Dakota Mower and Charmeur Des Terdrix Z Bring Home Second Big Win of the Week in 

$10,000 Rhys Vineyards Ryman Memorial 1.30m

Dakota Mower and Charmeur Des Terdrix Z. Photo © GrandPix

Eleven riders put on a show this evening in the Grass Jumper Field, competing for the win in the $10,000 Rhys Vineyards Ryman Memorial 1.30m. Crowds gathered in the VIP tent to cheer them on while enjoying class sponsor Rhys Vineyard’s Perpetual Reserve sparkling wine. Dakota Mower riding Charmeur Des Terdrix Z emerged victorious with a quick time of 64.961. The pair brought home the blue in the $2,000 Windy Hill Equestrian in Memory of Larry Mayfield class earlier this week. 

“He’s been on fire all week, he felt totally focused. I feel like he settled into the crowd a little bit. He was just ready to go." Mower continued, "The atmosphere was really awesome tonight. The crowd was so involved, and it was a really good course that Alan Wade built. It gave the rider lots of options; where you could turn, leave out strides, and to see how fast you could go". The 11-year-old gelding, owned by Mia Dare Randall, is a new addition to the Windy Hill team where Dakota currently resides as Head Trainer. "When Laura Gerst (Windy Hill's owner) found him in Europe, she called and told me: 'I found a winner'. She was right!" Dakota exclaimed.

Dakota Mower and Charmeur Des Terdrix Z. Photo © GrandPix

Class sponsor Rhys Vineyard’s Catherine Harvey, a Menlo Co-Chair and her husband Kevin have been dedicated to supporting the horse show for more than 25 years. This year marks Rhys’ fourth consecutive year as host and Sponsor of the Friday evening event and speed class. Catherine commented, "We are delighted to have provided bottles of our 4^th release of Rhys Vineyard’s Perpetual Reserve sparkling wine at this evening's gala to toast Menlo on their wonderful Golden Anniversary." 

Rhys Vineyards aspires to make great Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah from some of California's most unique and expressive vineyards. This pursuit has lead them to search the state for exciting rocky soils that exist within the mountainous, cool, Coastal climate zone. Over the last decade and a half, they have developed seven estate vineyards, six in the Santa Cruz Mountains and one in Anderson Valley, each of which is capable of producing uniquely compelling, distinctive, soil driven wine. In addition, Rhys opened its first tasting room for its Italian project Aeris in Healdsburg.

The Menlo Charity Horse Show, a 501 (c) (3) organization, was honored with the designation as a USEF Heritage Competition in 2012. Recognized as one of the finest equestrian events in the United States, Menlo is unique in that its origin and legacy is one of philanthropy. Menlo has a tradition of providing outstanding equine competition while raising much needed funds for numerous charities. Our current charitable partner, Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Vista), was founded in 1936 and is the premier resource for individuals with vision loss in San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. Vista Center helps clients reach their highest potential through programs that promote independence and improve quality of life. During our partnership, Menlo has raised over six million dollars for Vista Center. 

For those that can't make it to the show grounds, live streaming is available at https://menlo.showgroundslive.com/live-channels/. For more information on the Menlo Charity Horse Show, please visit https://www.menlocharityhorseshow.com/.

Published August 12th, 2022, written by Alli Lambert for the Menlo Charity Horse Show