Carlee McCutcheon crowned her junior equitation career Sunday with one of the most sough-after jewels of the fall championships: The 2023 ASPCA Maclay Final.
McCutcheon, Aubrey, Texas, topped a field of 226 riders at the National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky, with her longtime partner, Kennedy McCaulley’s Chacco Star. He’s been her partner for several major wins this season, including the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final (Pennsylvania), the WEF Equitation Championship (Florida), and the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship at Devon (Pennsylvania). They also were second at the Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final—East (New Jersey) and third at the WIHS Equitation Final (Maryland) this fall.
“I’m always grateful to come to this horse show,” said McCutcheon, who won the class in two rounds plus a flat phase, after judges decided not to bring back top contenders for a test. “It’s one of my favorite horse shows of the year. It’s something I look forward to all year, and it went better than I ever could’ve imagined. The team around me—it means so much to me to have such a great support system. My parents and my grandparents, [my trainers] Max [Amaya] and TJ [O’Mara] and the entire team at Stonehenge. It really takes a village, and I wouldn’t be here without them, especially ‘Chacco.’ He makes me very brave, so I’m very grateful to that.”
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Check out the two rounds that set them apart from the competition, courtesy of ClipMyHorse.tv:
