Luis Escalera Survives Anxious Wait on the Hunter Ring

The Hunter ring is renowned for its ‘hurry up and wait’ vibe as classes move sedately through the show day. The wait was a particularly long one last week for Hunter groom Luis Escalera after his charge Cellestino went midway through the $25,000 USHJA International Hunt & Go Derby, presented by LeMieux, and took the lead, leaving rider Jennifer Hannan and her team on tenterhooks until the class was over.

“After his round I went back to the barn with him to clean him up and wait for the end of the class,” said Escalera. “I was watching the rest of the class and the results on my phone. I was very nervous.”

Hannan’s and Cellestino’s score of 188 proved sufficient to stave off the competition and leave the whole team including owner Stephanie Bulger and her mother Louise Riggio, with a well-earned victory. “There were some very good horses and riders competing after our round,” said Escalera. “We had a great score and we were confident but you never know and we were happy for it to be over so we knew that we won.”

Escalera has worked with Hunters for 20 years and for Bulger and Riggio, for some 19 of those. “They are my favorite bosses,” he said. He grew up in Mexico where his family had racehorses. But if horses in general were not unfamiliar to him when he arrived in the States, Hunter horses were. “You have to pay attention to Hunters – to their paces, their conformation, to make sure they are calm at the show so they jump well and clear,” he said. “Racehorses don’t have to be perfect – Hunters do.”

Escalera, 50, has come to love his role. “I have more contact with the Hunters, because I spend more time with them and I can get to know them better like a good friend,” he said. Cellestino – aka Cello in the barn – needed the extra degree of attention and patience, which Escalera has given him for the year or so that he has been in his care. “At first he was very fresh,” he said of the 11-year old warmblood gelding by Cornet Obolensky, a stallion renowned for his powerful personality. “He wasn’t wild but he had a lot of energy and you need to pay attention. Now he has learned a lot and he is much calmer. He is really charming and sweet. He is an incredible horse and he really loves to jump.”

Teaching Cello to take life easier was a concerted effort between Escalera and the rest of the team. The good news, said Escalera, is that “he is super intelligent. He learns really quickly when you teach him something. I spend time grooming him and chatting to him to keep him calm. I don’t know if he understands what I am saying, but I think he does.”

One quirk in his behavior that has not been overturned is his dislike of crowds – not of people but of horses. “He loves people but doesn’t like to be around a lot of other horses,” said Escalera. “He has a lot of personality and he needs space to be quiet. If we are around a lot of other horses at the show, I really have to pay attention, because he gets stressed and nervous.”

Like many horses he has his sensitive areas. “He loves being brushed,” said Escalera, “but he does not like you touching his stomach.”

Just four weeks in and with a win under their belt, Escalera is feeling blessed. Jennifer is a great person and an absolute professional,” he said. “We are very happy and grateful for this season. It is wonderful working for Louise and Stephanie. They are very special people and they are my favorite bosses.”

Not yet midway through the Winter Equestrian Festival, the team now set their sights on Week 6 – the World Championship Hunter Rider week, commonly referred to as ‘Hunter week’. Hannan and Cellestino hope to qualify so they can return to the site of their victory – the International Arena – this time floodlit for Saturday Night Lights and the Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular. “All the classes at WEF are intense,” said Escalera. “But now we are excited to see what happens in Hunter Week.”