I was able to sit down with Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum today at WEF to ask about Cantano, her new horse that, just like her, started his career in California and ended up jumping under German colors.

The Olympic and World Equestrian Games champion has gone on to become a global superstar since switching nationalities from U.S. to Germany two decades ago. She attracted much attention last year when she returned to her native California to compete there for the first time in 20 years, and coach up and comers Lucy Davis and Saer Coulter during the 2011 HITS Thermal winter circuit.

Meredith’s string of top horses shrank last year with the retirement of her longtime partner Shutterfly, and while Checkmate will be competing at WEF this season, at 17 years of age Meredith and her team are carefully picking and choosing when to jump him. The 9-year-old mare Bella Donna completes Meredith’s string of grand prix horses.

While spending an extended amount of time on the West Coast, she undoubtedly noticed the bay stallion that kept taking California’s Susie Hutchison to the winner’s circle all over SoCal, but Cantano’s sale last November came as a surprise to many West Coasters that had gotten to know him under Susie during the last two years.

The 12 year old Holsteiner stallion was imported in 2000, and purchased soon after by Jim and Pat Iverson of El Dorado 29. Susie paired up with him just before the purchase, and brought him all the way through the levels. With Susie, the stallion attracted the media spotlight and a growing fanbase in 2010 & 2011; in 2010 he was named Pacific Coast Horseman’s Association Grand Prix Horse of the Year, and in 2011 he won five West Coast grands prix in as many months at Blenheim (below) and Del Mar.

So for West Coast fans, it was a bit disappointing when Cantano was lost as a local prospect, but there are few riders in the world who are better suited to take over the reins than Meredith. (And, while the U.S. lost a potential national horse in Cantano, they gained one in Kismet 50, a former star from Meredith's string that was purchased for Ray Texel in December.)

After Octavia Farms LLC purchased Cantano in partnership with Meredith and her husband Markus, she showed him once in Del Mar and took him in three classes in Europe before coming to Florida for the winter. In their first “official” grand prix this past Saturday, Meredith and Cantano jumped double clear and placed fourth.

It’s still early days, but so far Meredith is feeling optimistic her partnership with Cantano.

“Jumping in Wellington versus in California is a big step up, but he handled it easily,” said Meredith. “I am delighted with him. I purchased him more to be a good useful grand prix horse to support my other horses and string, and he feels just fantastic. We will take it one step at a time and see how it works.”

With all the horses in Europe at her fingertips, it’s interesting that she picked Cantano to add to her string, but the U.S.A.’s loss is Germany’s gain. It was exciting to watch Meredith pilot Cantano around his first East Coast grand prix this past Saturday, under the lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in front of nearly 4,000 spectators. He was glossy and muscled, and bounded over the 1.55m course easily. While Meredith admitted that London was not in the initial plan for Cantano, she wouldn’t deny the possibility of aiming him for it, either.

Today Cantano and Meredith cruised around the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m class (above) to warm up for the week ahead, which will include Thursday’s $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 3 and Saturday's $50,000 Horseware Grand Prix, the first CSIO2* on the WEF calendar. As a West Coast-turned-East Coast girl myself, I'll certainly be rooting for this pair of West Coast exports this season!
 

All photos ©Cheval Photos