Press release from Thunderbird Show Park

With a large string of international mounts, Tiffany Foster (CAN) arrived at Thunderbird Show Park in August with a strategic plan to maximize results for a group of young, up-and-coming horses.

The Summer Fort Classic CSI3* was made the target for 9-year-old Jetouelle-S (Chaman x Toulon), as Foster stepped the elegant bay mare up to 1.45m for just the second time. She executed her plan to perfect Saturday at tbird, putting forth the only double-clear performance to take the win in the CSI3* Kubota Canada Winning Round 1.45m.

The pair would have been the fastest even if a competitor had matched their faultless effort, as they crossed the timers of Peter Holmes’ short track in 51.23 seconds. Kara Chad (CAN) and Easy Boy d’Aubey Z (Emerald van't Ruytershof x Rubels) finished second  in 4/51.39s, with Shauna Cook (CAN) and Glacier ZF (Calvados x Heartbreaker) third in 4/52.21s.

“She’s a super fast horse—really quick across the ground and really quick in the air. And her jumping technique in front is 10 out of 10, so that makes it a lot easier!” Foster said, praising her mount. “But she also tries really hard. I took a pretty good slice on that fourth jump in the jump-off, and for a horse to clear that, jump off of that distance, at that speed [and] on that angle, they have to want to do it.”

It was the fourth fence of the jump-off—a vertical set across the center of the arena, coming off a tight right rollback and preceding a careful oxer-vertical combination—that caught many competitors on course. Holmes’ course was characterized by jump placement and airy fences that drew horses’ eyes down, throwing off their focus. But “Jet” was determined to keep the jumps up, despite the circumstances.

“She didn’t make an overly beautiful jump, but she jumped a clear jump, and that’s what you care about, right? She does moves like that, where you just say, ‘What a great heart she’s got!'” Foster exclaimed. “She’s a real trier and she wants to do well, and her steering’s getting better. I’m really happy with this, because I actually was aiming her for this week. When they come out and do what you ask them to do, what more can you ask for?”

Jetouelle-S is the primary mount of Foster’s student, Isabel Coxe, whose family’s 5 Roosters group purchased the mare at the beginning of the year. Coxe showed the mare throughout the winter season before Foster took the reins for the summer to further the mare’s development. According to Jumpr App, the pair is jumping clear at a 62% clip across all heights.

“I worked with her a lot at Spruce [Meadows] and actually realized she was a little greener than I thought. I was kind of sending Izzy in the ring, and then I was like, Oh, [Jetouelle-S] actually doesn’t know a few kind of important things,'” Foster shared. “So [this summer has] been awesome. I’ve had a lot of time to ride her myself over these last couple of months, and she’s just growing and growing and she’s a wonderful horse.”

As Foster continues working with the mare, Thunderbird will continue to play a developmental role.

“I’m going to try to jump her first 1.50m [at tbird in September]. I feel like if I keep going in the way I’m going, she’ll be ready,” she said. “It’s easy for her. She’s very scopey, and she has a really good read where the back pole is, and she’s clever in the combinations. She’s a cool horse, so I’m looking forward to that.“