Seven months ago, Mia Albelo received the 16th birthday gift of many girls’ dreams in the form of Cocominka EST. Since then, the 10-year-old Rheinländer mare has been the gift that keeps on giving—including on Wednesday, August 11 at the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC).
The duo topped a 30-horse field to win the Pre-Junior First Individual Qualifier 1.30m at Traverse City Horse Shows, giving them an early lead in the Pre-Junior Individual competition and helping to put their Zone 4 team into second in the team standings.
“[Cocominka] has taken me to some of my biggest classes,” said Albelo, who hails from Florida. “I did my first High Junior class with her at [the Winter Equestrian Festival], and they set pretty big there. She just took me around like a champ. She’s just been the best partner and teacher. She’s really giving me a lot of confidence with the bigger fences.”
