Traverse City, MI – June 29, 2025—The Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, came to a close on Sunday with a celebrated win for Kyla Makhloghi of Wellington, FL, and Jardin in the $25,000 Traverse City Grand Prix. The occasion marked the first grand prix victory on the 11-year-old Dutch-bred gelding’s record.
The Spring Series closed out four weeks of competitions that featured three weeks of FEI jumper competition, weekly hunter derbies, including the International Hunter Derby Regional Championships, in addition to the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships and the Markel/USHJA Platinum & Zone Jumper Team Championships.
Makhloghi was one of ten to advance to Mauricio Garcia’s jump-off and posted the winning time of 37.615 seconds. With nearly two seconds to spare, she edged out Jacob Pope of Columbia, MD, who clocked in at 39.279 seconds aboard Ina. Trapp O’Neal of Magnolia, TX, led off the short course and secured third with a time of 39.877 seconds riding Incredible Loma.
“It has been a tough year,” admitted Makhloghi after leading a long-awaited victory gallop. “He had an injury early on in our partnership, and it set us back. Last year in Traverse City was when we did a lot of regrouping and figured out what was missing.”
At the end of the 2025 winter season, Makhloghi began stepping the Etoulon gelding into the two-star international ranks. Jardin, owned by Twin Island LLC, recently proved that he understands the assignment. “He tries so hard, and he will do anything for me as long as he understands it,” continued Makhloghi. “In this particular jump-off, I knew I could use his length of stride because there was a big gallop from one to two. Even though it was a tight turn from two to three, I knew I could use his strength and stride.
For Makhloghi, winning in Traverse City was icing on the cake to a surreal end to her time at the Spring Series. “I came out of the ring on my first horse and felt like the luckiest person in the world with two down,” said the full-time trainer and coach to up-and-coming students. “Then to win was a dream come true. This isn’t something that I get to do all the time, so I really appreciate every time I can get in the ring on these horses. To have it come together is like a fairytale.”
Complete results from the $25,000 Traverse City Grand Prix can be found here.
Jacob Pope Hard to Beat in Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring
Jacob Pope started his weekend by winning twice in the same day on Friday. First, he guided BP Dancing Light to top call in the combined CWD & North Star USHJA Young Jumpers aboard seven-year-old BP Dancing Light, owned by his student Oliver Close.
“This is his second win in the seven-year-olds in Traverse City and the goal is for him to be the ride of Oliver,” said Pope after the win. Pope is hoping the momentum continues to build for BP Dancing Light and the pair can compete in the North Star Seven-Year-Old Championship at the conclusion of the Traverse City season.
“I think we, as an industry in the United States, have to focus on the horses that are coming up,” noted Pope about the development of young horses in North America. “Being able to have young jumper classes here, especially in this beautiful big ring where the horses get such good exposure, is important. It’s crucial for the development of the future.”
Looking ahead to the Traverse City Tournament of Champions—running September 3-21—young equine talents will be celebrated in the $100,000 USHJA Young Jumper Championships, presented by North Star Sport Horses during opening week.
Later in the day, Pope prepared Ina for a podium finish in Sunday’s grand prix by winning the $5,000 Welcome.
“She’s a fantastic mare,” said Pope of the 12-year-old Holsteiner by Wahnfried and owned by Walkenbach Equestrian. “She’s game and careful, fun and fast; it’s like all the qualities you want in a horse.”
While Pope hails from Maryland, Michigan feels like home. “Most of our riders are either from Michigan or have a home here and the horses love coming here. We are here for the whole season and it’s nice to be in one spot for so long.”
Behind Pope and Ina, Trapp O’Neal took second riding Chili van het Schaeck Z and Hunter Holloway rounded out the top three aboard Crodino van den Bosrand Z.
Emma Arnhols Tops USHJA National Hunter Derby with Spiros Z
Twenty-year-old Emma Arnhols of Coral Gables, FL, topped hunter derby competition during the fourth and final week of the Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. She rode her own Spiros Z to scores of 83 in the classic round and 84 in the handy to take top honors in the USHJA National Hunter Derby on Sunday.
Slotting in behind Arnhols’ 167 total score, Brooklyn Webb of Norwalk, IA, took second aboard Redemption with a score of 159, and Sydney Mohrhardt of Boca Raton, FL, finished third riding Lillooet on a 154.
Spiros Z’s win also earned the 14-year-old Zangersheide gelding the Platinum Performance Hunter Horse of the Week honor.
“He was originally my big eq horse when I was a junior, and now I’m grateful that he’s part of the family forever,” said Arnhols. “He’s so handy and I think the most important thing is that he has the biggest heart; every time he walks into the ring, he tries hard and you could never ask for anything more.”
When asked about her decision to point Spiros at derbies, Arnhols said, “He can do everything. We did the adult eq division yesterday—we were champion—and today we decided to throw him in a derby. My biggest priority is to keep having fun with him; he’s a special horse and I love riding him.”
Also highlighting hunter action on Sunday, 12-year-old Job James of Dallas, TX, took the champion tricolor in The James Family Low Children’s Hunter division riding High Limit.
Traverse City Horse Shows continues at Flintfields Horse Park next week with the 11th annual Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders, which runs for six weeks and features the FEI Nations Cup CSIO3*, FEI North American Youth Championships and CSI5* competition in the return of Major League Show Jumping to Michigan.
For complete results from the final week of the Traverse City Spring series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, click here.
About Traverse City Horse Shows
Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS) offers 13 weeks of top equestrian competition each summer at Flintfields Horse Park in Williamsburg, Michigan—just 15 minutes from downtown Traverse City. The venue blends world-class sport with the natural beauty of Northern Michigan and features 12 weeks of FEI-ranked events, including three five-stars and an FEI Nations Cup CSIO3*.
The season culminates in the three-week Tournament of Champions, highlighted by the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ CSI5*-W—Traverse City and $340,000 American Gold Cup CSI5*. New this year, the $100,000 Dudley and Barb Smith 3’6” Equitation Championship and $50,000 Cherry Capital 3’3” Equitation Championship deliver big prize money and prestige to the equitation ranks.
For more information on the season, visit TraverseCityHorseShows.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
