Lexington, Ky.—July 18

At the top level of show jumping, the junior riders carry themselves more like mini professionals than teenagers. Press conferences are business-like affairs, with generally thoughtful answers analyzing the technicality of the course, the rideability of their mounts.

But every once in a while, you’ll be reminded these incredible athletes piloting horses over 1.45-meter courses really are still kids—such was the case when Lucy Deslauriers and Hester won the individual gold medal in the Young Rider division of the Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. Usually quite a stoic girl, Deslauriers couldn’t help but grin ear to ear throughout much of the award ceremony, and the glow hadn’t worn off by the time she hopped off Hester and sat down at the press conference.

“It’s really incredible; I really didn’t think going into this that this would be the end result,” Deslauriers said through a bright-eyed smile. “My horse jumped incredibly, and I couldn’t have asked for more of him.”

Deslauriers and Hester have already had a spectacular year—she won the Artisan Farms Under 25 grand prix series, the George Morris Excellence in Equitation class, and was circuit champion in the high junior jumper division, all at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., and was second in the Show Jumping Hall of Fame class at the Devon Horse Show (Pa.).

Despite all that success, Deslauriers had no expectations coming into the final round of the NAJYRC.

“Going into this today, I knew I was definitely kind of the underdog coming back in fifth place,” Deslauriers said. “I didn’t know how much would change.”

All she could do was pull off one last clear round (which she did over the fences, but got 1 time fault)—the rest was up to fate. If the riders placed ahead of her also pulled off clear rounds, she wouldn’t have a place on the podium.  

Enter Brittni Raflowitz and Baloumina Du Ry—the pair didn’t pull a rail in either round of the Nations Cup style team competition, an impressive feat given the grueling heat and big courses in the Rolex Stadium. The dark bay mare jumped incredibly for Raflowitz in the first individual round Saturday—she looked to be clearing some of the fences by over a foot—but a rail late in the second individual round and 1 pesky time fault meant Raflowitz would be taking the silver by fractions of a point behind Deslauriers.

Some might be disappointed to have lost gold by so slim a margin, but Raflowtiz was over-the-moon thrilled with her finish. She fought back tears in the press conference when she tried to describe what “Queen B” meant to her.

“My mare literally gave me everything she could today, I’m so happy with her,” Raflowitz said, passing the microphone quickly to Deslauriers as she smiled and wiped her eyes to keep from crying. A few minutes further into the press conference, she continued: “I never thought that I would jump three clean rounds this week with her. She literally gave me everything she possibly could, and I could not have asked for any more of her.”

Taking the bronze was Noel Fauntleroy aboard Cabras, and it looked like she would be taking home the gold when she trotted in the ring for the final individual round. The announcer boomed to the crowd that Fauntleroy could have one rail down and 1 time fault and still take the top spot. As she flew around the course, it looked like she had it. Toward the end of the course, she pulled a rail at a combination, and that’s when things got quiet. She could not have another one down. As she galloped to the final fence, aware that she could also no longer have a time fault, Fauntleroy tried to set the gelding back on his haunches before the effort, but to no avail. Cabras caught the rail, sending it down to the dirt with a dull thud.

The gold would go to Deslauriers, and boy was she thrilled with her horse. She couldn’t stop petting him in the awards ceremony.

“He’s really a dream; he’s honestly the greatest horse that I’ve ever ridden for sure,” Deslauriers said. “Going into this championship, I knew that he would definitely have the ability more than or the same as any horse here. It would just be a matter of my riding, so I was really happy with the way he went.”

And at the end of it all, Deslauriers posed for pictures with her biggest fans—her parents, grand prix riders Mario and Lisa Deslauriers.

Next on Hester’s schedule? A big break, then onto the Hampton Classic horse show (N.Y.), and with a little luck, more top finishes with his young rider.

Vivian Yowan And Vornado Van Den Hoendrik Take Junior Individual Gold

The average onlooker might be surprised by the lack of emotion from Junior riders following a medal finish.

When Vivian Yowan galloped through the timers and secured the Junior rider individual medal, she looked up at the scoreboard, spared a small smile, then reached down and patted Vornado Van Den Hoendrik on the neck. The horse had jumped an incredible five rounds without having a single rail down—no other horse in the Junior ranks can boast that record.

And yet, their performance was not followed by dramatic fist pumping, cheering or falling over the neck hugs. None of those antics from the silver or bronze medal finishers, either—just a workmanlike canter to the outgate, and a pat on the walk out. That’s because finishing in the top three of the NAJYRC doesn’t happen by accident, or catch them by surprise.

For Yowan, the gold medal came after a year of working to get to know her horse better, and a real study of how best to tackle the arduous five-round NAJYRC championship format.

“Last year maybe wasn’t my best year here; it was my first year,” Yowan said. “So this year, after last year, I kind of knew what it took. You have to be consistent to even medal.”

Horse and rider pairs that advance to the individual finals have jumped five rounds when all is said and done—the opening round, which is a faults converted speed class; the team competition, which is run like a Nations Cup, with pairs jumping the same course twice; and two individual rounds. That whole process takes place over the course of four days.

“Last year I was kind of new to this whole format, and this year I understood the speed is faults converted, so starting there where even if you have a rail, you can still be quick and higher up in the rankings going into the next day,” Yowan said.

Of course, Yowan didn’t even have a rail in the speed—she sat in third after that opening round, Mexico’s Juan Pablo Gaspar Albanez on Puertas So What in first. But when the rails started falling for the Juniors in the team competition and first individual round, the gold slipped away from Albanez—he finished with the silver, and Sophie Simpson, another rider in gold medal contention right up to the very final round, took the bronze on Why Not.

After just missing the top spot, both Simpson and Albanez joked at the press conference that next year would be a fight for the gold between them.

“I mean, of course I’m a little disappointed; I was close, but you know, the luck wasn’t really in my favor today,” Simpson said. “My mare was incredible, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. She just got a little tired and a little empty, but I’m happy standing next to good competition with a medal around my neck.”

Albanez offered similar sentiment—always the loudest cheering section at NAJYRC, Mexico’s fans couldn’t be more thrilled with Albanez’s silver medal finish, but the ambitious young rider wants more. His first appearance at NAJYRC, he finished tenth—his second, he finished seventh. This year was his third time coming, and he jumped to second.

“I think next year I’m going to do Juniors again, and have that around my neck,” Albanez said, pointing to Yowan’s gold medal. “I hope, next year.”

See all the full results from the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.