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Alberto Michan and Redmond Soar to New Heights at
HITS-on-the-Hudson
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To say that Alberto Michan’s trip to HITS-on the-Hudson with his four-legged partner, Redmond, was a success would be an understatement. Michan and Redmondcaptured a number of Top Five placings in the featured jumper classes at HITS Saugerties, including a first place finish in the $50,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix at the end of Week II.
Michan talked about the partnership he has with Redmond, “I have been riding him since I was working with Brianne [Goutal] and he was one of the horses that we had for sale. Now I have started my own business and Brianne was nice enough to let me keep this horse for myself so that I could keep doing the bigger classes at shows.” |
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Michan says it is clear that Redmond tries hard to perform well and is often successful in finishing the course, as a fault-free round. "He is a super nice horse, he is so brave, and he always tries to do away a good performance and last week we had a very, very good week together," said Michan. Having a horse that a bond has been built with, such as the one between Michan and Redmond, really influences the performance and success, as well as makes the sport more enjoyable.
“I think that he [Redmond] has improved a lot, especially because he used to be a horse that was very difficult as far as his ride-ability. Now, as we have grown to know each other more and since I have had more time to work with him, with him being one year older, and challenging (and winning!) bigger classes all over the world with him, he has become much easier to ride. I think he has also become smarter with how to jump and how to be more careful over the bigger jumps at the shows,” Michan stated. “It is nice here at HITS, you have many good classes with good prize money. It was a very good week.”
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One of the many improvements made to the HITS-on-the-Hudson Show Grounds this year was installing new modernized footing into several of the rings, including the Grand Prix Stadium. “I think that many of the professionals who show at HITS [Saugerties], including myself, are very happy about the new footing,” Michan exclaimed.
Chosen was a custom mix of footing specifically designed for the weather conditions in Saugerties. “We can see that there was a big, big, big work at it,” Michan lit up with excitement. “They did this ring here [the Grand Prix Stadium] which is so big, the warm-up for Jumper One, and the Hunter Stadium. It is a lot of work and a lot of money and I am very happy that Tom and his crew made this effort for all of us because now we are able ride in a ring that is up to the level of any ring in the world!”
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Along with topping the field in the $50,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix during HITS-on-the-Hudson II, Michan and REDMOND took home the following awards in these featured jumper classes:
HITS-on-the-Hudson II - First in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix and in the $10,000 KindredBio Jumper Classic
HITS-on-the-Hudson III - Sixth in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix and Second in the $50,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix
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You can expect to see Michan and Redmond in the show ring throughout the summer. "I’ll try to focus on showing him [Redmond] in the classes that he can do well, like the National Grand Prix," Michan continued. "Maybe we will do some 2- and 3-Star FEI classes but, hopefully this year we will be able to find a nice owner for him. That is the plan. We’ll keep working with him and showing him here in the shows and I hope that we keep up the good results."
HITS welcomes equestrians back to Saugerties for more show jumping competition on July 18. Exhibitors and spectators can look forward to a $50,000 Grand Prix EVERY Week, $15,000 Jr/A-O/Am Jumper Classics Weeks IV and V, $7,500 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult Jumper Classic Weeks IV and VIII, and a FEI CSI5* Division offered during Week VIII. All leading up to the HITS Championship featuring the Saugerties $500,000 Grand Prix CSI5* and the Black Barn $250,000 Jr/A-O/Am Jumper Prix with over $1.5 Million in Prize Money being awarded throughout the week! For more information on HITS Saugerties of to view a full listing of featured events taking place, visit HitsShows.com.
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