Morgan Garnett Wins The Plaid Horse High Score Amateur Award at Blenheim EquiSport Spring Classic III

Apr 11, 2019 | Show Stories

Morgan Garnett clinched the coveted High Score Amateur Award sponsored by The Plaid Horse in the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Blenheim EquiSport Spring Classic III. With an impressive eleventh place finish aboard her own “C’est La Vie,” Garnett bested a competitive field of twenty combined professional, amateur, and junior riders to win the honor.

Garnett has only had the ride on C’est La Vie (affectionately known as “Cella”) since August of 2018 when her family imported him from the United Kingdom. Of the striking bay gelding, Garnett says, “[He] has proven to be a fantastic partner in both the equitation and hunters for amateurs and juniors alike, so this signifies what a partner like him can do for an amateur like me in big classes with good company. I’m very lucky to have him, he makes the derbies fun!”

The USHJA International Hunter Derbies at Blenheim are Garnett’s favorite class held at the venue due to their unique natural jumps and sprawling derby field. “This class is refreshing because it’s different from any other classes at the show. The high options and spooky jumps on the field push the horses to be their best. The course for the first round and the handy of the derby were technical, but fun to ride and watch. To prepare for the class, we walked the course and hand-walked my horses around the field to check out all of the jumps, although they were more interested in trying to eat all of the natural obstacles. Since most of the lines were more than nine strides, my plan for the course was to get on a good gallop at the beginning, ride off of my eye, and do all of the high options.” Garnett first took the course with her own Hugo de Lui (finishing just out of the ribbons in 13th) before piloting Cella to 12th in the first round, moving up to the 11th position after the handy round.

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