At a horse show named for diamonds, Encinitas resident Keara Holland and her American Saddlebred mare Uncommon Jewel were almost destined to come out on top. Jewel lived up to her name and she and Keara went undefeated in all four equitation and pleasure classes at the Diamond Jubilee Horse Show held at HITS Del Mar Horsepark.
Keara and Jewel were deemed the best out of over 180 riders in 213 classes at the show held April 18-24. Keara won UPHA Challenge Cup 17 & Under Champion, Saddle Seat Equitation 14-17 Qualifier Champion, English Pleasure Saddle Seat Amateur Champion and took home the tri-color ribbon as Saddle Seat Equitation 17 and Under Grand Champion.
“I’m thrilled that Jewel and I came together and had great rides every time we were in the ring together. Jewel performed better than I could have hoped for, and she was having so much fun and showboating her way around the ring in the championship class,” said Keara, a 17-year-old junior at Torrey Pines High School. “We had the most exciting and fun show, and we came together and made the patterns a success.”
A rider for over 10 years, last year Keara also went undefeated in all equitation classes at the Carousel Charity Horse Show in Scottsdale, Ariz. She also competed at the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show in Oklahoma City where she placed third in Saddle Seat Equitation, riding Clayhill Affirmative.
Uncommon Jewel is the first horse Keara’s family has ever owned and since 2021 they have found great success together in equitation, where the rider is judged on their style, posture and how they can effectively execute a pattern. They now train together at Liz Bolton Stables in San Marcos, a facility dedicated to the training of top quality American Saddlebred horses.
“My trainers Julie Robinson and Anne Speck from Liz Bolton Stables have done a great job getting Jewel and I ready for this show and we are super excited to carry this momentum forward for the rest of the final season as a Junior Exhibitor,” Keara said.
