HUNT SEAT EQUITATION

JEAN ROBOTHAM TAKES SWEET PATH TO CHAMPIONSHIP.

BY LARRI JO STARKEY, COPY EDITOR

Jean Robotham of Castle Rock, Colorado, joined the world championship family Sunday at the Bayer Select World Championship Show.

With Smooth N Chocolatey, Jean eased her way sweetly through the pattern and captured the hunt seat equitation title.

“The pattern is a really good pattern for my horse and me because he’s so athletic and can do all these cool things,” Jean said. “The pattern had a back and then sidepass and then turn on the forehand and then the movements where you needed to be real precise in your coming in the center of cones. Then you get into that working trot – and we did it!”

Jean Robotham and Smooth N Chocolatey ooze their way to a win.

"Ben,” a 1997 chestnut gelding by Chips Hot Chocolate and out of Blue Ridge Lady by Skip B Bars, has height issues, Jean said.

“When I first got him, he was just a pleasure horse, and he would just shuffle his feet and he’s short and his ears go back,” she said. “When we go in the under saddle classes, I tell him he’s 17.1. I say, ‘Think 17.1, Ben.’”

Jean has owned Ben for almost two years and has learned a lot about him in that time.

“He eats anything,” she said. “He has so much personality. He hums. We’ll be walking along, and he’ll just go hmmmmmm. One time we were doing a class, and he hmmed all the way down the rail. I don’t think there’s an event he couldn’t do. He’s just phenomenal.”

Jean and Ben have already had a busy week.

“We did the trail -- our first time -- and we did the western riding, we were third in that, and the horsemanship, we were 10^th and then today the equitation,” she said. “Last year, we were third in western riding. This is my first championship.”