Harrisburg, Pa. -- The $15,000 Prix des States Team Championship was the highlight of Friday evening at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Athletes faced a challenging course designed by Anderson Lima, testing their skills as they represented their zones, all aiming for medals in the 2024 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships.
After dominating in the arena, Zone 4 came out victorious as they held on to their lead throughout both rounds to win gold medals. Under the guidance of their Chef d’Equipe Kim Land, the team consisted of Olivia Sweetnam, JJ Torano, Amy Krebs, and Isabelle Ehman. They finished with 0 faults, earning a spot for their zone’s name on the Francis Newbill Rowe Perpetual Trophy for the sixth time since 1979.
There were six double-clear rounds, three of them from Zone 4’s Olivia Sweetnam, Amy Krebs, and Isabelle Ehmen. The others included Zone 2’s Clara Propp and Cocolina (New York, N.Y.), Zone 7’s Ava K Meyers and Sparky (San Antonio, Tex.), and Zone 9’s Kate Hagerty and Noche de Ronda (Terrebonne, Ore.).
Sweetnam (Wellington, Fl.) gave a lot of credit to her horse, HDB Quality, who is called “Quality” around the barn. “I’ve had her for almost three years. I know her very well, she’s a bit quirky, but she’s crazy competitive and careful. She wants to win so badly.” And what makes them a successful pair? Sweetnam explained, “I think it’s all about knowing her in and out of the barn. I have a really good bond with her in both and I am lucky to have her.”
At 16 years old, Amy Krebs (Franklin, Tenn.) is one of the older members of the team. Her double clears helped solidify the zone’s win. The thing that set her apart from her teammates, according to her, was her partnership with her horse, Jabantos. “My horse’s name is “Elijah” in the barn and he’s so special to me. He’s a little different from some of the other horses on the team. He is a little quieter, but I like that a lot and he will do anything. He has the biggest heart.”
Making his Prix des States debut, JJ Torano (Wellington, Fl.) rode Vitus K and looks ahead to the future and what this Championship means for his career, “[Prix des States] is a stepping stone for the future and it’s a great learning experience for all of us. A lot of riders in Europe have a lot more experience than we do in the US, so I feel like this is one of the championships that we can get the most experience to have for future Nations Cups”
As the anchor of the team, 17-year-old Isabelle Ehman (Milton, Ga.) has a horse who the team says is the opposite of Kreb’s horse. “[Magnolia] is not the quietest, but she gives it a 12 out of 10 every time she steps into the ring. I can trust her and know she’s got my back.” The key to their success during both rounds was simple, “It’s just about keeping her calm and relaxed through the course, which is not easy to do, but she jumped fantastic tonight.”
Chef d’Equipe Kim Land had a lot of confidence in the team this year and praised their ability to perform under pressure, "We knew coming in that we had a very strong team. These athletes are quite seasoned and even though only one of them is aging out of juniors this year, they have a lot of experience.” Part of what made the team so strong, according to Land, was their bond. “All of these athletes are friends, they support each other. It is a great group, and I am very excited to continue with them into the future.”
The silver medal went to Zone 2, led by Chef d’Equipe Krista Freundlich, with 8 faults. Bronze went to Zone 7, led by Chef d’Equipe Martien van der Hoeven, who finished on 16 faults.
In the Individual Championship standings, Isabelle Ehman holds the lead after two wins in two days with a collective score of 0. Close behind is her zone teammate Olivia Sweetnam, holding onto second place with a score differential of 0.01, while Amy Krebs sits in third place with a differential of 0.98. The individual champion will be the competitor with the lowest number of total penalties across all three phases.
View the full team results here.
Schedule | Order of Go & Results
Competition concludes Saturday with the $10,000 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper Individual National Championship starting at 6:00 p.m. ET on USEF Network. The Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships live stream is brought to you by Hollow Brook Wealth Management. US Equestrian members, subscribers, and fans can watch all classes live. Not a member? Sign up for a free fan account now!
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