The European Reined Cow Horse Association Derby 2009, Nrcha approved, was held in Reggio Emilia, from the 13th to the 17th of may, during the western fair ‘Salone Del Cavallo Americano’, one of the largest and most famous western horse fair in Europe.
Definitely interesting was the prize money offered for this competition: there was an Added of $ 12.000 on the Open class, and of $ 4.800,00 on the Non Pro Class. There were 20 entries, and 4 classes offered in the competition: 13 riders in the Open class, 6 in the Limited Open, 8 in the Non Pro, and 6 in the Limited Non Pro. The winners of the Limited Open and Limited Non Pro classes, reserved to those riders who were not in the ‘top five’ Open or Non Pro, and held class in class with the main ones, were determined by the composite score at the end of the 1st Go round, while the Derby Open and Derby Non Pro had a 1st prelimiray Go to qualify for the finals.
This main aged event, reserved to 4 and 5 years old horses, to be shown two handed in a snafflebit, was entirely judged by Janette Steffl and Enrico Righetti.
The show started on Wednesday the 13th of may, with the Herd Work of the 1st Go round, followed by the Rein Work on Thursday the 14th, and the Fence Work on Friday the 15th. Only 10 Open riders and 5 Non Pro qualified for the finals: multiple Ercha Champion Markus Schoepfer was leading the Derby Open ranking, with a composite score of 429,5, astride the Mh Sweet Boon, beautiful grey quarter horse stallion, born in the States in 2005, by Bodee Boonsmal, owned by Dominique Reynaud. The pair scored a consistent 145 in the herd work, 140,5 in the reining, and 144 in the fence work. Schoepfer tied for the 1st place with Serena Bagnara, young trainer from Ferrara, who started showing in the Open classes only this year, while he had shown in the Non Pro previously. Serena was riding Nanù, a 5 years old bay gelding, by a Smart Little Lena son, and out of a Criollo mare, owned by Serena’s husband, Richard Rodriguez, who trains and shows in team penning competitions. The pair scored 143 in the herd work, 137 in the reining, but gained ground quickly with a breathtaking fence work, worth the top score of the 1st Go round: 149,5. Serena therefore gained the Derby Limited Open Championship with a composite score of 429,5: ‘I still cannot believe it’ said the nice lady after her win, ‘My horse was so good. We bred him in our ranch; my husband broke him as a 2 years old, and I trained him all by myself since then!’. The horse proved to be extremely consistent on the cows: ‘He likes doing his job with the cows: when he works on them, he his concentrated, determined and so fast! He’s a little bit difficult in the rein work, but I am sure we will improve it in the future! I am so so happy about him: he’s such a good, nice horse to ride and show!’. Samuele Poli and Ellevi Wendy Jac, owned by Simona Spronelli, took the Ercha Derby Limited Open Champion title, with a composite score of 426. The pair, who was Ercha/Nrcha Futurity Limited Open Champion 2008 in Augsburg, scored 138 in the herd work, 139 in the reining, and performed a brilliant fence work, scoring 149. The buckskin 5 years old mare is by Sir Jac Frost: Samuele trained her since the very beginning, and was extremely proud of her.
In the Non Pro classe, Andrea Fasani and Troubled Gangster were leading after the 1st Go round, with a composite score of 412,5 (136 – 135 – 141,5). The pair, who won the 2008 Ercha Hackamore Classic, Prefuturity, Futurity and 2009 Ercha Spring Stakes Non Pro, trains with Markus Schoepfer: Troubled Gangster is a nice 5 years old bay gelding, born in the States, by Gangster Chic and out of Shesa Commander Cody, and won the Nrha Limited Non Pro Futurity 2007 with his previous owner. Loris Raffagnato won the Ercha/Nrcha Derby Limited Non Pro class, astride his 5 years old paint horse stallion, Genuine Red Spot, by Genuine Redskin. The pair scored a poor 123 in the herd work, but managed to recover with a good rein work (138) and an excellent fence work, worth a score of 143, for a total composite of 404. ‘After the herd work, I thought I had already ended with my Derby’ said Loris before the Non Pro finals. ‘It was late at night, and I was tired, so I had a terrible run. But then we had a nice reining, and in the fence work we had luck! I never scored so high in a cow horse show!’ continued the rider, who trains with Francesca Baron. ‘My horse is very good: he’s a little bit lazy, but when he decides to be with you, he is so clever! I have been riding him only in the show: I never had time to ride him at home before the Derby!!’. Genuiner Red Spot was Ercha Futurity Finalist in 2007 and 2008, and was 2008 Ercha Pre-Futurity Open Champion with Francesca Baron in the saddle.
Michele Masi gained the Limited Non Pro Derby Reserve Championship astride his 5 years old chestnut stallion Holly Bob Time, by Acres Of Time. The pair scored 128 in the herd work, 138,5 in the rein work, and 134,5 along the fence, for a composite score of 401.
10 competitors qualified for the Ercha/Nrcha Open finals, held on Saturday the 16th of may: Markus Schoepfer, who placed his three horses in the finals, Serena Bagnara, Samuele Poli, Philip Martin Haug, Frnacesca Baron and Massimiliano Ruggeri, who both placed 2 horses each in the finals.
Before the cow work, Markus and Bodee Boonsmal were still leading, with a composite score of 284, followed by Max Ruggeri and May Be Boom, 5 years old sorrel mare, by Boomernic, owned by Giuseppe Basile stringa. But it all comes down to the fence work, and Schoepfer had bad luck in his last run: the pair got a very difficult cow, and gained three 1 point penalties for loss of working advantage, one 2 point corner penalty, and one 5 point penalty for not getting a turn each way. The pair got a score of 120, and their composite dropped to a total 404. On the other hand, Ruggeri took advantage of the situation, and performed a great fence work, scoring a brilliant 150, top score of the show, for a total composite of 432! Ruggeri, who won the 2009 Ercha Spring Stakes Limited Open Championship in April, was enthusiastic about his win: ‘I was a little bit worried after the 1st Go: we just managed to qualify for the finals, but our start was not so good. In the 2nd Go, I scored 141 in the herd work, but I still thought that wasn’t good enough to place high. Then we scored 141 also in the reining, and I started thinking I could try. When we came to the fence work, I really tried it hard: we got a quick cow, but my horse was with me, and the cow let us work on her! I am so happy, because this is my 1st Derby Open title in a cow horse show!’. May Be Boom was trained and shown by Markus Schoepfer as a 3 and 4 years old, and Max showed her for the 1st time in the 2009 Ercha Spring Stakes, were the pair gained the Limited Open Reserve Championship. ‘She’s good and quiet, but careful and always very clever. Sometimes it seems she doesn’t care much about what we are doing, but this is not the truth: she is always ready when you ask her to be, and she’s cowy enough to win!’. Markus Schoepfer and Phillip Martin Haug, from Germany, tied for the 2009 Ercha /Nrcha Derby Open Reserve Championship, with a composite score of 423,5. Schoepfer was riding Sailin Sparkle, a 4 years old sorrel mare, by Sailing Ruf, owned by Giovanni Cioli, and scored 143 in the herd work, 137,5 in the rein work, and 143 in the cow work, while the german trainer was showing A Smarty Pants, the 5 years old sorrel mare by A Sparkling Vintage, owned by Simone Salzer, the horse he won the 2008 Ercha / Nrcha Futurity Open Champion title in Americana. The pair scored 133, 144,5 and a special 146 in herd work, rein work and fence work, respectively.
Francesca Baron, who had two horses in the Open final, placed 4th astride Dirty Dancer, 4 year old sorrel stallion, by Dual Pep, owned by Giorgio Guida. The pair, that placed 6th in the Srcha Derby Limited Open in San Angelo, Texas, scored a total composite of 422,5 (135 – 142 – 145,5). Schoepfer placed 5th with his last horse, Smart Style Dunnit, owned by Giuditta Foti, with a score of 421,5. The 4 years old mare, by Genuine Smart Chic, won the Ercha /Nrcha Spring Stakes Open Championship 2009, and the Ercha/Nrcha Open Prefuturity 3 years old with Schoepfer in the saddle.
The Ercha /Nrcha Derby Non Pro finals came to and end in the late afternoon of Sunday the 17th of may: only five riders had qualified for the finals. Michele Masi and Holly Bob Time won the Non Pro Derby Championship with a composite score of 424. The pair scored 141 both in herd work and fence work, and finished with a good 142 in the fence work. the 16 years old youth rider was the youngest competitor in the Ercha Derby, but proved to be extremely competitive and clever. Despited his young age, Micky is an extremely experienced rider, showing and winning in several reining and cow horse competition. Michele trains with his father Filippo Masi, cow horse, reining and cutting trainer, and with his mother Paola Donarini, one of the most famous and winning performance trainer in Europe. ‘Bobby is a nice horse’ said Michele, ‘He is a stallion, but he behaves like a gelding. He is quite a lazy boy’ said Michele. Micky was 2008 Ercha/Nrcha Futurity Limited Non Pro Reserve Champion with Holly Bob Time in Americana, and this is was his second aged event in cow horse, with his horse. The young rider also won the Ercha Limited Non Pro Bridle Championship 2007, astride Arc Doctor Del Maso, during his first cow horse show season.
Christian Brunello claimed the Reserve Championship in this class, with the horse he won the Ercha Spring Stakes Limited Non Pro Championship on, Pistol Packing Lucy, a 4 years old sorrel mare, by Gangster Chic, and out of Okie Jacs Dream: the pair finished with a composite score of 411,5, by scoring 141 in the herd work, 138 in the rein work, and 132,5 along the fence: ‘I am happy as we hardly gained the final after the 1st Go. We improved in the finals, fortunately!’ Christian, who purchased the mare in the States, after the Nrcha Futurity 2008, ownes a ranch in California, where Ricky Nicolazzi trains. ‘ Today, I was second in the Erhca Derby, and my trainer and friend Ricky Nicolazzi, placed 3rd in the States with my horse! It’s a great day!’.
The Limited Non Pro Champion Loris Raffagnato placed 3rd in the Non Pro finals, with a composite score of 409 (141 – 139 – 129).
The European Reined Cow Horse Association was glad to host riders from all over Europe in the Ercha /Nrcha Derby 2009, and awarded a special prize to Zigmund Sablowski, a Non Pro rider, who came from Poland to show in the Ercha Derby in Reggio Emilia, driving for more than 2.200 km! Zigmund, who sometimes trains in Austria with trainer Thomas Barta, was at his first cow horse show in life. He was riding Tops Golden Lilipili, a 4 years old mare bred in Austria, by Golden Horse Ranch.
The next Ercha Show will be the Ercha/Nrcha Hackamore Classic, which will be held in Pontedera, (PI), Italy, on 19 and 20 June 2009.
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