The first two regional qualifying competitions for the ASPCA Maclay National Championship were held this past weekend. Region 2 (East), which includes New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, held their qualifying show at the Long Island Classic Horse Show in Old Westbury, NY. The Region 7 (Northwest) qualifier was held at the NorthWest Autumn Finals in Monroe, WA, and was held for riders from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

The ASPCA Maclay class has been held since 1933, and its winners are some of the biggest names in equestrian sport. Previous winners include: William Steinkraus (1941), Frank Chapot (1948), George Morris (1952), Leslie Burr (1972), Maria Schaub's and Brianne Goutal’s trainer Stacia Klein Madden (1987) and Nicole Shahinian Simpson (1992).

The Region 2 Maclay qualifier is one of the most hotly contested competitions of the year. Many of the top riders in the country belong to this region, and only the top ten riders at the show may advance to the National Championship, which is held this year at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament on November 2-6, 2005 and is produced by the National Horse Show Association.

The present plan is to hold the warm up for the ASPCA Maclay on Saturday morning in Syracuse and the first two phases of the Maclay on Sunday morning. The Maclay competitors will then be able to observe the international finale to the Syracuse Tournament-–the uniquely formatted Syracuse Cup and the Beacon Hill $35,000 Junior/Amateur Grand Prix. Following that, the third, or testing, phase will be held as the feature and closing event of the session.

The winner of Region 2 in Old Westbury, NY, this year was 17-year-old Maria Schaub of Holmdel, NJ. Schaub trains with Frank and Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill in Colts Neck, NJ. Second place went to Brianne Goutal, of New York, NY. The Maddens also had another rider in the top ten; Sloane Coles of The Plains, VA, finished in sixth place. “We’re all really good friends,” Goutal explained, “so it’s great to have three of us in the top six.”

“Maclay Regionals is the most dreaded weekend of the year,” Goutal said with a smile. “You’ve worked all year to qualify, and the littlest thing could go wrong.” Goutal, who rode the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding Logan, finished sixth in last year’s Maclay National Championships. “It is really hyped. The main focus is to just be in the top ten and qualify.”

“We expected a really difficult course this year,” Goutal explained. “When we walked it, we thought it was pretty easy, but it turned out to be harder than we thought.” According to the National Horse Show Association, “The course for each Maclay Regional Championship should be of sufficient difficulty, typifying the Maclay National Championship Finals and thereby reflecting the importance of the class. While the courses must not be identical, they should reflect equal difficulty and challenge.”

Goutal said she and her fellow riders are looking forward to the National Championships. “Frank’s brother, John, does the show in Syracuse. The facility is amazing, and the crowd and the footing are great,” she mentioned. “It’s one of the best horse shows we’re at all year. We’re lucky the Maclay will be there.”

The top ten results from Region 2 ASPCA Maclay Qualifier are:
1. Maria Schaub, Holmdel, NJ
2. Brianne Goutal, New York, NY
3. Kim McCormack, Clermont, NJ
4. Josephine Nash, New York, NY
5. Christy Distefano, Ramsey, NJ
6. Sloane Coles, The Plains, VA
7. Addison Phillips, New York, NY
8. Jessica Springsteen, Colts Neck, NJ
9. Emma Lipman, Bedford, NY
10. Elizabeth Lubrano, Glenmore, PA

The top ten results from Region 7 ASPCA Maclay Qualifier are:
1. Nicole Bourgeois, Sherwood, OR