Stella Chernoff was a little nervous the day of the MarBill Hill U25 Grand Prix 1.40m at Thunderbird Show Park on Aug. 18, but it didn't show as her trusty mare Fay cleared all the jumps with a winning time of 37.66 seconds. 

The pair were the first to go in an eight-horse jump-off, putting pressure on their competitors with a strong clear effort. 

The wait through seven combinations was lengthy, but Chernoff watched as rider after rider incurred faults 鈥� including Sloane Betker (CAN) and Emmeline Adamick, who were on pace to catch her time. Ultimately, no other rider could execute a clear jump-off.

鈥淚 definitely did not think the jump-off was as technical as it seemed to ride,鈥� Chernoff said.

鈥淚 think with my mare, she鈥檚 just so adjustable, [and that] gives me a lot more options. Walking [the course], I thought it seemed like a nice, fun jump-off; I thought everyone was going to be double-clear. Honestly, the fact that I was the only double-clear was very shocking.鈥�

Betker and Adamick each finished the jump-off with four faults, finishing second (4/36.14s) and third (4/37.59s), respectively.

Chernoff, 19, has been paired with her 14-year-old KWPN mare for the better part of six years, but the partnership hasn鈥檛 always been a match made in heaven. Chernoff had to learn to tailor her ride specifically to Fay, riding with a longer rein to keep the sensitive mare working with her.

The duo has claimed numerous victories in 91原创 at the U25 level, but getting back in sync with the grey can be challenging when Chernoff returns to competition in the summer from university, which takes her away from horse shows for eight months of the year.

鈥淕oing into a class like this, usually I never get nervous with her because I know she has my back all the time, but today it was slightly different. In the U25 speed [class on Friday], we actually stopped at a jump, which was my fault but very uncharacteristic. I feel like I鈥檝e been figuring out the ride with her [again], because she is very different from my other horses, and after being at school for eight months, it鈥檚 tricky to re-learn and re-trust with her,鈥� Chernoff shared.

鈥淏ut today, I feel like everything came together, and it felt like how it used to be and how it should be with her."

鈥淎fter the first three jumps in the jump-off, I was like, 鈥榊eah, I can really go for it,'鈥� Chernoff added. 鈥淸I thought], 鈥業 know she鈥檚 not going to touch a rail. [Fay鈥檚] got this.'鈥�

Next at  is the Harvest Celebration, which kicks off on Sept. 10.