RINGSIDE WITH THE PLAID HORSE
BY EMILY RANDOLPH/RANDOLPHPR
Katy, Texas – April 2, 2021 – Peter Petschenig and It’s the Senator 111 claimed victory in the $50,000 Hildebrand Fund Pin Oak Grand Prix on Friday, April 2, at the 75th Pin Oak Charity Horse Show in Katy, TX.
A field of 22 horses contested the Week II featured event, with 10 entries advancing to jump-off over the Bernardo Costa Cabral-designed short course.
The second pair to return, Martien van der Hoeven and Morris Horta, set the early time to beat at 36.316 seconds, which would ultimately hold up for second place. Only Petschenig and It’s the Senator 111 delivered a faster clear round, stopping the clock at 35.925 seconds as the penultimate pair to return. Third place with a time of 37.304 seconds went to Matt Cyphert and his own Lochinvar.
“[Getting this win] is actually kind of surprising!” said Petschenig, who has had the ride on It’s the Senator 111 for the past eight months. “Usually, he can’t go fast because he’s a little bananas! He jumped fantastic. He can jump anything there is. He’s just super difficult. He needs way more work than anyone else. He’s just different, but he’s fun too.”
While Petschening is continuing to get to know the 13-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood gelding, everything came together on Friday night.
“This is the first time that everything worked the way that I wanted it to work. Since he’s so lunatic, I thought, ‘I can’t go fast anyway.’ I actually didn’t mean to go really fast at all in the jump-off,” continued Petschening. “I landed after the triple bar, and the six [stride option] was right there. Other than that, I just turned a little tighter than the other ones I assume.”
Since moving to Texas from California in 2017, Petschening has been a consistent top competitor at the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, and he looks forward to attending the three-week horse show each year.
“They do a super job in presenting the show,” said Petschening. “They put a lot of thoughts into small details, and the people are very nice here. It’s very a good cause too, and that’s the most important thing!”
Petschening will next aim It’s the Senator 111 toward the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show’s featured culminating event, the $100,000 Pin Oak Charity Grand Prix, to be held Saturday, April 10.
Running through April 11, the 75th annual Pin Oak Charity Horse Show features three weeks of top hunter, jumper and American Saddlebred competition while benefitting the Texas Children’s Hospital. While Saturday, April 3 concludes Week II, competition resumes with Week III beginning on Wednesday, April 7.
Learn more about the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show by visiting www.PinOak.org, and find the horse show on Facebook here. To purchase competition photos, visit www.AndrewRyback.com.
For additional coverage throughout the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, follow The Plaid Horse on Facebook and Instagram.