Lexington, KY – The 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – West is well under way at the L.A. International Jumping Festival, September 21-25, in Burbank, CA. The flat phase, first of the four phases took place Thursday night. The judging team of noted judge Sue Ashe and her daughter, international jumper rider Molly Ashe, tested the riders on their mastery of the skills needed to properly prepare a jumper for flatwork, including a demonstration of haunches in and a flying change to the counter canter.
After the scores were tallied, Carly Anthony emerged as the winner of Phase I with a score of 96, followed by Zoie Nagelhout with 93.
“It was awesome,” said Anthony. “It was basic, but a good test of the fundamentals. It definitely prepared me for the second phase, which was another great test.”
Friday night brought Phase II of the competition, a challenging gymnastics round that tested each rider’s ability to ride accurately and remain focused to manage the different combinations and distances.
“We put together a course we thought was fair,” judge Sue Ashe said. “It could be done beautifully, or the riders could have some problems if they were not prepared. We didn’t want anyone to leave discouraged by the course; we wanted them to leave wanting to come back and do better next year, and to finish the class a better rider than they began it.”