September 10, 2004
Sleigh Ride Glides to Victory in Junior Hunter Championships - An Excerpt

By Molly Sorge

And On The West Coast…
Stephanie Danhakl claimed her own top prizes in the second incarnation of the finals, the Show Circuit Magazine/Junior Hunter Championships-West Coast, held Aug. 16-17 in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Danhakl guided Callaway to the overall grand junior and small junior hunter, 16-17, championships, and took the large junior, 16-17, tricolor with Lifetime.

“This was definitely a goal of mine because last year I was overall reserve champion by less than a point. So, I was very excited when I did so well this year,” said Danhakl.

While Danhakl has ridden Lifetime for four years, and “knows him through and through,” she said, Callaway was a new ride for her this year. Trainer Archie Cox found Callaway, formerly owned by Cayce Harrison, this winter for Danhakl to lease and show on the HITS Desert Circuit (Calif.) while her small junior hunter was recovering from colic surgery.

But after Danhakl and Callaway claimed the Desert Circuit circuit championship, she knew he would stay with her, and she bought him. “We worked so well together that it seemed like the right thing to do,” she said.

Danhakl was mildly surprised at their instant success. “Callaway hadn’t been shown for a year; he was just kind of waiting to be sold,” she said. “Archie saw him and liked him, so he came here. I got on, and he’s so easy to ride. He’s got a huge stride, and he’s a good mover and jumps well. It just worked out really well. The first show I went to he was great, and he got even better as we went along.”

Callaway, a 9-year-old Hanoverian, enjoyed galloping over the long, open courses on the fields at the Oaks/Blenheim facility. “It was fun for him. He’s not a spooky horse, so he did the funny looking jumps without a problem, when some of the other horses were looking,” said Danhakl.

And the different courses perked up Lifetime, whom Danhakl has ridden for four years. “He definitely was even better than normal and jumped better. He likes the big field. It keeps his attention more. I’ve done so many rounds on him that sometimes he gets bored, so he was a little more alert out there over the different kinds of jumps,” she said.

Lifetime, 11, has been not just a winner, but also a best friend to Danhakl, who only started riding four years ago. She bought him to debut in the children’s hunters, but he proved himself worthy of more by moving up into the junior division and winning frequently. “He’s kind of taught me everything. He’s not the fanciest hunter, but he’s always very consistent and has a very nice way of going,” she said.

Reprinted with permission of The Chronicle of the Horse