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."

The course started with a trot jump, followed by a bending line to an open one stride, forcing riders to stay on their toes and ride from the very beginning. Other tests in the course included a counter canter around a corner and a line with a tight one-stride to an open four stride to a two stride. Each element required careful thought, control, and quick reactions.

"Conrad Homfeld helped us with the course, and he's one of the best course designers out there," judge Molly Ashe said. "You get a real sense of accomplishment when you ride one of his courses. He's an excellent horseman and rider, and we were honored he helped us."

Zoie Nagelhout, who was second coming into Phase II, was second to last to ride. She put in a strong round, answering every question with aplomb. She had the best approach of the night from the third element, a bounce in the corner, to the four-part combination, setting her up perfectly to trust her horse's scope through the long one stride and keeping him steady for the final fence in the combination. Her mount Y2K was right with her through the whole trip, making a truly harmonious partnership. Nagelhout scored an 88, putting her at the top for the round. Anthony her, but with several problems during her trip, she dropped out of the top rankings. With scores in this round multiplied by 1.5, Nagelhout moved into the lead with a combined score of 225, and Sage Flynn followed her with 217.

"This is the best of the equitation finals, as far as the impact it has on the rider's future in the sport," noted Molly Ashe. "It's a good indicator of their riding ability and preparation to move up to the next level. It's also a fun class for the kids to do and get a good challenge." Molly has a special connection to this class, having placed second in the final in 1987, the year after her brother Neil won it. Molly earned a Silver medal for multiple wins in Talent Search classes, while Neil won a Gold. Molly has gone on to represent the United States at many international competitions and has demonstrated the valuable correlation between success in the USEF Talent Search and success in the grand prix ring.

The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search West Coast Final continues on Saturday with Phase III, a jumper course on LAEC's grass field, and Phase IV, a work off with the top four modeled after the World Equestrian Games where each rider will complete a course not only on their own mount, but each of the other three as well. This will be a test of endurance in horse and rider as well as riding ability.

More information is available in the prize list: http://www.usef.org/documents/disciplines/jumper/TalentSearchClass/TalentSearch2011.pdf.

Information about the LA International Jumping Festival is available here: http://www.langershows.com/laec/show_details.php?show_id=190.

ENDS