Descanso Farm-Bred Horses Top Young Jumper Finals
October 1, 2018 - Thousand Oaks, CA
Photo by Captured Moment Photography
Photo by Captured Moment Photography
Photo by Grand Pix Photography
Photo by Grand Pix Photography
Descanso Farm’s Rumpleteazer DF claimed back-to-back victories, including the win in the $1,000 Animo Five-Year-Old Jumper Final at the Split Rock Jumping Tour Sonoma in September, amid a summer of success for all of the Descanso Farm-bred horses.
Founded and operated by professional show jumper Hannah Selleck, Descanso Farm is a boutique breeding operation, based in California and dedicated to producing top quality sport horses within the U.S.
Currently competing for Descanso Farm are Rumpleteazer DF, a five-year-old mare by Flexible; six-year-old mare Elita Toscita DF (Lamarque—Tosca, Casch); and six-year-old mare Eloise DF (by Cacique).
This summer, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Will Simpson had the ride on Rumpleteazer DF, piloting the mare to numerous wins and clear efforts at the Colorado Horse Park, the Temecula Valley National Horse Show, Blenheim EquiSports, and at the Split Rock Jumping Tour Sonoma, where the mare claimed her largest win to date.
“I watched Rich Fellers when he first started with Flexible,” Simpson said, referencing Rumpleteazer DF’s sire. “To me, I'm riding around on Rumple, and it feels like I'm Rich Fellers starting Flexible. It's like a carbon copy. We all know where Flexible went, and it seems like Rumple is headed the same direction.”
While in Sonoma, CA, Rumpleteazer DF first topped the $500 Five-Year-Old Jumpers with a double clear effort on Thursday, September 6, and the mare returned on Saturday to again jump two foot-perfect rounds, this time winning the $1,000 Animo Five-Year-Old Jumper Final.
“She has all the scope. She loves to go to the jump,” said Simpson. “She's all forward to the jump, just like her daddy.”
Rumpleteazer headed next to the Blenheim EquiSports International Jumping Festival in San Juan Capistrano, CA, where the mare again delivered exceptional rounds to finish in the top eight of the Five-Year-Old Young Jumper Championships Western Regional Finals.
Joining Rumpleteazer at the YJC Championships was six-year-old Elita Toscita DF. Victoria Birdsall of Ilan Ferder Stables showed the mare to great success throughout the summer, including top-five finishes in the 1.10m Jumpers at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival and the 1.20 Jumpers in HITS Saugerties.
Simpson took over the ride on Elita Toscita DF for the Six-Year-Old YJC Championships, piloting her to an overall sixth place finish.
“I really am impressed with the Descanso Farm program,” added Simpson. “Hannah started with some mares that were very successful in the grand prix ring, and she picked some nice stallions with them, so she started out with some very good quality stock.
“The most impressive thing is that she's breeding these horses, and then she's closely monitoring their progress. I think a lot of times what happens in breeding programs is that they're so far removed from the show world. So you have the breeders out here in the field and the riders out here. I really like that Hannah's got a feel for the young horses, and she's got her pulse on the show ring. She's really closely combining the two which I think is a real asset,” concluded Simpson.
Outside of the show ring, the youngest Descanso Farm-bred horses are coming up the ranks, including four-year-old Gia DF (Contefino x Barla). The young mare completed her Holsteiner approvals on September 14 at Royal Oaks Farm in Thousand Oaks, CA, and was recognized as a Premium Mare.
“I’m really excited about the future for Gia,” said Selleck. “With all of our young horses, it’s an incredible feeling when you get to see them start going under saddle and jumping and really witnessing their future potential.
“For a while when they’re very young and in the field, it’s not so much of a tangible thing. To now see all of our horses out there performing so well and seeing our goals come to fruition is so rewarding. I’m looking forward to the future for all of them.”
For the latest news, updates, and photos from Hannah Selleck and her Descanso Farm, like Descanso Farm on Facebook and follow along on Instagram!
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About Descanso Farm
Descanso Farm is a boutique breeding operation producing top quality sport horses within the United States and owned and operated by the Selleck family and professional rider Hannah Selleck. Selleck is proudly sponsored by Butet, Cavalleri Toscana, KASK, Parlanti, and Roeckl.
