Gigi Trimarche and Craftsman Lay the Foundation For A Blue Ribbon Round in the CPHA Horsemanship Medal 2’6”

Photo © ESI Photography

For Immediate Release: 

THERMAL, Calif. – Mar. 7, 2021 – Equitation riders’ style, technical merit, and judgment was put to the test in Desert Circuit VI’s CPHA Horsemanship Medal 2’6”. In the end, it was Gigi Trimarche (Dana Point, CA) and her own Craftsman who laid the foundation for the winning blue-ribbon round. In second place was Annika Kortland (Portola Valley, CA) and California Roll, owned by Meredith Herman, and earning third place was Ruby Black (Encinitas, CA) and Alexandra Lipacis’ Spotlight.

Trimarche and Craftsman, or Big Boy as he is known in the barn, are a recent pairing. “We bought him about a month ago and he is a twelve year old Holsteiner gelding,” shared Trimarche. “He can go up to the 3’6” Equitation, but because we just bought him and I’m still figuring him out, we have been doing the 2’6” Child Equitation and Hunter divisions.” The pair are under Chrissy Rogers’ tutelage at Woodland Farms in San Juan Capistrano, CA. 

The CPHA Horsemanship Medal 2’6” challenged seven pairings over a course of eight obstacles and included an in-course test of a trot fence. Trimarche’s strategy to conquer the class was to keep a consistent pace. “When I go into my rounds, I always count my strides because I know if I have the right pace or if I’m going too fast,” Trimarche commented. “When I was going around my course, I kept a constant pace of going ‘One, two, one, two…’. This weekend, that has helped me a lot with making sure my distances have been correct. Sometimes, the distance would be a little long, but because I knew the distance, I was able to correct it and make it work out.”

Looking ahead, Trimarche hopes to carry her success in the Equitation arena to the distinguished ASPCA Maclay Medal Finals at the National Horse Show in Lexington, KY. “Before I age out, I really would like to go to Maclay Finals,” Trimarche noted. “I still have three or four years until I age out from that so I really hope I am able to get the opportunity to go. And hopefully I can go with Big Boy!”

Full Results: CPHA Horsemanship Medal 2’6” 

About the Desert International Horse Park

With nearly 1.3 million square feet of competition and riding space, the Desert International Horse Park is one of the largest equestrian facilities in North America. Offering multiple weeks of world-class equestrian competition from October through March, the facility is a destination location for thousands of equestrians, their horses, family and friends for several months annually. Competitors from all over the world travel to Thermal, CA to not only compete but to enjoy everything the desert has to offer.