ERCHA European Reined Cow Horse Association

2009 NRCHA/ERCHA Spring Stakes

 

 

As last year, the show was held in Verolanuova, Brescia, Italy, in the comfortable and nice facility of Centro Ippico San Giorgio, which once again proved to be the ideal place for cow horse shows. The event was judged by Riccardo Bordignon, who also judged the last edition of the show, in 2008.

 

The competition started on Friday the 3rd of april, with the 1st Go of the Spring Stakes, and endedon Sunday the 5th with the second go, while on Saturday the arena hosted a full slate of cow horse classes, as 1st step of the Ercha Championship 2009. There were 17 entries in the Spring Stakes competition, and four classes offered: 14 in the Ercha / Nrcha Open class, 7 in the Limited Open, 3 in the Non Pro, and 2 in the Limited Non Pro class.

 

Markus Shoepfer claimed the Open Championship and definitely dominated this class, by placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd with his three horses! The Nrcha/Ercha Open Champion title came astride Smart Style Dunnit, an athletic five year-old, red dun mare, by Genuine Smart Chic, and out of Who Dun It All, by Hollywood Dun It, bred and owned by Giuditta Foti: Markus had already won the Nrcha/Ercha Prefuturity 2008 with her.

 

The pair took the lead immediately after the 1st Go round, with a composite of 216,5 (70-71,5-75), and performed an excellent fence work. In the second Go, the mare remained constant, scoring a composite of 213,5 (71-72-70,5), and maintained the lead ‘till the end of the show, for a final composite of 430. ‘She is such a good mare’ stated Markus after the show: ‘She is cowy, but extremely balanced. She is serious and precise in the rein work, but she loves working the cows, and she is good at it’.

The mare was trained by Markus for the cow horse since she was three years old, and she has now become a consistent show horse. Markus gained the Reserve Champion title astride a new horse, Mh Sweet Boon, a beautiful grey stallion, by Bodee Boonsmal and out of WSR Sweet Lil Jazz, owned by Dominique Reinaud. ‘Dominique was looking for a good show horse, and we noted this one at the Nrcha Futurity in Reno. He was shown by Corey Cushing and he placed 14th in the final, after being in the top ten after the preliminaries.

We decided to buy him, and I have showed him at the Derby in San Angelo, in February, but he was not in shape, then. We took him to Italy, and I have been working on him since then, and he has already improved a lot. He is very talented, especially in the herd work, but he can still improve in the reining’ said Shoepfer after the show. The pair was 4th after the 1st Go, due to a penalty in a lead change of the rein work, with composite 209,5 (72-67,5-70), but the gained ground in the 3nd Go, scoring a brilliant 74 in the herd work (top score), 72,5 in the rein work, and 73 down the fence (219,5), for a total composite of 429.

Markus also placed 3rd with his other horse, Sailing Sparkle, a flashy sorrel mare, by Sailin Ruf and out of Sparkinic, bred and owned by Giovanni Cioli, with a composite score of 424,5. Francesca Baron, the only lady in the Ercha Top Five Open, placed 4th astride the 4 years old chestnut stallion Dirty Dancer (Dual Pep x Little Dancer Lena), owned by Giorgio Guida.

Massimiliano Ruggeri also gained a double title in the Limited Open Class of the show, by placing 1st and 2nd with his two mares, scoring 421,5 and 415 respectively. The clever trainer gained the Nrcha/Ercha Limited Open Championship astride Ts Jac Please, a nice 5 years old palomino mare, by Chic Please and out of Stop Jac, owned by Mirko Viviani, previously trained and showed only in reining competitions.

Max was second with May Be Boom, the 5 years old sorrel mare, by Boomernic and out of Nytas Last Dry, owned by Giuseppe Stringa. ‘I am so happy about these results’ claimed Ruggeri after the award presentation, ‘This was my first show with both my horses, and everything went good!’. Max described his mares: ‘The Chic Please is quite a ‘hot lady’: she gets very involved with the cows, but she is so talented and she loves it!’ said the trainer.

‘The Boomernic was trained by Markus Schoepfer and she is a very good cow horse. I knew she was good, but I didn’t know her, and therefore in the 1st Go I preferred not to take much risks. In the 2nd Go, I gave her more confidence, and she did much better: she was concentrated on the cow, but always listening to me, also!’. Max was showing in Verolanuova and in the nearby arena of Manerbio in a reining show, so he had to run from one place to the other to show several horse in the same weekend: ‘It was hard and funny at the same time! We were running from the reining to the cow horse, and viceversa, but everything went perfect: we did good in the reining, and even better in the cow horse! I am extremely happy!! It was a great week end!’.

Serena Bagnara, who started showing as open rider in this show, placed 3rd in the Limited Open division, with a final composite of 413, astride her Nanù, a five years old bay gelding, by a Smart Little Lena son, and out of a Criollo mare, owned by Serena’s husband, Richard Rodriguez, who trains and shows in team penning. ‘He’s such a nice horse to ride!’ Serena said. ‘We called him with this funny name because when he was a baby, our son called him ‘Nanù’ when he saw him as a little foal’ explained Serena, who trains her horses by herself. She had another horse in the show, Ray Gae Cat, a 5 years old red roan stallion, by Smooth As A Cat, and out of a Miss Mary Rey, by Dual Rey.

Samuele Poli, who had three horses in the show, placed 4th, 5th and 6th in the Nrcha/Ercha Spring Stakes Limited Open class. His best horse was Ellevi Wendy Jac (Sir Jac Frost x Star River Walk), owned by Simona Spronelli, the nice buckskin he won the 2008 Nrcha/Ercha Futurity Limited Open in Americana with: their final composite score was 407.

In the Non Pro Class of the show, Andrea Fasani and his beloved mate Troubled Gangster, won the Nrcha/Ercha Spring Stakes Non Pro Championship, by scoring a final composite of 420,5. The pair immediately took the lead in the 1st Go, scoring 207,5 (69 – 68,5 – 70), and even improved their performance in the 2nd Go, scoring 213 (71-70-72). ‘He’s my horse, definitely’ stated Fasani, who won the 2008 Nrcha/Ercha Hackmore Classic Non Pro, the 2008 Nrcha/Ercha Prefuturity Non Pro, and the the 2008 Nrcha/Ercha Futurity Non Pro on this 5 years old bay gelding, by Gangster Chic and out of Shesa Commander Cody.

‘He is a clever horse, and I have learned to ride him better: we have a deep feeling, and he is so easy to show!’ Andrea Fasani trains with Markus Schoepfer, who chose this horse for him at the Nrha Futurity 2007, where the gelding won the Futurity Limited Non Pro with his previous owner.

Christian Brunello claimed the Reserve Championship in this class, and won the Limited Non Pro Champion title in this Nrcha/Ercha Spring Stakes astride his new horse Pistol Packing Lucy, a 4 years old sorrel mare, by Gangster Chic, and out of Okie Jacs Dream.

‘I am very happy with her, this was our first show together’ claimed Christian, who purchased the mare in the States, after the Nrcha Futurity 2008. ‘We saw a video and we decided to buy her..I didn’t even ride her before!’ smiled the rider, who also owns a ranch in California. ‘She has been very good, at all times..I am only sorry that I made some mistakes, but I didn’t have much time to ride in the last few months. I want to ride more often, to get ready for the Derby!’ stated Christian. The pair, who trained with Ricky Nicolazzi, and Markus Schoepfer , scored a total composite of 393.

Augusto De Fazio placed 3rd in the Non Pro and 2nd in the Limited Non Pro classes of this Nrcha/Ercha Sprin Stakes 2009, with a total composite score of 331,5. De Fazio was riding Pepto Lucky, by Mr Pepto Fletch and our of Docs Lucky Luv, a four year old sorrel gelding. Augusto ‘Otto’ De FAzio trains with Markus Schoepfer.
The European Reined Cowhorse Association is now heading to the next show, the Nrcha/Ercha Derby 2008, that will be held in Reggio Emilia, from the 14th to the 17th of May 2009, during the fair called Salone Del Cavallo Americano.

The European Reined Cow Horse Association, the governing body of cow horse competition, is responsible for promoting the sport, insuring high standards of competition and educating members and the public about the history and tradition of the cow horse. Through the support of a Corporate Partner family that includes High Horse Saddles, Arcese Quarter Horses, Tony Muzi Western Boots, Double R Chant Quarter Horse Stallion, FR CAR il paese dell'auto, FM s.p.a., Perez Reining Horses, Morona Appaloosa, The Reiner Magazine, Salone del Cavallo, Scipioni costruzioni, Gamp Albergo, Gamp Camping, Euroreining, Cup American Horses, Ranch Girls Westernware, Zoetex Srl, Riccardo Abati, Markus Schoepfer, Az Agr. Cuoghi Quarter Horses, Advertech Equines, Nevio Lepre Lavorazione Cuoio, Histoire D'Or, Guidolin Gianni Alimentazione Equina, Alba Quarter Horses, OS Western Sport Apparel, Reny, Wild Roses Hill Ranch, AP Hotel and Beautyfarm, La Pavarana Horses, LDM Linea Data Media, Az Agr. Porporato, Andrea Fasani, MeccSystem, Remilore Quarter Horse Stallion, Saint Antoine Quarter Horses, Piras Cow and Horses, Fano's Farm, Balla coi Lupi Ranch, the association works to keep the vaquero tradition alive in today’s equine industry.