SBS Farms competitors and horses made the long haul from Buffalo, New York to the Sunshine State to kick off the 2016 winter circuit at both HITS Ocala and the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). The coming weeks will likely see numerous tricolor ribbons for this tenacious group of riders.
Paige Kouimanis, of South Clarence, New York, and her mount Lexus are already making waves in Wellington, Florida at WEF. Kouimanis placed second in the Week 3 $10,000 Adult 18-35 Jumper Classic, sponsored by Rosenbaum Mollengarden, PLLC out of a competitive field of 54.
Another jumper duo that is making a strong impression at WEF is that of Jessica Sciarra and Caspian. Sciarra consistently placed at the top of the leaderboards in the Children’s Jumper classes during Week 3.
While Kouimanis and Sciarra represented SBS Farms in Wellington, Alicia Heberle and short stirrup competitor Addison Basile took home ribbons during the second week of HITS Ocala.
Heberle rode Transcendent to strong placings in the Pre-Green Hunters, while Basile placed in the top four in all of her Short Stirrup Hunter and Equitation classes aboard her mount, Muffin Man. Fellow SBS Farms student, Molly Gfroerer, will join Basile in the Short Stirrup divisions during the HITS Ocala Premiere, to be held February 2-7. Chloe Karl will be descending upon HITS Ocala that same week to compete in the Modified Children’s Hunter Division.
Seasoned veteran competitor and professional rider Jennifer Alfano is expected to join their team in Florida in February. Upon her arrival, she'll be a force to be reckoned with in the professional hunter divisions.
Based out of Buffalo, New York, SBS Farms, Inc.'s Susie Schoellkopf and Jennifer Alfano run one of the foremost show hunter training operations in the country, and travel nationwide to compete in the most prestigious horse shows.
SBS Farms, Inc. continues the proud tradition of the Saddle and Bridle Club as one of the top show stables in the Northeast. Schoellkopf is also the executive director of the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, which houses both the Buffalo Equestrian Center as well as SBS Farms, Inc. Built in 1922, the 160-stall facility is a historical landmark, with its unique English Tudor and Gothic-style architecture.
For more information on the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, please visit www.thebtrc.org.
Special thanks to Phelps Media Group, Inc., for the press release.