WEF Week 4 Newsletter
-Tuesday, February 7, 2023-
Week 4 flat lessons got off to an exciting start Tuesday morning with a special visit from Beezie Madden! Despite the hot temperatures, our riders worked on their lateral work through the gaits and created softness in their horses to prepare them for the competition days ahead, as well as learn tools to work on when flatting their horses in the future. Students started off by creating a good connection at the walk and getting their horses under them and alert to their aids by moving through shoulders in and out and haunches in and out. These exercises were added in as they worked through the gaits and eventually increased in difficulty by moving onto the half-pass later in the lesson. Upward and downward transitions were also an important part of the day’s flatwork and the second half of the lesson wrapped up with canter work by lengthening and shortening and working off the counter lead. Thank you so much to Beezie and John Madden Sales for the support of our team and for working with the future of our sport!
The competition week started up again Friday, February 3rd, with the 15-17 Equitation 3’3” and Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) Hunter and Jumper phases. Harper Phipps rode Topper to 3rd place in the 15-17 Equitation 3’3” over fences and Eve Westfall took 4th place honors overall in the WIHS aboard in Cento Chico.
Saturday welcomed great results in both the hunter and jumper rings with Rylynn Conway getting the day started taking 4th place in the $1,500 Low Junior Jumper aboard Escada. Emma Blumenkrantz piloted Chris W to 5th place in the $1,500 High Junior Jumpers.
In the hunter ring, Dylan Bazaar and Nashville won the $500 Large Junior Hunter 3’6” 16-17 with a score of 88 and Joey Roman and Cascatero were awarded 5th in the $700 Large Junior Hunter 3’6” 16-17 Handy round. You Otto Know and Sophia Delellis earned 5th place in both the over fences and the under saddle classes of the Children’s Hunter 14 & Under.
Sunday brought the rain but that didn’t stop our village from prevailing! Despite the soggy conditions, everyone worked hard and put in great rides… we even picked up some ribbons along the way! Paige Power and Saturday Fever took 5th in the over fences of the Adult Amateur Hunter 50 & Over before the team switched gears to finish the week’s equitation medals and jumper classics. In section B of the Maclay, Joe Craver rode Franco to 3rd, Reese Merna and Cento Chico picked up 5th, and Emma Blumenkrantz and Cento Chico were awarded 6th. Later in the day, Emma Blumenkrantz and Joe Craver continued their consistent rides in the equitation ring taking home 4th and 5th in section B of the USEF/Dover Saddlery Hunter Seat Medal.
Harper Phipps piloted her relatively new mount, Irish Coffee to double clear and 3rd place in a competitive $2,500 NAL/WIHS Children’s Jumper 15-17 Classic with Lillian Soroken and Hanakara taking home reserve champion in the Children’s Jumper 15-17 division! Last but not least, Rylynn Conway and Escada put in another great performance in the $10,000 NAL Low Junior Jumper Classic to take 4th place honors at the end of the class!
Good luck to our riders who are heading to Ocala this week to compete in the WEC Equitation Championship- Joe Craver, Jordan Gibbs, Eve Westfall, Reese Merna, Kate Neily, Rylynn Conway, Dylan Bazaar, and Lillian Soroken!
