Morgan, Whaley, Wilson, and Weber Shine on Marathon Day of USEF Combined Driving National Championships at Live Oak International

Ocala, Fla. – The exciting marathon phase took place Saturday at Live Oak International, moving the four USEF Combined Driving National Championships one step closer to determining the titles. Tracey Morgan, Katie Whaley, Steve Wilson, and Chester Weber had a great day with their ponies and horses to lead their respective divisions.

USEF Single Pony Combined Driving National Championship

Morgan (Beallsville, Md.) and Fuego 88 had a great marathon day to stay atop the leaderboard in the USEF Single Pony Combined Driving National Championship. The duo won the marathon phase with 89.59 penalties, having the fastest times at obstacles two and five for the division. Morgan and her own 2011 German Riding Pony gelding head into Sunday’s cones phase with an overall score of 138.13.

“This marathon absolutely was international quality. When I walked it, I thought, ‘Wow! Am I in Europe right now?’ It asked good questions for the four-in-hands, the pairs, and the singles, because we had some incredibly tight turns, and if you had the power and the guts to give it a go, they were astonishing,” Morgan said. “It was a really good feeling to drive the entire course on the exact tract that I intended. Never wide, never too tight, and that doesn’t happen all that often, so I was really thrilled to have a wonderful go with my pony.”

Rebecca Gutierrez (Windsor, S.C.) moved up the leaderboard with Naria BW6 thanks to their second-place marathon performance where they tallied 90.50 penalties and had the fastest time at obstacle six. She and Richard Olson’s 2003 Haflinger mare sit in second place on an overall score of 147.89. Barbara Chapman (Metamora, Mich.) and Darlene Daly’s Maduro were third in the marathon with 95.36 penalties and had the fastest time at obstacle three. She and the 2008 North American Sportpony gelding are in third place with an overall score of 151.9.

USEF Pair Pony Combined Driving National Championship

Defending-champion Whaley (Paris, Ky.) had a winning marathon performance with her own Welsh geldings in the USEF Pair Pony Combined Driving National Championship. They collected 91.04 penalties and had the fastest times in six of the seven obstacles. Whaley and her ponies head into Sunday with an overall score of 140.83.

“[The obstacles] asked some pretty good questions, some complicated, tight, interesting turns were demanded of us if we wanted to be competitive,” Whaley said. “I was thrilled with the ponies. They came back, they listened, they took the short routes when I asked them, then they accelerated too.”

Mary Phelps (Columbia, Ky.) and her own American Shetland Pony pair were bold out on the marathon course, finishing second in the phase with 96.36 penalties. They head into the final phase in second place with an overall score of 159.01. Jennifer Matheson (Aiken, S.C.) and Katrina Becker’s mixed pair finished third in the marathon phase with 180.93 penalties and had the fastest time at obstacle six. They are in third place in the overall standings with 243.99.

USEF Pair Horse Combined Driving National Championship

Defending-champion Wilson (Louisville, Ky.) and his own mixed KWPN and Lipizzaner had a stellar marathon performance to move into the lead in the USEF Pair Pony Combined Driving National Championship. They tallied 101.62 penalties and had the fastest times in six of the seven obstacles. Wilson and his pair go into the final phase in the lead with an overall score of 156.66.

“I would say it is the most difficult course in America. I found it wonderfully challenging because I am planning to go to Europe for the World Championship for Pairs this fall, so having been able to drive at that level here at home was really a wonderful opportunity,” Wilson said. “I feel really good about how we handled that. There is always things that I could’ve done better, and I know the mistakes I made and how I would like to do it again.”

James Miller (Paris, Ky.) had a respectable marathon performance in his biggest competition to date, finishing third with 120.52 penalties. His lovely dressage test with wife Misdee Wrigley Miller’s Dutch Warmblood geldings allowed him to sit in second place in the overall standings with a score of 169.42. Josh Rector (Dyke, Va.) and his mixed pair finished second in the marathon with 106.00 and had the fastest time in obstacle three. They are third in the overall standings with a score of 176.26.

USEF Four-in-Hand Horse Combined Driving National Championship

Weber (Ocala, Fla.) maintained his lead in the USEF Four-in-Hand Horse Combined Driving National Championship following the marathon phase, moving closer to claiming his 14th national title. With his and Fritz Grupe’s Dutch Warmblood geldings, Weber won the phase with 112.96 penalties and had the fastest times in all of the obstacles. Weber heads into the cones phase with an overall score of 149.47.

“Balancing the four-in-hand is like balancing a group of people to work with and they all bring different strengths to the equation,” Weber explained of knowing the needs of the horses out on the marathon course.

Misdee Wrigley Miller (Paris, Ky.) had a bobble at obstacle six, but still managed to finish second in the marathon phase with 134.88 penalties. She and her own Dutch Warmblood geldings sit in second place with an overall score of 176.35. Allison Stroud (West Grove, Pa.) and Willow Star LLC’s Dutch Warmblood geldings also had some trouble in obstacle six and totaled 146.04 penalties in the marathon phase. They are in third with an overall score of 197.83.

Watch the live stream of the cones phase at Live Oak International beginning Sunday at 8:30 a.m. ET.

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The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members.