THERMAL, Calif.--Mark Bluman on Landon de Nyze, in only their second show together, won the $182,000, CSI5* Qualifier at the Desert Holiday 2 show on Thursday, Dec. 11.
Mark Bluman on Landon de Nyze Daniel Bluman had a feeling that Landon de Nyze would be well suited for his cousin, Mark, and gave him the horse.
“Daniel is going to heaven if he keeps giving me these kind of horses!” said Bluman of the 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding previously competed by Daniel Bluman and to great success by Kent Farrington before him. “Landon was super successful with Kent. He got an individual silver medal in the Pan Am Games, won a couple CSI5* grand prix with him. Kent had enough horses at the time, and he wasn’t really taking Landon much to the show, so Daniel bought him for him to ride.”
“Again, same story with Daniel, he had many horses to ride at the time, and he knew the horse could be a great match," said Bluman. "Even at the beginning when Daniel first bought it, he said, ‘Listen, I think this could be a good match for you. Let me give it a go and see how it goes, but I know at the end of the day, you’re going to end up riding him.’ So, now it’s up to me!”
EIGHT were clean from the 42 starters over the course set by Olaf Petersen Jr.
The third to return, Callie Schott on Garant set the time to beat at 42.05 seconds, and Bluman went four later.
“Knowing that Nina Mallevaey was behind me, I tried to give it a real go,” said Bluman. “I didn’t go full gas because I honestly don’t know the horse very well. The run to the last, I think that’s where I took advantage of being on a mega-careful horse. I just ran to the last vertical, and he just cleared it!”
Bluman finished clean in 40.75 seconds to win.
Schott placed second, and Laura Kraut on Kaylee was third with a time of 45.14 seconds.
“I’ve been coming here for the last four years for these two weeks,” said Bluman. “In the four years, I don’t think there’s been a year that I didn’t win a class, so I always love coming here. This horse show always treats me well. I’m very successful here, and it’s a must on my calendar. I enjoy the weather. I enjoy the restaurants. The hotel is unbelievable, and the facilities are just unreal.”
