Traverse City, Mich. – Competitors in the 2023 Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships - East had the opportunity to show off their quality on the flat in front of the judges on Friday as the under saddle phases took place at Flintfields Horse Park. All sections in both the 3’3” and 3’6” heights had their under saddle phases, which contribute 20% of each competitor’s final score.
In the 3’6” height, Clara Propp (New York, N.Y.) and Arabesque, a 2013 Oldenburg mare owned by Aquitaine Equine, moved into the overall lead after a winning performance in the under saddle for the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under section. Aedan Mooney (Golden, Colo.) and She’s All That, a 2015 Westphalian mare owned by Linda Yarorough, maintained their lead in the overall 3’3” standings with their under saddle win in the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 on Friday.
Work Off Results
One of the unique features of the Junior Hunter National Championships at Traverse City is the work off class held at the end of each height’s schedule on under saddle day. The top three entries from each section within the height are invited to come back and compete against each other to determine the best of the best in performance on the flat.
In the 3’6” division, Paige Walkenbach (Paradise Valley, Calif.) took the win riding Ever So Often, a 2014 Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Walkenbach Equestrian LLC. This win came after the pair placed second in their Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under class earlier in the day. Lesly Moore (Palm Beach, Fla.) and her own 2016 Dutch Warmblood gelding, Earnest, were the victors in the 3’3” work off. The pair also won the under saddle for the Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under section.
Special Awards and Presentations
Some special presentations took place at the conclusion of Friday’s competition. The recipients of the USEF Grants supported by Debbie Smith were invited to center ring with Smith to recognize their achievements. Ryley Kurau (Long Island, N.Y.) was the grant recipient for the 3’6” height and Sean Mulleady (Bedford, N.Y.) was the 3’3” recipient.
“I was very excited when I found out I won the grant. I didn’t think I was going to be able to come, and it was very exciting news,” said Kurau. “It’s such a good experience to come here, and having a very quirky horse and learning to navigate hard courses is something that you need to do to become a professional, which is my hope. I think it’ll help me a lot later on in helping other people with quirky horses.”
“At first I was super surprised, because I know there were probably a lot of people applying for this, but I’m grateful to everyone at USEF and especially to Debbie Smith for the opportunity,” Mulleady said about receiving the grant. “The grant is a privilege to everyone, and it’s a really great opportunity to show at this facility. With the grant, I am able to compete this week and hopefully have good rounds and continue riding afterwards with more confidence.”
As the winner of the highest under saddle score in the 3’3” division, Kendall Blabey (Naples, Fla.) riding Caretino B received a new award created in honor of Hannah Serfass, a member of the junior hunter community who passed away earlier this year. Serfass’s parents and brother were on hand to present the Hannah Serfass Memorial Trophy in center ring to Blabey as a fitting tribute to her dedication to horses and equestrian sport.
Current Standings
3’6” Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under
- Deja Blue and Djuna Lauder – 158.5
- Ever So Often and Paige Walkenbach – 157.9
- Golden Ticket and Addison McQuaker (CAN) – 156.7
3’6” Small Junior Hunter 16-17
- Day Won and Avery Glynn – 160.82
- Advent and Eleanor Rudnicki – 159.22
- Business Time and Blythe Goguen – 156.40
3’6” Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under
- Arabesque and Clara Propp – 169.0
- Casino Cash and Brooke Hagerty – 156.40
- Symbolic and Hailey Guidry – 154.90
3’6” Large Junior Hunter 16-17
- Small Love and Caroline Signorino – 159.51
- Spoken and Avery Glynn – 159.27
- Skyhawk and Carlee McCutcheon – 158.91
3’3” Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under
- High Vigour and Rylie True – 157.03
- Gio Candio and Abigail Davis – 150.3
- Coppertone and Collin Sweetnam – 152.06
3’3” Small Junior Hunter 16-17
- Central Park and Vivian Palmer – 152.4
- Calou and Sadie Furr – 148.90
- Double Fantasy and Schuyler Dayner – 145.75
3’3” Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under
- Debonair and Veronica Feeley – 155.98
- Counselor and Claire Mullally – 152.5
- Easter and Colvin Hall – 150.34
3’3” Large Junior Hunter 16-17
- She’s All That and Aedan Mooney – 160.56
- Calamanzo and Grace Shipman – 154.42
- Callahan and Sofia Cady – 153.33
Join US Equestrian or sign up for a free fan account to watch the livestreams from the Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships – East and West on USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV.
Stay Connected
Keep up with the Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships – East and more equestrian news. Follow US Equestrian on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.