Vanessa Mannix and Emma Sargent Win $1,000 SSG Gloves Bonuses at Winter Equestrian Festival
March 19, 2016 - Wellington, Florida
Photo by Sportfot
Photo by Jump Media
Photo by Sportfot
Photo by Jump Media
Vanessa Mannix and Emma Sargent each earned a $1,000 bonus in the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion during Week 10 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL.
Mannix, 26, won the $15,000 Maybach – Icons of Luxury High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic on Saturday, March 19, riding Carolien VH Scheefkasteel, while Sargent, 17, topped the $10,000 Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper Classic aboard Winchester. Both riders were wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style riding gloves on their way to victory to earn a $1,000 bonus from SSG Gloves.
A total of 44 entries contested the $15,000 High Amateur-Owner Classic over tracks set by Canadian course designer Michel Vaillancourt, individual silver medalist at the 1976 Olympic Games. Canada ruled the day as Mannix, who hails from Calgary, AB, bested the nine pairs that advanced to the jump-off. She and her own Carolien vh Scheefkasteel, a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Perhaps vh Molenvondel x Quito de Baussy), were again clear in a time of 44.86 seconds to take the win and a $1,000 bonus in the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion.
“I won an SSG bonus last year on a different chestnut mare, so it's nice to be back here in 2016 and win again,” said Mannix. “This is such an incredible incentive program and, as a Canadian rider, it's great to see a Canadian company supporting the show and putting on a unique and inspiring bonus. I'm definitely proud to be Canadian and wear Canadian-made gloves.”
As for what she likes about her SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves, Mannix noted, “It's so humid here, and the horses are sweaty. If I ride without gloves, my reins slip. When you slip a rein during those inside turns, it's a big problem. These gloves are really flexible and grip well.”
Mannix plans to continue showing Carolien vh Scheefkasteel in the High Amateur-Owner division for the remainder of WEF and then aim toward 1.45m ranking classes in the near future. But first, she plans to reward her support team for the work they put into Saturday’s win.
“I was told by my team that we will use the bonus money to celebrate the win!” she laughed. “I'm really lucky to have them so I don't mind spending it on them. They deserve it!”
In the High Junior Jumper Classic, Sargent of Kenilworth, IL, and her own Winchester bested a starting field of 21 entries over courses built by Hossein Shafiee of Iran in the DeNemethy Ring.
Five horses advanced to the jump-off, but Sargent and Winchester, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, were the only ones to crack the code on Shafiee's short course. The pair posted the lone double-clear effort in a time of 34.45 seconds, giving Sargent the win and her first-ever SSG Gloves bonus.
“I always find that most gloves are little too thick, but these ones are nice and thin,” said Sargent of her SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves. “It's really hot down here so I sweat a lot, and they stay fresh and dry.”
Asked how she planned to spend her bonus money, Sargent replied, “I am so happy to be able to win this, but I don't know what I'm going to do with the money yet. I need to think of something really special!”
Earlier in the week, Margie Engle claimed a $3,000 bonus from SSG Gloves with her win in the $35,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round X aboard Abunola.
The SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion offers $60,000 in bonus money to riders throughout the 12-week WEF competition running January 13 through April 3, 2016, in Wellington, FL. A $3,000 bonus is offered each week to the winner of the WEF Challenge Cup if they are wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style riding gloves with the horsehead logo clearly visible in all rounds of competition. In the weekly Maybach – Icons of Luxury High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and the Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper Classic competitions, a $1,000 bonus is on offer if the winning rider is wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style riding gloves with the SSG Gloves horse head logo clearly visible in all rounds of competition.
SSG ‘Digital’ Riding Gloves are available for purchase at numerous Wellington locations, including Tackeria, as well as on-site at the Winter Equestrian Festival show grounds at various retailers, including Running Fox.
Please refer to the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival Prize List for complete promotion details. For further information, please contact Jennifer Ward, Jump Media, at cell: 613-292-5439 or jward@jumpmediallc.com.
