Double for Keri Potter and Kalimera Van De Nethe Z at Williamsburg

In the United States, not only was there international show jumping at the magnificent World Equestrian Center of Ocala last weekend, but the Traverse City Horse Shows in Williamsburg once again welcomed the international show jumping crowd for the second week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. It turned out to be a top weekend for American rider Keri Potter and her 10-year-old mare Kalimera Van De Nethe Z, who managed a remarkable double with two resounding victories.

The competition could hardly have started better for Potter and Kalimera Van De Nethe Z, a daughter of Kasanova de la Pomme out of a Quasimodo Z dam and bred by Lieve Berthels of De Nethe NV. On the opening day on Thursday, the duo immediately jumped to victory in the 1.45m class. They stayed clear in both the^1st and^2nd stages and with a finishing time of 28.51 seconds in the decisive second stage, they were exactly sixty hundredths of a second ahead of the competition. But the absolute highlight of the weekend followed on Saturday, when Potter and Kalimera Van De Nethe Z became the winners of the CSI3* Grand Prix. Potter and Kalimera Van De Nethe Z were one of seven combinations to clear the 1.50m basic round by Canadian course designer Meghan Rawlins, qualifying for the jump-off. In it, they managed to ensure another flawless performance and with a finishing time of 38.49 seconds, they were more than a full second ahead of the rest of the competition.

Keri Potter: "This mare has come a long way over the past year and this is the first time I've taken her outside California. I was nervous about trying a new venue, but she came here the first day, took a deep breath and said she felt at home. It's pretty easy to use her speed to your advantage because if you like gear five and that's where she wants to stay, it's easy to go fast."