Mill Spring, N.C. – The Tryon Stadium was electric as riders vied for a chance to be crowned the victor in the 2020 Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships. Violet Lindemann Barnett and Picobello Choppin PC captured the title following three intense rounds of competition.
“I was sitting in silver, so I just wanted to have a nice, consistent clear round. When I walked the course I thought it was technical, but very fair and really good for my horse and I was excited to jump it,” commented Lindemann Barnett. “I also would like to thank Neue Schule, my parents, my trainer, my horse, and my groom for this amazing opportunity.”
The final course, designed by Michel Vaillancourt of Canada, featured twelve jumps with fifteen jumping efforts at 1.40/1.45m with a time allowed of 74 seconds. Lindemann Barnett (San Francisco, Calif.) and Picobello Choppin PC, the 14-year-old Belgian Sporthorse gelding owned by Lindemann Barnett Sporthorses, made light work of Vaillancourt's course with a double clear round. Lindemann Barnett was clear both rounds of Phase II, with 5.5 penalties after the conversion from Phase I. She also took home a bronze medal, representing Zone 10 in the Neue Schule/USEF Prix des States Team Championship earlier in the week.
“His name is ‘Chops’ and I’ve had him for about a year and a half now. He’s the most special horse. He has the biggest personality and is always so hungry. He’s like a little garbage can, but we love him and he’s a barn favorite,” laughed Lindemann Barnett when describing her winning mount. “I had never jumped 1.40m before I got him and I jumped my first 1.40m on him, my first High Junior Classic, and this was my first time at prix des states. He’s really taken me around a lot of big firsts for me.”
Lindemann Barnett will leave Tryon International Equestrian Center as a double medalist, a goal she's worked towards throughout this year. Discussing her aspirations for the future, Lindemann Barnett hopes to gain more team experience and ultimately represent the United States on the international stage.
“This was such a great experience. In the near future, I’d really like to step up to the CSI 2* and CSI 3* levels next season, and then long term, I’d really like to have the opportunity to jump on a Senior Nations Cup team and keep enjoying the horses and continue learning,” she said.
Capturing the individual silver medal, Mimi Gochman (New York, N.Y.) and Celina BH, a 10-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Gochman Sport Horse LLC, incurred eight penalties in Phase I leaving them in the middle of the pack heading into the weekend. A foot-perfect round in Phase II and II resulted with zero additional penalties, moving Gochman and Celina BH into third ending their competition with a final score of eight penalties. Gochman and Celina BH were also part of Zone 2, which took home the team silver medal.
Emma Seving (Poland, Maine) piloted her own Brighton Bay, a 10-year-old KWPN gelding to a double podium finish in Tryon. Seving and Brighton Bay were a force from day one as the duo produced a total of 8.5 penalties over the course of three days of competition. Their final round secured the individual bronze with a double-clear round. Their efforts helped Zone 1 take home the gold medal in the Neue Schule/USEF Prix des States Team Championship.
All phases of the Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships are available for viewing OnDemand on USEF Network.
To view results from the 2020 Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships and learn more about the championship, click here.