Harrisburg, PA – October 14, 2013 – Barbara Spizzirro, of Mamaroneck, NY, exemplified how to keep cool under pressure today winning the $10,000 North American League Adult Hunter Final, presented by Practical Horseman. Riding her own HUNDRED ACRE, she also took hom the Lisa A. H. Cudahy Perpetual Trophy. M Stuart Landin and KIPLING took home the Reserve Championship.
“I’m so happy”, said Spizzirro. “I didn’t think we’d be here. It was a long, hard winter. He probably wanted to be in Florida”, she joked. “We had a really successful summer, and I just can’t believe it’s still going. I’m riding the ride. I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall, and it just isn’t. Knock on wood. Every time he steps in the ring he gets better and better!”
Barbara Spizzirro and HUNDRED ACRE receive the Lisa A. H. Cudahy Perpetual Trophy
(photo © AlCookPhoto.com)
Spizzirro was 23rd to go out of the 31 starters in the first round, and her harmonious ride on the 6 year old chestnut gelding put them into the lead with a 87.0. The pressure was on in the second round, as the riders went in reverse order of merit, therefore Spizzirro was last to go. However, she kept her cool and once again earned the top score of 84.0 and a two-round total of 171.0 points.
“The one thing I will say is that I have nerves of steel – I just hit the reset button’, commented Spizzirro. “I say the first round never happened. I just have to do it again”.
M Stuart Landin and KIPLING, owned by The Barracks, also had a fantastic ride in the first round, scoring 83.0 points which put them into fourth place going into round two.The pair scored 82.5, giving them a total score of 165.5 moving up the placings to finish in the Reserve position.
The North American League (NAL) offers year-long Series in six divisions – Adult Jumper Presented by SmartPak, Children’s Jumper Presented by EquiFit, Adult Hunter Presented by Practical Horseman, Children’s Hunter, Pony Jumper, and Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper. The Series includes classes held at hundreds of horse shows across the United States and Canada. The NAL gives riders in these divisions a chance to ride in year-end finals at two major indoor shows – The NAL National Finals at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show at Harrisburg, October 10-19, and the NAL West Coast Finals at the Las Vegas National Horse Show, November 12-17. Further information on the NAL is available at www.ryegate.com or by contacting Ryegate Show Services at 717-867-5643 or NAL@Ryegate.com.
The Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the 2011 National Show Hunter Hall of Fame Horse Show of the Year and the sixth ranked horse show in North America in the 2012 North American Riders Group (NARG) annual rankings, is one of the largest indoor horse shows in the U.S. It hosts horses and competitors from across the country with 10,000 spectators attending from the Mid-Atlantic region.
With over 1,400 qualified horses competing for $450,000 in prize money, the show features Hunter and Jumper competition and is the site of the Pessoa/US National Hunter Seat Medal Final Presented by Randolph College, the Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships, North American League (NAL) National Finals and the $85,000 Grand Prix de Penn National.
In addition to world-class equestrian competition, the horse show offers a unique shopping environment with boutique vendors that offer everything from fine art to custom jewelry, clothing, accessories and horse show memorabilia.
Proceeds from the event benefit community equine and youth programs. Since its inception in 1945, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show Foundation has donated over $1.5 million to charitable entities.
Horse show competition can be viewed live free of charge at www.usefnetwork.com and live scoring and results are available at www.Ryegate.com.
For more details on show events, competitors and vendors, please visit the show’s website,www.PAnational.org or contact the Pennsylvania National Horse Show at 717-236-1600 or by email,eventinfo@PAnational.org.
