Ali Taylor Lange

Ali Tritschler didn’t always want to ride. Her first riding lesson was at age 5, and she didn’t like it.
But when Tritschler told her mom that she didn’t want to ride again, she went against a generation of family equestrians and decades of USEF Pony Finals dominance.

“We were the McKinney girls,” Ali’s mom, Libby McKinney Tritschler said. “From 1967 to 1975 we were pretty competitive in the pony ring. We were fortunate enough to win, and we were just really lucky girls.”

• Red Panda, with Hayley Barnhill in the irons, won the grand hunter champion at the National Junior Hunter Championships-East. This was the second title for Red Panda, owned by John and Stephanie Ingram, though a first for Barnhill, 16, from Collierville, Tenn.

• “There was a little extra pressure with him being so famous,” Barnhill said.

• Ali Wolff and H&M Necoll came from a tough first round to win the gold medal in the young rider show jumping competition at the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. They also won a team silver with Zone 5.

• “I had two down in the speed, and I was a little slow,” Wolff said. “I wasn’t expecting much of a comeback.” But comeback she did, dropping only one rail in the next four rounds to finish with a combined score of 9.93.

• Kelly Pugh and Copycat Chloe were unbeatable, winning the individual young rider eventing championships at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. The duo finished with a score of 55.9 faults. “The whole weekend was amazing,” Pugh, 20, said. “Dressage was unbelievable. In cross-country I couldn’t have asked for more. It was the first time it all came together.”

• Missy Miller and TSF Amazing Grace came from behind to win the silver medal. The duo, from Gulf Shores, Ala., have been together since 2007.

• Ben Asselin and Lolita took the junior individual gold medal during the last day of competition at the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. 

• The duo jumped clean through the final rounds of competition and ended up as the only pair to finish with zero faults. “It still feels like a dream,” Asselin said of his five clear rounds over the course of the week. “It’s quite surreal.

• Lauren Lambert and Baba Creek moved up four places to take the lead in the young rider individual eventing championship after the cross-country phase at the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.

• Zone 10 broke the winning streak of Zone 2 and jumped to the gold medal on Friday, July 30, in the young rider show jumping team competition at the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.

• With two strong rounds the Canada-Alberta team took home the gold in the junior team jumping competition at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.

• Winzalot lived up to his name as he took Jamie Pestana to the gold medal in the junior individual dressage competition at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. The duo put in an expressive ride to score 71.10 percent.

• Pestana, from Livermore, Calif., has brought the 6-year-old Hanoverian up the levels with the help of her mom Nadine Pestana and dressage trainer Dennis Callin. “He hasn’t cared about anything here,” Pestana said.

• It was another golden day for Jhesika Wells and Intrepid, as they won the young rider individual dressage competition during the second day, Thursday, July 29, of the 2010 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. The duo scored a 70.00 percent taking both team and individual gold back to Region 5/6.

• This was the first trip to NAJYRC and the Kentucky Horse Park for Wells, from Redmond, Wash. “It feels great to come from somewhere less known and represent the area and do well,” she said.