Lady Stakkata: Small, But Mighty

A small mare with a big personality and lots of speed earned the top prize in the $30,000 Kentucky Performance Products Grand Prix. The showcase event at the World Equestrian Center–Wilmington’s Winter Classic 3, Dec. 14, 2024, ended in a close jump-off. But Kama Godek and her fleet 15.3-hand mare Lady Stakkata edged out their closest rival for the night’s top prize.

“She is a little girl with a big heart,” Godek said afterward of Lady Stakkata, a daughter of Stakkato that Godek also owns and trains.

Though small, Lady Stakkata has plenty of personality and talent. “She looks like a kid’s horse until you see her in the warm-up,” Godek said in her post-victory interview at WEC. “Even I look up at the other riders and joke that they are a whole head higher than me!”

Lady Stakkata—A Nimble and Speedy Round

Godek and the 9-year-old Holsteiner mare contested a technical first-round course in the grand prix along with 19 other combinations. Advancing to the jump-off with six other pairs, Lady Stakkata put in a nimble and speedy clear round, stopping the timer in 39.538 to pick up a $9,000 check, the winner’s share of the prize money. “She almost always is the fastest horse,” Godek said.

“Since the beginning of our partnership, she has had a consistently good record in the U.S., and, both this year and in 2023, she was the Zone 3 Platinum individual winner,” Godek explained later in a separate interview. The honors were at the Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships. “She’s been a great horse that we can rely on in a jump-off and since she is just 9 years old, we’re hoping she develops even more into the FEI levels.”

Godek described Lady Stakkata’s personality as “sweet and unassuming” and noted that the mare “goes in a snaffle.” The pair also recorded wins earlier this year at WEC–Ocala and at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.

Following Godek and Lady Stakkata, Richard Rinehart and The Diamant Rose Z put in a clear jump-off round in a rapid 39.564 second. They finished in second place. Additionally, Canada’s Sam Pegg’s Casadimo rounded out the top three after going clear in 42.772.

Supported with KPP Supplements

Lady Stakkata is “an extremely easy horse to manage and care for,” according to Godek. Fittingly for an event sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products, her athleticism and vigor are supported by KPP supplements.

Godek says she started the sporty chestnut on KPP supplements when she first brought the mare over from Germany in late 2022. Today her supplements include:

– Elevate® W.S., a highly bioavailable source of natural vitamin E—an essential nutrient that limits the damage caused by everyday oxidative stress. It helps maintain healthy nerve and muscle function and supports a strong immune system. “I like to keep most of the horses showing on the vitamin E in general,” Godek explained.

– Neigh-Lox®, which supports normal gastric acid levels and a healthy mucosal lining, which help maintain good stomach function. “She is messy in her stall in general, a little piggy, but the Neigh-Lox helps,” Godek said of Lady Stakkata.

Kentucky Performance Products can benefit all classes of horses and ponies, from high-performance athletes to easy keepers to senior horses. Learn more about the full range of Kentucky Performance Products at kppusa.com.