Taylor Land added individual gold to her Zone 4 Prix des States team gold tonight, Oct. 11. She came into the final phase of the four-round competition in the lead, with just 2.07 penalties to her name. She’d earned those penalties points by placing fourth in the welcome speed round, but was the only double-clear round the second night in the Nations Cup format of the team competition. 

“I was nervous when I watched the first few go, but when I got on, I kind of told myself, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’ ” Land, 16, said. “Everything came up very fast tonight.”

Land, the daughter of former USET grand prix show jumper Jay Land, rode the gray mare Canaille to the title. “She’s been amazing. I got her two years ago. She was my first real junior jumper; I’ve learned so much from her. I know her really well and she trusts me and I trust her.” This was Land’s second appearance in the Adequan/USEF Junior Jumper Championships. “Last year was a great experience. I think I had a rail in every round, but I learned a lot. This year was a huge improvement!”

Mavis Spencer, of Santa Monica, Calif., took the silver with her own clear round tonight aboard Winea van’t Vennehof.  Spencer, 17, also earned the William C. Steinkraus syle of riding award. She and her feisty bay mare won the speed leg and then added just a rail in the team competition to start the final leg with just 4 faults.  Another clean round cinched the silver. 

Winea van’t Vennehof is a fireball with an abbreviated tail. “She’s really scrappy,” Spencer said. “When we first bought her, she was turned out with a bunch of other horses and they ate her tail. And she’s rubbed it ever since. It’s just her.”  Spencer rides with Dick Carvin and Susie Schroer and said that her style of riding award “is really a testament to them. I’ve been with them for more than 5 years and I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Clemintine Goutal rounded out the individual medalists with the bronze on Kelline Fonroy.