THE FIRST ROUND

I’ll try and post every 25 riders or so, with updates on how the course is riding, who has done well, who hasn’t, etc…  Please don’t expect an account of every rider’s trips, but I’ll try to keep you up to date!!  Scroll down to see the most recent posting…  See a course description here… Disclaimer:  I’m providing this as a service to those who are interested, and just recording my observations.  I’m not a judge, just a reporter who has watched the Medal Finals in their entirety for the past 10 years.  You may not agree with my notes, and that’s fine—I’m not putting them out there as the authoritative word, but as information for those interested.  That said, read on!

After the first 25…

The first rider on course–never a fun thing–Caroline Hughes had a swap in first line, and then looked as if she intended to try the four strides in the line to the plank verticals, but got five. She chipped to combination, then had two rails. Catie Boone had a nice ride, except didn’t get the five strides to the plank vertical done early enough, and then had a long spot to the fan oxer at 11.  Brian Feigus was the first to execute the five strides to the planks smoothly. He had a swap at the narrow vertical at 8, but had a very lovely ride. Rebecca Turner had a few tight distances, and a rail at the Swedish oxer at 10, but an otherwise smooth ride.  McKenzie Wooley rode the oxer-to-plank-vertical line beautifully, and her round was very polished.  Erin Centolanza rode well, with a few no major mistakes.  Tilden Brighton had a fine round, with a few tight distances and a rail at the last oxer. Catherine Pasmore put in a very polished and smooth round, with a hard rub at the first plank vertical.  But she answered all the technical problems very well.  Nicole Rocheleau ran out of room a bit in the five strides to the plank verticals, and had a rub at the second vertical.  She then pulled a rail at A of the triple.  A rough turn to the white Swedish meant a rail there, and then she had another tight distance to the last jump. Brianna Raab had a few inconsistent distances, and a rail at the first plank vertical.  Schaefer Raposa had a lovely round, but an unfortunate rail at B of the triple.  Kelly Lively found a deep distance at the coop, a hard rub at the first plank vertical, and a rail at triple bar.  Her round got worse with two stops at the triple combination.  She did complete the course. Margo Lyons had a rail at the oxer at 4, then ran out of room in the five strides to the planks and had the rail there.  A stop at the coop and then another at the triple combination followed. Madison Konrad rode very forward, got the four strides to the plank verticals, but paid for it with one stride on the two-stride.  Her round was tense and rushed. Ciara Mankens’ horse was very tense and spooky, but she rode him tactfully and finished on a good note after a few scary moments with deep and long distances. Caroline Ingalls rode very well, but ran out of room in the five strides to the plank verticals and got tight to the first vertical there.  Megan Finsness had a few tight distances, but showed a good gallop to the triple bar.  Danielle Menker had rails at the triple combination and the white Swedish oxer. Tatiana Dzavik rode well and looked very polished, but got a bit close to the coop and the horse dropped his front end over it.  She also had a swap at the narrow vertical at 8. Jacqueline DiGaloma had a good round, though found a very long distance to the last jump.  Abigail Cromwell got very long to the oxer at 4 and had the rail there, but finished up nicely.  Hannah Williams’s horse gave huge efforts over some of the fences, and then stopped at B of the triple combination.  She jumped it fine on the second try and completed the course. Samantha Elser did well and had no major mistakes, but wasn’t as forward and positive as she could have been.  Leah Chenelle had a few inconsistent distances, but was fine.  Sophie Verges rode very precisely and, despite a few close distances and rubs, was impressive. After the first 25, I’m actually surprised that there haven’t been more major problems.  The course certainly gives the riders quite a few places to flub up should they lose concentration or relax, but they all seem to be handling it quite well.  There have been relatively few ugly moments such as run-outs or stops.

After the first 50…

Alexis Apostol had a rough turn back to the narrow vertical at 8, a few rubs, and a missed lead change on the bending line to the last oxer.  Ashley Romano rode well, but had rails at the second plank vertical and the white Swedish oxer.  Katherine Dinan had a very gappy distance to the narrow coop and a swap to the triple bar, but an otherwise lovely round. Emily Gardner looked very polished, but the two-stride plank vertical combination got very tight for her horse, and he pulled the rail of the second vertical behind.  Carolyn Crosby really galloped to the triple bar and found a big distance there, but was quite positive and accurate throughout. Adele Norton had a stop at the second fence, but completed the course.  Tara Gail Bostwick ran out of room on the way to the plank verticals, and then had a stop at the coop.  Jennifer Parker had a few slightly deep distances, but rode with a real polish and style.  Callie Morgan Smith was tentative in the first few lines and had the second plank vertical down.  Katharine James also had the second plank vertical down, but an otherwise pleasing trip.  Lindsay Sceats had the rail on top of the coop down, and then didn’t come forward out of the turn to the narrow vertical at 8.  The horse stuttered off the ground and they had a very awkward jump there.  Claire Madigan had a deep distance to the triple bar, but an otherwise fine ride. Lexie Berger started off very forward and positive, but had a deep distance to the oxer at 4.  Two stops at the triple combination eliminated her. Jessica Springsteen had hard rubs at the two plank verticals, but rode very accurately and smoothly.  Jordan McMullen had some inconsistent distances, but no major mistakes.  Jennifer Whitt was having a nice round, but missed coming out of the turn to the white Swedish oxer and her horse jumped through it. Cassie Moffatt had a good ride, with no major mistakes.  Emily Williams had a deep distance to the coop, and then the horse spooked in the corner and swapped.  She was tight again to the narrow vertical at 8.  Kathleen McCarthy had a rail in the triple combination, but was good.  Eileen McNamara had a very polished, accurate trip. Melena Smith was a bit tentative and had some quiet distances.  Laura Pfieffer had a lovely round on a horse that jumped beautifully until the turn to the narrow vertical at 8, when the horse got surprised and stopped.  Two stops at the oxer at 4 eliminated Lauren Breen.  Victoria Bonanno had a rail at the second plank vertical. After the first 50 have gone, the judges have put 15 on the standby, as follows… Jessica Springsteen Sophie Verges Tatiana Dzavik Jennifer Parker Brian Feigus Eileen McNamara Carolyn Crosby Samantha Elser Caroline Ingalls Leah Chenelle Cassie Moffatt Jaqueline DiGaloma Schaefer Raposa Katharine James Catie Boone

After the first 75…

Haley Schuman had a few deep distances, and a very long one to the triple bar.  Kelsey Wickham had some very deep distances.  Emily Reynolds started off riding very positively, but the horse caught both plank verticals behind.  Then, she had a rough approach and almost a run-out at the narrow vertical at 8, and then rails at the white Swedish oxer. Christine Gellos got a bit deep to a few fences, but had a good gallop to the last and was otherwise nice.  Nicole Elizabeth Bellissimo added a stride in the first line, getting off to a rough start, but regrouped and was good after that.  Helen Szymanski had a rail at the first plank vertical.  Danielle Cooper had a really lovely ride, looking in control of every stride.  Claudia Billups had a run-out at the coop.  Jessica Tindley had a very nice round, but a long spot to the coop and a bit deep to the last.  The five strides to the planks got a bit tight for Danielle Johnson, and the first vertical came down, marring an otherwise nice round. Lauren Sogard had only minor mistakes, with a few swaps and a few snug distances, but she looked very smooth.  Katie Hurrell’s horse looked very eager, so her round wasn’t as smooth as it could have been, and they pulled a rail at fence 8.  Amelia Rogers’s horse was also a bit keen, but she also handled it well, though she had to finish on a deep distance to the last. Danielle Kaidanow had a few minor mistakes such as swaps and a few snug distances.  Laura King-Kaplan got a tad tight to the narrow vertical at 8, but otherwise had a very forward, accurate ride.  Kirstie Dobbs had a lovely trip, very elegant and flowing.  Jennifer Naylor didn’t quite get the five-stride line to the planks done, and had the first vertical down.  When Meredith Stafford went to steady for the five strides to the planks, her horse broke to the trot for a stride or two, but she finished up quite nicely. Samantha Harrison had a few inconsistent distances, but a fine trip.  Lindsay Maxwell’s horse jumped over his front end at the oxer at 4, but she rode the tough technical questions well.  Chase Boggio had a nice round, but he tends to throw his elbows out over the fence.  He’s a very effective, workmanlike rider.  Rachel Crown cross-cantered to fence 2 and had a rail there, but she finished up very nicely.  Alice Barr had a few sticky fences before stopping once at the triple combination.  Grace Rogers cross-cantered to the triple combination and had a rail there.  Morgan Hale had a nice round, but was a bit disorganized on the turn to the coop. The course doesn’t have any tricky questions that are catching riders, nor does it have the long distances and scopey questions that, in years past, have seemed to punish those with horses without above-average ability.  This course can be jumped well and elegantly on any horse, if ridden forward, accurately, and with thought.  The horses also don’t seem to consider it spooky.  In short, it’s a good test that will let the judges evaluate the riding fairly, give the best riders the opportunity to shine, and not discourage those not quite up to the challenge. The most common mistakes seem to be not adjusting soon enough to fit the five strides into the oxer-to-plank-verticals line and not keeping impulsion on the rollback turns, as well as the usual questions of riding off your eye in the long approaches.  Many horses are swapping in the last stride of the approach to the narrow vertical at 8 as riders are angling it right-to-left to get a better line to the triple combination.

After the first 100…

Julia Nagler kicked off this block of riders with a really elegant round.  Catherine Tyree had a very nice round, but a very quiet distance to the last oxer.  Katie Hagerty’s turns were quite as smooth as they could have been, but she has a great style to her riding.  Unfortunately, she got deep to the white Swedish oxer and had multiple rails down there. Kala Crampton had a very forward ride and the five strides to the planks got very tight.  But she rode with a lot of confidence.  Victoria Allen had to take a good pull to get the five strides to the planks, and overshot the turn to the white Swedish oxer a bit.  Elizabeth Porath’s horse stopped twice at the B element of the triple combination, eliminating her.  Lydia Todd rides a very splashy paint, and did well.  Samantha Smith had a good round.  Jacqueline Lubrano had a lovely round, very polished and flowing.  Nicoletta von Heidegger picked up a good gallop on her opening circle, but the horse slammed the brakes on before the first fence.  A more conservative approach worked better then second time, and she finished up with no other major mistakes. Sage Flynn’s horse got surprised by the narrow vertical at 8 off the tight turn, and peeked at it and stuck off the ground.  She also found a very deep distance to the last oxer.  Carloyn Lichtenberg had a rail at the vertical at 8.  Taylor Land had a lovely round with a very bold, forward and accurate ride. Kirsten Boe’s long distance at the fourth fence didn’t help her in the tight five strides to follow, and she barely fit it in.  A miss to the triple combination caused rails at the A element, and a stop at the B element.  She did complete the course.  Catherine Pugliese cut the turn to the coop a bit and got deep to it. Her horse was surprised by the narrow vertical at 8 and ran out twice, eliminating her.  Zazou Hoffman had a really lovely round, very in control and elegant and with a great, bold gallop to the triple bar.  Amber Henter was a bit weak to the oxer at 4, and very deep to the last oxer.  Jocelyn Neff had a very nice trip.  Michelle Morris did well, but had a few inconsistent distances.  Kelsey Delaplaine had a few stiff fences early on, but improved and relaxed to finish well. Cortie Wetherill’s horse cross-cantered on the turn to the coop, and broke to the trot for a stride to fix it, marring an otherwise very nice round.  Samantha Schaefer rode very well, including a great gallop to the triple bar, but lost impulsion on the turn to the narrow vertical at 8 and almost trotted.  Hannah Beresford did well until she got deep to the white Swedish oxer and had a rail there, then counter-cantered to the last jump.  Nina Pola had a very nice round. After the first 100, the judges’ standby is… Jessica Springsteen Jacqueline Lubrano Sophie Verges Tatiana Dzavik Julia Nagler Taylor Land Zazou Hoffman Jennifer Parker Chase Boggio Morgan Hale Danielle Cooper Kirstie Dobbs Brian Feigus Samantha Smith Eileen McNamara Lindsay Maxwell Samantha Schaefer Carolyn Crosby Samantha Elser Caroline Ingalls

After 125…

Susan Heller didn’t quite get the five strides done to the plank verticals, and had the second one down, and then got very deep to the narrow vertical at 8 and had it down as well.  Katie Miranda got deep to a few fences, and then the horse stopped at 8.  Croline Weipert’s horse looked quite tense, but she rode positively, but she had two rails. Jennifer Walters had a very nice go.  Ashley Ann McGehee had trouble fitting in the five strides to the planks, and a rail at the last oxer.  Elizabeth Hendren’s horse cross-cantered on the way to the triple combination. Emily Merlo added strides in the first two lines, and two rails.  Julia Weiss rode a nice, accurate round.  Raquel Scharyj was eliminated after two stops in the triple combination.  Rebecca Margolis stopped at the vertical at 8.  Marion Rountree’s horse stopped twice at the triple bar, ending her day. Laura Krinsky rode a lovely, fluid round, as did Katherine Stewart.   Elizabeth Mahoney seemed to try and do the four strides to the plank verticals, but it didn’t work, and then cross-cantered to the white Swedish oxer.  Kendall Milkey cross-cantered on the turn to the coop, two rails, and a sticky ride through the triple combination. Jesse Kimmelman had a nice round on a lovely-jumping horse, other than a deep distance to the coop.  Emily van der Walde had a very pretty round, but a rail at the white Swedish.  Kelsey Hart put in a very nice, forward ride.  Maya Bluestone got a shade deep to a few fences, but was very polished and confident. Elizabeth Perry had a rail over the white Swedish. Mallory Olson had a beautiful round, very fluid and polished.  Lia Chafee had a crooked ride through the triple combination, but an otherwise nice round.  Melissa Barton had some deep distances and a swap on the log gallop to the triple bar. Maria Schaub jumped into the plank vertical two-stride very quietly, and had the planks at the second element down.  Then, the horse tripped badly in the turn out of the corner after the coop.  Her round didn’t have quite the flair and confidence that usually marks her performances. Abby Cook found deep spots to a few of the fences.

After the first 150…

Samantha Greenbaum didn’t have the kind of day she would have liked, with her horse stopping at the coop and the triple bar, eliminating her.  Hayley Barnhill and a lovely round, showing a lot of confidence. Caroline Donnally had run-outs at the coop and the narrow vertical fence 8, ending her day.  Sophie Benjamin got a shade deep to the coop, but had an otherwise lovely round.  Callie Seaman was having a very nice trip, but pulled a rail at the narrow vertical at 8.  Victoria Lee rode very positively and forward, with no major mistakes.  Amanda Knowles had a nice, consistent round with good pace, but a few quiet fences. Victoria Birdsall turned in a very slick round on a lovely bay horse, making the technical adjustments look easy.  Michael Desiderio had a similarly polished trip, but with a swap before fence 8.  There are quite a few very talented boys in the field. Sarah Treddeick had a few quiet fences, and an awkward jump over the coop, with a rub.  Abigail McArdle had a hard rub at one of the plank verticals, and a rail jumping into the triple combination, as well as a deep distance to the last.  Anna Siegel rode very quietly and precisely for a very pretty round, though a little deep to the white Swedish. Rebecca Sexton lost impulsion on the turn to 4 and almost trotted, but finished up well.  Jillian Celestino rode well but had a hard rub at the coop.  Casey Kole was going well, but got very tight to the white Swedish.  Ava Hirschhorn walked to the ingate after two stops at the triple combination. Olivia Dorey had a nice go, but got a bit close to a few.  Paige Dekko rode very nicely, with a smooth, consistent round.  Taylor Kain did the four strides from the oxer at 4 to the plank vertical combination, and got her horse back together for the tight two quite well.  She had a rail at the Swedish oxer, but rode very positively and decisively.  Kitt Ritter had a nice ride, but her horse came down on the back rail of the last oxer.  Addison Phillips rode with her usual effective and stylish flair, turning in a lovely go that should put her firmly on the stand-by.  Alyssa Ericson had a few sticky fences and then stopped at the triple combination.  Larissa Laffey added a stride in the first line, then climbed over the coop and had a rail.  Noah Abramson rode positively on a horse that looked to be spooky at the start, then settled and they finished quite nicely.    They had a rub at the last oxer, and oddly enough, the rail didn’t fall until he was almost done his closing circle.  But the judges heard it!  Grace Carucci lost impulsion on some of the rollback turns, but rode nicely.  The standby after 150… Jessica Springsteen Mallory Olson Jacqueline Lubrano Sophie Verges Tatiana Dzavik Addison Phillips Julia Nagler Taylor Land Maya Bluestone Victoria Birdsall Zazou Hoffman Callie Seaman Jennifer Parker Paige Dekko Katherine Stewart Chase Boggio Morgan Hale Danielle Cooper Kirstie Dobbs Jennifer Walters Kitt Ritter Brian Feigus Samantha Smith Eileen McNamara Lindsay Maxwell

After 175…

Cate Billings walked to the ingate after quits at the first fence and the coop.  Elizabeth Benson put in a good round.  Amanda Entremont quite twice at the first fence and was finished.  Laura Tobak’s horse declined to jump the coop, eliminating her.  Cassie French had a lovely round but was tight to the white Swedish.  Jennifer Burke rode very well, but pulled a rail in the middle of the triple combination. Brooke Flynn’s horse stopped abruptly at the coop and at the white Swedish.  Doscher Hobler had a little bit of a rough ride through the triple combination, but was very slick everywhere else.  Mallory Contois had a good, clean trip.  Megan Fellows had a very good go.  Alexandra Thornton put in a very consistent, pretty round. Olivia Jack had a rail at the A element of the triple, and then got underneath the white Swedish, having a very ugly jump over it.  Kate Salzman got a little close to fence 8, but had a nice, positive ride with a lovely flow.  Samantha Ramsay had a very nice, confident trip.  Matthew Lambert chipped-in to the fourth fence, but finished well.  Ryan Sassmannshausen rode well, but was just a little long or short here and there.  Cathy Rolfs, a former Roonie Mutch scholarship winner, put in a very good round with a lot of style.  Hillary McNerny’s horse slammed on the brakes at the third fence, and then again at the second plank vertical.  Olivia Wren completed a very pretty trip, as did Katherine LeBlanc.  Kaelin Tully ran out of room in the five strides a bit, but had a nice gallop to the triple bar.  She left long to the triple combination, and then had a rail at the Swedish. Sarah Cohick’s horse wanted to go a bit faster than she did, so they had some awkward moments, but they got around without a major flaw.  Anna Cooley had a few iffy distances, and a rail at the Swedish.  Audrey Coulter had a good go.  Chelsea McCarthy got a little close to a few fences, but completed well I don’t envy the judges—they have a tough job.  The course is making some decisions for them, but there are a lot of competent riders putting in trips without major flaws.  It’s all going to come down to style and polish, and while many riders might complete all the turns and striding questions, and jump the fences well, the ones who are going to be at the top are going to be the ones who make it look easy.  There’s a big difference between just completing a rollback turn and getting over the next fence, and balancing your horse, planning every step of the turn, and measuring the jump out of the turn.  The best of the riders control the pace and direction of every stride their horses take, and ride according to a well-thought-out plan, and they make adjustments subtly and quietly.  The judges also consider the finer details of each riders’ position.  It’s not something I can really describe in this blog with the limited time I have, but it’s just a different approach to the course.  So, yes, there are some rides that I’ll just comment ‘Nice ride,’ and those riders did ride well, answering all the questions.  But to stand out among 293 other riders, you need to do more.  You need to answer them with authority and panache.  Some Medal finals have been about survival, this one is about shining.

After the first 200…

Jaime Steinhaus, Kristen Cassone, Taylor Mahren and Lauren Vogel  did well, though with a few inconsistent spots.  Arianna Wallace had a few sticky fences, and left long for the triple bar, but was good.  Kendall Bourgeois looked a tad behind the pace, and had a rail at the Swedish oxer when the horse jumped over his front end.  Sara Green rode very smoothly and positively for a very nice trip that should put her into the second round.  Kimberly Zawie rode an athletic-jumping gray to a very nice go.  Lauren Horth had a lovely ride.  Karen Polle found a deep distance to fence 4, and had rubs at both plank verticals, as well as a sticky ride through the triple.  Brittany Hurst had a rail at A of the triple. Kristy Kenn’s horse looked a bit spooky, and stopped at fence 4, and again in the triple.  Isabel Vandeventer had a sticky ride over the coop, and then the horse stopped at the triple bar.  She came off over his head, the first fall of the day.  Christine Riddle was a little snug to a few fences, and then long into the triple combination.  Tina DiLandri, one of the favorites to win it from the West Coast, put in a really lovely trip, very elegant.  She has a very quiet confidence to her riding. Shelby Wakeman also put in a very polished trip.  Reed Kessler, in her first year showing horses, looked tiny up on her gray horse, but put in a very bold, well-put-together round marred only by a rail at the last.  The five strides to the planks got very tight for Lindsay Irvin and her horse jumped way over his front end, but the rest of her trip was good.  Elizabeth Aycock was a little long and short here and there.  Hanna Botney rides with beautiful upper-body control, but she ran out of room a bit in the five strides to the planks, and then was very tight to the narrow vertical at 8, having the rail there and at the Swedish.  Laura Ting was deep here and there. Kacey McCann’s ride was very slick and precise, with a real confidence to it.  Molly Braswell looked very composed and rode forward and accurately.  Danielle Pizzo was consistent and good.  J.C. Kennedy was deep to the first fence, the fourth and the last, but smooth otherwise. The standby after 200… Jessica Springsteen Tina DiLandri Mallory Olson Jacqueline Lubrano Molly Braswell Shelby Wakeman Sophie Verges Tatiana Dzavik Addison Phillips Julia Nagler Sara Green Kacey McCann Cassie French Taylor Land Maya Bluestone Victoria Birdsall Zazou Hoffman Kate Salzman Callie Seaman Alexandra Thornton Jennifer Parker Cathy Rolfs Paige Dekko Katherine Stewart Chase Boggio

The first 225…

Lyndsay Thornton rode very aggressively and forward, but her horse rubbed a plank vertical behind.  Rachel Griffin had a rail at the coop.  Taylor Brown had a nice, steady round and has a lovely flowing style.  Kim Struglinski had a deep distance to the coop but rode nicely.  Alison Rose had stops at the first and fourth fences to end her day. Kelly Tropin wasn’t very definite about her approach to the narrow vertical at 8, and got some wavering from her horse, but went well otherwise.  Leah Curtiss had a chip to the coop and then a sticky ride through the triple, dropping a rail.  Katie Galbraith’s horse was quite eager, and took her past a few of her distances after motoring up the first line.   Miranda Lekacos tried for a bold gallop to the triple bar, but got a chip, and then had a rail at the Swedish.  Anna Becker had a few strides of cross-canter on a turn, but a nice round.  Natalie Crane did well, but seemed to lose her position a bit in the air with her horse’s big jump.  She had rails in the triple, and then went through the Swedish oxer.   Olivia Clancy had a really rough turn to the Swedish oxer and jumped through it.  Laura Belmont stopped at the first fence but went on to complete the course.  Rachel Udelson had a nice, consistent trip.  Anders Keitz had a few hard rubs and a rail in the triple. Kyle Wolf had a very nice go. Jennifer Weeks had a wonderfully confident, consistent ride over the course.  Carloyn van Houten looked a little weak and under-paced, but had a nice go.  Paulena Johnson galloped up to the triple bar, but stopped.  She jumped it on the second attempt, and completed the course. Henry Pfieffer didn’t steady for the five strides early enough, and got in quite deep to the first plank vertical.  Elise Fishelson had a little bit of a rough ride through the triple, but was good otherwise.  Kelsey Landrigan had a fine round.  Molly Cikacz stopped at the first plank vertical, and then circled before the triple bar, eliminating herself. Jordan White got very tight to the first jump, but recovered to ride well over the rest of the course.  Rachel Roter had a run-out at his first attempt at the narrow vertical at 8, but rode well over the rest of the course.  Amelia McArdle had rubs at both the plank verticals, and was deep to the vertical at 8.

The first 250…

We’re in the home stretch now.  Navona Gallegos had a steady round with a few rubs but no major mistakes.  Brandi Bohn lost impulsion through the triple combination and had a stop at the C element, but went on to complete the course.  Katherine Newman was a hair late getting the five strides fit in before the planks, and then had a rail at the narrow vertical at 8.  She rides with a lot of confidence and style.  Faye Keegan had a nice trip.  Samantha Senft rode a very well-executed track on a good-jumping gray horse and had a huge smile on her face as she galloped up to the last jump.  Molly Forlines over-rode the plank vertical line and got deep to the oxer and the first plank vertical.  She also had a rail in the triple. Chelsea Renier rode well and had a good course.  Hannah Selleck turned in a very polished and accurate ride, and should be appearing in Round 2.  Jennifer Waxman rode beautifully, but just ticked the back rail of the white Swedish oxer out of the cups.  Erin Tormondsen rode well-planned turns and had a nice gallop to the triple bar.  Alex Mladsi got left a bit with the big effort her horse gave over the coop.  It also looks like the footing in the corner after they land from the coop and turn across the diagonal is deteriorating a bit, with a few horses getting bogged down or tripping.  Stephanie Underwood had a nice forward, positive ride.  Liza Finsness got stopped on course after jumping the third jump—it looked as if the judges were asking her to re-do her chin strap what had come undone.  She continued on with a few inconsistent distances.  Jacquelyn O’Connell’s horse refused at the coop once, and then again at the Swedish oxer. Julianna Fischer looked a bit rushed, but rode confidently and positively.  Emily McCoy had a rail in the triple.  Sarah Ward rode beautifully—very forward and flowing—but had a deep distance to the coop.  Christina Lin had a nice, consistent trip.  Nick Dello Joio cross-cantered in the first half of the turn to fence 4, and then rode boldly to the triple bar, having a very confident, forward trip.  Jennifer Delman added in the first line but went on to ride boldly and finish fine.  Kelsey MacPherson had a very rough, sticky ride through the triple.  Jennifer Stillman had a rail at the second plank vertical in an otherwise lovely round.  Alannah Wagstaff had the same rail, and a bad jump at the Swedish.  Chelsea Moss, on the famous Logan, took a flyer at the fourth fence, lost a stirrup and was very disorganized through the plank vertical combination, and then stuck off the ground at the coop and landed in a heap.  She got her stirrup back for the triple bar, but didn’t have a smooth rest of the round. The standby after 250 have gone… Jessica Springsteen Tina DiLandri Mallory Olson Jacqueline Lubrano Jennifer Waxman Molly Braswell Hannah Selleck Shelby Wakeman Sophie Verges Stephanie Underwood Tatiana Dzavik Addison Phillips Julia Nagler Nick Dello Joio Samantha Senft Sara Green Rachel Udelson Amelia McArdle Kacey McCann Cassie French Taylor Land Maya Bluestone Taylor Brown Victoria Birdsall Zazou Hoffman Kate Salzman Callie Seaman

The first 275…

The judges had originally announced #237, Alex Mladsi, as fifth on the latest standby, and I kind of wondered about that, since I recalled her having a pretty obvious bad jump at the coop.  But I bow to their wisdom.  I felt a lot better when, 10 minutes later, they announced that the number was wrong, that it should be #235, Jennifer Waxman, indicating that they thought the unlucky rail she had at the last fence despite her elegant riding wasn’t to count against her.  I’m sure Alex Mladsi was disappointed, but it made a bit more sense to me.  Whew. Matthew Metell got a little long to fence 4, but made the five strides to the planks work, and rode a very efficient, effective course.  Kimberly McCormack had a positively lovely trip, riding with a quietly effective style and making all the hard parts look easy.  Elizabeth Lubrano had a consistent, accurate ride.  Lindsay Strafuss found a long spot to fence 4, then couldn’t get her horse back to fit in the five strides to the plank verticals and stopped there.  She reapproached and was fine for the rest of the course. Lauren Patava had a little bit of trouble fitting in the five strides to the planks and then was a bit long to the last.  Caitlin Ceglarek had a rail at the second plank vertical and slipped badly in the corner after the coop that seems to now be creating some problems.  Michael Hughes, the 10-year-old phenom who so impressed at the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals (N.J.) in September, had a nice round here, with a few deep distances, but with beautiful riding.  Caitlin Maloney had a fine round, with a few marginal distances.  Suzanne Snyder stopped twice at the triple combination to be eliminated.  Olivia Fass was fine, with just a little of a quick pace.  Carly Anthony came all the way from Washington State to put in a very workmanlike round, with good, positive riding.  Amanda Goldman’s horse couldn’t balance through the turn to the Swedish oxer and stopped.  She went on to finish well.  Kathleen Barkema had a rail at fence 8, and a few long distances on an extravagantly jumping chestnut horse. Matti Fisher had a few tight distances, but a nice trip.   Emily Abruzzi had quite a nice trip, giving a positive ride to a lovely-jumping horse, but I don’t think it’ll be good enough for the second round. Tiffani Weeda left the ground long and weak at the vertical at 8, and then seemed to get caught in the footing on the turn to the Swedish oxer, getting under it and going through it.  Kels Bonham lost a bit of her horse’s balance on the turn to fence 4, but rode boldly and accurately through the course. Taylor Harris turned in a good go, with just a few distances mistakes here and there.  Kathryn Haefner got close to fence 4 and had the front rail there and then had a very awkward jump over the Swedish.  Alexandra Arute didn’t quite get the five strides to the plank vertical done, and jumped through the combination a bit weakly, but was nice everywhere else.  Kathryn Crump had a nice ride, aside from a bit of a long spot to the triple bar and to the last.  The four strides in the first line got very long for Alexandra Pirro, but she finished up well.  The footing in the corner where they turn to approach the Swedish oxer is definitely causing some problems, as horses are slipping as they try and find traction for the turn and the two strides out of the turn to the jump. Julianna Richardson got quite deep to the third jump, but managed what seems to be her pretty gray horse’s monster stride well after that.  Saer Coulter has marvelous upper-body control, and rode a very accurate and positive round. Carolyn Curcio put in a nice trip, though she was a hair deep to the narrow vertical at 8.

After all the 293 have gone…

Chelsey Zulia had chips a quite a few fences.  Johanna Hyyppa seemed to ride a little conservatively, but had a smooth, steady round.  Emily Howe’s horse took a violent dislike to the first fence, stopping quite nastily out of the corner at her first attempt. She valiantly got him down the first line, but he abruptly ducked out of the third fence, ending her day. Alexa Lieppe didn’t quite get the five to the double of planks done and got deep to the first plank.  She then had a rail at the Swedish, but put in a nice positive ride.  Robert Lee didn’t quite fit the five strides in, and had the second plank vertical down.  Fence 8 fell as well.  Allison Haspel found the four strides in the first line a little long to get, and then stopped at the triple bar, but finished well.  Kendall Meijer had multiple rails. Barri Platt of Kansas had a nice trip despite some tight spots.  Casey O’Mara found a deep spot to fence 4, then went through the first plank vertical.  She circled and then jumped the second, fence 5B.  The judges deemed her jump at 4A to have been a stop, and eliminated her for not re-jumping the whole 4AB combination.   Emma Lipman was a bit quiet to fence 2 and a rub at the coop, but had a lovely round.  Heather Frymark ran out of room in the five strides to the planks and had to whoa quite obviously.  Her horse then ran out at the narrow vertical at 8.  Alexandra Biederman was off to a lovely round, really galloping the triple bar, but lost impulsion on the turn to the narrow vertical at 8 and the horse stopped.  She finished nicely.  Woo Hoo!!! Almost done!!!  Is it still Sunday?? Rebekah Scharfe had a nice round, with a few long spots, but well ridden.  Olivia Skye Cameron galloped right up to the triple bar, but got deep to fence 8.  She finished quite nicely.  Emma Johnson’s horse jumps quite extravagantly, but she rides it well and put in a good, solid round.  Caitlin Hope had a nice, steady round with well planned turns.  Devon Martin had trouble with the oxer-plank-vertical-combination line, having the rail at the second vertical.  She also chipped at fence 8.  Hayden Warmington rode to conclude the first round (whew!) and barley fit the five strides in to the planks.  She had a hard rub at the triple bar, and a rail at the Swedish.  The final stand-by list.  Please note that it’s in the order of go for the second round, meaning in reverse order of preference…. Maya Bluestone Taylor Land Cassie French Carly Anthony Kacey McCann Amelia McArdle Rachel Udelson Caitlin Hope Sara Green Carolyn Curcio Samantha Senft Nick Dello Joio Alexandra Arute Saer Coulter Emma Lipman Julia Nagler Addison Phillips Tatiana Dzavik Stephanie Underwood Sophie Verges Shelby Wakeman Hannah Selleck Molly Braswell Jennifer Waxman Jacqueline Lubrano Mallory Olson Tina DiLandri Jessica Springsteen Kimberly McCormick

THE SECOND ROUND

(Please scroll down for the blog of all the first round action)

The second round course follows the same path as the first round, but the fences are all changed.  The first four-stride line is now oxer-to-oxer of airy birch rails, with a bending five-stride line to a single hanging birch rail.  A quick rollback, and the former oxer at fence 4 is now a vertical, and the same five- or fours-tride option exists to the two-stride in-and-out, which is now two square oxers.  The same quick left turn to the coop follows, then the turn out of the corner with a long run across the diagonal to a simple square oxer where the triple bar was.  A rollback leads to a narrow square oxer of colored raisl.  The triple combination is now a ramped oxer to a vertical, to a ramped oxer.  The last line is a fan oxer out of the corner, then a left-hand bend to a Swedish oxer.

Maya Bluestone rode well, and took the inside option from the fan oxer at 10 to the Swedish oxer at 11, the last, cutting inside 5A.  She got it done, but it wasn’t as smooth as it could have been. 

Taylor Land rode smoothly over the first part of the course, and took the outside options to the last two jumps.  She tried to get a big gallop going to the last Swedish oxer, but it backfired when her horse slammed on the brakes.

Cassie French rode well, with a few hard rubs but no major mistakes. 

Carly Anthony rode a lovely, polished round, with a swap at the narrow oxer at fence 8.

Kacey McCann was foot-perfect over the course, riding lovely lines and with an elegant flow.  She did the five strides to the double of oxers at 5AB, and rode the outside track between the last two fences, as most riders are doing.

Amelia McArdle was beautiful and mistake-free.

Rachel Udelson’s line from the five strides to the two-stride wasn’t as smooth as it could have been, and she got jumped a little loose over the oxer at 8.  She also finished with quiet distances at the last two oxers.

Caitlin Hope had a hard rub at 5A and a swap at fence 6 off the long gallop.  She rode the rest of the course very well, with a lovely last fence. 

Sara Green had to work to fit in the five strides to 5AB, but made it work.  A deep distance to the single oxer at 6 brought a rub, but she rode with a lot of style and very accurately.

Carolyn Curcio’s horse ducked out from the first jump, drawing gasps from the crowd.  She finished her course quite nicely after that, but had a rail at the last, too.

Samantha Senft got a shade deep to the coop, but otherwise had a very precise, deliberate round.
 
Nick Dello Joio showed his jumper experience with neat rollbacks and kept a lovely pace throughout, with a nice gallop to the last oxer, but had quite a few rubs.

Alexandra Arute didn’t quite fit the five in to 5AB and had a hard rub there, then was long and weak to the coop.  A big gallop to the single oxer at 6 looked like it might work, but didn’t and she chipped and had a rail there.

Saer Coulter really galloped up the first line, but got a hair deep to the fourth fence.  A lovely gallop down to the single oxer at 6 and the last oxer showed her elegant style. 

Emma Lipman had a lovely go.  The five strides to 5AB might have been a shade snug, and then she got very quiet to the last fence. 

Julia Nagler looked a touch under pace throughout, and a little weak to the coop and to 5B, but she rode very accurately and with a lovely style.

Addison Phillips put in one of her textbook rounds of bold, accurate, smooth riding, with a lovely forward ride to the single oxer at 6, invisible adjustments and a very steady pace.

Tatiana Dzavik cut the turn to the coop a bit, and found quite a tight distance there.  She finished with a brilliant ride to the last jump, though.

Stephanie Underwood rode a very steady round, with a bold ride to the single oxer and a nice forward feel.

Sophie Verges did very well to fit her long-strided horse into all the lines, but was disconcerted when the rail at the single oxer at fence 6 fell while she was approaching it, when she was about four strides away.  She circled, the jump crew reset the fence, and she continued on to jump it boldly.  She continued and finished a very polished round.

Shelby Wakeman opted for the forward, bold ride, and completed the line to 5AB in four strides, but had a rub at 5B.  Her strategy paid off, however, with a very positive, elegant round.

Hannah Selleck had a quiet ride to the single oxer at 6, not really galloping and showing off, but she turned in a very precise, sophisticated round. 

Molly Braswell, daughter of equitation trainer Bobby Braswell, has a wonderful fluid, forward style.  But she didn’t quite get her horse’s stride contained in the five strides, and had the front plank of 5A down.

Jennifer Waxman was very impressive with a bold, flowing ride that included a big gallop to the single oxer at 6 and a wonderful sense of pace.

Jacqueline Lubrano turned up the pressure with another very nice, forward and accurate ride. 

Mallory Olson had a tad of trouble fitting in the five strides to 5A, but got it done smoothly, and was very accurate and forward everywhere else.  The top three are going to have to really turn on the brilliance to stay ahead of the game.

Tina DiLandri rode the forward four to 5AB, and made it look effortless.  Her ride was smooth, precise and elegant.

Jessica Springsteen went for brilliance, picking up a big gallop to the single oxer at 6, but her horse decided that the long spot wasn’t doable, and hit the brakes.  They slid into the fence, and Springsteen found herself up the neck.  She regrouped and finished the course nicely. 

Kimberly McCormack started off with a big gallop on her opening circle and turned in a lovely flowing ride, with a nice forward jump at the single oxer, and accurate turns with an elegant style.

THE TEST

Six riders have been called back for further testing—Addison Phillips, Jacqueline Lubrano, Shelby Wakeman, Hannah Selleck, Tina DiLandri, and Kimberly McCormack.

Riders are to hand gallop fence 7 (single oxer), counter-canter fence 4 (the vertical out of the far corner).  Then, in a straight line toward the in-gate, they perform a simple change of lead and canter fence 5B.  Then, they trot both fences 1 and 2, the four-stride first line (with the oxers now small verticals).  They then were to counter-canter fence 9AB, halt, and walk out of the ring.

Addison Phillips jumped fence 7 well, and had a little bit of a rough counter-canter to 4.  She did good trot jumps, and a very nice counter-canter to 9AB. 

Jacqueline Lubrano had a good, forward fence 7, and completed the counter-canter to 4.  She walked for the simple change before fence 5B, but never got her impulsion back up and the horse stopped, and she went over his head.

Shelby Wakeman was late to get the counter-canter to 4, and never really walked for simple change, trot jumps were fine. She tried to get flying change to counter lead for 9AB, but horse kept switching to true lead. 

Hannah Selleck walked to get first counter lead and held it to 4 nicely.  She got her walk well, and then picked up the canter to jump 5B in a nice three strides.  She did good trot jumps, and had an excellent counter-canter to 9AB.

Tina DiLandri was a tad conservative in hand-gallop, walked to get counter-canter to 4 and held it well.  She got the walk for the simple change before 5B much earlier than anyone else, and picked the counter lead up easily and jumped the fence nicely.  She landed off nicely executed trot jumps in the counter lead, and held it around the end of the ring to 9AB. 

Kimberly McCormack had a nice hand-gallop, walked to get her counter lead and held it nicely to 4.  She walked for quite a few strides for her simple change and then jumped 5B very nicely.  Her trot jumps were a bit quiet, but good, and she executed a simple change to counter lead for the turn around the end of the ring to 9AB. 

THE RESULTS
1. Kimberly McCormack
2. Hannah Selleck
3. Tina DiLandri
4. Shelby Wakeman
5. Addison Phillips
6. Jacquelin Lubrano
7. Emma Lipman
8. Jennifer Waxman
9. Mallory Olson
10. Sophie Verges

Check back in tomorrow morning, Mon., Oct. 22, for a story with quotes from the judges, trainers and riders, and photos of the top placers!!!