned by Kenneth and Selma Garber and Larry Glefke, won the Tier I Handy Hunter Round and leapfrogged up the standings from sixth to second overall with 571.75 points.

Farmer, of Keswick, VA, was thrilled with the First Year Green hunter in his first Derby Championship. "What about Mythical? He's mythical, isn't he?" she said with a smile. "For a first-year horse, he's an amazing animal. He's done everything. He tries to step up on the biggest stages. I moved up from sixth to second. He's an amazing horse who doesn't let you down."

New this year was the Tier I and Tier II Handy Hunter Round format. The top 30 pairs returned for action in the $120,000 Tier I Handy Hunter Round, with 14 Tier I entries qualified and 16 Tier II entries qualified. The $40,000 Tier II Handy Round included a field of 25 riders, with nine jumping for Tier II money only. The scores for the 16 Tier II entries in the Tier I Handy Hunter Round carried over to the Tier II Handy Hunter Round and Overall standings. 

The judges included Rick Fancher and Jimmy Torano (Panel 1), Danny Robertshaw and Don Stewart (Panel 2), and Carleton Brooks and Ralph Caristo (Panel 3), who were placed in strategic positions around the Sheila C. Johnson Ring at the Rolex Stadium.

Kelsie Brittan, 17, of Westlake, TX, rode Argentum, a 12-year-old warmblood, to top honors in the $40,000 Tier II USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship with a gorgeous Handy Hunter Round, under the watchful eye of trainer Peter Pletcher.

"I've just been doing juniors on him this year, and every now and then there would be derby in Texas or Michigan and I'd do it," she said. "I've been a little bit of a chicken; I've been doing the small ones and playing it safe. Since I was here, of course, I thought I'd be like all the top riders and do all the big jumps. I really trust him, and yesterday, too, I just let him show off and tried not to ride him like a junior hunter anymore and more like a derby horse. It's a big adjustment for me."

Judge Danny Robertshaw was impressed with Brittan's partnership with Argentum and praised her after the class.

"I saw her in the pouring rain in Florida [this winter], and I was talking to her mother. And I said it then, and I said it yesterday and today. It's fun when you see a horse that loves his rider as much as Argentum loves her."  

Shawn Casady, 19, of Harriman, TN, guided HJ Group LLC's Ascot to second place in the Tier II USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship.