Larkspur and Francesca Dildabanian (Anne Gittins Photography)
Reserve champion was Castlekeep, ridden and owned by Lili Halterman. Halterman and her newly purchased mount were first and sixth over fences on day one, followed by first place in the second over fences round of day two. Sunday's class was only Halterman's second show with her 10-year-old Hanoverian, and she's thrilled with his performance thus far. "Castlekeep is brand new, so it's really exciting that we're already reserve champion together. We're off to a great start," Halterman said.
Halterman trains alongside Dildabanian with Richard Cunkle. The girls remain close friends and enjoy having a sweep of the division. "We keep a pretty friendly competition. It's really nice. We feel like we won the division together," Halterman described.
"Lili is my really good friend. I'm so excited for her since she just got a new horse. I like being able to show with her. It stays very friendly between the two of us," Dildabanian added, echoing Halterman's sentiment.
Dildabanian has also had a short history with her mount. She began riding Larkspur, a twelve-year-old Oldenberg gelding, only a month before coming to the FTI WEF. "I just started riding him in December. He's so much fun! He has a lot of scope so it's really fun to ride him. I'm so lucky to be able to show him," Dildabanian stated.
Dildabanian is especially thankful to be able to count on Larkspur's experience, especially in a highly competitive division of 40 riders. "He usually jumps higher than this, so if I make a mistake or don't have a perfect distance, I can always rely on him. He'll never do anything bad, he's just really sweet," Dildabanian explained.
Dildabanian eagerly makes the pilgrimage south to the FTI WEF every winter from New York City. "This is my third year coming to WEF. I love the warm weather, of course, but I really like how the show grounds are so big and there's always something to do," Dildabanian concluded.