Eric Martin and Kumano won the Six-Year-Old Division of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series at the Heart of the Continent held August 4 to 8 in Winnipeg, MB. Photo by Margie Forbes

August 27, 2010 – Winnipeg, Manitoba — The third event in the western region of the 2010 Jump Canada Young Horse Series took place during the Heart of the Continent Horse Show held August 4 to 8 in Winnipeg, MB. The venue, the Red River Exhibition Show Grounds, is familiar to Canadian show jumping fans, as it played host to the show jumping competition for the1999 Pan American Games where Canada earned the team bronze medal and Ian Millar, riding Ivar, claimed individual gold.

The show jumping legacy continues at Red River with the annual Heart of the Continent Horse Show, which hosted the Jump Canada Young Horse Series for the first time. The winner of the Six-Year-Old Division was Eric Martin aboard Kumano, a dark brown Oldenburg stallion owned by Jan Ash-Gross of Oakbank, MB. Bred in Germany, Kumano is by Kannan and out of a LandJunge mare.

“I was very pleased with the way the colt jumped; he was double clear,” said Martin of the stallion that he has been riding for just under a year. “In fact, he did not have a rail all week. He is the sweetest horse; you would never know he is a stallion, he has such a great temperament!”

Next up for Martin and Kumano are the $20,000 Western Regional Finals, scheduled for September 1 to 5 at the Rocky Mountain Classic III in Calgary, AB.

“We are really looking forward to taking Kumano to the western finals at the Rocky Mountain Classic III at the Anderson’s place,” said Martin. “Kumano also already has a few foals on the ground that are looking very, very promising. They are showing wonderful temperament, just like their sire. Basically, we are going to see how far Kumano takes us and just enjoy the ride!”

Of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series itself, Martin says, “It is great to have a national standard for young horses. No matter where you are in Canada, you can say, ‘okay, this is where my young horse needs to be.’ You can know that your horse is jumping at the same level as other horses all across Canada. It is an opportunity to develop Canadian competition horses at a younger age, plus it is great to see some locally bred horses doing so well!”

Martin also said he hopes that the Jump Canada Young Horse Series will encourage Canadian breeders, and inspire owners to develop their young horses earlier on.

“Hopefully the Series will inspire Canadian owners and breeders to get their horses to the trainer at a younger age, and then we will see many more Canadian competition horses added to the pool of contenders,” said Martin. “The Young Horse Series is great because it has Canadian-bred horses competing against imports, and owners are realizing that these horses can do it, that they can stand up to the European competition. We have always known that Canadian-bred horses are good, they just haven’t been getting off the property fast enough!”

Second place in the Six-Year-Old Division went to Matthew Atkinson riding Sonja MHS for owner Barbara Beckmann of Poplar Point, MB. Bred in Canada by Beckmann, Sonja MHS is a Canadian Warmblood mare by Carthago Sun I and out of a Tannenhain mare.

The purpose of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series is to encourage the development of young show jumping talent and to give Canadian breeders additional incentives to breed superior show jumping prospects. Competing on a level playing field, the horses are divided according to age and jump at a level suited to their development. This careful development allows the horses to gain valuable experience and advance to the higher levels of show jumping competition with confidence. The Jump Canada Young Horse Series also gives prospective buyers for the hunter and jumper markets an opportunity to view a large group of prospects in a competition setting.

The 2010 Jump Canada Young Horse Series is truly national in scope with competitions being held from coast to coast. The National Young Horse Finals will take place at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held from September 22-26 in Palgrave, ON. Recognizing that many horse owners from the Western division will not be able to attend the National Young Horse Finals in Ontario, a total of $20,000 in prize money will be offered during the final Western division event, the Rocky Mountain Classic III to be held at Anderson Ranch in Calgary, AB, from September 1-5.

For more information on the Jump Canada Young Horse Series, including rules and standings, visit http://www.equinecanada.ca/jumpcanada/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&id=88&Itemid=3.