Naomi Weirens had never earned a tricolor ribbon at the fall indoor shows, but today, Oct. 29, she made up for lost time at the Washington International with the medium pony hunter and co-grand pony hunter championships and the best child rider on pony title.
Aboard her bay Dutch Riding Pony, Everwood, Weirens, 10, Bronxville, N.Y., won two over fences classes on her way to the honors. “He’s really fun and scopey,” said Weirens of her pony. “And he can really cover up and make any distance work out.”
Weirens trains with Val Renihan and Jennifer Berol Bliss and said she’s worked hard in the two years she’s owned him to form a consistent partnership.
Paige Dekko, 15, Naples, Fla., and Mokoo Jumbee tied with Weirens and Everwood for the co-grand title after topping the large pony hunter division. This was déjà vu for Dekko, who also earned grand champion in 2003 with her small pony Buffalo Soldier.
Like Weirens, Dekko has been partnered with her pony for about two years. She trains with Bibby Farmer Hill and Don Stewart Jr. They earned red ribbons in each class for their championships.
“She was the bridesmaid in every class but ended up being the bride,” said Hill with a laugh.
For small pony hunter champion, Meredith Darst, she relied on a lot of help from her friends for the top honors with Hillcrest’s Blue Gemstone. After her luggage was lost on the way to the show, Darst borrowed all of her riding attire from other children—except her new riding helmet.
Because her mother and trainer Mindy Darst of Lochmoor Stables is battling cancer and couldn’t be at Washington to cheer her on, the 8-year-old had help from Jennifer Biehling at the ring. But her mother was on her mind as she went into the two over fences classes today, in which she placed second and fourth after her blue ribbon over fences the first day.
“Well, at first I wasn’t [thinking of her], then when she called me she said she’d be thinking of me and that she’d be proud if I was champion,” she said.
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Alise Oken’s polished round over fences aboard Land’s End Mad Hatter left her atop the standings going into the flat phase of the Washington Pony Equitation Classic Finals. And after her elegant work on the flat, the Charlotte, N.C., resident took home the blue ribbon.
Oken, who trains with Robby Hunt, said this year’s victory meant a lot after her first appearance in the class last year when she lost a stirrup.
“We’ve worked really hard,” said Oken, 14. “I worked on my heels and getting qualified this year. It’s been really fun.”
Oken was also thrilled that her younger sister, Lucille, 10, also qualified for the class and placed 10th. “She really improved,” said Alise smiling. “I’m proud of her. She wanted to get a ribbon and she did.”
In the first $15,000 AHJF Nations Cup Hunter Challenge yesterday, five teams of two riders—comprised of a junior equitation rider and an international grand prix rider—faced off in a three-round hunter competition. And when the dust settled, two of the hottest riders on their respective circuits, Beezie Madden and Maggie McAlary, combined forces for the winning score.
“It was lots of fun,” said Madden smiling. “I hope it was just as exciting for [the spectators].”
Running commentary from Geoff Teall and Don Stewart Jr. added to the class’ ambiance and provided the spectators with often entertaining insider information.
Other placings included: second—Stiletto/Megan Massaro and Matilda/Georgina Bloomberg; third—Manhattan/Hardin Towell and Lifetime/Nick Skelton; fourth—Saving Grace/Haylie Jayne and In Sync/Michael Whitaker; fifth—Guns And Roses/Sloane Coles and Jimmy Choo/McLain Ward.
Madden, aboard Once In A Lifetime, earned the leading rider jacket for her performances. Her second round, a handy hunter course, earned scores of 90, 95 and 90 (average 91.66) to clinch the win for the duo.
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“It was a unique class,” said McAlary, who rode True Grit. “Everyone felt the pressure. The grand prix riders are so good. You don’t want to let down the team.”
The junior riders were selected from the rankings of the hunter phase of the WIHS on Friday. A draw then determined their grand prix partners and the horses all 10 riders would show on Saturday afternoon, which were all loaned for the class.
For the first round, all 10 riders competed over a 3’6″ hunter course. Then, the each team’s best-scoring rider returned for the final, handy hunter round. The course included several options for tight turns, gallops and a gymnastic combination.
In the first round, Jayne’s beautiful ride aboard Saving Grace (91.00) topped the junior trips, while Madden scored an 88.24 with Once In A Lifetime for the leading professional ride.
In the second round, the standings shuffled as riders took chances over the handy course. Jayne and Whitaker led the way after the first round, but when Jayne had a rail in the gymnastic and scored 81.08, they dropped to fourth.
Coles, who had scored an impressive 87.66 in the first round aboard Guns And Roses, left long to an oxer in the handy hunter trip to drop her team down to fifth.
Massaro, riding Stiletto, and Bloomberg with Matilda, had polished performances for second place.
“This was a great class,” said AHJF Vice-President Louise Serio. “The riders were very excited about it. McLain Ward came up to me and said he’d like to ride in the class, as did Georgina. Georgina even took hunter lessons before the class, and when she drew her horse she went and watched the videotapes of him showing here. She was really serious about the class.”
Madden, double silver medalist from the FEI World Equestrian Games, couldn’t remember the last time she’d shown a hunter. “It’s been three or four years,” she said. “I like it, but I just don’t have the time to do it.”
McAlary, who won the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals two weeks earlier, enjoyed the challenge of the class too. “You just go in and do the best you can. It was a really fun class,” she said.