Mclain Ward And Achat 6 Win High Jump, But 83-Year Old Record Stands

by Mary Hilton

WELLINGTON, FL (November 29, 2002) – The jam-packed crowd surrounding the Internationale Arena at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club for the Friday evening classes at the National Horse Show in Wellington, Florida, were treated to more than six hours of horsemanship that ranged from speed classes to ladies side saddle, and included spectacular dressage exhibitions. But the finale of the chilly November 29 night actually ran into Saturday morning as the High Jump Class ended at approximately 1:30 am. Mclain Ward and Achat 6 were the favorites in the seven-horse High Jump, not only to win the class, but also to break the record, 8' 1-1/4", which was set in 1949. Ward did win the class, the only rider to clear 7' 2", but his attempt at the 8' 2" record-breaking fence resulted in a fall with rails down.

"In the middle of the jump he pushed his hind legs down like they do in the middle of a bank. He went to push off again. And when [they do] that, they send you catapulting up in the air," explained Ward, 27, of Brewster, NY, who would have won a $250,000 bonus if he had cleared the fence. "If you try to stay on sometimes ... that's what happened with Todd earlier in the evening. He tried to hang on but he landed off balance, so I just knew I wasn't going to be able to stay on. I just kind of tried to keep going in the direction I was going." Ward was referring to the tumble Todd Minikus took that resulted in his landing under his horse and being trampled; though he walked away, leaving parts of his shredded jacket in the arena. Indeed, the class displayed several crashes, though no one was seriously hurt.

The riders started with the fence set just under six feet. Riders were allowed three attempts to jump clean over the progressively higher heights of a single fence. Aaron Vale on Innovator went clear; Minkus on L'Esprit 9 made it on his second attempt; the next three riders sailed over on their first attempt – Ward, Debbie Stephens on Exclusive; Candice King aboard Elu De La Hardiere; and Holly Shepherd on Rubens Z. However, Margie Engle on Camille crashed the fence, fell off and was dragged a few feet before she released the reins; she withdrew and remounted in the schooling area to jump a few fences to re-settle the horse who had made several gallops around the arena while loose.