Courtney Benton with her 2017 Fall Classic Sale graduate, MJ Samba, a 2014 mare (Whirlwind II x Fantast) bred by MJ Farms, travelled to the Spokane Sport Horse Farm HT (Horse Trials), Spokane, WA, May 13 to 15. First in their division. Here is Courtney’s report .
This was our first time down for the event at this beautiful facility. It was a very well organized competition, with great footing and a super fun cross country course. It was well worth the drive, and we’ll be sure to return!
We ran in the Open Training division which had a total of 19 competitors. Many of these horses were European imports.
Dressage score – 29.2; Our best test in the ring, she was so relaxed and obedient.
Show jumping – no faults; I’m super happy with our round even if she had some spooky and green moments.
Cross Country – double clear, no faults; Tough to start, and had some green moments early on course. Once we got rolling it got much better and she was progressively more confident.
Final score – 29.2 This was only Samba’s third outing at the level.
The event at Spokane was Samba’s first USEA event, my first time competing in the states in 5 years, and my first USEA win. A weekend of many firsts!
This win has qualified us for the American Eventing Championships (AECs) in August at Rebecca Farm, Kalispell, MT. In order to participate in the AECs, we must complete three USEA events, along with qualifying scores.
Based out of Red Deer, 2022 is Courtney’s first year as a member of the Alberta Horse Trials Association, High Performance Development Team. https://albertahighperformance.com/index.php/courtney-benton/. We wish her all the best.
“I look forward to continuing my partnership with this great Canadian Warmblood horse!”
News Flash – Courtney and Samba continued their winning ways at the Beaumont Horse Trials in Alberta, June 4, 5 by winning the Open Training Division again.
