Lexington, KY – The top junior equitation and jumper riders head to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania this week to compete at the prestigious Pennsylvania National Horse Show. “Junior Weekend” runs October 11-14 and will host 28 competitors in the 2012 Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships. With more than 275 of the best hunter equitation riders, competitors will vie for the top spot in the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals presented by Randolph College. Fans unable to attend can find the Individual Final of the Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships on Saturday and the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals presented by Randolph College on Sunday on the USEFNetwork.com presented by SmartPak.
2012 Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships
The Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships crown is one of the most coveted titles riders can earn. The Team Championship will be determined on Friday following two rounds of jumping; these scores will also carry over to Individual standings. A total of four rounds will determine Individual medalists; Thursday competition kicks off with the first Individual Qualifier and the top competitors following the two team rounds will move on to Saturday’s final.
Zone 2 looks to repeat its 2011 Gold medal performance for legendary Chef d’Equipe, Ralph Caristo. This year the Zone 2 riders have already gained valuable experience competing at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC). Meg O’Mara, Mattias Tromp and Lydia Ulrich were part of the Gold medal-winning Zone 2 Team in the USHJA North American Young Rider Team Jumping Championship at the 2012 NAJYRC. Ulrich also claimed the Individual Bronze medal this summer in Kentucky. The final member of the team, Charlotte Jacobs also experienced success at the 2012 NAJYRC claiming Team Gold and Individual Bronze in junior competition for her zone.
O’Mara hopes to replicate her 2011 success over all four rounds again this year. With Sinatra IV, she claimed both Team and Individual Gold medals finishing competition on a single-fault. She brings Walstib Stable’s Belgian gelding back to Harrisburg eyeing a title defense.
All four members of Zone 2 will have an extraordinarily busy weekend as they finish their “Junior Weekend” contesting the Medal Finals.
Another busy rider will be the lone representative from Zone 10, Kilian McGrath, who will also compete in both the equitation and jumper classes. McGrath brings her winning partner from the NAJYRC, the Freedom Group’s Salerno, to Pennsylvania. The pair earned the Team Bronze and Individual Gold medals in the USHJA North American Young Rider Jumping Championship in Kentucky.
Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals presented by Randolph College
A star-studded field of juniors lines up in the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals presented by Randolph College. Many of the top names in the sport will be on hand to compete in the Finals held all day Sunday.
Victoria Colvin (Loxahatchee, FL) has been winning at nearly every turn in 2012. In July, the 15-year-old claimed her first US Junior Hunter Championship title on the strength of consistent, stylish riding. Colvin heads to Harrisburg after a stellar week at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, where she claimed the Grand Junior Hunter Championship sponsored by Lochmoor Stables/Mindy and Greg Darst. Colvin will also compete in the Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships for Zone 4.
Colvin will have stiff competition from the winners of the 2011 US Junior Hunter Championship from both the East and West Coasts. Last year’s East Coast winner, Lillie Keenan (New York, NY), has won many of the top hunter and equitation titles awarded but the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals presented by Randolph College crown has yet to be added to her resume.
Morgan Geller (Manhattan Beach, CA) topped the field at the 2011 West Coast Championships last year in San Juan Capistrano, CA and looks to showcase that winning form in the 2012 Medal Finals.
Jacob Pope (Columbia, MD) will also eye top honors over the weekend in Harrisburg. Pope is the newly minted Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East champion, after topping the field in Gladstone the past weekend.
The Individual Final of the Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships on Saturday and the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals presented by Randolph College on Sunday will be available live through USEF Network Prime coverage on www.usefnetwork.com presented by SmartPak.
For more information about the 2012 Pennsylvania National Horse Show, visit: http://www.panational.org/.
To watch live over the weekend to find news, photos, and video on demand, visit: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012PennsylvaniaNational/.