Underhill wins at Ottawa horse show
Veteran rider Beth Underhill of Schomberg, Ont., captured the $100,000 CSI2 Classic to cap the Ottawa International Horse Show on Sunday at Wesley Clover Parks.
Underhill, riding Count Me In, was one of 15 riders to advance to the jump-off. She delivered a clear run in a time of 38.42 seconds.
Finland’s Nina Fagerström, aboard Flower, finished second, in 38.67 seconds.
“I was fortunate that Nina Fagerström, who is extremely fast, went ahead of me, and I had the opportunity to watch her,” Underhill said. “When I watched her, I thought, ‘I don’t even know if that’s beatable.’ She really laid it down. There was not really anywhere that I was thinking I could shave off a corner or leave out a stride. She did everything by the book. So I knew I just needed to go in there and hope my horse could be a little bit quicker. I just caught her by the blink of an eye. It was that fast.”
Underhill has been riding Count Me In for three years.
“He started as a very green, inexperienced horse,” said Underhill. “He was always very careful and had a super attitude, but he was always a little bit feisty and a real competitor. It was just a matter of managing his skills so that he stayed a little bit more focused on the job. In the past six months, he’s really put everything together and has just been a wonderfully competitive horse for me.
Local favourite Jonathon Millar of Perth finished third aboard Daveau and fourth with Bonzay.