Mill Spring, N.C.  – The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Zone 1 team captured the win in the 2020 Neue Schule/USEF Prix des States Team Championship, part of the Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships, following two intense rounds of competition. The team finished on a total of eight faults to earn the victory.

The Zone 1 team was comprised of Eva Fisherman (Brookline, Mass.) and her own Rock Street, a 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Tessa Brown (Jamaica, Vt.) and Herman Hof Ter Zeedycke, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Rosemont Farm Inc., Skyler Fields (Wellesley Hills, Mass.) and her own Elegance De Pessel, an 11-year-old KWPN mare, and Emma Seving (Poland, Maine) with her own Brighton Bay, a 10-year-old KWPN gelding. The Zone 1 team was led by Chef d’Equipe John Brennan.

Field produced the only two double clear rounds for Zone 1 aboard Elegance De Pessel and was pleased with the duo’s efforts on the day. “My first round was my best round. I went in and was really trying to hold her off the jumps and go clear for my team,” said Field. “When I walked the course, I thought it would be really good for my horse because a lot of the lines were forward and she’s very adjustable.”

Seving and Brighton Bay anchored the Zone 1 team and in their second year competing in team championships, produced a clear effort in the first round. The pair were able to ride with ease in the second round as the final combination in for Zone I, knowing their teammates’ rounds had already secured the gold medal.

“It definitely can be nerve wracking riding on a team because when you’re riding for yourself, you can only let yourself down, but when you’re riding for a team, you want to make your teammates proud too,” said Seving. “It was nice going into the last round because we had already secured gold and I could take a deep breath. My team got it done early and it’s so fun to be on such a good team.”

Zone 2 captured the silver medal on a total of 11 faults and featured Sophee Steckbeck (Clarksburg, N.J.) and her own Alania, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare, Madison Rauschenbach (Newburgh , N.Y.) and her own Gillette B, a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Gigi Moynihan (Oldwick, N.J.) and Erle, an eight-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Christy Johnson, and Mimi Gochman (New York, N.Y.) and Celina BH, a ten-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Gochman Sport Horse LLC, with Krista Freundlich strategizing for the team as Chef d’Equipe.

A jump-off for bronze saw Zone 10 narrowly edge Zone 5 to clinch third place after both teams tied on 12 faults. Trent McGee (Granada Hills, Calif.) and his own Boucherom, a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding led a tremendous effort to finish the jump-off in 31.681 seconds. McGee was joined on the team by Delaney Batter (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and her own Evolinus, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Elisa Broz (Freedom, Calif.) and her own Volstrups Cody, a 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, and Violet Lindemann Barnett (San Francisco, Calif.) and Picobello Choppin PC, a 14-year-old Belgian Sporthorse gelding owned by Lindemann Barnett Sporthorses. Michael Endicott served as Chef d’Equipe.

Caelinn Leahy (Maple Park, Ill.) was awarded the William C. Steinkraus Style Award and currently leads the individual standings on a total of four penalties. The Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper Individual National Championship will determine the individual medalists tomorrow evening. The competitor with the lowest number of total penalties across all three phases will be crowned the individual champion and competition will begin at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow evening.

All phases of the Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships are available for viewing on USEF Network. View the week’s full broadcast schedule here.

To view results from the 2020 Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships and learn more about the championship, click here.

View the full schedule for the 2020 Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championship here.

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