Langley’s Tiffany Foster is off to a good start at Thunderbird Show Park, as the two-week-long Summer Fort Welcome series gets underway.
On Friday, Aug. 11, Foster and 5 Roosters’ Electrique recorded bested a four-horse jump-off in the CSI3* Steel-Craft Doors 1.50m.
That came after Foster and Artisan Farms’ Brighton topped a field of 19 on opening day, Wednesday, Aug. 9.
“I think that as a rider, you you feel so much confidence on the horses you know,” Foster commented.
“So I’ve had Brighton for 10 years – [you] can’t know a horse any better than that,” Foster said. “I also have Hamilton, Northern Light and Figor, whom I’ve had all since they were seven or eight.”
Foster and Electrique won the first international class of their partnership at Spruce Meadows last month.
On Friday, they quickly added to that tally at tbird. The pair crossed the timers of Anderson Lima’s (MEX) course in 39.95 seconds. Jaclyn Duff (CAN) and Eblesse finished second, while Kara Chad (CAN) and Igor GPH were third).
Winning Round: Tiffany Foster & Electrique from Chris Pack on Vimeo.
Opening day, Brighton demonstrated age is just a number, as the 17-year-old won the CSI3* tbird Speed event at the Summer Fort Welcome.
Foster and “Brighty” crossed the timers of Peter Holmes’ (CAN) 1.45m track in 60.75 seconds.
Robert Blanchette (IRL) and Chardonnay finished second (61.13 seconds), while John Perez (COL) and Desperado DN finished well back in third (67.61 seconds).
“This horse is so fast, I save a half-second over every jump just because I know that his footspeed is really fast, and he’s a super efficient jumper,” Foster said. “The jump itself is really fast. I think it’s probably one of the fastest horses in the air that I’ve ever seen—definitely that I’ve ever ridden.”
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The bay gelding has now recorded 28 FEI victories in his career, with all but one of those wins coming with Foster in the irons.
“I try really hard with him, especially in the last few years, [to] aim him for classes that I think he can be competitive in, that are going to be easy for him,” Foster said. “He’s such a competitive horse, so you’d like to enter him in every single class, because you always know that you have a chance to win. But I try to pick things that I think are going to be easy for him, and I think that’s kept his heart in the game as long as it has.”
Fifth was Foster’s close friend Christopher Lowe, riding Cunningham 4. Lowe, who keeps horses in Langley and Germany, started his riding career with Foster. Foster was Lowe’s grad date, a groomswoman in his wedding, and is godmother to his kids.
Aldergrove’s Kassidy Keith, riding Havana, finished 10th.
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