Before this year, Megan Young had never won a ribbon at one of the major equitation finals. It wasn’t that the she lacked talent or desire; she lacked the horse. But when a chestnut Oldenburg named Crescendo entered her life in August, she found the partner to carry her to her dreams.

And in her final junior equitation appearance at the ASPCA Maclay at the Metropolitan National, Nov. 3-7, Young won her third major equitation title of the year and became only the 12th rider to win the USEF Medal and the Maclay in the same year. Emily Williams was the last rider to accomplish this, in 1999.

“Megan was consistent,” said judge Chrystine Tauber, who presided with Linda Allen and Scott Williamson. “Every round, she was right there, right there. And I think that’s one of the most important lessons to learn in a finals like this. Consistency and making good choices on the course, in the end, will hopefully stand you at the top.”

In addition to the Medal and Maclay victories, Young, 17, won the Monarch International North American Equitation Championships (Md.) and placed third in the BET/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals (N.J.).

For Young, of Jacksonville, Fla., finding Crescendo was the key ingredient. When the impressive gelding, owned by Cortie Wetherill, arrived at Quiet Hill Farm to be sold, trainers Bob Braswell and Christina Schlusemeyer gave her the ride, and Young discovered her match.

“Last year I had a tough indoors,” she said. “My horse stopped a few times in a couple of the finals. I’ve never gotten a ribbon at any finals or even been called back in the top 25 in Harrisburg. Last year I didn’t even make it here. I thought, ‘I’m never going to win a final.’ To even be doing this is amazing. I’m just glad it worked out so great–I definitely am very lucky.”

Young, who doesn’t own a horse, switched equitation horses throughout the year, riding whomever was in the barn at the time. Because Quiet Hill is a sales barn, Young couldn’t count on having the same horse to show twice.

“Bob always promised me he’d get me one,” said Young, laughing. “But I kind of lost faith for awhile, but then Crescendo showed up and ended up being the one.”

Taking The Ride

The first-round course was described as a “rider’s course.” There weren’t any fancy tricks or difficult scope questions, so no matter the type of a horse a rider was on, he or she could answer the questions in several different ways and still present a smooth and accurate picture.

The first line, a bending six strides from fence 1 to 2, did pose a question immediately: How accurate was your steering system?

Because of the location of fence 7, the riders had a challenging, almost blind turn to fence 2 and had to cut close to the standard for the line. Some riders suffered lead swaps and squiggly tracks as their horses lost focus, and a small shrub next to the standard, used as part of the dotted line, added to the spook factor.

An offset in-and-out at the far end of the ring at fences 3AB rode smoothly for the most part, but the following rollback to fence 4, a set of natural planks, was another problem spot. The planks fell regularly, and an island of foliage that most riders cut inside of, added to the degree of difficulty.

A triple combination at 5ABC down the long side gave the riders a little breathing room and a place to show off as they set up for the serpentine line of fences 6, 7 and 8 through the middle of the ring. A tight right-hand turn to a narrow gate at fence 6 was followed by a left-hand turn to a triple bar and a right-hand turn to a stand-alone brick wall.

Speculation abounded at the in-gate as to whether the judges were looking for collection and control or a bolder ride.

Judge Williamson said they really looked for riders who made their plan early and stuck to it.

“We weren’t looking for a number,” he said. “There were fives to fours that worked out and sixes to fives that worked out great. We were looking for them to make a choice and do it properly. You could do either depending on what type of horse you had. You could definitely tell the difference as to those who planned for the number and those for which it just happened.

“As long as it matched, we felt they knew what they were doing and were on their job,” Williamson added.

Fences 9, 10 and 11 tested riders’ ability to lengthen and shorten. The bending line done in six strides was followed by a tight three-stride combination of vertical to oxer facing the in-gate. The smoothest riders moved up early and balanced at the vertical so they could easily negotiate the three strides without an abrupt change of pace in between the two fences.

The judges were pleased with the course. “There were enough questions without making it a disaster,” said Williamson. “We only had a few who were eliminated. One had nothing to do with the course. Her horse stopped and reared up and she slipped off. I think that–out of 104 rounds–says something about the thought and time that went into it.”

Sloane Coles, who had won the Bates/USA Equitation Finals the previous day at the Syracuse Invitational Sport Horse Tournament (N.Y.) and placed fifth at the USEF Medal Finals, came in a favorite. But she misjudged the serpentine line through the middle and failed to qualify for the second round.

Lexy Reed, who had won her second consecutive small junior, 15 and under, championship at the Metropolitan the previous day, had a smooth, solid first round marred by a few steps of cross-canter in one corner, which dropped her from contention.

Further Testing

After the first round, Addison Phillips was showing the way after a superb ride made all the more impressive because she was aboard a horse she’d first ridden the day before.

Phillips had planned to ride Icon, the horse on which she placed third at the USEF Medal Finals, but when he got hurt on Friday she was left without a mount.

“The Johnsons were so nice, when they heard Addy’s horse was hurt. They immedi-ately offered Chagall,” said trainer Kate Stoffel-Oliver. “We went into the class thinking whatever happened, happened.”

The judges asked 74 riders in three groups to return to show on the flat. The standings shuffled significantly at this point, as the flat phase is 50 percent of a rider’s total score.

The judges brought back 15 riders for a second round, with Phillips still leading the way. Wright moved up to stand second, with Brianne Goutal, the winner of the BET/USET Talent Search Finals-East and the Tad Coffin Washington International Equitation Classic Finals (D.C.) the previous week, in third.

In the second round, turning questions, lengthening and shortening, a hand gallop and a trot jump were the featured questions.

Williamson, who’s judged this class three times, said that the top riders tested well. “We did the ride-off differently this year,” he added. “A lot of judges have you finish with the hand gallop. We decided to put the gallop in the middle of the course. And then you have to get your horse back and finish. And rather than ending really fast, we chose to end with the trot jump, which had its problems for some people. And several were right on it until that point. And it’s something that’s not been done much. And it’s something that we’ll probably see more of now.”

The second round was a test of patience and composure. Julie Welles, who returned in eighth, had the best second round. Her beautiful style and accurate ride propelled her to the head of the class.

Young returned in seventh for the second round and rode brilliantly. Crescendo swapped leads at fence 3, where riders hand-galloped, but it was otherwise smooth and accurate.

Goutal had a rhythmic test but found a long distance to fence 7, which carried her past the ideal rollback turn to fence 8.

Wright had a brilliant round going until the trot fence, which she misjudged. Her horse stopped and stepped through the rails, eliminating her from the ribbons.

Phillips, the final rider, found a long distance at fence 2, and she chose an outside track that no one else took between fences 6 and 7.

After a discussion, the judges asked Phillips, Young and Welles, in that order, to return for more testing.

The judges directed the three riders to canter fence 3, canter fence 1, canter fence 6, halt, rein back, canter fence 7 and return to the line at a sitting trot.

At fence 3, a post-and-rail oxer filled with brush that the riders had hand galloped in the second round, Phillips and her horse had a miscommunication and crashed through it.

“I really have no idea [why it happened]. I really couldn’t blame it on him or on me,” said Phillips, who rides with Heritage. “It was one of those things that was a little unlucky and it just happened.”

Young said after watching Phillips she knew that she had to ride the first fence with authority, which she did. Crescendo peaked at the oxer but was attentive throughout the remainder of the test.

“I’m glad that Addy went first, because it helped me to ride it harder,” Young said of the brush fence. “I was riding a little slow to it, and I wanted to be behind him and make sure he jumped it. He was even backed off by it. If I’d have gotten in my half-seat and galloped right down to it and tried to be brilliant the same thing probably would have happened. So if I had gone first it probably would have been me [having a problem], and Addy would have been able to ride smarter. So I was kind of lucky.”

Young said that the width and position of the ground line made it almost an optical illusion. “If you looked at the rails, you’d think you weren’t getting there,” she said. “But the ground line is so far away that you really are. I kind of made that mistake in the second round. I was hand galloping and galloped right up to it, and he swapped.”

Schlusemeyer was thrilled for Young, who’s been a part of her extended family since she was 10 years old. “She was careful and didn’t take a chance with anything,” said Schlusemeyer. “I’m just so proud of her. This was the hardest class of her junior career because it was her last one.”

As the leader, Welles, 16, West Simsbury, Conn., tested last, and her ride was solid until fence 6, a red-and-white vertical, which her horse tapped with his front legs. The rail dropped, resulting in an awkward halt.

“It was my fault, so I couldn’t be any happier with my horse,” said Welles, who rides with North Run.

Nicole Adamson, 16, of Los Angeles, Calif., the winner of the ASPCA Maclay Region 8-West championship, placed fourth, her best ribbon in an equitation final.

Fellow Californian Morgan Taylor claimed fifth, and New York City resident Goutal was sixth. Jessica Speiser, the ASPCA Maclay Region 2-East champion, placed seventh. Maria Schaub was eighth, Blythe Marano was ninth, and Whitney Weeks rounded out the top 10.

Navigating The Hunters

In addition to her Maclay victory, Young starred in the junior hunter division. She won the large junior, 16-17, championship and grand junior hunter title with Manhattan Mortgage Co.’s Navigator and was named the best child rider on a horse.

“This has just been an incredible year,” said Young. “I’m so fortunate to have such great people behind me.”

At the Pennsylvania National she was the best child rider on a horse and won the grand junior and large junior, 16-17, tricolors with Navigator. In addition, she topped the same division at the Washington (D.C.) International and started her fall season at the Capital Challenge (Md.), where she won the Monarch International North American Equitation Championship. With Navigator, she also earned the large junior, 16-17, championship at Devon (Pa.).

The daughter of trainer Katie Young, Megan, who’s been riding all of her life, will now turn her sights toward college. She’ll attend Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Fla., and ride at Quiet Hill in Ocala, Fla., as time permits.

“I’m looking forward to college,” said Young, who was home-schooled. “I’m going to do the horses more for fun.”

Fun certainly abounded in the pony hunter divisions, where Alex Arute had her share after earning the grand and medium pony hunter championships with All About Me.

Arute, 12, of Avon, Conn., began riding Richard Prant’s chestnut at Devon, and just before the Capital Challenge trainer Scott Stewart sent the 7-year-old to Arute’s home so she could get to know him better for the fall indoor shows.

“It’s nice riding at home without a trainer because you can really figure them out,” said Arute, who earned this year’s WCHR National Pony title. “I took him on long rides in the field.”

She said All About Me improved dramatically as the indoor shows progressed. “Here he was relaxed and very good,” said Arute, who won two over fences classes and the under saddle on the way to the tricolors. “We’re so proud of him.”

Schaefer Raposa is also proud of Orlando, who claimed the large pony hunter championship, hot on the heels of their grand championship at the Washington International (D.C.) the previous week.

Under the watchful guidance of Maggie McAlary and Heritage trainer Patricia Griffith, the duo earned a first and second over fences and a second in the model for their tricolor award.

“Schaefer is awesome. She listens to everything you say, she critiques herself, and when I’m riding [the pony] she watches me and is able to apply a lot of things she sees,” said McAlary. “She’s pretty experienced, even though she’s only 10.”

Sam Schaefer, also 10, kept her fall indoor winning streak going with the small pony hunter championship and reserve with Rainbow Canyon and Halcyon Hawthorne, respectively. She also earned the small pony championship with the 5-year-old Rainbow Canyon at the Pennsylvania National and with 19-year-old Halcyon Hawthorne at Washington.

Schaefer’s victories didn’t come without some gritty determination, however. While in the schooling area during the small pony hunters, another pony ran into her, catapulting her from her pony and smashing her right leg in the impact.

“She doesn’t usually cry, but she went into the ring [on her next pony] still in tears,” said Stacey Schaefer, Sam’s mom. “She was hurting so much that she had other children jog her ponies [in for ribbons].”

After icing and some anti-inflammatory medication, Sam returned the following day for the stake classes and clinched her tricolors and best child rider award while still limping.

“It was scary. It was just before my second course on [Rainbow Canyon], and he just carried me around,” said Sam.

After surviving colic surgery earlier this year and returning to winning form, “Hawthorne” is now facing difficulties with glaucoma. So after the Metropolitan National the gray will be semi-retired at home in Westminster, Md., so their ribbons will be a cherished remembrance for Sam of their four-year partnership.

“He really taught me to ride,” said Schaefer, who added that she remembers the many times she fell off as she learned to figure him out. “[Even now] you’ve got to watch him because he can still get naughty.”

Trainer Kim Stewart and Sam were busy at the Metropolitan juggling ponies–Sam rode two smalls, two mediums and a large. “It’s very nice to end up this way,” said Stewart. “I felt Sam really improved in changing ponies and adjusting from size to size. That’s a hard thing. She was very consistent here, and that’s what makes you win.”