In an overwhelming sweep of gold medals, the Zone 2 show jumping team proved unstoppable, winning the team gold medal for a record seventh time at the CN North American Young Riders Championships at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va., July 26-31.

Young rider team members (Onira/Brianne Goutal, River/Blythe Marano, True Love/Sarah Segal, and Flight/Addison Phillips) posted only 8 faults over five rounds to finish a full 24 faults ahead of the second-placed team, which was a combination of Zones 6/7/8. Team Mexico finished third (36 faults).

“It was a great feeling to win again,” said Goutal, who added a gold medal in the individual championship. In last year’s NAYRC competition, Goutal also took home a gold medal as a member of the Zone 2 team.

Goutal, 16, of New York, N.Y., rode her 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood, Onira, to four back-to-back clear rounds. “I wasn’t as nervous this year because I felt there was less pressure,” explained Goutal.

“They’re a great group,” said Chef d’Equipe Ralph Caristo of the Zone 2 team members. “Whether the riders win or lose, they create everlasting friendships and gain invaluable experience. There’s no chance for them to ride in team competition except here and Harrisburg [the Prix de States at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show].”

“Ralph’s a great chef,” insisted Segal, 21, of New York, N.Y. “He brings encouragement, enthusiasm and motivation to the team. He’s a go, fight, win sort of guy. And [wife] Holly–she’s wonderful. She helps organize the team and stresses the importance of details.”

This year marked the debut of the NAYRC at the Virginia Horse Center, organized by Brian and Penny Ross. The show jumping was held in the indoor coliseum, but none of the Zone 2 team members encountered difficulty with the new setting.

“It’s a huge indoor arena, and probably the biggest one I’ll ride in all year,” said Marano. “I learned a lot about riding in indoor arenas after last year’s indoor finals, and that knowledge stuck.”

Marano didn’t know if she’d be on the team when she arrived in Lexington, Va. But in a last-minute decision by Caristo, Marano replaced Carolyn Kelly.

“Her horse was having problems at the water,” said Marano of Kelly. “Ralph didn’t tell me until the night before I was going to compete that I was on the team.”

If Marano was nervous about the unexpected pressure, she didn’t demonstrate it. She and River posted two clear and two four-fault rounds.
Course designer Linda Allen tried to build as many challenges as she could without getting the riders in trouble. “I built up the level of difficulty in each round in terms of both height and width,” she said.

Overall, she was pleased with the way the courses rode. “I felt that the courses rode the way I anticipated. Across the board, the majority of the horses and riders were better the second time and appeared more confident,” she said.

A Strong Relationship

“I think that the horse-rider combination has to be a ‘thank-you system’,” said Goutal. “If you’re not close with your horse behind closed doors, then it really shows in the ring.”

Goutal’s strong bond with Onira paid off in the individual competition. Prior to the final round, Goutal walked the course twice with trainer Frank Madden, and her precision and meticulousness contributed to her victory.

“I always walk courses for big classes twice,” she said. “I had a question about the last line–I knew that if I jumped in strong that the last five strides going toward the in-gate could get steady.”

Goutal was the final rider to tackle the course, and everyone held their breath as Goutal, clean thus far, approached the last line. After she galloped through the timers, Goutal, with movie-star nonchalance, reached down and gently patted Onira’s neck as a smile slowly crept across her lips.

“Onira tries harder than any other horse I’ve ever ridden–going into the last round, he really didn’t owe me anything else,” admitted Goutal.

Phillips, 16, of New York, N.Y., took home the individual silver medal. She agreed with Goutal that the horse-rider bond is undeniably important.

“I spend a lot of time with my horses and learn their personalities, because I believe that horses sense your emotion,” she said. “I feel like I just think it and Flight does it.”

Phillips has owned the 9-year-old warmblood for three years and trains with Andre Dignelli of Heritage Farm. “We’ve learned a lot about each other, and [Flight] really saved me out there in the third round,” she said, laughing. “I tried to ride the third round like I rode the second because it was the same course. We jumped in with a lot of power over jump 9 and ended up doing three instead of four strides to jump 10, but my horse is amazing, and he didn’t have the rail.”

Phillips redeemed herself in the final two rounds. She put in a fault-free performance in round 4 and had 4 faults in round 5.

“I always ride better under pressure,” said Phillips. “It motivates me. But this week, I really felt like my horse and I were a team and helped each other out, which is why we performed so well.”

For Zone 1’s Laura Faulkner, the bronze medalist, this NAYRC was bittersweet.

Faulkner, 21, is in her last year as a young rider, and her strong performance on Banner Farm’s ABC Fantasie was her best performance ever at NAYRC. She rose from seventh to the bronze medal on the last day, dropping only one rail in the final two rounds.

“I really believe in my horse,” said Faulkner of the 14-year-old Holsteiner she purchased from Margie Engle. “The first day was the hardest for us because the time was tight and my horse isn’t very fast. But our last round was definitely our best.”

Faulkner attends Stanford University (Calif.), where she’s currently majoring in political science. After graduating in 2007, she has her sights set on veterinary school.

Nothing But Perfection

The Zone 2 junior show jumping team (Kitty 41/Miasha Fisher, Eclat/Whitney Goulart, VDL Lotus Excel/Hillary Dobbs, and Salsa/Gabby Slome) finished with a near-perfect overall score, only 2 faults for the five rounds.

Zone 2 had never sent a squad to the junior team championship before. Under Caristo’s watchful eye, they made quite the splash.

“The kids in Zone 2 are so enthusiastic about winning, and since there hadn’t been a [junior] team before, I thought it would be a new challenge,” said Caristo.

Dobbs, 17, of Sussex, N.J., posted three clear rounds and one four-fault round with Maggie Ferguson’s VDL Lotus Excel and took home the individual title.

“He felt tired after the fourth round and had a few rubs and one rail, but I woke him up in the schooling area before the fifth round,” said Dobbs. “I felt that the fifth round course was the hardest and most technical course I’ve ever ridden. Linda Allen really tests their scope.”

Prior to going to NAYRC, Dobbs gave Lotus 10 days off, but continued riding under the watchful eyes of trainers Missy Clark and John Brennan.

Zone 2 riders also clinched the silver and bronze individual medals.

Silver medalist Fisher, who trains with Chris Kappler, finished 3 faults behind Dobbs after lowering a rail in the final round. “Going in each day, my horse felt confident,” said Fisher, 17, who’s been riding Falcon Farm LLC’s Kitty 41 for almost a year. “I had a hard time making it around in the time allowed, but I felt my horse jumped amazing.”

Just 0.19 points separated Slome, 19, of Riverdale, N.Y., from Fisher. Prior to the start of the NAYRC competition, Slome was worried that Salsa, a 12-year-old Rhinelander, would be spooky in the coliseum. “I thought the glare in the open water would scare him, but actually, he jumped better than he ever has before,” she exclaimed.

“I’m so happy with them because they’ve worked so hard to be here, and they all performed to perfection,” said a beaming Caristo.

Ralph Caristo: The Man Behind The Gold

Why has Zone 2 won the team gold medal a record seven times at the North American Young Riders Championships? Many people will tell you it’s through the hard work and encouragement of Chef D’equipe Ralph Caristo.

Caristo, with the help of his wife Holly, both of Hauppauge, N.Y., has been the team’s chef for eight years. At this year’s competition, the only show jumping medal not claimed by one of the Zone 2 members was the young rider’s individual bronze.

“I do it because I want to give back to the business that has been so good to my family,” said Caristo, whose daughter, Heather, rode on the 1997 and 1998 gold-medal teams. “I think the NAYRC is important because it provides the kids an opportunity at team competition and access to really good and technical courses.”

So what is his secret to success?

“I’m always positive, no matter what happens in the show ring. Kids in Zone 2 see how successful we are at the NAYRC and they try hard the following year to get on the team, so we always have great teams. In fact, I’ve already had people calling me asking how they can qualify for next year’s team,” said Caristo.

Holly and Ralph begin scouting for team members at the beginning of each year. The team is picked based on the amount of money won in jumper classes level 7 and above.

“The kids, parents and trainers are so enthusiastic about it,” explained Caristo. “The support system behind Zone 2 is a big part of our success.”

But it takes more than support to make a winning team. Prior to the start of the competition, the Caristos meet with the trainers of the qualified riders and discuss the riders’ weaknesses and strengths.

“This year, one girl’s horse put a foot in the water. When she came out of the ring, she dropped her reins and her head was down. She looked dejected. I said to her, ‘Don’t ever walk out dejected when your horse tries so hard. You should be proud of yourself and your horse,'” recalled Caristo.

To honor all of Ralph’s hard work and dedication to the NAYRC and to the riders, the Caristo Cup was created this year in his name. Susie Humes, Susie Schoellkopf, Leo Conroy, David Distler, and Karen and Heather Caristo created the award, unbeknownst to Ralph.

“I was getting ready to leave [the awards ceremony], and Frank Madden told me there was one more thing left to do,” said Caristo. “When I got up on the podium, I couldn’t get off because of the tears in my eyes–I was just so happy and overwhelmed.”

In future years, the award will be given to the chef d’equipe who exhibits the same spirit of sportsmanship, enthusiasm and horsemanship as Ralph.

“Right now, I am on cloud nine and I’m going to ride it,” said Ralph, who intends to help defend the Prix de States title for Zone 2 at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in October.