United States Eventing Association

USEA Area I Championships Sees Six New Winners Rise to the Occasion

Six new USEA Area I Champions were named at the 2024 USEA Area I Championships which took place during the Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club (GVRDC) H.T. in Geneseo, New York, Aug. 17-18.

Preliminary Champions: Megan Tardiff & Vindakova

Megan Tardiff and her 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Vindakova (Castlelawn Galloway x Roller girl) made the eight-hour drive to GVRDC from Kennebunkport, Maine, to compete in this year’s Area I Championships. They took the early lead after dressage with a score of 27.1, but Tardfif was especially looking forward to cross-country.

“GVRDC’s cross-country course was absolutely stunning,” noted Tardiff. “It’s one of the many reasons we chose to drive the distance to compete there. The course was open and gallopy with fair but challenging questions asked throughout. Vinny and I had a confident and smooth ride around the cross-country course only adding a bit of time to our score.”

After a double-clear show jumping round, Tardiff and Vinny sealed the deal and earned the title of Area I Preliminary Champions! She encourages riders to make the drive to Geneseo to compete at GVRDC in the future.

“I highly recommend making the trip out to GVRDC to anyone that hasn’t been there,” she shared. “The venue is gorgeous and has some of the best cross-country courses in Area I.”

Following their Area I win, Tardiff and Vinny will continue to compete at the Preliminary level to build on their confidence at the level. They hope to compete at the GMHA September H.T. in Vermont and the Course Brook Farm Fall H.T. in Massachusetts later this fall. They may pop down to USEA Area II in October to finish out their season before Vinny gets a well-deserved vacation.

Modified Champions: Jocelyn Hawe & Fiddlehead

In the Modified Championship, it was Lee, New Hampshire, resident Jocelyne Hawe who rode to the win aboard her own 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Fiddlehead (Old Fashioned x Gorgeous Me).

The pair made their USEA debut together in 2022 at the Novice level and have worked their way up to the Modified level, which they moved up to in the early summer of this year. The win at the USEA Area I Championships marks their second win together at the Modified level.

Training Champions: Holly Shine & Good Man Like Mine

When you ask Holly Shine why she loves competing at GVRDC, she isn’t short on praise for this Area I event.

“We love the Genesee Valley area,” said Shine. “They have the friendliest, most accommodating group of people involved in our sport and make you feel so welcome here. I appreciate them so much, and it's a big part of the reason I make their events a priority to get to every year. The grounds are beautiful and well taken care of and it's such a relaxing venue.”

Shine and her 19-year-old Paint gelding Good Man Like Mine made the trip to New York from Greenville, Pennsylvania, to compete in the USEA Area I Championships. Their relationship has been a longstanding one as Shine has had him since he was 3 years old.

“I can truly say that ‘Josh’ gives me everything he's got every time we go out, and he tries harder than any horse I've had the privilege of sitting on,” said Shine. “We ran Preliminary together from the time he was 11 or 12 through his 16-year-old year when I retired him officially from competition, but he was still my go-to boy at home.”

Josh has many jobs at home. He’s always there when Shine needs to hop on him bareback and gallop across the farm to retrieve her Beagle Josey when she runs out of bounds. He ponies all of Shine’s young horses, and he is the go-to mount for kids or inexperienced riders because of how reliable he is.

“He's the one you grab for everything because he can do it all!” said Shine. “And God bless his soul, he's the one I brought back out to go Training with me this year to help keep me sharp while I'm getting my 4- and 5-year-old going. And at 19, I feel like he's better than ever!”

The duo led their division from start to finish on their dressage score of 31.0 to win the championship.

Novice Champions: Jennifer Fitch & Caraways Daireing Romance

Hailing from West Windsor, Vermont, this year’s USEA Area I Novice Champions were Jennifer Fitch and Shirley Fenner’s Caraway Daireing Romance (Maplehurst Michael Macdaire x Romantic Fanfare). Fitch has had the ride on the 10-year-old Connemara gelding for five years now, and the pair have amassed quite a few top-3 finishes at the Novice level together. She describes "Henry" as an in-your-pocket type horse, always looking for treats and giving hugs. But he hasn't always been like that.

"When we first got Henry, he was an anxious guy," Fitch shared. "Over the years, we have taken the slow approach to help build his confidence and not over face him. He’s always been very athletic and a great jumper, but just didn’t trust his own athleticism. The last two years has really come together, and I feel his strength, confidence, and trust in me have flourished."

They kicked off their weekend on a personal best dressage score of 22.2 and clung tight to that score throughout the jumping phases to claim the win. Fitch noted she was still smiling days afterward because of how much love has gone into their partnership together.

"It has not been an easy road but I have learned a lot over the years and feel Henry has helped me become a better rider. Our future goals together will be moving up to Training next month and hopefully the USEA American Eventing Championships in a couple years."

Beginner Novice Champions: Amy Rodriguez & Gettin’ Ziggy Wit It

Amy Rodriguez (Honeoye Falls, New York) first connected with her now 8-year-old Paint gelding Gettin’ Ziggy Wit It, aka Ziggy, from a local rescue called Rescue a Horse.

“I was hired by the rescue to train Ziggy, who had arrived at the rescue as a wormy, skinny yearling from an Amish farm,” said Rodriguez. “As soon as I started putting Ziggy over cross-country fences, I knew he had to stay with me.”

She officially adopted Ziggy this year and has spent all of 2024 thoroughly enjoying their blossoming partnership. The pair have had many adventures together from trail riding, participating in hunter paces, and competing. His appearance at the USEA Area I Championships was his fourth USEA outing.

The pair started the weekend out in eighth place following dressage on a score of 37.5, but as all eventers know, it's not over until the last fence has been jumped. Their double-clear cross-country round shot them up to second place going into the final phase, and another double-clear performance would earn them the win. For Rodriguez, the moment was a super special one.

“The standout memory for me of this weekend was completing my show jumping course while my daughter, who is a year and a half old, was cheering for us the entire way,” recalled Rodriguez. “Ziggy is her favorite horse, and she recognized him immediately. The torrential rain waited until our victory gallop, which was also a fun memory-galloping in the crazy rain!”

Starter Champions: Gabriella DeMuth & Watercolors

Winning the USEA Area I Start Championship from start to finish was Gabrielle DeMuth of Horseheads, New York, riding Jennifer Treacy’s 15-year-old Paint mare Watercolors. DeMuth and Watercolors only made their USEA debut earlier this summer, and this marks their second win at the Starter level together.

The pair started their weekend on a dressage score of 29.7 and only added 2 time penalties in show jumping to their score to win the division on a score of 31.7.