![]() Work-off scores were not announced and riders performed directly after the previous one had finished. They were then asked to back their horses 3-5 steps, pick up a canter to 5, counter canter 6, and return to the line. ![]() The top six riders were required to canter directly from the lineup to fence 1, canter fence 2, counter canter fence 3 and canter fence 4, then halt. Yesterday’s Phase One winner Katherine Dash sat in close second after a combined score of 168, Kate Abajian in third with 167.50 total, Katie Browne fourth with 167, Miela Gross in fifth earning 165.50, and Juliana Ball rounding out the top six with 165.25. Sitting eighth after the Phase One, Stella Buckingham finished Phase Three at the top of the standings after a strong second jumping round of 86.5 led to a combined score of 168.50. Riders who were able to successfully balance their horses’ stride and impulsion throughout received well-earned solid scores from judges. The lightweight wooden rails making up fences 9 and 10 also fell multiple times. Many riders had trouble navigating the hay bale square of elements, as well as the bending lines and rollbacks twisting into the single outside line and bounce. The rest of the fences in the twelve-element course were incorporated in a series of carefully measured lines, a delicate scoop-fence bounce, and a daring hand gallop finish to the final oxer. The course for the day’s competition took center stage, featuring a prominent square of hay bales interspersed with jumps 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, and 10. All riders with a score of 60 or better from Phase One were invited back, bringing the entry total for the second day to 61. Phase Three commenced at 8am on Wednesday morning. The unusual opportunity to receive such extensive feedback from the panel highlighted the educational components of the class and gave riders numerous options for improvement in the third phase the following morning as well as a new perspective on equitation. Traurig commented on how they handled each portion of the course, i.e., using combination of direct and indirect rein aids to keep a horse straight to the trot fence, or influencing the landing to land on certain lead, or choosing to land then swap to counter canter, to show off skills.Īfterward, Tonya Johnston gave a “Mental Skills” presentation and then Traurig, Madden, Healey, Johnston, and Maskrey-Segesman answered inquiries from the riders. Riders and trainers attended a video presentation of “Equitation – An American Tradition of Excellence,” which included slow motion videos of five winning rounds from recent years of the Maclay Finals. Phase Two was conducted at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, that evening. ![]() Katherine Dash, a student of Brookway Stables, led the pack after the first round with a score of 85. “Jump number one was a big hay wall covered in ivy, and I knew I had to get my gallop and set my pace from there.” Her plan paid off as she navigated the trickier elements of the course and earned a score of 84. “My goal for the entire course was staying on pace,” she said. Katie Browne, who rides with Elvenstar, sat second after Phase One. ![]() Opening remarks from the judges – video from Show Jumping LifeĪfter a mandatory riders’ meeting and subsequent warm-up round in the morning, Phase One officially began on Tuesday afternoon when 71 competitors set out to tackle the expansive course, which asked questions of adjustability, pace, and fluidity around bending lines and tight rollbacks. Honorable judges Bernie Traurig and Stacia Madden presided over each jumping phase and provided written comments for each competitor alongside the open numerical scoring format. She also served as technical delegate and was on hand as a mentor to all participants, along with mental skills coach Tonya Johnston. The courses in the challenge were designed by Karen Healey. “I’m looking for it to be something that’s enjoyable and educational and something that people can walk away from and say, ‘Wow, that was a great experience. Georgy Maskrey-Segesman, owner and operator of Whitethorne, a premier hunter-jumper sales barn, created the class with the goal of providing more education for equitation riders on the West Coast. Day Two all competitors with a score of 60 or better returned for the second round, followed by a work-off of the top six scoring riders. The inaugural class took place over three phases, with Day One featuring the jumping phase over a 3’3″ Hunter Derby type track plus an educational presentation and Q&A phase with all riders, trainers, and judges that evening. Stella Buckingham and Nom de Guerre – photo by McCool Moving up from eighth to first, twelve-year-old Stella Buckingham earned an impressive win aboard Nom de Guerre. San Juan Capistrano, CA – J– Over seventy junior and amateur entries took to The Oaks International Grand Prix Field for the inaugural American Tradition of Excellence Equitation Challenge, presented by Whitethorne. ![]()
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