T.J. O’Mara is your 2016 Pessoa/U.S. Hunter Seat Medal Final champion!
PLACINGS:
1st – T.J. O’Mara of Rumson, N.J., Stacia Madden, Max Amaya, Krista Freundlich, Katie Haley, Heather Williams
2nd – Annabel Revers of Weston, Mass., Peter Wylde, Carly Williams
3rd – McKayla Langmeier of East Granby, Conn., Linda and Kenny Langmeier, Missy Clark, John Brennan, Maggie Hanford, Kelly Wilson
4th – Taylor St. Jacques of Glen Allen, Va., Andre Dignelli, Patricia Griffith, Heritage Farm
5th – Emma Kurtz of Hudson, Ohio, Mike Rheinhemimer, Amanda Lyerly, Scott Stewart, Ken Berkley, Richard Slocum, Nancy Hall
6th – Sydney Hutchins of Westlake Village, Calif., Jim Hagman, Frank Madden, Adam Ottomenelli,
7th – Lucy Deslauriers of New York, Stacia Madden, Max Amaya, Krista Freundlich, Katie Haley, Heather Williams, Mario Deslauriers
8th – Madison Goetzmann of Skaneateles, N.Y., Stacia Madden, Max Amaya, Krista Freundlich, Katie Haley, Heather Williams, John and Beezie Madden
9th – Katherine Strauss of Southampton, N.Y., Stacia Madden, Max Amaya, Krista Freundlich, Heather Williams, Katie Haley, John and Beezie Madden
10th – Louisa Brackett of Grayslake, Ill. Don Stewart, Bibby Farmer Hill, Mary Unger and Leslie Steele
Reserve: Claire McKean
They’re testing four riders—McKayla Langmeier, T.J. O’Mara, Taylor St. Jacques, Annabel Revers.
THE TEST: They’ll ride in reverse order, with Annabel first, then Taylor and T.J. and McKayla.
They will canter Fence 2, canter 3, counter-canter 6B, counter-canter 7, canter 8, hand-gallop 10B and exit the ring at the in-gate.
Annabel Revers was bold over the first two fences, did a simple change through the walk to the counter lead for the third, then held the counter lead to the fourth. She was a bit conservative to the hand-gallop last jump—didn’t really let ‘er rip.
Taylor St. Jacques was conservative from 2 to 3, doing the five strides there, and landed on the counter lead. She tried to hold it, but her horse faltered a bit in his stride—not really a break but definitely a disruption of his rhythm. He then had a rail at the next vertical. She held the counter lead the the next jump well and finished with a bold hand-gallop to the last.
T.J. O’Mara was beautiful yet again. He landed on the true lead off 3, did a flying change to the counter lead, then held the lead through the turn. He landed on the true lead again 6B and did another flying change to the counter lead and held it to Fence 7. He was a shade conservative to the hand gallop fence, but I think it’s his to lose.
McKayla Langmeier did five up the line from 2 to 3 and landed on the true lead. She did a simple change through the walk to get the counter lead to fence 6B, then landed on the counter lead. But her horse swapped off the counter lead on the turn to 7, and the crowd gasped. She finished up well, with a good hand gallop to the last
ROUND 2 TRIPS (if you’re watching the live feed, Kenny Krome and Kelli Cruciotti are doing the commentary!)
Madelyn Porter got really deep to the oxer at 7 and lost a stirrup there. She did get it back quickly, but had a few hard rubs as well.
Sydney Hutchins had quite a lovely trip, with a nice flow to it.
Sophee Steckbeck had a nice even pace, but had the rail down at both the green gate and the last jump. She also found a bit of a gap into the combination at 9AB.
Louisa Brackett, whose horse goes with his tongue hanging out, had a nice stready trip over the course with just a few swaps. She rode with a lot of confidence and poise.
Grace Boston turned tight to the green gate but it didn’t pay off as her horse struggled a bit over it, flinging his front legs out. She then had the A of the vertical in-and-out at 6A down.
Eve Jobs‘ horse is an adorable gray. He was a little sticky off the ground at the first few and then she got tight to the single oxer at Fence 8, but she had a gorgeous flow to her riding and a lovely style.
Madison Goetzmann, who was the individual silver medalist in the Neue Schule/USEF National Individual Junior Jumper Championship 24 hours ago, laid down a wonderful trip, riding boldly and accurately. Really a nice round.
Katherine Bundy has to really push to get the four strides in the Fence 2 to 3 distance, then her horse got a bit shifty in the turn to the hedge at 4. Everywhere else was really quite lovely though.
Sara McCloskey was a bit slow to one and chose to do five strides from 2 to 3. Then she had the rail down at the green gate at 5. She finished with a bold ride to 9AB and 10.
Katherine Strauss did five strides from 2 to 3 and was very accurate and bold everywhere. A really nice trip for her.
Lucy Deslauriers got a tiny bit tight and quiet to the triple bar at 2 but was really lovely everywhere.
Victoria Press was also a bit deep to 2 and held for the five strides to 3, making it fit nicely. She was very good everywhere—this one’s going to be a tough one to judge as they’re making short work of this course!
Annabel Revers has a lovely consistent pace. She did four strides from 2 to 3 and it looked great. Really not much to fault in her round, other than a few rubs.
Rachael Davis was a bit deep to 1, then got impossibly tight to the green gate. Her horse took out the top rails on his way over. Then he struggled a bit over 9A. Her round was good, just a bit underpowered.
Hayden Stewart got deep to the first fence and had the front rail there. She finished well, but just didn’t have quite the brilliant pace or final polish to move up.
Adele McKenna had a few fences—the triple bar at 2 and the green gate at 5—where her horse hesitated off the ground and then hung up in the air. Her round finished well, but those weak jumps won’t let her move up in the standings.
Lolly McLellan’s pace was just a hair slow; her horse’s stride is so huge he makes it work. She did cross-canter on the way to Fence 8 but had a pleasant round otherwise.
Taylor St. Jacques just totally laid it down. There wasn’t much to fault in that round. Gorgeous rhythm, great pace, total control of her track.
Maya Nayyar had a lovely first few fences, really blod and accurate. But she lost a bit of oomph on the turn to the green gate and had it down in front. She finished up well. Her horse has an adorable jump to him.
Claire McKean was a bit quiet to 1 and 2 and her turns might have lacked a bit of polish. She got under the oxer at 7 a bit and had a hard rub on the back rail, but finished very nicely over the last line.
T.J. O’Mara got a shade close to 2 and 3, if you want to nitpick. But he has such a fluid and lovely style. Really a gorgeous round.
McKayla Langmeier, last year’s ASPCA Maclay Final champion, also laid it down today. A second round that’s hard to fault.
Emma Kurtz had a bit of a slow fence at the oxer at Fence 7, and then Clearway had a weird hesitation in the middle of the in-and-out at 9AB. But her ride was so well executed and fluid.
Ava Stearns was just a hair slow and weak to a few of the fences but had a nice, solid round. She rides with a lot of confidence and accuracy. She dropped her crop over the first fence.
Sophie Simpson got a shade deep to 2 and then looked like she decided at the last minute to fit the five strides in, but got it done. Then she lost impulsion around the turn to the gate at 5 and her horse stopped, pitching Sophie up the neck. She regrouped and circled, but she won’t be in the top 10.
THE ROUND 2 COURSE
THE FINAL STAND-BY (IN REVERSE ORDER OF PREFERENCE) AND THE ROUND 2 ORDER OF GO
260 Madelyn Porter
164 Sydney Hutchins
236 Sophee Steckbeck
207 Grace Boston
235 Louisa Brackett
24 Eve Jobs
160 Madison Goetzmann
136 Katherine Bundy
171 Sara McCloskey
229 Katherine Strauss
64 Lucy Deslauriers
181 Victoria Press
244 Annabel Revers
158 Rachel Davis
185 Hayden Stewart
107 Adele McKenna
192 Lolly McClellan
17 Taylor St. Jacques
159 Maya Nayyar
247 Claire McKean
168 T.J. O’Mara
144 McKayla Langmeier
65 Emma Kurtz
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270 Ava Stearns
167 Sophie Simpson
We’re here in Harrisburg, Pa., yet again for the Pessoa/U.S. Hunter Seat Medal Finals, where 287 of the country’s top junior riders aspire to win one of the most elusive equitation titles.
We’ll try and post every 10 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 trip, but I’ll try to keep you up to date!! Scroll down to see the most recent posting.
Disclaimer: We’re providing this as a service to those who are interested, and we’re just recording our observations. We’re not judges, just reporters who have watched the Medal Finals in their entirety for the past 16 years. You may not agree with our notes, and that’s fine—we’re not putting them out there as the authoritative word, but as information for those interested. That said, read on!
Riders 1 – 10
Caroline Ellis is the first to tackle the course—a nerve-wracking proposition for sure!—and she has a nice, steady round with a few quiet distances, but a fine effort! Lilian Kirbo rode very nicely. She had some trouble fitting three strides into the mandatory three-stride the second time through the combination, but made it work. Another solid round. Brett Burlington’s horse was quite nappy on her opening circle and she had to kick on and chase him a bit. Once she got going she was good. She had a hard run in the combination the first time through, but she had a really nice forward pace. She also rode a lovely shallow bending line through the combination the second tie to fit the three strides in.
Molly Laughlin has a rail at Fence 2 and a few tight distances. A few rubs later, and she’s completed her course. Ashley Parker gets jumped a bit loose over No. 3 and then jumps 4AB with a lost stirrup. She then has a stop at the Swedish oxer at 7. She finishes fine. Scarlett Lee Aylsworth hangs up over the Swedish oxer at Fence 7, coming down on the back rail, and has to circle to regroup. She finishes fine.
Natalie Templeton had a nice round, with no major mistakes. Emma Fletcher turned in a solid round with nothing major going wrong. Jaden Olson had a very tight distance to Fence 2 and had some turns that weren’t as organized as could be.
Lucy Heaton has a run-out at Fence 2, and then her horse runs off a bit after landing when she jumps it. She circles to get to Fence 3, then has a stop at 4AB to end her day.
Riders 11 – 20
Emma Farber finds a few gappy distances and has a few rough turns but she rides positively and finishes with a decent round. Yasmin Rizvi turns in quite a nice round, with well-executed turns. She rides a nice shallow bending line in the 10AB to get the three strides quite nicely. A really solid round with some definite polish to it. Katy Merchant’s horse looks a bit overwhelmed and stalls out on the turn from Fence 1 to 2, but she keeps going. She runs into trouble with a run-out at the gate at No. 6 and then has a stop at the Swedish oxer. That sadly ends her day.
Isabel Harbour has a tight distance to the straw bales the second time, then a rail at the oxer at 11. She leaves looking a bit disappointed in her round. Samantha Masters sadly has refusals at Fences 1 and 4A to end her day. Tyler Petrie rides quite precisely and with a lot of polish. The only glaring issue is that the three strides in 10AB got quite tight for her.
Taylor St. Jacques had a beautiful round with a lovely flow to it. I have a feeling we’ll see her ride again today. Lots of applause for her! Elizabeth Bailey made a daring tight turn to the two-stride but her horse’s huge stride made it work. She finishes nicely with a good solid round.
Phoebe Alwine had a few inconsistent distances and hovered over the Swedish oxer a bit, but finishes with no major errors. Camryn Halley has a swap in the two strides at 4AB, but rides a nice, forward round.
Riders 21 – 30
Megan Godsby has a snug distance to the green gate and looks a hair underpaced and conservative. She then has two stops at the oxer at 11, which ends her day. Paige Matthies then has two stops at the same oxer, but on her first attempt at it as Fence 3, to end her round. Sydnie Ziegler has a rail at 2 and a few turns that aren’t as balanced as they could be, but she finishes fine. Eve Jobs has a very nice round, with a few rubs but a real sense of control and pace.
Dominique Gonzalez is our rider from Puerto Rico! Her horse looks a bit impressed by the occasion, and she has a few rough turns, but she rides positively and turns in a solid round. Lauren Taylor has a rail at 3 and a run-out at the green gate at 6, but she finishes well. Leah Taylor (I assume no relation since she’s from Connecticut and Lauren was from Missouri! The Medal Final order always has some interesting combinations.) gets a bit tight to a few fences and has the top rail of the gate down. She chips to the combination the second way and has that rail as well, at 10A.
Karina Sanchez came from San Juan Capistrano, Calif. She’s a bit disorganized and has a few inconsistent distances. Eliza Month looks very polished and has a nice rhythm, but got a bit snug to 10AB. Emma Marlowe was having a nice go until the horse put the brakes on at the Swedish oxer at 7.
Riders 31 – 40
Taylor Griffiths’ horse is quite nappy as she starts her opening circle, but she gets him going and rides very positively. So much so that she catches a few quite long distances and the three strides gets snug for her. She finishes well though. Devin Seek has a lovely round, but a rail at the oxer at 11. Ellie Ferrigno has a rail at 2 and gets quite tight to 4AB. She rides nicely, but those little mistakes will keep her out of Round 2 I’d say.
Carly Hoft got underneath 4A and had the rail there. She finished up well though. Annalise Reed puts in a very carefully ridden round. She made no major mistakes, but it’s a bit underpaced and just doesn’t quite have the brilliance needed to stand out. Naomi Houillon got a bit close to a few fences and her horse has a big, elastic jump. She has a rail at 4A but a good round otherwise.
Ashley Flanagan really rides up to Fence 1, then has a swap and a rail at Fence 2. She then has a stop at the Swedish oxer, lands in the middle of it and gets a bit stuck there for a moment. The horse sorts it out, they re-approach and jump it fine and finish without further incident.
Katherine Benard rides a very positive round and is very accurate as well. I quite liked this round, but she had an unfortunate rail behind at the last. Sad face for her. Janelle Henningsen has a rail at the green gate and hangs up a bit over the Swedish, but finishes fine. Ally Marrinan gets snug to a few fences but has no major mistakes.
Riders 41 – 50
Lauren La Clair’s mount balked at the start of the course and it took them a few fences to find their rhythm. After a few rough patches they finished the last few fences nicely. Haley Redifer got a little stuck through the early turns, then stopped twice at 9 to finish the day earlier. Olivia Notman got quite tight to 4a and had a few rough distances but finished nicely.
Phoebe Backman had a swap before 4a. Riding through that combination the other way, from 9-10 she nailed the line to get the three strides perfectly. Overall a smooth, mistake-free trip. Erin Carey’s mount ticked a rail off fence 3 and had a rough fence to 5, forcing her to circle before single. She finished the second half of the course nicely.
Morgan Alessi had a stop at Fence 2 and then a rail at 4A but completed the course fine. Brooke van Ortwick got deep to 2 and then stopped at 4A. She then completed the course fine. Sarah Boral’s horse got very nappy in the turn from 1 to 2 and refused to go forward, causing the announcer to say, ‘And thank you’ to excuse her.
Madison Mitchell got a bit tight to a few fences then had a bale off the straw bale jump. The jump crew guy who ran out to replace it had to hurry to get it back in place before she returned to jump it again. The crowd hushed as he scrambled a bit, then flattened himself up against the wall to let her jump. He got a nice round of applause for his efforts at the end! Madison Busey had a nice round with just a few inconsistent distances.
We have our first stand-by!
17 Taylor St. Jacques
24 Eve Jobs
44 Phoebe Backman
12 Yasmin Rizvi
38 Katherine Benard
32 Devin Seek
7 Natalie Templeton
33 Ellie Ferrigno
Riders 51- 60
Lily Mckenna, the Chronicle’s One To Watch, got a bit underneath a few of the jumps and had trouble fitting the three strides into the double of verticals the second time, but finished well. Isabella Russekoff rode very confidently and with a lovely flow to her round. The three strides at the double the second time got a bit snug, but it was a nice round.
Helen Kirbo had a few turns that were not as balanced as they could be but she rode positively and had a solid round. Kailtyn Lovingfoss had a nice round, though she got a bit behind the motion over the Swedish oxer. Kevin Apicella had some rough turns with a horse that looked keen but he handled it well. It caught up to him the second time through the double of verticals, though, as he had the rail down at 9 and had a rough ride to 10.
Madeline Corhies’ horse was peeking at the jumps quite a bit and she had a rough ride at 1 then stops at 2 and 4A. She gave him some nice encouragement with pats, though, instead of anger or frustration, so major points to her! Ivy Watson had a rail at 2 but she rode very accurately and finished up well. Kaitlyn Williams had a stop at 3, but regrouped and finished well.
Sophie Michaels rode with a lot of accuracy and polish. She had a hard rub coming out of the combination the second time, but I’d say we’ll see her ride again. Rachel McMullen is our first rider of the day to come off, as her horse stops at 4B and she pops off his shoulder. It’s a long walk out of the ring on foot but she gets applause.
Riders 61 – 70
Claire Azar is just a bit underpaced and runs into trouble at the three-stride combination when the horse runs out. She jumps 9 again when she re-approaches and is called off course.
Logan Landfried ran into trouble at the Swedish oxer, having a stop, and then had another stop at 11. Raleigh Hiler’s horse stumbles on lading from 1 but she recovers well. She lost her stirrup in the process and finished the course without getting it back, but finished with no major mistakes. Lucy Deslauriers turns in a really beautiful round on Class Action. That should put her into the standby I’d say.
Emma Kurtz is riding the famous Clearway, who won this class with Lillie Keenan. She has a few rubs but turns in a really lovely round.
Megan Hilton rode quite accurately and had a solid round. Chloe Wilkenfeld’s horse is acting up on the opening circle and looks nervous for the first few fences, but she gave him confidence and they finished nicely.
Paulina Terranova cross-cantered on the way to 2 and then had a very awkward jump over the straw bales at 5 but finished just fine. Fiona Steinmetz has a rail at 4A and gets tight to the green gate. Hannah Woolley had a nice round with just a few inconsistent distances.
Riders 71 – 80
Cameron Glassman had stops at 3 and 4A to end her day. Isabelle Song got deep to 1 and had a rail at 2, then stopped at the last jump. Bailey Imbus had a rub at 4A and then had that same rail down on the second time through the combination. Alexandra Pielet had a good round with just a little bit of a stutter off the ground at the straw bales. Wynne Weatherly had a rough ride at 3 and had to circle to regroup. Her horse then stopped at the same jump the second time as Fence 11.
Elizabeth Summers swung wide on a few of the turns and got jump loose a few times but finished with major mistakes. Melissa Deryn Foster has a rail at 4A and a few snug distances.
Aubrienne Krysiewicz-Bell has a nice solid round with no major mistakes. Ashley Scott Armstrong’s horse is a bit erratic off the ground for her and she has some awkward jumps. Her horse is obviously tense and worried, but she rides him sympathetically as they finish up. Katrina Tiktinsky has quite a nice round, with a good forward rhythm. The three-stride gets a bit sung but she rides very accurately.
Riders 81 – 90
Brooke Deschamps’s horse hesitated off the ground a few times and she got deep a few places. Daisy Farish had a very polished round on a lovely jumping horse. We’ll see her ride again this afternoon. Lielle Rhodes’ horse looked a bit reluctant and sticky, but she rode him positively to finish with no major errors. Adam Edgar got deep to 4A then crashed through 4B, with the horse stumbling and almost falling. He had to circles to collect himself, then finished without further incident.
Chelsea Le Moine was hacing a nice trip until the horse hit the brakes at Fence 9. She finished up fine after re-approaching it. Meghan Knapic had a solid round—the three-stride just got a bit tight for her. Samantha Cohen had a nice round with just a few hard rubs. Ashley Delise turns in quite a nice round with no major errors.
Kathryn Kramer has a solid trip. Paige Junker has a rail at 4A and then a run-out at the green gate. She regroups and finishes just fine.
Riders 91 – 100
Hannah Coleman got deep to 4A and to the green gate, and had the gate down. Then she stopped twice at the Swedish at 7, which ended her round. Mackenzie Altheimer chips in the two-stride but rides quite positively and finishes fine. Emma Giovannucci’s horse is another one whose eyes are bugging out a bit. He’s OK until the Swedish, where he stops twice.
Nina A. Rotondo’s horse spooked a bit off the ground at 2 and they got deep to 4A. She didn’t get the three strides done between 9 and 10, leaving the ground at two and getting a bit left behind. Isabella Littlejohn got deep to a few fences and then ran out at the green gate. A stop at the Swedish oxer at 7 ended their round.
Marnina Seller stopped at Fence 9,, then had a rail at 11. Cayla Fisher’s horse was sticky over the first few fences but then got going. Her second half was quite nice. Tess Lenihan lost a stirrup in an awkward jump over 3 but got it back after fence 6. She got very jumped loose over the Swedish oxer but finished fine.
Alyssa Difazio got deep to 1 then lost impulsion around the turn to 2 and had a stop. Another stop at the Swedish oxer at 7 ended their round. Cooper Dean turned in a really lovely round, which we’re surprised didn’t put him on the standby! (Do you know who Cooper Dean is? You probably should!)
Here’s stand-by No. 2…
65 Emma Kurtz
17 Taylor St. Jacque
64 Ludy Desla
24 Eve Jobs
82 Daisy Farish
87 Samantha Cohen
78 Aubrienne Krysiewicz-Bell
66 Megan Hilton
44 Phoebe Backman
89 Kathryn Kramer
52 Isabella Russekoff
12 Yasmin Rizvi
74 Alexandra Pielet
54 Kaitlyn Lovingfoss
38 Katherine Benard
Riders 101 – 110
Taegan Long had quite a nice round. Emma Lena Green had a sticky few fences in the first half of the course and a rail at 3. She was a bit underpaced the whole way around, then had a stop at 9. Cassidy Wilbourn was a bit inconsistent for the first few fence and got jumped loose over the Swedish. She had a rail at 9 but finished fine. Tyler Raftery had a few inconsistent distances but no major errors. Savannah Bednash had a refusal at 1 and then again at 2 for a very short Medal Final day.
McKenzie Shearon then had two stops at 1 to end her day. (Mollie and Molly of COTH are making sure to clap for every rider who has to leave the ring without jumping all the jumps!)
Adele McKenna had quite a nice round with a good forward rhythm. Julia Tait had a nice solid round with no major errors. Allison Zimmerman had two stops at fence 1 to end her round without jumping a jump. Jordan Allen has a rail at 2 and then scrambles over 3. She circles before 4AB, then has a rail there too. She finishes with a few hard rubs and another rail at the last.
Riders 111 – 120
Ransome Rombauer’s horse jumped through the top rail of 2, but then she got a good rhythm going and finished up nicely. Samantha Wight has a rail at the oxer at 11 but overall a really nice round with a good pace and well-ridden turns. Lauren Rachuba’s turns weren’t quite as organized as they could have been, and she got left behind over the Swedish. The three strides got tight and she had the out of that combination down.
Lauren Brown had a few awkward jumps and added in the two-stride. She had a rail at 10 but finished fine. Elli Yeager rode very nicely with a good flow to her track. She had quite a nice round. Katherine Sargent got a bit quiet to a few fences but had no major mistakes. Aristea Santoro had a drive-by at Fence 2 but was on the re-approach. Then the horse stopped at 3 to end her day. Abigail Brayman turned in a quite an accurate and nice round. She was in control of her pace and track the whole way around.
Parker Wright rode quite well, with good decisions and a lot of confidence. Alle Durkin’s horse lost his power steering on some of the early turns and had 4A down. He tried to stop at the straw bales their second time jumping it and she kicked him on, so they toppled the bales as he landed in them. He jumped it fine on attempt #2 and they finished well.
Riders 121 – 130
Gianna Cobb got under Fence 2 and had it down. The same thing happened at 4A and she circled out of the combination. Another stop at 5 ended their round. Grady Lyman got a bit close in the two-stride and her mount had 4b down behind. The rest of the trip was lovely. Mackenzie Palmer has fence 2 down, and got into the double a bit snug but still got out in the two. She circled before 6 and completed the course with no other problems with lots of pats for her horse after the trip. Jessica Stone rode a smooth round with no mistakes.
Katie Schell’s horse said “no” to the green gate on their first approach then jumped it fine. She then had a rail at 9 but finished up well. (Is anyone out there reading this?) Taryn Fall had a good round with no major mistakes; she rode positively. Jorja Rose Jones cross-cantered in the corner after 3 then got deep to 4A. She was a little long andweak to the Swedish oxer and the horse had to double-clutch in the air over it. Lurella Lopresti has a rail at 2 and gets deep to the straw bales the first time. Her horse hung up a bit over the Swedish then she had a rail at 9.
Caroline Dance gave us quite a scare when she and her horse had a miscommunication about leaving the ground at 4B and he stumbled, flipping her over his head. She landed hard on her rear end and took a minute to get up, but walked out of the ring. The horse broke his bridle but was caught without issue. They both seemed fine, if a bit bruised. Addison Piper had quite a nice round without any issues.
Riders 131 – 140
Caroline Bald had a nice, solid round. Madigan Eppink had a rough ride to 2 and then stopped twice at the same jump the other way, Fence 9, to end her day. Nina Columbia got a bit deep in a few places but was otherwise quite nice. Abigail Grace Kelley rode quite nicely and had a solid round. Mary Elizabeth Cordia had a nice round with a good flow but a few inconsistent distances. Her three-stride line was so well done.
Katherine Bundy was having a nice go but brought down the rail at 9. Katie Eppinger had a stop at 2 and got left behind a bit over the Swedish oxer at 7. She finished fine. Samantha Gastelum got a hair quiet to a few fences bu had an otherwise very nice trip.
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Amanda Atkins got jumped loose a bit over 3, then chipped in the two-stride. She finished up well, though. Elizabeth McKim had a few rubs and got snug to the green gate but otherwise rode a nicely accurate track.
Riders 141 – 150
Ericka Kosinski had a few rubs and the three-stride got snug for her, but it was a nice round with a good forward rhythm and ridden accurately. Grace Saad had quite a nice round with just a few distances a hair off the mark. Callie Rheinheimer got quite tight to Fence 1 then had a rail at 2. She trotted on the turn to 4A, and then the horse stopped twice at the straw bales despite some good old fashioned Pony Club kicking on Callie’s part.
McKayla Langmeier is one expected to do well, as she won last year’s ASPCA Maclay Final. She rides with a lot of authority and polish, with a lovely flowing track. I’d say we’ll see her again this afternoon.
Raegan Rast got a bit deep to a few and had some rubs before pulling a rail at 10 on the way out of the three-stride. Darby Pease has a tall, long horse and her turns aren’t as balanced or polished as they could be, but she has a good solid round. Sophie Transou had a nice round with no major errors. Hannah Janson got a bit snug to the straw bales then found a long one to the Swedish. Otherwise she had a nice, consistent round with a good pace. Elizabeth Ekberg was a bit underpaced to the first few and had 4A down. She picked things up and finished up well. Catherine Apostol had a few rubs and the gate down at 6. She finished well though.
The third stand-by is…
65 Emma Kurtz
144 McKayla Langmeier
17 Taylor St. Jacques
107 Adele McKenna
64 Lucy Deslauriers
136 Katherine Bundy
24 Eve Jobs
82 Daisy Farish
87 Samantha Cohen
78 Aubrienne Krysiewicz-Bell
66 Megan Hilton
118 Abigail Brayman
44 Phoebe Backman
89 Kathryn Kramer
52 Isabella Russekoff
115 Elli Yeager
12 Yasmin Rizvi
74 Alexandra Pielet
54 Kaitlyn Lovingfoss
146 Darby Pease
Riders 151 – 160
Hana Beiling’s horse looked a bit undone on the opening circle then stopped at 4A. She got him going and finished up fine with just a bobble here and there. Taylor Chevalier had a bit of an awkward jump at 3 and at a few other places but had no major mistakes. Avery Albanese had a nice, solid round.
Grace Jordan’s horse said an emphatic “no” the first time approaching the Swedish oxer but jumped it fine the second approach. She finished up with no other major errors. Alexander Paul Florian cross-cantered on the turn to 2 then got a bit more organized. He did have trouble fitting in the three strides but finished without incident.
Celeste Purdom had two stops at fence 2 to end her day. Brian Moggre had really quite a nice trip. It will be interesting to see if the judges use him—he and Cooper Dean are similar in that they’re very effective and accurate riders but without the “pretty” equitation style.
Rachael Davis has a few sticky fences to begin but finishes well. Maya Nayyar turns in what’s really a lovely round. She has a few rubs, but uses the track so well. Madison Goetzmann then takes her turns and really lays it down. She had a very pretty trip.
Riders 161 – 170
Jordan Stiller cross-cantered to the straw bales at 5 and got under that jump and had an awkward effort. She finished without any other issues. Kathleen Harrigan got quite deep to 2. She kicked on and got going, but lost a stirrup briefly as well. Camille Leblond unfortunately got flipped over her horse’s head when he stopped at Fence 2. She walked out uninjured. Sydney Hutchins saw a long one the second time to the straw bales! But she had an otherwise very professional round, very accurately ridden with a lovely flow to it.
Julia Curtis got a bit snug to a few fences and her horse jumped awkwardly over the straw bales, giving it a good peek, but she rode well. Savannah Andrews had a rough adjustment in the three-stride, almost breaking to the trot, and then had the rail down at the out vertical.
Sophie Simpson’s horse has a classical jump and she rides him so confidently and accurately. She has a beautiful round that would be hard to find a flaw with. T.J O’Mara is coming in fresh off a win in the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search-East. He has a few rubs, but just a really well-ridden trip with an accurately planned and executed track and a lot of style to his riding.
Jamie Morris turned in a nice round with no issues. Kari Fossum has a stop at Fence 2 and then again at 4A to end her day.
Riders 171 – 180
Sara McCloskey has a nice trip with no major errors. Darby Albanese gets under Fence 2 a bit and is just a bit inconsistent elsewhere on course but has a solid round. Rawleigh Harris had a bit of a stutter off the ground at 4A and her turns lacked some polish, but she finished well. Amanda Pennington’s horse ducked out at Fence 2, then jumped it on their second approach. He stopped again at 4A though, ending their round.
Grace Grove had stops at the first two fences, putting an end to their day. Caitlyn Sheffer had a bit of a rough turn to 2 and then a rail at 4B. Then her horse stopped at Fence 11. She finished up over the last fence fine. Kara Saladino turns in a solid round, though she had a tough time fitting her big horse into the tight three-stride distance and didn’t have the most elegant of jumps at the out of the combination.
Brianna Mentle had two stops on course. Samantha Lombardo had a few hard rubs, then a rail at 11, but an otherwise solid and well-ridden round. Samantha Peck’s horse way overjumped Fence 1, then jumped 2 from almost a stop. He overjumped at 3 again and landed on the back rail, so she circled before 4A. He’s obviously a bit overwhelmed and stops at the Swedish. She regroups and finishes, though, giving hi some good experience and confidence. His last two jumps were much better and he got pats on the way out.
Riders 181 – 190
Victoria Press turns in another lovely round, with a great flow and sense of pace. Alexandra Worthington has quite a nice round but with a rail at 10. Trinity Hammerschmidt got a bit deep to 2 and had the rail there. Then she didn’t quite make the three strides clear to her horse and he stopped at Fence 10.
Abigail Albrecht got deep to 4A then added in the two-stride. She was also a bit inconsistent with distances a few other places and had a rail at 11.
Hayden Stewart turns in a really nicely ridden round, with a great pace and wonderful track. There is some whooping from the in-gate. Emily Perkins was a bit long here and bit short there and had a rail at 4B. Natalie Stoyko was a bit underpaced and had some gappy moments. McKenna Norris had a long one to fence 3 then a rail there. She stopped at 4a twice to end her trip early, but had pats for her partner on the way out. Alexandria Beneson rode a confident course. She got a little long over the strawbales the second time, but had no problems. Carolina Crossfield had a mistake-free round with a few uneven distances.
Peyton Warren, who won the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Medal—West, rode a very smooth trip staying on the same forward pace throughout. Lolly McLellan rode a very careful track and all the jumps came up beautifully out of stride. She has big pats for her lovely horse as they come out of the out-gate.
Kendra Gierkink had a nice round with no issues. Lili Kaissar got deep to 4A then had 4B down. She had the same rail down the other way, when was 9. Ellyn Fritz had a rail at 2 and got deep to the straw bales. Sophia Hall had stops at Fence 1 and 4A, which ended her day.
Briley Koerner has a rail at 2 and then another at 9 but is good over the rest of the course. Elizabeth Husak had a nice solid round without mistakes. Kirsten Ostling’s horse looked impressed and had a rail at before putting his front feet down into the oxer at 3.
The fourth stand-by is…
167 Sophie Simpson
65 Emma Kurtz
144 McKayla Langmeier
168 T.J. O’Mara
159 Maya Nayyar
17 Taylor St. Jacques
192 Lolly McClellan
107 Adele McKenna
185 Hayden Stewart
158 Rachel Davis
181 Victoria Press
64 Lucy Deslauriers
171 Sara McCloskey
136 Katherine Bundy
160 Madison Goetzmann
24 Eve Jobs
164 Sydney Hutchins
82 Daisy Farish
87 Samantha Cohen
78 Aubrienne Krysiewicz-Bell
191 Peyton Warren
66 Megan Hilton
118 Abigail Brayman
157 Brian Moggre
193 Kendra Gierkink
Riders 201 – 210
Coco Fath ran into trouble early, having a run-out at Fence 2. She finished up fine after that. Emma Wujek had quite a nice round, with a good flow and a very accurate track. Maria Hackney had a nice go, but the three-stride got very tight for her.
Olivia Bloch had a very nice round with just a few hard rubs. Alexa Aureliano had a refusal at 3. Olivia Woodson’s horse spooked and spun on her opening circle and was tense for the first few fences, but then they got into a rhythm and she had a lovely second half of the course other than the three strides getting snug for her.
Grace Boston had a really pretty round, with a nice forward pace and an accurately ridden track. Coleman Holland got a bit quiet to a few fences and had the out of the three-stride down.
Hunter Holloway is ready to win one, after picking up top-three placings in all the major equitation finals in the last two years. She laid down a good trip, with just a hard rub at Fence 3 and some lead change issues to mar it. Jake Wasson had a nice, consistent round.
Riders 211 – 220
Rachel Rothenberg had a nice, consistent round without any major errors. Sara Green was having a nice round until on the turn to the Swedish oxer her horse tripped badly. It looked like caught a shoe with a back foot and he stumbled. She had to circle to re-group but carried on. She then had a rail at 9 and finished up well.
Skyler Fields was a bit long and weak to the Swedish oxer and the horse swam through the rails. Skyler came off over his head. They both walked out of the ring fine. Hallie Grimes took a flier to the first fence, making the crowd hold their breath, but got away with it. Then she had a run-out to the gate. She finished up well.
Maverick Helmer (cool name Maverick!) had quite a credible round with just a few minor distance issues.
Addison Howe walked out of the ring early after two stops at Fence 4A. Carly Adler’s horse got a laugh from the crowd when he tried to snatch a bite of the straw bales after he’d stopped at them. Sadly, he stopped again at the Swedish (with no snacking) to end their round early.
Emma Callanan hung up a bit over the Swedish and then had trouble fitting the three strides in the combination. Adelaide Toensing had a nice, consistent round. Allison Postier swung wide on a few turns and wasn’t quite as accurate as she could have been.
Riders 221 – 230
Gabrielle Bendall had a refusal at 3 but finished up fine. Clara Bechtold had a rail at Fence 2 and was sticky at the Swedish oxer. She finished up fine. Shannon Eckel had a rough ride on the turn to the Swedish oxer and then a refusal there. She finished up fine. McKenzie Maloney had a stop at Fence 3 then crashed through it on attempt 2. After a rough fence at 4A she left the ring. Rhian Murphy had a stop at 3, and then fell off at a refusal at the Swedish oxer.
Grace McEneaney had rough jump over 3 and lost both stirrups. She didn’t get them back until just before the Swedish oxer, where she got jumped loose a bit. She had some tight distances after that but got a lot of applause.
Alexa Schwitzer chipped in the two-stride and got discombobulated. She had to circle before the green gate after losing her stirrups, and then when she circled again before the Swedish at 7, she was excused. Maddie Minnick had two refusals at Fence 3 for a premature exit from the ring.
Katherine Strauss put in a very sophisticated ride, riding a well thought-out track and making great stride adjustments. Abigail Russo had a nice round with just a few quiet distances.
Riders 231 – 240
Natalie Jayne had a few awkward jumps and then stopped at the Swedish oxer. She finished up well. Brooke Lutzi had a bit of trouble maintaining a consistent pace but had a round with no major issues. Emily MacLean rides an adorable bald-faced horse! He didn’t cooperate, however, stopping at Fence 10 after she didn’t quite fit the three strides in the distance. They finished up fine.
Tanner Korotkin rode a nice round, with just a few turns lacking a bit in finesse. Louisa Brackett just put in quite a nice round with excellently executed turns and a good flow to it. Sophee Steckbeck also just put in a lovely trip.
Kelsey Allen had a stop at 4A but jumped it on the second attempt. She finished up fine with just some rough steering issues. Miguel Wilson got deep to 1 and had a few erratic distances. Jackie MacDonald got deep to 2 and had a rail there. Then she got jumped quite loose over the Swedish and barely got back into the saddle before the straw bales at 8. She lost her stirrups and finished the course with just one iron. Kelsey King had a nice round with no major faults.
Riders 241 – 250
Elizabeth Ecclestone had stops at 1 and 2 to end her day. Courtney Osborne was riding positively, but a bit haphazardly, then had two stops at the Swedish oxer. Tali Dejong chipped jumping into the 4AB combination and added a stride inside it. Then she had a rail at the green gate and another at the oxer at 11.
Annabel Revers turned in quite a lovely trip, with a nice flow and good sense of pace. Asha Jain found a quiet distance into 4AB then her horse stumbled badly in the middle of the combination. They recovered in time to jump the B element well, but then had a rail and a few tight distances later.
Catalina Peralta had to chase a bit to get the two strides in 4AB and was just a little inconsistent throughout the course. Claire McKean had a nice, solid round. Madeline Schaefer was having a lovely go until her horse switched leads multiple times on the turn to 9-10. They ended up very deep to 9 and the horse pushed the rail out of the way and then hopped over it on the ground, dislodging Maddie a bit. She recovered quickly, circled, and finished well.
Grace Cunningham had a rail at 4A then got way deep to the green gate. She then had rails at 9 and 10 as well. Isabella Blue Baxter had a nice round with just a few rubs and iffy distances.
The fifth stand-by…
167 Sophie Simpson
65 Emma Kurtz
144 McKayla Langmeier
168 T.J. O’Mara
247 Claire McKean
159 Maya Nayyar
17 Taylor St. Jacques
192 Lolly McClellan
107 Adele McKenna
185 Hayden Stewart
158 Rachel Davis
244 Annabel Revers
181 Victoria Press
64 Lucy Deslauriers
229 Katherine Strauss
171 Sara McCloskey
136 Katherine Bundy
160 Madison Goetzmann
24 Eve Jobs
235 Louisa Brackett
207 Grace Boston
236 Sophee Steckbeck
164 Sydney Hutchins
204 Olivia Bloch
82 Daisy Farish
Riders 251 – 260
Mackenzie Snider had a very nice round with no major errors. Giavanna Rinaldi got deep to the green gate and had a rail there. Erika Jokobson had a nice, pleasant round with just a few minor distance problems.
Zoe Kirsch had a nice round without any issues. Jordyn Rose Freedman turned in a pretty round with a perfect pace and a great sense of the track. Kamryn Steel had a rail at 4A but finished up well. Madison Sellman laid down quite a lovely trip with great style.
Olivia Albright had a rail at 4B and then a run-out at the green gate at 6. Summer Hill had a nice go with a lovely pace throughout. Madelyn Porter also had quite a nice round, with just a little bit of a wander in the three-stride.
Riders 261 – 270
Amanda Shaw had a stop at the Swedish oxer but finished the course just fine. Hayley Mairano had quite a nice trip with no major errors. Mackenzie Russ had a stop at 2 and then had a drive-by at the green gate. Celia Bresch was just a little close there and a little far there on the distances but had a nice round.
Faith Davis had a good round with no major errors. Emma Dubinsky got deep to a couple fences and was a bit unbalanced on the turns. Victoria Orlin had a nice round with no major errors. Sophia Pilla’s round was good, with no issues other than hanging up over the Swedish oxer a bit.
Victoria Walton rode very forward but was a bit disorganized on a few of the turns. She finished with no major faults. Ava Stearns turned in quite a nice round, with a consistent and forward pace and well-planned turns.
Riders 271 – 276
Hannah Doherty turned tight to 2 and paid for it with a stop there. She then had 4B down. By the end of the course, the Hannah lost her brakes a bit and had a few mistakes. Emma Glaunert had a rail at 4B and then came down on the back rail of the Swedish oxer. She had to circle to regroup but finished OK.
Grace Jackson’s horse tripped a bit after 2 but recovered. She had a run-out at the straw bales at 5 but jumped it on try 2. Then she got jumped out of the tack over the Swedish and didn’t get back in the saddle in time to jump the straw bales the second way. The second refusal eliminated her.
Alexa Schwartz rattled a few rails in the cups and the horse spooked at the straw bales a bit. Cole Battershall had quite a few hard rubs and some rails as well as some haphazard distances, but finished up OK. Carter Anderson had a loud round as her horse rubbed quite a few jumps, but a steady and competent trip.
LAST ONE!!!!! Rylee Shufelt got way tight to 2 and went through it. The horse is taking her past the distances in a few places. She circles before the Swedish.
The final stand-by! They’ll jump in reverse order for Round 2.
167 Sophie Simpson
270 Ava Stearns
65 Emma Kurtz
144 McKayla Langmeier
168 T.J. O’Mara
247 Claire McKean
159 Maya Nayyar
17 Taylor St. Jacques
192 Lolly McClellan
107 Adele McKenna
185 Hayden Stewart
158 Rachel Davis
244 Annabel Revers
181 Victoria Press
64 Lucy Deslauriers
229 Katherine Strauss
171 Sara McCloskey
136 Katherine Bundy
160 Madison Goetzmann
24 Eve Jobs
235 Louisa Brackett
207 Grace Boston
236 Sophee Steckbeck
164 Sydney Hutchins
260 Madelyn Porter
