Lexington, Ky.—Nov. 5

Brett Burlington wasn’t thinking about winning a gold medal the morning of the final class in the four-round USEF Under-25 Championship series at the CP National Horse Show. Her horse Bluf had jumped well throughout the week’s classes but pulled a rail in the second round, bumping Burlington down the rankings. Competitor Hilary McNerney had jumped clear so far, and if she could pull off one more faultless effort, no one could keep her from the gold medal.   

“For [today’s final round], I knew that even if I jumped clear there was still a chance of Hilary also jumping clear and keeping her place in the gold position. So today I was surprisingly not as stressed as I expected I would be because I knew the only thing I could possibly do is jump clear,” said Burlington, 17. “My focus was just on jumping clear, and I knew everything else would just have to play out however it would.”

Brett Burlington and Bluf. Photo by Lisa Slade.

That stress-free riding is exactly what won Burlington the championship—riders came back in reverse order for the final round, so all eyes were on McNerney, waiting to see if she could hold her gold medal position. Burlington had managed her clear round, and when McNerney pulled two rails, it was Burlington who earned the gold medal.  

“I’m really excited. I didn’t come into the final expecting to win. I knew my horse would do his job, I just didn’t know whether or not I would be able to hold it together for all of those rounds, so I’m really pleased with how he went and pleased with how I rode also,” said Burlington, Coral Gables, Fla. 

Burlington has been riding Bluf for a little over a year.   

“I’ve been showing him in the high juniors at the [Winter Equestrian Festival, Fla.] and also the U-25 grand prix classes, and I did him in a few welcome grand prix [classes] and regular grand prix [classes] in Kentucky and Traverse City [Mich.], and he’s been so great,” Burlington said. “He’s a lot of fun to ride. He’s easy to get ready, and he always does his job.” 

Burlington is a senior in high school this year, and plans on attending Southern Methodist University (Texas) in the fall of 2017. Burlington trains with Shane Sweetnam out of his Sweet Oak Farm in Wellington, Fla., and is unsure of how her future riding plans will work with school, but enjoys the niche young up-and-coming riders are able to fill in the U-25 divisions. 

“It’s great because it is a step above the high juniors, so it allows you to challenge yourself a bit more, but it’s also not like showing against Kent and McLain and all of those guys,” Burlington said with a laugh. “It’s a good middle ground between the two.” 

Eve Jobs Captures Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship 

Eve Jobs trotted into the Alltech ring at this year’s CP National Horse Show looking for redemption. 

The 18-year-old rider from Los Altos Hills, Calif., competed in the same jumper division at last year’s National Horse Show, and it didn’t go her way. 

“I had a rail down in the classic, and I was pretty bummed about it, and coming back this year and being able to win it is amazing,” Jobs said. “I’m so happy.” 

Eve Jobs and Calizz. Photo by Lisa Slade.

Jobs was up on the 11-year-old mare Calizz, a horse she found in Europe in December last year. 

“She was really straightforward, and she has a great mind and is really brave, and we matched well together,” Jobs said. 

In the final class for the amateur-owner/junior jumper division this year, Jobs jumped off against eight other riders, and she had to go second in the order. The only rider she watched attempt the short course was Cooper Dean, who put down a lightning fast time but pulled a rail at the final fence. 

“I think seeing him do the nine [strides] to the last fence, I knew I had a little bit of a bigger stride on my mare, so I could get there,” Jobs said. “Which was really nice to see, and it worked out really great. She was awesome.”

Looking to the year ahead, Jobs is keeping her mind open as to the possibilities for Calizz and her riding trajectory. 

“I just want to keep developing and getting better and more confident at the bigger jumps and tracks. I don’t have a specific goal in mind,” Jobs said.