Canadians made the most of the final day of competition at the 2019 Adequan/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) presented by Gotham North, collecting three individual medals on Aug. 4 at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, NY.
Sam Walker Wins Silver in Suspenseful Jumping Young Riders Individual Final
Sam Walker, 17, of Nobleton, ON, began the day atop the Young Riders leaderboard heading into the Jumping Individual Final, with a cumulative score of one after the Individual Qualifier on Aug. 1 and Team Competition on Aug. 2. But the thrilling rounds that followed proved that in show jumping, nothing is certain until the final athlete crosses the finish line.
Walker’s hold on first place with MarBill Hill Farm’s Coralissa (Com Air x Corrado I), a nine-year-old Holsteiner mare, seemed airtight until the final round, when a rail at jump #5, an oxer, as well as at a vertical that served as the very last fence brought his total score to nine. Walker moved into the silver medal position, while US Zone 2’s Sophie Gochman and Carola BH slipped into gold on a score of 2.80. Just shy of silver was Natalie Dean and Dons Diamant of US Zone 10, who earned bronze on a score of 9.36.
“I though the course designer (Marina Azvedo Moraes Santos of BRA) did an exceptional job, the courses today were perfectly challenging,” said Walker. “My horse handled the first round amazing, she was one of only a few clear rounds. The course was tough for sure, you could do six or seven strides in the triple combination, and the water was on a short turn; they were all very challenging. I thought the second round was a little bit nicer, but maybe I took that a little bit for granted.”
Acknowledging the team gold medal he earned earlier in the week, Walker said, “My week has gone exceptionally well. I led from pretty much start to finish until Sophie got me in the end fair and square. I’m very proud of Coralissa and myself for coming down here and doing so well in my first year in the Young Riders division. I’d just like to say congrats to Sophie because it was a pretty competitive week and a nail-biter the whole time. I’m thrilled because there are not too many kids that get to come here and win a medal, never mind two, so I’m very excited. I’m so thankful for Equestrian Canada, my parents, MarBill Hill Farm, the owners of Coralissa, our Chef d’Équipe, and to everyone else involved in making this an amazing week.”
The final jump in round two also posed a problem for Danielle Murphy, 19, of Charlottetown, PEI, adding to her final
score of 17.14. She ultimately placed fifth with Martie Murphy’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, Isabeau De Laubry (Cardento 933 x Chin Chin).
“First off, I thought that all the Canadian kids in all divisions rode better and better as the week went on,” commented Jumping Chef d’Équipe, Dayton Gorsline. “For his age, Sam is really experienced and has been put in a lot of hard spots. I think Friday was a pressure spot, jumping clean for us to win the gold medal in the Team Competition, and he was leading today, jumped a brilliant first round and gave it his best shot but had a rail, but that’s the sport. It was extremely well-ridden, and I thought both he and his teammates did an exceptional job this week.”
Jenna Lee Gottschlich Fights to Top 10 Finish in Jumping Junior Individual Final
After the first round of the Junior Individual Final, the top 15 athletes moved on to challenge round two. Two Canadians made the cut – Emma Bergeron, 18, of Wellington, FL, and Jenna Lee Gottschlich, 16, of Edmonton, AB – but after a grueling second round with less than half of the competitors going clear, only Gottschlich was left standing in the top 10.
Riding her grey mare, Evita P (Vingino x Niveau), Gottschlich incurred two costly rails in the final round to end on a final score of 16.80 for eighth place. Speaking of the 10-year-old Warmblood, she said, “Our partnership started about two and a half years ago, when she had just turned eight. It’s been a bit bumpy, she’s had a couple health conflicts, but she has come back in the last year better than ever. Our partnership the last two months has just absolutely blossomed and she’s my top horse.”
Olivia Stephenson Ticks Children’s Silver Medal off her Jumping Checklist
The Jumping Children’s Individual Final featured an exhilarating finish, with only two faults separating the top four athletes moving into the second round. Canada’s youngest competitor at NAYC 2019, 12-year-old Olivia Stephenson of Calgary, AB, piloted Cherree Stephenson’s Oldenburg mare of the same age, Chaccana (Chacco Blue x Kannan), with the same skill and patience that won her the team and individual gold at NAYC 2018, as well as the bronze team medal on Aug. 2. By holding herself to a final score of two with consecutive double-clear rounds, Stephenson initially set herself up in the bronze position. Ella Bikoff and Basimodo had been sitting in the silver medal seat, but a rail in round two for a final score of five meant the US Zone 2 combination was bumped down to bronze, putting Stephenson in silver. Mexico’s Isaac Parada Urtaza and Tarnot were the last to enter the ring, and managed to maintain their double-clear record to end on a final score of zero for the gold medal.
“It’s really special to be back here again,” said Stephenson of the NAYC podium. “When I’m under pressure, I think my horse and I work really well. She has a great mind and really feels tension and acts off that, so I think I was nervous going in but it paid off. Today I didn’t get time faults; I was really aware of it and tried to keep going through the corners, and she was jumping really big, which didn’t help our time, but we were okay.”
Gorsline added, “Olivia jumped cleanly today and moved up from fifth to second. I thought she did a really good job and was very deserving of the silver medal.”
Olivia Blaber, 14, of Ottawa, ON, limited her faults to two rails in round two to move from eighth to sixth on a final score of 20 riding Serenade de Mai (Gio Granno x Kessel II), her 13-year-old Selle Français mare. Joseph Carruthers, 13, of Millarville, AB, also made his way into the top 10 after two double-clear rounds on Rialto SM (sired by Simply Spruce Meadows), a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Spruce Meadows LTD. Initially placed 11th coming into the Individual Final, Carruthers ended tied for eighth place with Dakota Champey and Baronesse Minka VM of US Zone 2 on a total of 26.
Another Day, Another Medal for Vanessa Creech-Terauds in Dressage Young Riders Freestyle Competition
It was a beautiful, sunny day for the Dressage Young Riders Freestyle Competition, and the routine executed by Vanessa Creech-Terauds, 19, for the bronze medal was equally bright.
The Caistor Centre, ON, native creatively used the arena space and encouraged her mount, Fleur de Lis L (First Dance x De Niro), a 10-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Diane Creech and Louise Leatherdale, into big, expressive movements for a score of 73.490%. This bronze finish represents the seventh medal of Creech-Teraud’s five-year NAYC career, and third of 2019 after winning team silver on Aug. 1 and individual silver on Aug. 3.
“I absolutely love my freestyle, the music was done by Karen Robinson and we worked with her to create the choreography,” said Creech of the energetic piece, whose composition relied heavily on strings. “We actually made this freestyle two years ago, and then this year we changed the canter work to make it more difficult because we wanted to make it more competitive for the championships. I absolutely love riding it, it’s difficult, the music is fun, and every piece matches up with every movement we do. Every time we go in the ring I think that, no matter how it goes, at the very base of it I have a great freestyle that I can always rely on. And I was really happy with Fleur today, it’s been a long and hot week, but she’s dealt with it really well and I was so proud of how she went in on the last day and still gave everything she had.”
Young Riders Team Ontario/Quebec Chef d’Équipe, David Ziegler, commented, “I thought Vanessa had an excellent test today. She and the horse looked so steady all weekend, and it was a clear picture of their partnership together and how solid it is.”
US Region 1’s Kayla Kadlubek and Perfect Step nabbed the silver medal with just a tenth of a percentage point more than Creech-Terauds (73.505%). Meanwhile, Callie Jones and Don Philippo of US Region 2 continued their gold medal reign after the Individual Competition, securing the top spot with an untouchable score of 74.710%.
Just behind Creech-Terauds on the leaderboard was Annie Coward of Calgary, AB, in fourth place. The 19-year-old executed a clean test set to a fast-paced instrumental soundtrack astride Diolita DN (Tango KWPN x Glendale), the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare she co-owns with Carole Coward, drawing a final score of 71.060%. Following in sixth was Camille Carier Bergeron, 19, of Mascouche, QC, who matched the big, rhythmic movements of Gilles Bergeron’s 11-year-old Westphalian gelding, Sound of Silence 4 (San Amour I x Limes), to flamenco-inspired music for a score of 69.365%. 2018 Junior Freestyle winner, Chase Robertson, 17, of Calgary, AB, also made a strong impression, opening with difficult pirouettes and ending with a bold final salute in front of the judges. Her excellent interpretation of the music aboard Diplomat 105 (Don Schufro x Rubinstein), the 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding that she co-owns with Teresa van Lambalgen, was rewarded with a score of 68.670%.
Ziegler added, “I think all the girls have been fantastic. This year the riders were just so much more prepared and together, so I’m happy to see the progress they’ve made. They’ve all come down to the ring and supported each other, and certainly have a lot stronger sense of camaraderie.”
Ariel Boesener Lands Personal Best in Dressage Junior Freestyle Competition
Ariel Boesener of Canning, NS, danced her way not only to a personal best freestyle score, but to her first-ever FEI score above 70% in the Dressage Junior Freestyle Competition. She and her 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Winniepuuh (Weltmeyer x Ludendorff), executed a fun, well thought-out piece to score of 70.375% for fifth place.
“I really just wanted to have a good time and enjoy it, because we’re all really privileged to be here and do the freestyle, too,” said Boesener of her time at NAYC 2019. “I wasn’t really stressed because I just wanted to have fun. My horse felt really wonderful and I felt really good. The last half-passes and extensions felt amazing, as well as our canter extension before our walk. It really felt like he gave me his all today, so I’m really, really proud of Winniepuuh. It takes a lot of work for all of us to be here and it felt like it paid off for me today.”
Also in the top 10 was Kathryn Robinson, 15, of Edmonton, AB, riding Forget-Me-Not (Valdez x Ferro), a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Carol Robinson. Their bright routine set to an upbeat and springy instrumental scored 68.085% to tie for eighth place with Camille Molten and Heros of US Region 3.
For live results from NAYC 2019, click here. More information on NAYC 2019, including the full schedules for dressage and jumping, can be found at www.youngriders.org.
Top 30 Canadian Results – NAYC 2019
Jumping Children’s Individual Final
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Olivia Stephenson / Chaccana / Cheree Stephenson / 2
6th / Olivia Blaber / Serenade de Mai / Olivia Blaber / 20
8th / Joseph Carruthers / Rialto SM / Spruce Meadows LTD / 26
Jumping Junior Individual Final
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
8th / Jenna Lee Gottschlich / Evita P / Jenna Lee Gottschlich / 16.80
13th / Emma Bergeron / Dallas / Susan van Lammers / 26.30
20th / Carly Stevens / VIP des Majuros / Grant & Susan Stevens / 34.86
21st / Sara Tindale / Djibab van de Linthorst / Tindale Farms / 35.15
Jumping Young Riders Individual Final
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
2nd / Sam Walker / Coralissa / MarBill Hill Farm / 9
5th / Dannie Murphy / Isabeau De Laubry / Martie Murphy / 17.14
13th / Samantha Starratt / Akolito / Tonia Anderson / 63.11
Dressage Junior Freestyle Competition
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
5th / Ariel Boesener / Winnipuuh / Ariel Boesener / 70.375 %
8th / Kathryn Robinson / Forget-Me-Not / Carol Robinson / 68.085%
12th / Anna Swackhammer / Wrazzmatazz / Melissa Sinclair / 66.595%
Dressage Young Riders Freestyle Competition
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
3rd / Vanessa Creech-Terauds / Fleur de Lis L / Diane Creech & Louise Leatherdale / 73.490%
4th / Annie Coward / Diolita DN / Annie & Carole Coward / 71.060%
6th / Camille Carier Bergeron / Sound of Silence 4 / Gilles Bergeron / 69.365%
8th / Chase Robertson / Diplomat 105 / Chase Robertson & Teresa van Lambalgen / 68.670 %
11th / Sophie Dean-Potter / Ribot / Carla Bahr / 67.680%
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