Allentown, N.J. – Eight new national champions were crowned at the conclusion of combined driving competition hosted at the New Jersey Horse Park in Allentown, N.J., this past weekend, with the Garden State CDE hosting national championship competition for all Preliminary and Training Level divisions. National champion honors were awarded in the VSE, Single Pony, Single Horse, Pony Pairs, and Horse Pairs divisions at both levels.
A strong division of seven combinations contested the Training Single Horse, with Hilary Mroz-Blythe (Leverett, Mass.) and her own Stone Pony Tempest, a 2019 Connemara mare (Ballencrieff’s Brogan x Bijou), ultimately securing top honors. The pair earned a 55.14 in dressage, placing them in third after the first phase, before a strong round around the marathon course bumped them into second on a two-phase total of 123.10. In the cones phase on the final day, the duo added just three penalties to their score to finish on a class-high 126.10 combined score to take the national championship in the Training Single Horse division.
Sarah Reitz (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) and her own High Hopes Mercury, a 2019 Welsh Pony Cross (High Hopes Bugatti x Beatle) were the only entry in the Training Single Pony division, but produced strong scores in all three rounds, including a 53.18 in dressage and a 52.87 on marathon to enter the final cones phase with a combined score of 106.5. The pair added nothing to their score after cones to complete the weekend on a final score of 106.5.
The Training VSE division saw three entries battle for top honors throughout the weekend. Ellen Attridge (Ipswich, Mass.) and her own Soxie, a 2010 Miniature Horse, ultimately held their hotly contested lead throughout the weekend. The pair were awarded a 52.11 after their dressage test looking ahead to the marathon phase with scores tightly packed at the top of the leaderboard. The duo finished the marathon track with 77.08 penalties, keeping their hold on the leaderboard after two phases. In cones, their score of three penalties almost saw them slip from the top, but their finishing score of 132.19 proved strong enough to keep their hold on the division across the phases.
Melody Payne (Berkshire, N.Y.) guided her Bayshore Cockleburr, a 2015 Dartmoor gelding (Senruf Jehad x Seedhill Sweet Briar), Fiddlemark’s Bottle Rocket, a 2006 Dartmoor mare (Cruachan Valentine x Mc Marilyn) owned by Lory Eighme and Melody Payne, and her own Meadowlark Oppulence, a 2016 Dartmoor gelding (Shilstone Rocks Snowshoes x Bayshore Extravagance) topped the Training Pairs – Pony division and used the weekend to produce a strong score across the phases. The team earned a 57.46 in the dressage phase, before finishing marathon with 69.13 penalties, and adding just three penalties in cones to complete the weekend on a final total of 129.59.
A competitive Preliminary Horse division saw seven entries vie for the top title. Ultimately Susannah Ross (Plain City, Ohio) and her own Honeybee, a 2015 Hanoverian mare (Escudo 2 x Olive) would finish atop the division after earning a 53.65 in the dressage and added 65.29 on the marathon course for a two-phase total of 118.94. The duo added nine penalties in cones to finish on a final total of 127.94 for the win.
Kate Pantelione (Woodbine, N.J.), a U-25 driver and pathway member of the U.S. Driving Program, and her own Adda Little Spice, a 2014 American Miniature Horse gelding, finished on top of the Preliminary VSE division with strong scores across the weekend. The pair received a 56.61 for their dressage test and added 59.58 penalties on marathon, before finishing cones with no added penalties and a final score of 116.19 to best the class.
In the Preliminary Single Pony division, Felicity DeMitry (Geneva, N.Y.) and High Hopes Bugatti, a 2009 Welsh Pony stallion (Halifax x Waywing Curtain Call) owned by Sarah Reitz, reigned supreme after producing three consistent scores throughout the weekend. The pair started on a dressage score of 53.05, which placed them second, before a strong marathon go pushed them to the top of the leaderboard on a two-phase total of 106.78. De Mitry is also a U-25 driver and a pathway member of the U.S. Driving program. The pair added just three penalties in the final cones phase to win the division on a total of 109.78.
Ingrid Nichols (Plainfield, N.H.) guided her team of Eriny, a 2009 KWPN gelding (Apollo x Winterra), and Meijor, 2017 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Hightanium x DMS Evangaline) to top honors in the Preliminary Horse - Pairs division, producing three strong phases. The team earned a score of 52.46 in the dressage, before adding 71.15 penalties around the marathon course. They finished the weekend with six penalities added in cones, putting them on top of the division with a final score of 129.61.
To learn more about combined driving and para driving programs and events, visit the Driving section of USEF.org.
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