The nation’s horse center at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington set the stage for four different USEF eventing championships over the past weekend, October 19-22. The storms that plagued the region in the week leading up to the competitions left portions of the steeplechase course under water. Officials deemed it necessary to eliminate the steeplechase from the event. The national championships were also run concurrent with the ever-popular Mid-South Team Challenge.
In the one-star competition, Ruthie Harbison aboard Ringfort Tinkatoo (a nine-year-old chestnut Irish Sport Horse owned by Robert Jordan) were named champions. She finished the competition on her dressage score of 54.3, adding no penalties during the cross-country and show jumping phases. The reserve champion was Cathy Wieschhoff aboard Pantera. The horse, a nine-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood, is owned by Debbie Atkinson. Weischhoff was in the lead on a dressage score of 51.5, but unfortunately for her, she accumulated 4.0 time faults on cross-country. This dropped her to second place. She finished on a clear show jumping round.
In the junior championship, it was Jordynn Sahagian of Barrington, IL, aboard Peron (a 10-year-old bay Hanoverian owned by Vicki Sahagian). Sahagian put herself firmly in the lead based on her dressage performance which netted her a score of 47.7. This allowed her to retain her lead, even after succumbing to two rails in the show jumping phase. Reserve honors went to Callie Judy of Columbia, MO, aboard her Kilkenny Castle (a 12-year-old dark bay Irish Sport Horse). Judy finished on her dressage score of 62.4.
The third championship awarded at the close of the weekend was the USEF National Amateur Eventing Championship, taken by Katherine Coleman of Athens, GA, aboard Trader Vic (a seven-year-old dark bay Thoroughbred/Hanoverian cross). The pair put down a final score of 58.9, leading the competition from the start. The reserve horse-rider combination was Stephen Steinhoff and Kouros de Rouville (an eight-year-old bay Selle Francais). The pair added four cross-country time penalties to a dressage score of 57.4 for second place.
Emery Reagan and About Time II (an eight-year-old bay Thoroughbred) were the winners of the 2006 USEF National 19- to 21-Year-Old Eventing Championships on a score of 65.6. The Goshen, KY, rider finished ahead of another Kentuckian and hometown rider, Keely Maginnis aboard Maplewood’s Primestar. Maginnis and her 10-year-old bay Hanoverian finished with 70.7 points to take the reserve title.
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