Thermal, Calif. – After Erynn Ballard and Chatadel PS earned a CSI2* speed win earlier in the week at Desert Holiday 2, the Canadian rider immediately set her sights on Saturday’s $62,500 Cabana Coast CSI2* Grand Prix and getting one more 2025 victory for the young stallion.
On December 13, at Desert International Horse Park, Ballard got it done, topping a 50-horse field and a 19-horse jump-off to win the week’s finale CSI2* event and to close out the year the same way she and Chatadel PS began it.
Erynn Ballard and Chatadel PS. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“He finished his season with a win; He started his season with an FEI win. How special is that?” said Ballard. “He’s got a big fan club. Everybody loves him. It’s fun to win for everybody. It’s fun to win for the owners, for Ilan [Ferder], for the horse. It’s fun to win for the people that cheer for me all the time.”
With 18 fast horses before them in the jump-off, Ballard and Chatadel PS certainly had to work for the win on Saturday. When the pair entered the Grand Prix Stadium, the time to beat had been set at 34.78 seconds by the USA’s Stella Wasserman and her own Myjorka.
“I had the pole position,” said Ballard. “Some people think it’s an advantage. Some people think it’s a disadvantage. I always say, ‘I go as fast as I go no matter where I go in the order,’ but certainly Stella’s horse is very fast! I felt a little pressure today – just being the last class and already winning and going last. I definitely think that [Chatadel] rose to the occasion for me.”
Stella Wasserman, Erynn Ballard and Tony Stormanns topped the podium in the $62,500 Cabana Coast CSI2* Grand Prix. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Chatadel PS is owned by Jose Pablo Salgado and trainer Ilan Ferder, and even when Ferder is not on site, Ballard keeps him on the phone for advice.
“Ilan was egging me on!” said Ballard. “He told me that I needed to finish in 32 or 33 seconds, even if I had one jump down. For me to be a better rider, it’s about being faster at the highest level. Sometimes if you’re the fastest time with one down that leads to winning the next time, but I would say I guess there was no reason for me not to win today. I had the right horse to do it. He was ready for the win.”
Ballard successfully met Ferder’s challenge, stopping the clock in 33.49 seconds to take home the win. Wasserman and Myjorka finished in second, and Germany’s Tony Stormanns and Cassius Clay, owned by Kerry Dodimead, finished in third with a time of 35.84 seconds.
Stella Wasserman and Myjorka. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
With Chatadel PS being only 8 years old, Ballard is particularly thrilled with the Oldenburg stallion’s results, and she is looking forward to stepping the horse up a level in 2026.
“We were very aware early on how good he was and how easy it would have been to push him, but if I look back, I can say that I think I gave my horse a perfect 8-year-old year,” concluded Ballard. “We never asked more of him just because he could do it. We managed something that we know is very special, and next year will be his year to step up to some 1.50m classes. We’ll make his plan accordingly and hopefully in a year from now, I can say I gave my 9-year-old the best 9-year-old year! If you can finish a season and say that you think that you did right by that horse, it’s a really good feeling.”
To view full results of the $62,500 Cabana Coast CSI2* Grand Prix, click here, and to learn more about all competition at Desert International Horse Park, visit deserthorsepark.com.