The folks at the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Educational Foundation should be pleased.

Awarded their 2005 working student scholarship, Zazou Hoffman, 14, of Santa Monica, Calif., made the most of her two-week training experience with Missy Clark in Wellington, Fla., in the early months of 2005. And now the opportunities that opened up for her then have paid off in spades.

Hoffman’s relationship with Clark didn’t end at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Clark took the talented youngster under her wing, and helped Hoffman earn the ASPCA Northeast Maclay Regional title at the Grand Fall Classic, held Sept. 21-24 in Westbrook, Conn.

She and other qualifiers will travel to New York to contest the ASPCA Maclay National Championship at the Syra-cuse Invitational Horse Show, Nov. 4-5.

Seventh to go over fences on Clark’s 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood, Littlefoot, Hoff-man jumped to the lead of the 73-rider field and didn’t budge after the flat phase, winning the class definitively without the need for a test.

“[Clark] has kids winning finals, and just being able to ride with her and have her really embrace the level I’m at for my age is really helpful for my self confidence,” said Hoffman. “I never would have thought I’d be riding at this level.”

Meredith Bullock had been her first and only trainer before the scholarship opportunity arose, and Hoffman still rides with her regularly at home. “Meredith is really great and she really embraces that I get to work with someone like Missy,” she said.

“I didn’t expect [Clark] to allow me to continue to ride with her, but I understood where she was coming from right away when I got there,” Hoffman continued. “She put me on a lot of different horses–I hadn’t ridden anything of that quality before.”

After getting a chance to see her ride, Clark was just as thrilled as Hoffman to have the opportunity to work together. “She’s probably one of the most talented youngsters I’ve encountered, and her position is just breathtakingly beautiful. Her work ethic is extraordinary for a little kid,” said Clark. “Her God-given, natural ability is highly unusual. She’s a true champion in the making, in my opinion.”

Continuing their training relationship from there, Hoffman went on to experience the indoor equitation finals for the first time last year and stayed with Clark this summer.

“When I went to Florida, that was my first really big experience with that type of competition. Then I went to Harrisburg [Pa.], for the Medal finals, and that was almost overwhelming because there are 300 people and they’re all really good. Syracuse [for the Maclay finals] was a little less overwhelming, but it was still a really big deal for me,” she said.

Hoffman is looking forward to this indoor season with a greater comfort level augmented by another year of experience in the big leagues, a lack of pressure due to her age, and confidence bolstered by Clark.

“Somebody commented to me that she looked a little unsophisticated, and I couldn’t disagree more,” said Clark. “Her position is as good as it gets. You see that kid go around and you either get it or you don’t, and I marvel at it on a daily basis. It’s neat to have a panel of judges agree.”

Ritters Are Big Hitters
They may not be related, but Kitt and Nikko Ritter have more in common than their last names–they both won Maclay Regionals this year along the East Coast. Kitt, 17, of Charlestown, S.C., traveled to Region 2 to earn her title at HITS on the Hudson, on Sept. 4 in Saugerties, N.Y., while Nikko, 18, of Geneva, Fla., snagged his Region 3 victory at the RMI Chateau Elan Harvest, held Sept. 15-17 in Braselton, Ga.

Kitt has already made a name for herself in the junior hunters, placing third nationally last year with Notoriety in the large juniors, 15 and under, but she’s a relative newcomer to the equitation ranks. Having previously trained with Pat Dodson, she began working with Andre Dignelli of Heritage Farm, based in Katonah, N.Y., during WEF this year to give it a try.

“It’s hard doing equitation in my area because you’ll go to shows and the classes won’t even fill. It always looked fun, but I never really got to do it,” she said. “It took me a while, but it started clicking toward the end of Florida. I’d never even done jumpers before, so it was a total change for me.”

Riding Cadeau, an 8-year-old gelding on lease from Heritage, Kitt placed fifth in the warm-up class before producing a jumping round that seated her in fourth of more than 60 competitors. She held that spot going into the six-person test.

“I was really excited about just the warm-up class. I thought, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I got fifth out of all these people!’ ” she said. “I was ecstatic with fourth going into the flat. I didn’t think I was going to win; it was a complete surprise.”

In a deciding factor of the test, riders had to halt, perform a 90-degree turn on the haunches, then canter a few strides to a large vertical, similar to exercises Kitt had been working on in a lesson the Sunday before. Her ride-off performance launched her into the lead, just ahead of last year’s winner, Maria Schaub.

“I was in really good company. They got to the top two, and I thought, ‘I did not beat Maria; she definitely won.’ Because she’s so great,” said Kitt. “I definitely have more confidence now that I’ve done this. I did feel kind of like a rookie!”

The other Ritter, Nikko, topped the 42-rider Southeast Region aboard 007, on loan from Don Stewart Show Stables. Nikko was called back second going into the flat, and the standings hadn’t changed much going into the 10-person test. But that is where Nikko made his move in the standings, swapping places with Tatiana Dzavik.

“The test is where we excelled because of our hand-gallop,” he said. “It was a really long approach, and I just ran from one end of the ring to the other. I was in second, so I was already in and I figured I might as well try to win it. Even if I did mess up it wouldn’t matter.”

Qualified for all the major equitation finals this year, Nikko placed fifth in regionals last year, also winning in 2004 with Modoc. “I’d like to actually win something at the finals though! It’s my last year, so I’m going to just go and see what happens and not put too much pressure on myself.

“They have that supposed dreaded curse where if you win [regionals], you can’t win Maclay finals,” he added. “But I’m not superstitious.”


Ameliorate The Situation
The Kentucky National was only a minor casualty in the deadly, torrential downpour that delivered almost seven inches of rain the day before the Region 4 Maclay, held Sept. 23 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Amelia McArdle, of Barrington Hills, Ill., made the best of the sub-ideal circumstances, winning the Midwest cham-pionship with her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Aztec.

She also won the warm-up for the class and was awarded the World Champion Hunter Rider Regional Championship year-end award, as well as the show’s best turned-out award. The last of which, considering the weather, was certainly a credit to the grooms at Kappler Farms, where she began riding almost nine years ago with Katie Kappler.

With the covered warm-up area attached to the indoor completely underwater, riders were permitted to warm up three at a time in the in-gate area for the indoor.

McArdle, 16, led the 50-competitor field going into the flat phase, in which riders were tested without stirrups. The standings shuffled around considerably after the flat, but the class was placed without a test.

“They just lined us up and started announcing the awards. The whole flat phase I was reviewing the jump numbers for the test, so it was a relief not to have to worry about that!” she said.

“I definitely wanted to win this year. I’d been in the top 10 the past two years, so I had a lot of confidence going into it that there was a possibility of doing really well.”

Lyndsay Thornton, of Vernon, B.C., also persevered through some rather horrific conditions to earn the Region 7 title at the Northwest Autumn Finals, held Sept. 13-17 in Monroe, Wash.

That Friday, during a jog in the large junior hunter, 15 and under division, a horse in front of her reared up then kicked out, double barreling her in the head and dropping her to the ground. She was protected by her helmet, and amazingly only sustained a minor concussion–and won that division’s championship.

“It was the scariest moment in my life. It was the most sickening sound. It destroyed her helmet; there’s a hole in her GPA,” said her mother, Carol, who took her to the hospital that night. “She was very adamant that she wanted to ride the next day. She wore [trainer Shelley Campf’s] helmet, which was two sizes too big, which was good since her head was still sore.”

“We were all scared on Friday and all happy on Saturday,” said Campf, of Oz Inc. in Canby, Ore.

Lyndsay, 15, was unreachable for an interview as she was on a sea kayaking trip with her 11th-grade high school class, but Campf believed she led throughout the class, although no order was given going into the flat. The 14-person class was also placed without additional testing.

“The course was very good. It had the look of simplicity but had some real questions and a scope test. It took a clever, educated ride to do it well,” said Campf, whose other students, Nicole and Kendall Bourgeois, placed second and third respectively. “We’ve been working on her being able to ‘nail it’ when she’s under pressure and make her performance the same in the warm-up classes versus the real McCoy.

“It was the most mature riding she’s done,” she continued. “It was not stiff or more mechanical because she wanted it more.”

Gimme A Break
After taking a three-month hiatus from riding earlier this year, Torie Immel, 17, returned with a fresh outlook to take the Region 8 Maclay championship at the Oaks Blenheim Fall Tournament, held Sept. 13-17 in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Needing a break after a long stretch of showing, Immel, of Newport Beach, Calif., discovered her old trainers, Jim Hagman and Dan Silverstone of Elvenstar Farm, were opening a branch 10 minutes from her home versus the two hours to then-trainer Karen Healey.

“I never just rode before–I’d just show, and it really took the fun out if it. Now I go on trail rides and ride bareback and just have fun with my horse,” she said. “He’s not treated like a machine that I just show up and get on and he’s perfect, and I’m not like a robot, where I never ride, then show up at the show and expect to win.”

Ambassador, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood, has been her partner since March of last year, and his forward way of going is a good match to her own jumper-influenced style. The pair led the approximately 40 entries going into the flat, which was divided into three groups and then placed without a ride-off.

Immel, a senior at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, explained that the small indoor provided a spooky atmosphere for the technical course, which contained a lot of options and gave many competitors problems.

“It was kind of a survival class,” she said. “A lot changed below me in the top 12 or so. One or two people made a big leap up with the flat from the middle group to the top and ended up qualifying.”

Brooke Coleman, of Houston, Texas, also took a six-week break from riding so she could spend time with her family and look at colleges, but a week before Central Maclay Regionals, she traveled to New Hampshire to tune up with her trainers at Holly Hill.

She was ready to go at the St. Louis National Charity, held Sept. 13-17 in Lake St. Louis, Mo., winning the Region 5 championship with her 8-year-old Zangersheide, Charlie Z.

First to go of nine, Coleman, 17, was second after the first round and moved into the lead on the flat. “Last year I was in first place going into the test, too. It was my first time at regionals and I messed up the trot jump and got sixth. I was determined to win it this year and not make the same mistake,” she said.

“I’ve learned how to get mentally prepared for big events by learning how to relax myself and let everything flow together and not be so stiff,” she said, explaining that she’d gotten help with her mental game from her father, who’s honed those skills on her brother, an 18-year-old NASCAR driver.

“I was always so worried about ‘What if I don’t win?’ He told me not to think about the outcome, to just let everything flow.”

Although she’s no stranger to equitation, having placed second in the 2004 USEF Pony Medal Championship, Lindsay Sceats, 17, is now finding her place among the “big girls” with a Region 6 Maclay title from the High Prairie Fall Classic, held Sept. 14-17 in Parker, Colo.

“This is only my second year doing the horses and the big eq, but I was third in the Maclay at Devon [Pa.], so I knew he could be good,” said Sceats, who trains with Tracey Powers. “I actually watched the USET Medal Finals tape from 2004 beforehand–it’s always fun to watch the big girls.”

Riding her 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Just Kidding, named in honor of her Pony Medal mount, Are You Kidding, Sceats, of Colorado Springs, Colo., also won the large junior championship at the show. “He definitely earns his keep!” she said.

Sceats plans to apply early decision to Stanford University (Calif.) to study pre-med. “This is probably my last indoors and last year doing equitation, so it was nice to end with a bang–or start the end with a bang!” she said.

Stacey Reap

Region 1 (Northeast)
1. Zazou Hoffman
2. Maggie McAlery
3. Jack Hardin Towell
4. Victoria Birdsall
5. Kelly Lively
6. Heather Dobbs
7. Katherine Stewart
8. Kathryn Stenberg
9. Brianna Snyder
10. Julianna Richardson
11. Amanda Powers
12. Lauren Horth
13. Julie Welles
14. Jennifer Walters
15. Olivia Dorey
16. Meredith Stafford
17. Sarah Rayner
18. Lauren Sturges
19. Danielle Stacy
20. Lauren Duffee
21. Callie Seaman
22. Danielle Johnson
23. Cassie French
24. Jackie O’Connell
25. Haley Cohen
26. Julie Weiss
27. Catherine Pugliese
28. JoJo Gutfarb
29. Devon Poeta
30. Mathew Metell
31. Kate Salzman
32. Doscher Hobler
33. Jennie Nevin
34. Alexandra SoLsvig
35. Jennifer Burke
36. Eileen McNamara
37. Kelsey Savage
38. Ashley Lee

Region 2 (East)
1. Kitt Ritter
2. Maria Schaub
3. Kacey McCann
4. Emma Lipman
5. Alyssa Grieco
6. Elizabeth Lubrano
7. Addison Phillips
8. Hillary Dobbs
9. Jessica Springsteen
10. Alexandra Duval
11. Carolyn Lichtenberg
12. Kim McCormack
13. Lindsay Clark
14. Jesse Kimmelman
15. Anna Becker
16. Carolyn Curcio
17. Tilden Brighton
18. Eleanor Kunsman
19. Kaelin Tully
20. Nicole Pucci
21. Grace Carucci
22. Dominque Mungin
23. Lindsey Mohr
24. Jacqueline Lubrano
25. Maya Bluestone
26. Chelsea Moss
27. Gabrielle Marush
28. Francesca Bolfo
29. Jillian Celestino
30. Christy Distefano
31. Michael Desiderio

Region 3 (Southeast)
1. Nikko Ritter
2. Tatiana Dzavik
3. Megan Massaro
4. Sloane Coles
5. Katie McDaniel
6. Sara Green
7. Mogan Hale
8. Julia Capalino
9. April Wehle
10. Kristy Kenn
11. Samantha Senft
12. Katherine Newman
13. Annie Worthman
14. Jessica Tindley
15. Molly Braswell
16. Lexy Reed
17. Megan Shader
18. Catherine Pasmore
19. Taylor Land
20. Faye Keegan
21. Jacqui McWilliams
22. Amber Henter

Region 4 (Midwest)
1. Amelia McArdle
2. Haylie Jayne
3. Kendra Vicary
4. Whitney Kent
5. Jennifer Waxman
6. Nicholas Dello Joio
7. Hayley Barnhill
8. Euri Uchiyama
9. Mara Kranz
10. Rachel Udelson
11. Danielle Pulliam
12. Brittiani Brown
13. Catie Boone
14. Susan Kolber
15. Catie Hope
16. Paige Andros
17. Henry Pfeiffer
18. Sika Sievers
19. Amanda Hall
20. Colby Hassfurthel
21. Marika Raff
22. Lesley Quillen
23. Laura Pfeiffer
24. Alexandra Weber
25. Elizabeth Morrow

Region 5 (Central)
1. Brooke Coleman
2. Hanna Botney
3. Kels Bonham
4. Kristin Beckham
5. Victoria MacNaughton

Region 6 (Mountain)
1. Lindsay Sceats
2. Kerrie Nelson
3. Alisha Davis
4. Sarah Tredennick
5. Kaley Silipo

Region 7 (Northwest)
1. Lyndsay Thornton
2. Nicole Bourgeois
3. Kendall Bourgeois
4. Felicia Rosato
5. Brittany Kelley
6. Stephaine Barnes

Region 8 (West)
1. Torie Immel
2. Tina Dilandri
3. Mallory Olson
4. Alex Maida
5. Hannah Selleck
6. Nicole Husky
7. Paris Sellon
8. Shelby Wakeman
9. Alexandra Conforti
10. Veronica Tracy
11. Lucy Davis
12. Michelle Morris
13. Jennifer Stillman
14. Adrienne Dixon
15. Katrina Karazissis
16. Taylor Harris
17. Chelsea Wilkinson
18. Katie Harris
19. Sophie Benjamin
20. Nick Haness
21. Amber Levine