Juliana Starbuck and Rio's Mocha
The Five-Year-Old Jumper Championship for Zone 1 in both USEF and USHJA was Starbuck Equestrian’s Rio’s Mocha, ridden by Juliana Starbuck. In addition, they were 12th in their division for the national USEF rankings, and placed fourth in the East Coast Young Jumper Championships, held this past October in Princeton, New Jersey.
Mocha, a homebred by Rio Bronco out of Imperial Isle, is the product of a ten-year breeding program. “We are delighted by her success in the show ring,” said Juliana. Mocha’s sire was AHSA (the forerunner to USEF) 2002 Horse of the Year.
Starbuck Equestrian, which tries to bring along three to four foals a year, also has two other babies from the cross, and Juliana notes that they “all have wonderful temperaments! We can’t believe that they are so young and yet act so mature.”
Mocha is now leased by a young rider in the barn and will compete in the Low Children’s Jumper division. The mare tied at WEF this past winter for the most points in the five-year-olds despite having competed for only half of the circuit. And she didn’t have a single rail all season!
Juliana is proud of the mare’s temperament. “She has a great mind and heart. She tries hard and wants to be competitive but she’s also very smart and sensible. Her mind is her best asset. It’s nice to have a smart one. She looks down to the next jump like, ‘I’ve got it!’ and acts like a ten-year old,”
Juliana feels that Mocha’s job will be in the Children’s/ Adult Jumper divisions “She’s really good for a kid’s horse. She has the heart and mind and that’s what kids need. She comes out the same way every day.”
She added, “Mocha definitely rose past any of my expectations. I’m glad I have two others; they have her same mind.”
Juliana notes “We are fortunate to have trainers and staff at our barn who can keep directing riders and horses into positive training sessions. We start with the young horses at three years old, breaking them. By the time most of them are four or five years old they are quite good.”
Juliana is excited that so many Starbuck clients buy or lease their homebreds. “Watching the young horses develop, seeing how they respond to new things, it’s great for them. And for the kids who have less money and can’t afford a made horse, it’s good to develop their own horses. It’s a real sense of accomplishment, a different type of accomplishment. The kids get to be better riders. They develop more patience, and experience more satisfaction, a level you wouldn’t get on a made horse.”