Wellington, Fla.—March 21

The WEF Equitation Championship is a major test for junior riders. First they have to qualify via their performances throughout the first 10 weeks of the Winter Equestrian Festival. Then when it comes time to ride, their cell phones are taken away and they’re sequestered from their trainers, required to walk the course and warm up on their own.

Taylor Cawley knew just how she wanted to tackle the challenge: by keeping her mind clear. Sure, she walked the course with her barnmates from Stacia Klein Madden’s Beacon Hill and discussed striding and turns, but then she tuned everyone else out and walked the course again on her own to make her own decisions.

“[It’s important to keep] a clear mind using what works for you,” said Cawley, 16. “With all of the other people, your friends, your barnmates walking [the course], they’re going to go over out loud what works for them, and you kind of have to stick to your plan. So I think it’s very important to have a clear mind and be clear on your relationship with your horse.”

Cawley nailed Andy Christiansen’s first-round track, set in Wellington International’s International Ring, and was called back on top of the 40 riders in the class.

Watch the first-round performance that moved Cawley to the top of the class, courtesy of ShowGroundsLive.com:

For the second round, riders faced another tough test, including demonstrating a simple change of lead in the middle of a line, where Cawley maintained her lead.

Judges Karen Healy, Ralph Caristo, Archie Cox and Ginny Edwards asked the top four riders to return to the ring sans stirrups and their test was announced over the loudspeaker. The work-off began with a hand galloped fence and included two counter-cantered jumps and a halt.

“I was lucky enough last week in the [Dover USEF Medal] and we had a no-stirrups test and there were trot jumps and hand gallops and counter-cantering, so I was prepared, and Stacia Madden always has us prepared for our tests,” said Cawley, Wellington. “I think that helped a lot.”

Cawley came out on top, ahead of Blake Rowan in her first time competing in the class. J.J. Torano claimed third and Parker Peacock took fourth.

Cawley said she practices without stirrups regularly on the flat, and Madden works it into their jumping lessons as well. Madden was especially proud that Cawley (and the other five students she had in the class) all were awarded the maximum of two bonus points from the warm-up judge for warming their horses up properly.

“It’s just so fun because I’ve known Taylor since the day she was born,” Madden said. “[Molly Ashe Cawley, Taylor’s mother has] been a good friend of mine since we rode together as juniors, so it’s really cool to see everything come full circle, but you don’t always get a gifted rider that has passion for the sport, that works hard and is talented to boot. It was really nice to get the opportunity. She’s done the work in bringing this horse along. This is not a horse that’s done the equitation before. Taylor’s been the only one to show him in the equitation. I think that makes it even more special, because you’re kind of making your own path.”

Cawley started riding Oki D’Eclipse at Devon (Pennsylvania) last year, when the horse was just out of the jumper ring.

“He’s big and narrow so you’ve got to wrap your legs around him,” she said. “He can be a bit of a wiggle worm. So you have to keep him straight. I think this course was very good for him. There was a lot of open strides, and he has a very big stride, so that was good for me, and he collects well so in the short four [stride line] and the long six [stride line] I was able to get up the lines and collect [in] the lines. He helped me out there a bit.”

Next up for Taylor? She has her sights set on continuing to excel in the equitation ring, though she also spends time riding jumpers as well.

“I’ve been lucky enough, I’ve placed in a few equitation finals last year, and I’m looking forward to the finals this year with him,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll get some top placings, and if not it’s still a good learning experience. He has a lot of years left; I have a few more years left. I think it’s good to have a clear mind. I know what goals I want to set looking forward to finals.”

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