Postcard: 2007 USEF Talent Search Finals East
Gladstone, N.J., October 7, 2007 -- I like a guy who kisses his horse. So when Nikko Ritter gave Clover Count a smooch after winning the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East today, it put a big smile in my face.
When Nikko talked about Clover Count, he lit up. The horse is owned by Linda Bakker, but Nikko has a long history with this Irishbred trooper.
It all paid off on his fifth run at the Talent Search crown, one of the most hotly contested that I can remember.
At the age of 11, Nikko started riding the big brown gelding, who has done everything from the jumpers and the hunters to the eq with a variety of people.
"He's a great horse," said Nikko, who noted the gelding's riders have included Sloane Coles and Courtney McKay.
Listen: Nikko Ritter talks about his win and about Clover Count
Now Nikko is 19, and the horse is 20. Clover Count is headed for the low adult hunters; Nikko is headed for stardom in the grand prix ranks, he hopes, while he juggles riding and most likely, Rollins College.
But first, there's just riding, as he takes a year off from school and turns professional. A summer spent in Germany honing his craft with Holger Hetzel improved him as a rider and a person, according to his mother and coach, Wendy Peralta.
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You remember Nikko--he was one of the stars of Animal Planet's "Horsepower" series. It made him a big fish in a small pond, something it can be hard for a teen to handle.
"He had a lot of celebrity, but when he went to Germany, nobody knew who he was, nobody cared. He had to work really hard and sift what was important in his life through his brain," said his mother, who also gave credit for his victory to Stacia and Frank Madden and Beacon Hill.
During his time abroad, Nikko became "a different person," she said. "It gave him a lot of clarity and he was able to see how hard it is to be in this business and he decided he wanted to give it a try and see how it goes."
Actually, Nikko wasn't sure he would attempt the Talent Search again (his previous best finish was fifth), but a last-minute decision paid off.
Listen: Nikko's mom and coach, Wendy Peralta, talks about coming to the Talent Search with a mission
"This was always my favorite final, I always wanted to win this," said Nikko, who is not going on to the other equitation finals because he has aged out.
"I think this one shows you are able to ride. You have to do the gymnastics, you have to do the flat, you get on other people's horses and just do it."
Although his efforts on the flat were improved by his time in Germany, Nikko finished tied for 14th in that phase, which was won by Kyle Wolf, who would wind up ninth overall when the ribbons were awarded.
But after the flat phase, the tables were about to turn, and the gymnastics started Nikko's rise to the top.
Jumper riders Jimmy Torano and McLain Ward served as the judges and set the gymnastics course, which was a lot different from the tricky set-ups I've seen in the past here at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters.
It wasn't, as trainer Andre Dignelli told me, "gimmicky." It was "a horsemanlike test, something you would jump with a good horse."
The judges wanted it to be a learning experience, not a quick way to eliminate a host of the 82 contenders. For some, trotting to an X of natural rails caused a problem, but I was interested to see how well the poles placed before and after jumps were well-handled by many, teaching the horses to regulate their stride.
Nikko moved up to third after the gymnastics, where Addison Phillips, Andre's student and a six-time finals competitor, pulled into the lead, with Kimberly McCormack right behind her. Given their track records, those three looked likely to make the "Final Four," but who would get the last slot in this afternoon's ride-off was a very open question.
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