Laurel Champlin and her gelding, Skys Blue Eyes won the Select world championship in hunter hack. Several years ago, Skys Blue Eyes suffered a serious injury requiring intensive rehabilitation. With great care and support, Laurel is now showing and winning in all-around events. The Journal was able to catch up with Laurel after her win and top-five finish in pleasure driving.
Q: Will you tell us about your winning run today?
Laurel: It was great. Skyler is kind of a point-and-shoot kind of horse. You just let him have his head and go and trust him. He just came in beautifully and took both fences and I knew after we jumped the second fence we were in pretty good. He was wonderful.
Q. Did you do anything special to prepare him today?
Laurel: Yes, last night we had warm-ups and I took him in and jumped a couple jumps. I don’t need to jump him a lot for the hunter hack – he just does the hunter hack. I just had to jump a couple jumps and then hand gallop around and get him warmed up that way – free him up and that’s all we did.
Laurel Champlin and Skys Blue Eyes won the Select world championship in hunter hack.
Q. Will you tell us his story?
Laurel: Skyler is a very special horse. I bought him as a 3-year-old – I’ll start crying (she laughs) – and he won Congress. He won limited open hunter under saddle futurity and I was reserve (with him) in the non-pro futurity. After that, he tore a hind suspensory and he had to go through two surgeries. Then I took him home to Gardnerville, Nevada, and spent a year in rehabilitation. I even bought a mule to pony him as we were rehabilitating him not knowing if he would ever come back and show again. Then my veterinarian suggested that I go to a dressage trainer to strengthen him. So I went to Amanda Olson who lives across the street from me and she helped me. My veterinarian discovered what was wrong with Skyler. We had taken him to several vets. It’s been about three years now since he’s been back. This is a real triumph for him.
Q. Is this his first big win since the rehabilitation?
Laurel: Well, I’ve taken him to the Scottsdale Classic and he’s won the non-pro futurity there two years in a row. This is his first Select world show and my first Select show as well! I’ve placed 7th on him at the amateur world show in hunter under saddle. So this is his first really big win!
Q. What do you think it is about him that got him through the rehabilitation?
Laurel: He’s very hard-headed! He has a lot of energy. I just want to thank Beth Faith, Jason Martin and Charlie Cole for all their help and determination to get me where I am. They’re just wonderful. I know I have a lot of support system – my husband, niece Tina, daughters Christa, Clair and Cassidy – and I think they were all their pushing me to keep going with him. To keep pushing it and keep trying. I think that’s what got him here. It’s everybody’s support, not just him. Everybody else’s support got him here.
Q. Do you have any future plans for Skyler?
Laurel: I have a 12-year-old daughter who might show him. We have shown him in dressage before and we might do that. I’m not sure what the future brings for Skyler, but he’s pretty special.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to add about your win today?
Laurel: Well, just to thank everyone for their help. High Point Performance Horse and all of our friends and family here, they’re just wonderful. I have people that stayed specifically today just to watch my class. That really means a lot to me. Just to thank those people that are so supportive. This is a great show!
