Cady Klimas and Celtic Lady M2S Capture Win in Zone 3 and 4 Platinum Jumper 1.40-1.45m Individual Fi

Twelve riders galloped for gold in this week’s Zone 3 and 4 Platinum Jumper 1.40-1.45m Individual Finals, but, after three days of performance, Cady Klimas (Hernando, FL) and Celtic Lady M2S were crowned champions after a clear jump-off and a time of 34.569. Hailey Royce (Wellington, FL) and Sonic Boom sped through the jump-off in just 34.491 seconds, but an unfortunate rail landed the pair in second place. Third place honors were awarded to Kama Godek (Fairfax Station, VA) and Continuity after 8 first round faults and a time of 80.930 seconds.

Klimas and her “forever horse and best friend,” affectionately known as Gracie, have been aiming for the Zone Championships for the last seven years. The pair worked their way from the 2’ Jumpers to the Grand Prix, culminating in a win in the Platinum Jumper Individual Finals. “I was really just going for the gold, I can’t deny that,” she said, giggling, “I could feel every stride of the last few fences today, just putting her heart in it for me, and it was wonderful. She’s a star.”

The two had a difficult journey to compete in this week’s Zone Championships, including truck and trailer problems. Despite this, they were able to come out on top. Klimas shared about her stressful experience, explaining, “We didn’t get here until 4:00 am the morning of the competition. The morning we were supposed to do our next day, our truck broke down, we were the first to go in the rain, and we had to catch a ride and hurry up and get ready! But it’s been great being here.”

After an eventful journey to TIEC, Klimas hopes her trip home will be quiet and easy. She plans to take a few weeks off before finishing her summer competing in Florida. “We just came from Ocala, but this is still my favorite venue to attend. I really love it here,” she concluded. “I’ve been coming here for about three years, and I’m happy to be back. I think we’re going to come back this fall!”