London, England – June 10, 2013 – The winning streak for Norway’s Eirin Bruheim continued this weekend during the Global Champions Tour’s (GCT) first event in London, England. The star-studded line-up featured the world’s top riders, and on Sunday June 9, it was Bruheim who led the victory gallop after winning the CSI2* 1.45m Open Jumper Grand Prix aboard NLF Billy On Show, owned by Nordic Lights Farm of Tomball, TX.
Sunday’s win follows their Amateur-Owner Jumper championship during the GCT Wiesbaden, as well as wins at the Hardenberg Burgturnier Horse Show. Bruheim and NLF Billy On Show kicked off the week with a second place finish in the 1.45m Open Jumper Power and Speed, where they were clear and finished just off the winning pace.
On Sunday they had all of the answers. After completing a faultless first round, they returned for the jump-off fourth in the order out of five. The duo quickly navigated the challenging track, leaving all the rails in place and dashing through the timers in 35.54 seconds to take over the lead. When the final rider had a rail down, it sealed the victory for Bruheim, who topped Olympian Meredith Michaels Beerbaum’s time by 2/10ths of a second.
“This week at GCT London was fantastic,” smiled Bruheim. “The first day we were a hair off the pace and placed second. On the last day, the first round time allowed during the Grand Prix was tight and the course rode tougher than I expected, but Billy jumped it well within the time and left all the jumps up. When we finished our jump-off we went into the lead with one to go. When the final rider had a rail it dawned on me that I had won the prix. I was so pleased and could not have thought of a better way to end our week. Competing with Billy in Europe has been so wonderful and I am so excited to continue seeing where this partnership takes us.”
During the GCT London, Bruheim also competed with her second mount Anyway. This marked the pair’s first show together this year, and their partnership proved to be as strong as ever. On Thursday, they competed in the 1.30m Power and Speed where they placed fifth after clearing all the obstacles just a second behind the leader. Bruheim and Anyway stepped it up for Friday’s 1.30m Speed class, breaking the beam in a clear 54.46 seconds for third place. They ended the week with the fastest jump-off time during the 1.30m Open Jumper Grand Prix, but a heartbreaking rail at the final fence incurred four faults for 10th place.
“I was so happy that Anyway went so well this week,” expressed Bruheim. “In the jump-off for the Prix she was so fast and we had the time by a second, but unfortunately the last jump came down putting us in 10th. She is showing a promising start to her comeback though, which makes me so happy. I am so pleased with all my horses and I am really looking forward to the rest of the summer.”
Nordic Lights Farm is currently based in England with top U.S. rider Lauren Hough. They are now preparing to compete in Hickstead during its two flagship international fixtures, the British Jumping Derby Meeting June 19 – 23 June and the Longines Royal International Horse Show July 30- August 4, 2013.
Nordic Lights Farm is a 70-acre establishment located in Tomball, TX, that was founded in 2007 by the Bruheim family to help further the equestrian goals of 20-year-old Eirin Bruheim and 18-year-old Lene Bruheim. Both girls have worked their way up through the ranks and are currently competing at the top levels in the hunter and jumper divisions aboard their incredible string of horses.
Photo Credit: Eirin Bruheim and NLF Billy On Show win CSI2* 1.45m Open Jumper Grand Prix at Global Champions Tour London. Photo By: SportFot. Photograph may be used only in relation to this PMG press release.