All five American riders are safely through to Show Jumping at the FEI World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, after passing the final horse inspection on Sunday morning.
The hard work and dedication of all of Team USA’s grooms was clearly evident - the five horses looked healthy, happy, and beautifully turned out, their coats gleaming in the bright morning sunshine.
The U.S. team are currently in silver medal position and has a strong chance of winning the USA a first team medal at a World Championships since they took gold in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, in 2002. Germany is currently in gold, but less than a show jump ahead of the U.S. Team Great Britain is in bronze - again, with less than the four penalties for a fence down behind America.
Tamie Smith, on a score of 24, is in bronze medal position individually with Alexandra and Ellen Ahearn and Eric Markell’s 16-year-old German Sport Horse gelding Mai Baum (Loredano 2 x Ramiro), just behind Germany’s Michael Jung and DOKR, Klaus and Sabine Fischer, and Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampfffischer's 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding FischerChipmunk FRH (Contendro I x Havanna) on a score of 18.8. Young British rider Yasmin Ingham and Janette Chinn and Sue Davies' 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding Banzai du Loir (Nouma D'auzay x Gerboise du Cochet) sit in third on a score of 23.2. Close behind is Boyd Martin in sixth with a score of 26.2 aboard Thomas and Tommie Turner’s 15-year-old Trakehner gelding Tsetserleg TSF (Windfall x Thabana).
Will Coleman is in 11th place going into Show Jumping with a score of 27.2 with the Off the Record Syndicate's 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Off The Record (VDL Arkansas x Drumogoland Bay). He is followed by Ariel Grald in 18th on a score of 32.5 with Annie Elridge’s 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Leamore Master Plan (Master IMP IHR x Ardragh Bash), and Lauren Nicholson in 19th with Jacqueline Mars’ 15-year-old Anglo-Arab gelding Vermiculus (Sazeram x Wake Me Gently) on a score of 32.7 - a slight adjustment to Saturday night’s placings, as Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy and Fallulah, the thirteen-year-old Westfalian mare (Fidertanz 2 x Devona, by Di Versace) owned by Amanda and Nicholas Boyle, Di Brunsden, Peter Cattel, and McCarthy, was originally given 11 penalties on the scoresheet for a broken frangible device, which was later removed, and means he is currently in 17th place.
The Show Jumping for the top 25 of the remaining 72 competitors starts at 2:30 p.m. Italian time. Four horses were withdrawn overnight - Japanese rider, Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka JRA who were in 34th place, Danish rider Hanne Wind Raamsgard and his own 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding Amequ Torino who were in the 50th position on the leaderboard, Polish rider Jan Kiminski and Marcin Kaminski's 12-year-old Polish Sport Horse gelding, Jard who sat in 61st, and The Netherlands' Jordy Wilken and the 16-year-old KWPN gelding, Burry Spirit owned by J. Wilken who sat in 69th.
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Having established clear lines of communication yesterday on the flat, it was time to take those tools to the jumping arena during day two of the 2024-2025 Emerging Athlete Under 21 (EA21) National Camp held at Sweet Dixie South in Ocala, Florida. The curriculum for the second day focused on the rider’s responsibilities and maintaining rideability.
“There’s got to be things that you believe to your core,” EA21 Director of Coaching David O’Connor began on the first day of the 2024-2025 Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp held at Sweet Dixie South in Ocala, Florida. “For me, that’s communication.”
This week 12 talented Young Rider athletes from all over the country have gathered together in Ocala, Florida, for the 2024-2025 USEA Emerging Athletes U21 National Camp (EA21), led by EA21 Director of Coaching David O'Connor! These riders were hand-selected following the five USEA EA21 Regional Clinics that took place in the summer of 2024 and will spend the week immersed in an educational experience like no other with classroom sessions, hands-on learning led by industry experts, and in-the-saddle instruction facilitated by O'Connor. The National Camp kicks off tomorrow on Dec. 31, 2024 and will run through Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.
USEA CEO Rob Burk sits down with Podcast Host Nicole Brown to talk about some of the key moments from this year's USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, which was held Dec. 12-15 in Seattle, Washington, including keynote speaker Tik Maynard's presentation, rule changes, accessibility and inclusivity, and more!