Lexington, KY—The fourth annual USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals were held during the Golden State Dressage Warm-Up and Cool-Down Show in Rancho Murieta, CA, July 28-30. Junior dressage riders from across the country competed in their respective age divisions of 13 & under and 14 to 18 years of age.

The purpose of the Dressage Seat Medal Program is to promote and reward excellence in equitation, including correct seat, position and use of aids in the sport of dressage. Junior riders in these Finals qualified last year by competing in the Dressage Seat Medal Semi-Final classes held at each of the nine United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Regional Championships, with the top two competitors in each age division being eligible for the Finals. Since the rider, not just the horse, is the primary focus of the judges’ scrutiny, one of the unique aspects of the Dressage Seat Medal Program is that riders may use borrowed horses. Thanks to the generosity of local horse owners, 12 of the 17 juniors rode borrowed horses, enabling these competitors to travel from across the country for the Finals.

Officials Jayne Ayers, Fran Dearing and Sandra Hotz judged both Finals divisions, asking for work on the rail and independent movements in order to arrive at their decisions. For the 13 & under division championship, Mackenzie Pooley of Coto de Caza, CA, rode her own Selle Francais mare, Calypso’s Girl, for an outstanding performance and a final score of 84.333%. Riding D G Bar Ranch’s Radetsky to the reserve championship was Audrey Jones of Houston, TX, with a score of 81.333%. Earning the Bronze medal with a score of 79.333% was Genay Vaughn of Elk Grove, CA, riding Starr Vaughn Tommy Mac, a Connemara gelding owned by Michele Vaughn.

Riding a borrowed horse to championship honors in the 14–18 division was Rachel Campbell of Wylie, TX, earning an overall score of 80.667% with Lydia Scaife’s Hanoverian gelding Gibraltar. Reserve Champion with a score of 80.000% was Colleen Akin of Warwick, NY, riding Shirley Boucher’s Legacy. Less than one percentage point in the overall score separated the Gold and Silver medals. Placing third with a score of 75.667% was Emily Staadecker of Munroe Falls, OH, riding Betsy Hite’s Worth the Wait.

In addition to show awards, both Finals champions will have their names engraved on the Hart Trophy kept on display in the United States Equestrian Federation® offices in Lexington, KY.



~~~For more information, please contact Jeannie Blancq Putney, National Marketing and Manager, at (859) 225-6974, or via e-mail at [email protected].