It was a tight race for the blue ribbon in the Monarch International North American Equitation Championship class as Sloane Coles and Megan Massaro walked in to the ring for testing. Only 1/10th of a point separated the riders after two rounds of competition in the Show Place Arena on Oct. 1 in Upper Marlboro, Md.
But in the end it was Coles who finished on top, and her trainers Frank and Stacia Madden were named leading equitation trainers for the second consecutive year at the Capital Challenge Horse Show.
“I had a really good feeling going into the test,” said Coles. Coles and Papillon 136 were first to attack the test and aside from having a rail down over the first jump the pair had a flawless performance. She said, “I was so excited that the hand gallop was the first jump because he’s so good at that. But he was just tired, and he had the rail. The rest was beautiful.”
Massaro said of the test, “I was extremely nervous. I want to do well for my trainer, Don Stewart, because he’s done so much for me so I put a little pressure on myself because I want to be successful. Sloane is so accurate.” Massaro’s test was accurate but more conservative than Coles’.
When the ribbons were announced Massaro was called back to lead the victory gallop with Coles in second. It wasn’t until after the pinning that an error in the computer scoring was discovered.
Coles said of the error, “With numerical scoring that can happen. Frank told me what had happened, and he didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”
Madden said, “I met with Oliver [Kennedy], and he explained that there was a mistake. My first knee-jerk reaction was, ‘Let’s leave it the way it is.’ It’s not the end of the world.”
Madden continued, “I think enough people were curious about the scoring that the buzz got out. Billy Glass and Oliver, Don and myself…no one wanted to do the wrong thing. We decided that it really boils down to maintaining the integrity of the class, and Billy felt strong that we had a chance to correct it and it is very important in this class and every class at the Capital Challenge that people know that the integrity of running the event the right way is the most important thing. They felt horrible for the girls, but they wanted to do what was right for the integrity of the scoring system.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It was very close, but Sloane won,” he added.
SCM Children’s Medal Finals
Lila Abboud, 15, made her first visit to the Capital Challenge Horse Show a memorable one as the young rider jumped into the lead to win the Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal Finals.
The 10th grader made the trip down from New York to compete in the Show Circuit Medal Finals, but didn’t have high expectations. She said, “I’m really excited to have won this class. I came in not expecting to win. I was told to do my best and have fun. I was just excited to be coming and to qualify and everything.”
Children’s equitation riders from across the country competed all year to qualify for the Finals, but only the best 31 arrived at the Capital Challenge to vie for the title. In the first round, Taylor Harris of Orange County, Calif., led the pack with a score of 82.2.
When the top 10 returned for a shortened course, designed by Michael Rheinheimer, Abboud held the fourth-placed position. She went on to post an 82.7 in the second round. Nerves got the best of the final three riders, and none of them could score out of the 60s. No one could come close to Abboud’s two-round total of 162.9.
Abboud rides Sommersby, an 11-year-old Hanoverian, who is an impressive 17.3 hands tall. She leased the big gelding for a year before buying him in March. “He’s amazing to ride,” said Abboud. “He’s really smooth, and he’s a lot of fun.”
Abboud plans on moving up to the 3’6″ equitation classes next year under the tutelage of her trainer Kim Jones.
ADVERTISEMENT
MI NA Adult Equitation Championship
Courtney Cummings, of Leesburg, Va., dominated the Monarch International North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championship and collected the blue ribbon in the final class.
Cummings, 36, led the class going into the second round and was the final rider to tackle the course. She said, “My thoughts going in to the second round were, ‘Just find the jumps and be smooth and not blow it.’ I was worried about blowing the last jump because it’s the last jump!”
She went on to post an 85.2 for a two-round total of 169.4. No one came close to her score.
It was no surprise that Cummings collected the blue after her successful showing the previous day. Cummings picked up the championship in the adult amateur equitation division riding her gelding Last Call. The 12-year-old Canadian Sport Horse has been with Cummings for four years and can do the equitation as well the jumpers.
She said, “He’s a great guy and is as honest as the day is long. He’s my big pet.”
Although Cummings didn’t compete in the equitation as a junior, she enjoys the challenge as an adult. She said, “What I like most about the equitation is that you have to be smooth and accurate. I think it’s wonderful that they do have this for the adults. They make a big deal out of it here, and I think that’s wonderful. I have to thank Monarch International’s Show Circuit Magazine for sponsoring this event.”
Cummings and Last Call will return to the Show Place Arena on Friday to compete in the Ariat National Adult Medal Finals. Cummings was first on the waiting list for the Ariat Finals last year and she was determined not to be on the waiting list this year. Cummings ended the year being the top qualifier going into the Finals.
Click here to see live streaming video of the Capital Challenge Horse Show.