- Jaimie Holland rode to the Beatles to take home the young rider freestyle gold medal during Saturday evening’s festivities at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. Holland rode Fleurina to a 72.70 percent. “The whole ride was great,” Holland said. “It was a personal best. I was thrilled.”
- Holland also won team silver with Canada-Ontario and individual bronze.
- The duo completed a nearly flawless ride that included a difficult canter section that showcased flying lead changes on bending lines and Fleurina’s pirouettes. “Starting in the warm-up, I didn’t feel as good as on the other days,” Holland said. “I wasn’t expecting things to be good.”
- Jhesika Wells and Intrepid finished up their young rider week with a silver medal in the freestyle. They also won team gold with Region 5/6 and individual gold. Their ride, set to a re-mix of Carmen, was electrified under the lights in the big ring. I started to get a little tired at the end of warm-up,” Wells said of the atmosphere. “It jazzed him up a little in a good way.” Despite a bobble on their trot half-pass, the duo scored a 70.35 percent.
- Megan Lane and Caravella danced to an upbeat Spanish tango that earned them a solid 73.50 percent and the bronze medal. They also won team silver with Canada-Ontario and individual silver.
- “She felt like a horse that I had never ridden before,” said Lane. “The trot work was better for a change. The canter is usually the highlight. The trot floored me.”
- Lane’s freestyle featured the mare’s expressive extensions and lateral movement.
- “I always ride at night so I felt very at home,” said Lane. “Despite the big arena I do really well under pressure. It was nice and really fun.”
- Jillian Kemenosh and Nelzon finished in fourth with 70.10 percent. Their freestyle was ridden to 1950s diner music, including “At The Hop.”
- Lindsay Seidel Wasenaar and Oslo’s Spanish guitar freestyle rounded out the top five with 69.60 percent.
- This year’s music selection featured Michael Jackson, Grease, Pirates of the Caribbean, U2, Mulan, Beetlejuice and Phil Collins.
Jamie Pestana and Winzalot won junior freestyle gold. Photo by Coree Reuter.
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- Winzalot and Jamie Pestana proved their dominance of the junior dressage competition at the individual gold medal and the team silver medal with Region 7.
- Pestana rode to music by ABBA and her test featured “Winston’s” extensions, half-pass to counter-canter loops and quarter-line to quarter-line half-passes. The judges awarded her correct riding and fluid performance with 74.25 percent.
- “With having a young horse I tried to make it fairly simple,” said Pestana. “I wanted to lean toward correct rather than difficulty. I think next year it will be easy to add in difficulty.”
- Catherine Chamberline’s ride on Verdicci was a crowd favorite considering it was set to music from Harry Potter. The pair scored 72.95 percent.
- “I picked my music and did my choreography,” said Chamberline. “A friend’s husband at the barn did the music for free. It was quite a process. I ended up with Harry Potter because it clicked with both of us. I am a big fan of the series. It excited us both.”
- Chamberline’s test featured changes on a half-circle, half-passes on two diagnols with centerline changes, quarter-line shoulder-ins and big extensions.
- Esmee Ingham and Norseman scored 70.90 percent with their waltz-themed test.
- “Norseman had never done a freestyle, but I had done one on another horse,” said Ingham. “We tried techno, and he got quite tense with it; we tried something softer, and he would just float around. [The music we picked] keeps me calm and amps us up a little as well.”
- Norseman’s test highlighted his shoulder-ins, canter half-passes from the quarter-line to a counter-canter loop, and a big extended trot.
- Genay Vaughn and Waranja rode to orchestral show tunes and finished fourth with 70.15 percent and Stephanie Bedford on Wahlen (69.25%) rounded out the top five.
