United States Eventing Association

Champions Crowned At Hagyard Midsouth

Champions in the three Hagyard MidSouth Three-Day Event were named and the Training, Novice, and Beginner Novice winning teams were crowned in the competitive Hagyard Midsouth Team Challenge at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Robin Walker's first CCI completion as a rider for the United States ended in victory with Anne-Marie Rasch's Florenz. The careful Oldenburg mare "was almost too careful" early in her career, according to Walker. But she has "quietly gotten better," and Walker plans to see whether she can continue her success at the next level. As a United States citizen, Walker also took the USEF National Eventing Championship.

The winner of the USEF Amateur Eventing Championship, Selena Pape, has been "pleasantly surprised" with her six-year-old mare Vanity. After coming to Pape in 2009, Vanity has come to love her job and Pape is now looking forward to big things in their partnership. USEF Junior Eventing Champion Makenzie Spaes rode to the title on her gelding Ripple Effect, the first horse that she has ever ridden at the Preliminary level. Having come second at last year's Hagyard Midsouth Training-Three Day Event, and second at the CIC* at Stuart this past summer, the pair finished in the top ten of the CCI*.

The SmartPak Equine/USEA Classic Preliminary Three-Day Event was won by the wire-to wire leaders, Lara Borson-Knight and Shooby Do, who jumped a double-clear show jumping round to hold on to their lead. The prestigious Best-Conditioned Award went to Thomas Borthwick and Mischief's Replica, who also took home the Best-Presented Award.

Lela Wulf jumped to first place in the SmartPak Equine/USEA Classic Training Three-Day Event with a clean stadium round on her own Gin Creek. The Thoroughbred gelding, a son of Kentucky Horse Park Hall of Champions resident Go For Gin, was tied for fifth after dressage and had moved up to fourth after endurance day. This was Wulf's first Training Three-Day, although she completed a CCI* ten years ago. She is no longer interested in competing at the Preliminary level, however, and set the T3D as her year-end goal. "My goal was to finish on a dressage score in the 30s, and it turned out I won it!" she said. Despite a lost shoe on Roads and Tracks, she had a blast on endurance day and was proud of managing all four phases. Crowd favorite Lexy Funk finished fourth with her 8-year-old, 14.2 hand Welsh-Thoroughbred pony Changes in Latitudes. "Princess" was deemed too much of a handful for a career as a jumper, and Funk decided to see how she did at eventing. After one year on the job, the pair had a double-clear Endurance day and sprung over all of the stadium fences in a double-clear round to finish on their dressage score of 37.5.

The winning team in the Training Team Challenge was Spring Run, a group of junior riders coached by Susan Harris and Carrie Barrick. Tahlia Hodes on Sandpiper, Catherine Luvisi on Alongaboutdaybreak, Aisling Caroll on Fluff, and Mary Peabody Camp on Rave Review are all good friends and are members of Covered Bridge Pony Club. "They all work hard and are all for each other," Harris said with evident pride. Their consistent performances landed them in first place just ahead of Elissa's Extreme Area Eight Young Riders.

The Novice Team Challenge champions were LEF Princess and Her Knights: Margaret Kimmel on Double Dutch, Martha Lambert and R Time Piece, Tanya BeGole and Pardon My French, and Lori Bond on Dieses Storm. The MSEDA Beginner Novice team – Morgan Hubsch on Lazarus, Sarah Kleintop on Shadey Hills Oscea, Erin Woodall on Lickety Split, and Jane Glasscock on Chapel Hill—took home the title in that division.

For full results visit www.kyevents.net.

The SmartPak Equine/USEA Classic Series is made possible through the support of its many sponsors: Title Sponsor: SmartPak Equine; Presenting Sponsor: Stackhouse Saddles; Silver Level Sponsor: Fleeceworks; Legacy Sponsor: Five Star Tack Elite Sponsors: FITS and Nunn Finer