Competing at the Hampton Classic is Always Special for Melissa Cohn!

Article and Photos by Diana DeRosa

August 27, 2004—Bridgehampton, NY--On August 29 at the Hampton Classic Horse Show, Melissa Cohn will have a lot on her mind. Not only is her Manhattan Mortgage Company the sponsor of Opening Day but Ms. Cohn will be competing on one of several of her horses. This is a scene she's lived through many times before and each time the experience is invigorating. That day is not here yet but Ms. Cohn is preparing for that special day as it takes many hours in the saddle to perfect the skills needed to compete at the level of the riders she'll be facing at the Hampton Classic Horse Show, just as it takes many hours in the office to build a successful company.

When that morning arrives, Ms. Cohn will start her day schooling Bulgari or Parcival, two of the horses she will be competing on.

Her big and beautiful 8-year-old, 16.1-hand, grey, Dutch Warmblood Bulgari, who she has nicknamed Gus, competes in the Local Adult Amateurs on August 29 (Opening Day) and in the regular Adult Amateur classes during the weeklong show (August 29-September 5). He is a funny horse explains her trainer Scott Kemery. “He thinks he is a person.”

When Ms. Cohn first purchased Bulgari both she and her mount were “green” and they garnered a lot from each other over the years. Now they just fit and it’s a nice match. Explains Kemery, “It took awhile but now he’s Melissa’s favorite because she started riding him when he was very green and so they’ve learned together.”

Ms. Cohn will be showing Parcival, nicknamed “Skippy,” in the Adult Amateur Hunter divisions for the first time. Parcival, a seven-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was purchased for Ms. Cohn’s youngest daughter, who is not quite ready to ride her new mount. So, Ms. Cohn will “warm him up for her daughter,” explains Kemery. This will be one of their first competitions ever. “He’s a good guy. He’s a little boy who will be a little prince,” comments Kemery.