Harrisburg, Pa.—Oct. 14

When judge Geoff Teall was asked what put Brian Moggre on top in the Dover Saddlery/U.S. Hunter Seat Medal he was unequivocal in his answer.

“He did,” he quipped.

The 17-year-old from Flower Mound, Texas, stood third after the first round and laid down a flowing second trip to move into the lead heading into the final work-off. And once he was there he didn’t hold back. Judges Teall and Robin Rost Brown laid out plenty of challenges for riders, including two counter-cantered fences. While other riders opted for simple changes onto the counter lead (Augusta Iwasaki, who finished fifth, landed one of the leads and held it), Moggre showed off tough flying changes onto the counter lead around the ends of the ring after demonstrating simple changes earlier in the test.

(You can read more detail about their rounds in our round-by-round commentary.)

Brian Moggre poses with Efendi after winning the Dover Saddlery/U.S. Hunter Seat Medal Final. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

“Brian, I don’t know where you found the nerve to say ‘Now I’m just going to do it harder than everyone else even though I’m winning by a hundred miles,’ ” said Teall.

But Moggre didn’t see it that way. He gave all the credit to his mount, Efendi.

“Efendi is spectacular at the test,” said Moggre. “He’s very alert, never puts a foot in the wrong place. I really knew that if I’m on my game he’s going be right there with me. The second and third jump with the changes I opted for the simple changes there to have a quieter pace to the round. We picked it up a bit with the flying changes as opposed to try to micromanage. He knows his job, and he’s going to do his job wonderfully. If I ask him the right questions he’s going to answer them.”

Brian Moggre was in third after the first round and moved up into the lead in the second round, but his test put him in a class above the rest. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Moggre edged out 18-year-old Alexandra Worthington for the win; she moved up from 15^th to take second.

“So my goal in the second round was just to go in and not necessarily take a lot of risks, so to speak, but to try to give a bold round that would hopefully move me up,” she said. “It worked out because I was able to move into the test. There I sort of kept the same strategy, try to be bold in the test and really hand gallop, and it worked out luckily.”

Alexandra Worthington had some ground to make up after the first round, but she put in a great second round and test to take the reserve spot. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Third-placed Coco Fath was thrilled to finish as the bronze medalist aboard her mount of two years, Class Action.

“He’s the best horse I’ve ever had,” she said. “He might be old, but he can still come out here and put everything together.”

Coco Fath finished third on Class Action. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Want more from the Dover Saddlery/U.S. Hunter Seat Medal Final? We had a round-by-round commentary of every ride from the day, from first rider on course at 7 a.m. to the final test, where you can catch up on any action you may have missed.

The Chronicle will be on-site at the Pennsylvania National bringing you beautiful photos, interviews and more, so check back throughout the competition. Don’t forget to follow the Chronicle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @Chronofhorse. We will have full analysis of the competition in the Nov. 5 issue of the magazine.