Oh Star

We got “Olimpic Star” later named Oh Star as a late 4 year old stallion. During the first WEF    circuit in Florida Todd showed his stallion in the hunter classes with great success. He finished several divisions as with the “Champion ribbon” all the way up to the “Working Hunter” classes.

During the following circuit in Florida, he started to introduce him in the so called open classes. Training, schooling and playing with “his” stallion made Oh Star and Todd become very close and trusting friends.

At the age of seven they showed with enormous success in the first WEF Grand Prix classes. They were officially sent to Monterrey / Mexico and won the “Zangersheide Grand Prix”, followed by 5 more wins in Grand Prix classes during this year.

Oh Star and Todd continued with phenomenal success and qualified in 2000 for the World Cup finals in Las Vegas. Here they finished 6st place and were considered the best American horse / rider combination. During the same year’s Olympic selection trails they qualified for the last trail in California, from where they were sent to the Olympic Games, to Sydney. They made it as the “alternate”, but being back home, they continued winning and made Grand Prix jumping look easy.

In 2001 they looked invincible! They won close to every prestigious Grand Prix on American soil. Among multiple other Grand Prix classes, they won the $ 100.000,00 Grand Prix during the “Festival of Champions” Gladstone / NJ and the $ 175.000,00 in San Capistrano / California.

Because of this outrageous Grand Prix career the USEF named Oh Star the “Grand Prix Jumper  of the Year” and awarded him with the second title; “Stallion of the Year”. As the owner and rider, Todd Minikus was awarded with the titles “Rider of the Year” and “Horseman of the Year”.

This award ceremony has been one of the very few occasions, where all 4 annual titles were given to only one horse / rider combination. “What a ride it has been!”