The Under 25 Grand Prix division was designed to help bridge the gap between the junior jumper and grand prix rings. Now, for the second year in a row, Equine Couture and TuffRider are proud to be a part of helping give riders a leg up to the next level as presenting sponsors of the $25,000 Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix, held Sunday morning at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
From a 62 horse starting field, chock-full of the sports rising stars, the win in the Equine Couture and TuffRider presented class went to 18-year-old Tori Colvin riding Zidane, owned by Springfield Showjumpers. Rounding out the top three in the class were Katherine Strauss and All In in second and Madison Goetzmann and Wrigley in third.
Colvin, who claimed the overall Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix Series title in 2014, is a great proponent of the division, and, after not having a horse to compete in the division on in 2015, is grateful to have the opportunity to do so on Zidane this year.
“I didn’t compete at all last year; I didn’t really have a horse to jump it,” Colvin explained. “I’m excited that I have [Zidane] to show. I thank everybody who contributed to this division. It’s a wonderful division for everybody to compete in that’s going up to do the grand prix.”
Second place finisher, 17-year-old Strauss elaborated, “I’ve been doing the Under 25 ever since I was eligible to do it, so I was 15. I think it’s an amazing division. I’m so grateful that so many people are putting the effort into developing this division. It’s really phenomenal.”
For Equine Couture and TuffRider brand owners Timmy and Laurie Sharma, the division is the natural fit for the popular equestrian apparel companies.
“It’s a division that we feel strongly about and that we want to support. These are our kids that we design for and manufacture for, and we’re just proud to be a part of it,” Laurie said. “It’s really great to get to watch these young riders that are up and coming – just being there in the midst of the transition is really neat.”
Timmy added, “What’s exciting about it is that we see a lot of the older faces, but also lots of new winners and new faces. It’s always changing. There are so many new people coming in and people moving up. It’s a very dynamic division that’s always changing. It’s a great fit for our brands, and we’re very blessed to be able to help support such a large, diverse group of riders who keep coming in and moving up the ranks.”
To learn more about Equine Couture and TuffRider visit www.breeches.com, and for photos and more from the $25,000 Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix, presented by Equine Couture and TuffRider, visit Equine Couture on Facebook here!
Source: Press release
