Thermal, Calif. - The stage is set at the 2024 Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals – West, as a group of 26 talented young athletes gathered at Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California to display their skills in the flat phase.
In groups of five, the athletes entered the arena to perform a series of flatwork exercises for the judges. The riders demonstrated a working and lengthening trot, and canter and counter canter in both directions, flying changes, and a turn on the haunches. This phase offered the competitors a chance to highlight their foundational skills in position, aids, and seat, as the judges, Kristin Coe, and Michael Tokaruk, began to compile their scores for the Final.
Paige Walkenbach (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) impressed with a ride on her own horse, Emi Inita (Inliner x Laila), earning a top score of 90. Victoria Zahorik (Bartonville, Tex.) aboard her own horse, Quiwian (Quiwi Dream x Bala) trailed close behind with a score of 89. In third was Grayson Pacelli (Encinitas, Calif.) on Koddac van het Indihof (Copperfield von der Held x Gave van het Indihof), owned by Chandler Meadows, with a score of 86.
The competition continues Saturday morning with Phase II, the gymnastics phase, which will test the athletes with a series of gymnastic lines and multiply their score by 1.5. On Sunday, the event wraps up with Phase III, the jumping phase, featuring a jumping-style course that will double the Phase III scores. The cumulative results from all three phases will determine the top four athletes who will advance to Phase IV, the ride-off. In this final round, the athletes will exchange horses and tackle the same course on each of the four mounts to finalize their rankings.
Multiple awards will be presented on Sunday, including the Hollow Brook Junior Sportsmanship Award, recognizing an athlete who exemplifies the highest ideals of integrity, sportsmanship, honor, kindness, and generosity throughout the Finals. The award will be announced during the prize-giving ceremony, with nominations open to participants, their trainers, and families until 2pm PT on Saturday, November 9. You can submit your nomination here.
Stay tuned for continued coverage from the West Coast on USEF Network. The competition will reconvene for Phase II on Saturday morning at 11am ET/8am PT.
Learn more about the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals
Phase I Results
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The USEF International High-Performance Programs and the USEF High Performance Pathway Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, the philanthropic partner to USEF. High Performance Program support is also provided by the USOPC and USEF sponsors and members.