Flexible HOTY, Fellers Nabs Rider Honors
Rich Fellers and Flexible were big winners on the 2012 HITS Desert Circuit. (Flying Horse Photography)
For Rich Fellers and Flexible, 2012 was a year about Rolex/FEI World Cup glory, Olympic fame and all-around show jumping success, but they weren’t stopping until they had it all.
After being the first American in 25 years to win the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final in s’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, Fellers was the highest placing U.S. Equestrian at the London 2012 Olympic Games and can now hold the title of 2012 USEF Equestrian of the Year. He was awarded the honor this past weekend at the USEF Pegasus Awards in Louisville, KY, just days before he packs up Flexible and heads for Thermal, CA, where they are scheduled to arrive this weekend, in plenty of time to focus on solidifying their appearance in the inaugural AIG Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix, March 17.
All this just a day after Flexible, the 1996 Irish Sport Horse Stallion responsible for carrying him to Greenwich Park and back, was named 2012 USEF International Horse of the Year. Fellers credits extreme focus for guiding him through the incredible experiences of the past year, but he admits that viewing it all in retrospect is an experience in itself.
“Looking back is like a dream. It gives me perspective on what an extraordinary year it was,” he said. “I am likely to never have another year with a horse like that again in my career.”
While prepping for the World Cup at Thermal in 2011, Fellers and Flexible collected several grand prix victories, including the $31,000 HITS Welcome Classic and $50,000 Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix, both presented by Pfizer Animal Health. The preparation proved valuable when they bested eventual Olympic Gold medal team Steve Guerdat and Nino de Buissonnets by .64 seconds in the jump-off for the Rolex/FEI World Cup Finals Championship before moving on to lead the U.S. Show Jumping Team at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Despite his long list of accomplishments, some may have considered Flexible an unlikely candidate for the International Horse of Year title. Even his owners, Harry and Mollie Chapman of Oswego, OR, had their doubts about the “pint-sized” horse. “This little chestnut horse turns up at the farm one day and I thought he was a pony,” joked Harry Chapman about his first time seeing Flexible. “The first few miles on the road to success were a little bumpy, but once the road smoothed out, I have to say it was a hell of a ride and I sure hope it’s not over.”
Rich Fellers and Flexible on the victory lap at the 2012 Rolex FEI World Cup in s’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. (Photo by Susan J. Stickle / PhelpsSports)
If Fellers has anything to say about his future with Flexible, the ride is far from over. The pair currently sit 22nd on the 2013 AIG Thermal Million Grand Prix Preliminary Top 40 Rider Standings, just one slot below Fellers’ wife Shelley and her horse, Revenge.
After Thermal, the 2013 World Cup in April in Gothenburg, Sweden will be priority number one for Fellers and Flexible. According to Fellers, after a bit of a break this fall (where Flexi made some “celebrity appearances” at shows in which he didn’t compete) the little horse that has gotten good at winning is ready for his next big challenge.
“I can’t get enough of this horse’s energy,” said Fellers while hacking Flexible in a field masked by frozen fog at home in Oregon. “After all these years he is still wired and I love that about him.”
Despite an unorthodox combination of size, unique jumping style and the threat of two career ending injuries for Flexible, Fellers and his mount have overcome it all to reach the height of USEF celebrity status.
