August 15, Gladstone, N.J.
Kayce Redmond’s weekend couldn’t have gone much better—two days of Brentina Cup competition resulted in two blue ribbons and the overall Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Young Adult Dressage Championship for the 24-year-old from Alpharetta, Ga.
“I’m just really excited. Hopefully it will put my name out there a little bit more and give me some exposure. I’ve been out of the big arena since young riders,” said Redmond.
Redmond’s score of 65.53 percent aboard Latino, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood (Leandro—Madonna) owned by her trainer Karen Lipp and Michael and Dian Deimler, put her well out in front of the Young Rider Grand Prix class over Erin Shea on Marshal (63.86%) and Christine Stephenson on Markant (62.37%).
The final outcome was determined by averaging the scores from the Brentina Cup test and the Young Rider Grand Prix. That left Redmond in first (65.15%) over Shea (63.31%) and Nicholia Zamora on Ramsgate D (62.81%).
“I was really happy with [my test],” said Redmond. “I think we were both a little bit more distracted. I would see him see stuff in the woods, and then I would notice that he looked at it. We were both wandering a little bit more today, but he was really good and kept it together. I was excited to get my ones. He only did about five yesterday. He was really honest in there. I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Shea, who placed fourth in the Brentina Cup test yesterday (62.76%), said she felt very lucky to be riding Marshal, a 21-year-old Swedish Warmblood (Election—Anais) owned by Sue McKeown.
“It’s my first season doing Grand Prix on any horse,” said Shea, 26. “I’ve been leasing him for about a year and a half. He’s taught me everything that I was able to do in there. It’s been a tremendous experience with him. I had no intention of trying to make it here in the beginning of the year. I decided last minute. I’m very pleased with how it turned out overall.”
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Shea works for Sharon McCusker in Ashby, Mass., and said she’d like to come back and do the Brentina Cup one more time before she ages out.
“[Marshal] doesn’t show his age at all,” said Shea. “He knows everything, and he’s talented and capable.”
“Marty” got a little cocky about his knowledge when he opted to do one-tempis in the line of two-tempis, but he was spot-on in the line of 15 ones.
This was 28-year-old Zamora’s last year of eligibility for the Brentina Cup, and she was a bit disappointed in herself for a mistake in the pirouettes today.
“It happens; lesson learned,” she said. “He’s great and I wish I could have done him justice.”
Zamora, Wildomar, Calif., rides the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Monaco—Emma) for Sharolyn Naftel. She hopes to start competing him in the open Grand Prix next year.
Tidbits
– Kayce Redmond planned to get on the road immediately following the show. She and Heather Beachem, who showed Windsong in the young rider championship, will make the 15-hour drive back to Georgia together. Their first priority was eating at Chick-fil-A, a restaurant chain they weren’t able to find in New Jersey. Chick-fil-A is not open on Sundays, but Redmond pointed out: “It will be Monday by the time we get to Atlanta.”
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– After two beautiful weekends in a row and unusually pleasant August temperatures, the Brentina Cup competitors faced pouring rain for the second half of the class today. “Latino is not a mudder. I felt awful when I was walking back because it started raining hard,” said class winner Redmond.
– Thomas Walker was eliminated following his ride because his horse Feisal had a spot of blood on his side.
– Laura Noyes, who finished seventh in the Brentina Cup Championship, bought her horse Syncro using the money she earned from selling her previous horse, which she trained herself. She trained Syncro and brought him up from first level to Grand Prix. She also showed him twice at the FEI Young Rider World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2006 and 2008.
– Nora Batchelder, who placed fifth overall, recently tried the jumpers this spring in Ocala, Fla.
Young Adult Championship Results:
- Kayce Redmond/Latino/65.15%
- Erin Shea/Marshal/63.31%
- Nicholia Zamora/Ramsgate D/62.81%
- Christine Stephenson/Markant/62.13%
- Nora Batchelder/Bretone/61.21%
- Kassandra Barteau/BeSe/60.65%
- Laura Noyes/Syncro/59.32%
- Kelly Irving-Burris/Cascade 23/53.42%
- Thomas Walker/Feisal/29.53%
Full results at FoxVillage.com.
