Wellington, Fla. - July 19, 2021 - Over the past six months, M. Michael Meller and QBS Equestrian's Dennis Sisco have been working to develop an elite group of talented horses and riders. Their success was seen in the ring at two different horse shows this past week, the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival and HITS Chicago, where Ali Wolff aboard Fahrenheit Ponthual and Catherine Tyree aboard Cantalupe V/D Holstenhoeve dominated the 6-Year-Old Jumper divisions.
Ali Wolff and Fahrenheit Ponthual
HITS Chicago marked Wolff's second horse show with Fahrenheit Ponthual, a 6-year-old Selle Francais mare. The duo showcased how quickly their partnership has come together by winning their first class of the week and placing second to claim the 6-Year-Old Young Jumper Championship for owners M. Michael Meller and Janet Balmuth.
"Michael found such a nice quality horse, and I think the quality speaks for itself," said Wolff. "Regardless of who is riding her, she's still going to be performing her best. I think she's just such a great horse and hopefully one for the future."
Wolff added, "You sometimes forget how independent these sports are, it's not like you're on a team of any sort except for your equine partner, so for Michael to have this idea to put a few of us together and create that team camaraderie is exciting, and it brings people together. We are all rooting for each other, and it's such a great feeling."
Catherine Tyree and Cantalupe V/D Holstenhoeve
At the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, Tyree and Cantalupe V/D Holstenhoeve showcased their winning ways in the 6-Year-Old Jumper division as well. They kicked off the week with a third-place effort and then went on to win the 6-Year-old Young Jumper Qualifier. Tyree began working with "Melon," a 6-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, for QBS Equestrian in March and is thrilled with how the partnership has progressed.
"I've been really impressed with how much Melon has progressed in the short amount of time that I've had him," expressed Tyree. "He has such a great brain and is so willing no matter what the question is. So to win the 6-Year-Old Final class this past weekend was really exciting because in such a short amount of time, he's made so much progress, and it only makes me that much more excited for what he's going to do in the future."
"We have a great group of riders, a great group of horses, and such incredible support from both Michael and Denis Sisco in supporting us and allowing us to work with such great horses," continued Tyree. "I was incredibly flattered when Michael and Dennis approached me about taking on Melon to develop for them, and I continue to be humbled every day by the experience and the opportunity and their trust in my ability."
As Meller and QBS Equestrian continue their mission to find and produce some of the world's top young show jumping mounts, they look forward to watching the progress of Fahrenheit Ponthual and Cantalupe V/D Holstenhoeve with Wolff and Tyree, respectively as well as Heather Williams who is campaigning Dionysos De La Vigne.
For more information please visit www.mmm-horseman.com.