2022 NCHJA 'C' Medal Finals Recap
Our first medal finals of the year is in the books after the Sedgefield September show, featuring the NCHJA 'C' Medal Finals! An excellent time was had by all! The show management did a wonderful job of tackling the large entry numbers in all of the divisions, and we so much fun experiencing the NCHJA final for the first time. The draw for the medal orders of go on Friday night was a fun first for our three medal finalists, and the NCHJA went above and beyond with cupcakes and beautiful custom brushes!
Saturday morning kicked off [dark and] early with the NCHJA Children's Medal Final. It's no secret that our program is based on horsemanship and teamwork; all of our riders were up and at 'em in the barn at 5:45am getting their barn chores done! After stalls were cleaned, legs were unwrapped, waters and hay nets were filled, and horses were fed breakfast, our two Childrens qualifiers Grace Hill and Audrey White completed their coursewalk. We made a plan and watched a few Adult final trips before heading back to get their mounts, Carlo-T and Essex, ready to show!
Grace Hill and Carlo-T went second in the order, putting in a solid trip over fences that showed off some of the skills we've been working hard to master. Grace's goals for the round were to keep her body straight and use her space in the rollbacks - both of which she did! Carlo was a very well-behaved man in the flat phase, and they earned a beautiful 4th place neck ribbon overall!
Audrey White and Essex went fourth. Essex was a show lease from our wonderful friend Charles Hairfield, as Audrey's usual horse was unable to attend the final. Though very different from any horse Audrey had ridden thus far, Essex was a wonderful teammate for the class and took right Audrey around her first final! They had a lovely flat phase and captured 6th place overall.
Sunday morning began with the NCHJA Pony Medal Final, and once again, the whole team was in the barn before sunup to get everything done. Reagan Fisher was our sole pony competitor this year, and she was determined to have a great trip! She and I made a solid plan during the coursewalk and then got her pony Bees Knees ready for the task ahead.
Reagan and Buzz put in a beautiful trip to earn coveted whoops from the in-gate! They held their own as the only small pony in the flat phase, and then the announcement was made that there would be a test of the top four... and they were in it! The judge graciously allowed the riders to return to the in-gate to refresh their memory on the jump numbers before they came back to line up at the far end of the ring. As the only small, Reagan was the first rider to go in the test, and she executed it beautifully! My hands were shaking down at the gate. I was so proud of them! After the other three ponies went, the results were announced in reverse order. Reagan and Buzz finished an amazing 2nd place out of 12 wonderful pony kids!
Though the medal finals were the feature classes of the weekend, all of our riders turned in some great rides in their respective divisions throughout! Read on for some highlights for everyone!
Priscilla Brice Chivers & Vancouver made some great strides in confidence and composure in the Long Stirrup division, snagging a 2nd in the under saddle on Sunday and some primary colors over fences! PB has been working so hard on helping Maverick feel confident. They definitely achieved that goal!
Emma Bradley & Golden Boy got better with each round just their second time out in Long Stirrup, taking home an armful of ribbons in great company! Emma stepped up mid-year from Crossrails, and Peyton has been an excellent teammate showing her the way of the bigger jumps and more complicated courses. She's learning to be a real pilot!
Emma Hill & Marrying Kind sped to a win in the Low Child/Adult Jumpers and showed off some great riding to earn 2nd in the SATP Equitation Challenge Jumper Phase! Emma has been working hard on her position, which really showed in the jumper phase.
Selah Turner & Charlie Brown earned some top ribbons in a big Crossrails division, including an equitation fences win and a 2nd in the under saddle! Selah was very consistent all weekend, and Charlie was on his best behavior!
Mya McCutcheon & After Dark took home an armful of ribbons in Walk Trot Canter, including a Reserve Champion on Saturday! Twin sister Aspyn & After Dark continued their winning streak, winning a section of the Crossrails Equitation over fences both days, along with other great ribbons! Flicka was a great sport, taking both riders around their divisions safely and successfully all weekend!
Lainey Fisher & Minion had a primary color weekend in Walk/Trot, winning 4 out of 6 classes along with Champion both days and weekend Champion! Lainey has been on a winning streak in just her first year of showing with the help of superstar teammate Minnie!
In addition to their finals earnings, Grace & Carlo-T won two classes in the 15-17 Equitation and 2nd in the SATP Equitation Challenge Overall. Audrey & Essex earned 4th overall in the SATP, and Reagan & Bees Knees had nice results in the Pony Hunters.
Meanwhile in Camden, a couple of our riders made a brief appearance! Mary Liz McPheeters kept up our program streak to win a Crossrails Equitation fences trip and Reserve Champion aboard Goodness Graycious, and little sister Gigi earned top Walk/Trot ribbons! Mary Liz also piloted Southern Charm to some impressive Crossrails ribbons.
A huge congratulations to all of our riders and a sincere thank you to everyone involved in a great weekend!