PrintJocelyn Wiese and Lamborghini proved that you don’t have to win to become a champion.
Despite a fourth-placed finish in the young rider Grand Prix test on Saturday, their high score in the Brentina Cup test (66.41%) left them wearing the championship cooler.
“The [young rider Grand Prix test] is much more difficult for me than the Brentina Cup test,” said Wiese, Keene, N.H. “It was a really good effort from my horse and myself. There were a couple little mistakes that I wish I hadn’t had, but it wasn’t the end of the world. We were still able to recover and come out on top.”
Lauren Sprieser won the young rider Grand Prix test aboard Clairvoya (64.83%), but her first round score just wasn’t enough to push her into the top three. Wiese and “Zoomy” finished with an average of 65.36 percent, narrowly edging out Alyssa Eidbo and Johnny Cash (64.69%).
Wiese, 21, and Lamborghini, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Michellino—Abbey Row), are relative newcomers to the Grand Prix level and contested only three qualifiers in Florida and one in New Jersey before Gladstone.
She purchased Zoomy when she was 16, and they moved up the levels together with the help of Pam Goodrich of Boscawen, N.H. They spent two weeks training with her before the show, and Wiese credited much of her success to Renee Isler, a fellow rider and one of her sponsors.
“Renee made it possible for me to get to these championships,” Wiese said. “She’s been amazing, a great supporter and friend. This is my first year at this level, and it’s showing me that I’m going in the right direction towards the Grand Prix.”
Wiese worked for Hilltop Farm in Colora, Md., for the past two years, but now she’s refocused on her education and is considering going to law school. She plans on keeping Zoomy and continuing to ride and teach while she works toward her government and politics degree at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Eidbo and Johnny Cash’s reserve championship was a bit of a surprise for the 19-year-old from Atlanta, Ga.
“I wasn’t expecting to be second since I was fourth and third, so that was a wonderful surprise,” said Eidbo. “We had such consistent rides. I’m really proud of him for doing so well on both days.”
Eidbo is headed to Auburn University (Ala.) in the fall, then plans to attend veterinary school.
