The young rider wins on a borrowed horse in her second performance at the equitation finals.

Christina Thomas traveled all the way from Washington state to compete in the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals, and it was well worth the trip.
   
The 14-year-old from Kennewick, Wash., topped the 13 and under division of the Finals, which were held during the Centerline Events CDI-W/Y/J/P at the HITS-On-The-Hudson show grounds in Saugerties, N.Y.

Coming in second in that division was Isabelle Leibler, of Greenwich, Conn., with a score of 85.66 percent, riding Depardieu.  Rebecca Raede, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., finished third with Lucy and a score of 82.33 percent.

The finals, created to promote and reward good horsemanship, are relatively new to the dressage world. Riders are judged on their seat and use of aids. And—unusual for a dressage show—part of the competition consists in  riding in a group and following the instructions of judges. Riders qualify for the finals by competing in semi-final competitions held at the U.S. Dressage Federation regional championships.

Although she is 14, Thomas qualified last year as a 13-year-old. Her winning score was 87.33 percent. A quiet young rider, she had little to say about her win other than that she was “very happy.”

She took the win on Sympatico, a horse borrowed with the help of two-time Olympian Lendon Gray, who has a reputation for doing what it takes to help young riders compete in any event that promotes good horsemanship.

“I couldn’t bring my own horse. That would cost lots of money,” Thomas said.

She’s been riding since the age of 10 and trains with Rae Lamming and mostly rides her own horse, Oberon. Thomas qualified for the Dressage Seat Medal Finals in 2005 and finished 10th.

When asked why she thinks she improved so much over the past two years, the shy Thomas simply said, “I became a more effective rider, and I learned my right leads.”

In the 14-18 division, Robyn Weston, of Grandville, Mich., took the blue with a score of 86.66 percent. Coming in second (85.33%) was Lauren Hadley of Ponca City, Okla., riding The Great Oz.

Weston, 17, rode her own horse, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding named Polensio, to the victory. She trains with Laurie Moore and has been riding dressage since the age of 10.

“I like dressage because it’s always challenging. There’s always something to work for and always something new to learn,” she said.

The recent high school grad-uate was heading home after the competition to pack up her bags and head to college at Michigan State. But she has no plans to stop riding and hopes to one day be an international competitor.

This year was Weston’s third trip to the finals, and every year she has inched closer to victory. Her first year, she placed third. The second year she competed, she placed second. So perhaps it was only fitting that this third time around, she should be first. “I figured if I can’t ride, I can at least smile. So I smiled as much as I could and won,” she said.

Lynndee Kemmet