Kyleigh Whitwell, 17, of Oshawa, ON, won the Jump Canada Medal Final November 5, 2024, during the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON, part of the 102nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Following the completion of regional and provincial Jump Canada Medal Finals, the top finishers from across Canada were invited to contest the Jump Canada Medal Final Championship at the Royal Horse Show.
Whitwell successfully navigated the initial challenging course of twelve obstacles, which included a counter-canter fence, hand gallop and simple changes (which proved anything but simple for many.) From there, ten riders were invited to move forward to the flat phase. She then progressed to the final four ride-off, where she executed the final test without leaving any points ‘on the table’.
“My focus in the first round was to stay calm,” said Whitwell, “making sure we were completing every question in the test. I was fortunate to go last in the ride-off so I had the advantage of watching the other riders, and I was focused on just performing consistently and holding on to the lead by not making any mistakes or forgetting a question.”
Speaking with judge Chris Wynne (Virginia Beach, VA) after the class, he mentioned while the final scores were very close, the atmosphere of competing at the Royal likely caused some of the participants to lose focus and miss parts of each test, dropping valuable points along the way.
“The riders that were consistent in the flat phase were consistent in the jumping phase and they did a good job,” commented Wynne. “They weren’t the maybe the best round, but then when it came down to the test, I think nerves took over and we had a couple forget part of the test. For example with the sit-trot back to the lineup in the final test. Two of the four forgot and their scores had deductions applied as a result.
“This is one of the most amazing atmospheres for a horse show. I’ve judged all the major horse shows a couple of times and there’s nothing like this atmosphere. And I think that that does play a part. But overall, the kids rode great and really rose to the occasion on a difficult course – a doable course – but a difficult course. And it’s the championship finals. It should be difficult. But all in all, they did a very good job.”
For a complete results as well as the full Royal Horse Show schedule, live scoring, live streaming and more, visit www.royalfair.org.
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