PrintJulie Welles, 17, capitalized on the relationship she's formed with Gabby Slome's Lando to win the ASPCA Northeast Regional, held Sept. 25 at the Grand
Fall Classic in Westbrook, Conn.
Welles, of West Simsbury, Conn., typically finds herself astride whatever steed trainer Missy Clark brings to a show. She also rides the variety of mounts available at the Ethel Walker School (Conn.), where she is a student and trains with Linda Langmeier, and her mother is the assistant director of riding.
"I started riding Lando at the end of Florida. I'm planning on taking him to finals--if it actually happens, that'll be nice!" she said with a chuckle. "It definitely has made me stronger as a rider because I don't normally ride the same horse for very long, but this year has been nice having the same horse. It also helps when you catch ride other people's horses because you can relate them back to a horse you've ridden before."
Riding every day under the guidance of Langmeier and with the tutelage of Clark at shows, Welles gets a lot of input. "They both really pick on my position a lot! They're both amazing to ride with and are consistently on me," she said. "It's really nice to have two of them by the ring."
A field of 68 riders, the largest of all the regions, vied for one of Region 1's berths at the ASPCA Maclay Finals, to be held Nov. 5-6 at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament (N.Y.). Welles, who had placed third in last year's qualifier and second in the finals to Megan Young, was coming off of an already successful weekend at the Grand Fall Classic, boasting wins in all of her other equitation classes. She was sitting in first going into the flat portion of the regional and continued the trend throughout the class.
"There were a bunch of options on the course, but I don't think they really cared how you did it, as long as you did it nicely," she said. "In the second line, you could do a bending five or a direct four to the in-and-out. Missy decided that we were going to do the five because it was more of a test. The first line was really forward in three, and the next line showed how you could collect."
She opted for the more direct option in a new bending line question in the ride-off, which tested the top eight riders.
Welles, who has one more junior year remaining, appreciates the opportunity to start the indoor season on a good note. "I just really want to ride well.
Consistent riding is what gets you to the top, not one lucky round."
Help From A New Amigo
Maria Schaub, 16, who placed eighth in last year's ASPCA Maclay Finals, will be back for another shot this year, thanks in part to Nicole Chernys' 13-year-old Holsteiner, Amigo. The duo topped a field of 55 riders in the Eastern Maclay Regional, held Sept. 11 at the Long Island Classic in Old Westbury, N.Y.
Schaub's 10-year-old, Dutch Warmblood cross gelding, Whimsey, tore his suspensory at the Capital Challenge (Md.) last year after placing third in the Maclay Regionals, and she struggled through the rest of indoors on borrowed horses. Although she's been leasing Amigo since early this year, he is for sale, so she's not sure he'll still be an option when the final rolls around. She's trying to contain her excitement that Whimsey might be ready in time.
Fall Classic in Westbrook, Conn.
Welles, of West Simsbury, Conn., typically finds herself astride whatever steed trainer Missy Clark brings to a show. She also rides the variety of mounts available at the Ethel Walker School (Conn.), where she is a student and trains with Linda Langmeier, and her mother is the assistant director of riding.
"I started riding Lando at the end of Florida. I'm planning on taking him to finals--if it actually happens, that'll be nice!" she said with a chuckle. "It definitely has made me stronger as a rider because I don't normally ride the same horse for very long, but this year has been nice having the same horse. It also helps when you catch ride other people's horses because you can relate them back to a horse you've ridden before."
Riding every day under the guidance of Langmeier and with the tutelage of Clark at shows, Welles gets a lot of input. "They both really pick on my position a lot! They're both amazing to ride with and are consistently on me," she said. "It's really nice to have two of them by the ring."
A field of 68 riders, the largest of all the regions, vied for one of Region 1's berths at the ASPCA Maclay Finals, to be held Nov. 5-6 at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament (N.Y.). Welles, who had placed third in last year's qualifier and second in the finals to Megan Young, was coming off of an already successful weekend at the Grand Fall Classic, boasting wins in all of her other equitation classes. She was sitting in first going into the flat portion of the regional and continued the trend throughout the class.
"There were a bunch of options on the course, but I don't think they really cared how you did it, as long as you did it nicely," she said. "In the second line, you could do a bending five or a direct four to the in-and-out. Missy decided that we were going to do the five because it was more of a test. The first line was really forward in three, and the next line showed how you could collect."
She opted for the more direct option in a new bending line question in the ride-off, which tested the top eight riders.
Welles, who has one more junior year remaining, appreciates the opportunity to start the indoor season on a good note. "I just really want to ride well.
Consistent riding is what gets you to the top, not one lucky round."
Help From A New Amigo
Maria Schaub, 16, who placed eighth in last year's ASPCA Maclay Finals, will be back for another shot this year, thanks in part to Nicole Chernys' 13-year-old Holsteiner, Amigo. The duo topped a field of 55 riders in the Eastern Maclay Regional, held Sept. 11 at the Long Island Classic in Old Westbury, N.Y.
Schaub's 10-year-old, Dutch Warmblood cross gelding, Whimsey, tore his suspensory at the Capital Challenge (Md.) last year after placing third in the Maclay Regionals, and she struggled through the rest of indoors on borrowed horses. Although she's been leasing Amigo since early this year, he is for sale, so she's not sure he'll still be an option when the final rolls around. She's trying to contain her excitement that Whimsey might be ready in time.
