McKayla Langmeier and Chadina. Photo © High Desert Sport Photo.
Press release from Desert International Horse Park
McKayla Langmeier has already made her trip from the East Coast to the Desert International Horse Park quite a rewarding one. On Friday, January 31, at Desert Circuit 4, presented by La Quinta Resort & Club, Langmeier rode Chadina (Conthargos x Narew xx) to victory in the $63,000 BRAINWATER CSI5*-W 1.50m Classic.
Chadina is one of two mounts that Langmeier brought with her to Thermal, CA, for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ week at DIHP, and on Friday, the mare was one of five entries to jump a fault-free round in the day’s featured CSI5*-W competition.
McKayla Langmeier and Chadina. Photo © High Desert Sport Photo.
When Langmeier and Chadina returned to the Grand Prix Arena as the penultimate combination to jump off, the time to beat had been set at a fast 35.84 seconds by fellow East Coast-based rider Lillie Keenan and Opium JW van de Moerhoeve TN (Kannan GFE x Nabab de Reve). With a few slick turns, Langmeier was able to shave just enough off of Keenan’s time, clinching the win in 35.16 seconds.
Keenan and Opium JW van de Moerhoeve TN, owned by Chansonette Farm LLC, held on to second place, and third place with a time of 36.24 seconds went to Sameh El Dahan and Joanne Sloan-Allen’s WKD Toronto (Tornesch x Carnaval Drum).
“My horse is super efficient,” said Langmeier of Chadina, owned by Rafferty Farm LLC. “She doesn’t really waste time anywhere – across the ground or in the air – so I knew that if I could shave a few turns and come in I would have the time, which I did today!”
Langmeier has been competing Chadina at the FEI level since 2021, and she always enjoys taking the 12-year-old warmblood mare to new venues, so this week proved to be the perfect opportunity
“I’ve really wanted to see the showgrounds for a while now,” said Langmeier. “It was a World Cup week and a CSI5*-W; I thought, ‘If I have the opportunity, why not come out here and enjoy California for a week?’”
With one win already making her visit worthwhile, Langmeier will next look toward Saturday night’s $340,000 CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ – Thermal where she’ll compete her second mount, Mimosa VD Rollebeek.
The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ – Thermal will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will mark the culmination of the week’s CSI5*-W competition. Spectator admission is free, with pre-show entertainment from the Compton Cowboys beginning at 6 p.m.
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