2012 Region 5 Maclay Finals

Bad Blogger here: I'm afraid that lately I've been doing a lot of writing on certain bulletin boards, instead of my own blog. More immediate feedback! However, I know that my past posts on Maclay classes have been pretty popular, so I'm back to give the RiderWriter view of the Region 5 final. Judges were Geoff Teal and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Here is the course:

It was designed by Richard Jeffery, from Bournemouth, England. Here are the riders/horses:

Sorry for the lousy photo... this is my only copy of the entries and I did my best.
It's not your eyes!

There were 31 entries. I noticed a number of people I remembered from last year, and one really obvious thing: NO boys at all! I guess all the guys from this region have aged out.

As I think you can tell from the map, the course was very twisty with lots of bending lines. What was really interesting is that a lot of the jumps were natural. Fence 1 is on the left in this photo:

It's hard to see in these pictures, but there was a zig-zag line of post-and-rails down the middle of the ring. The whole thing looked very Derby-ish, actually. As they did two at the show this isn't wholly surprising, and I know I saw quite a few of these Maclay horses and riders in the 3' Derby last Friday night. At any rate, I thought this was really cool for a Maclay class, and a good development.

I have to say, though, that I was a bit surprised at which jump caused the most trouble. Not a post-and-rail, not one of the "fake tree" fences (which my dog barked at hysterically when they moved them between rounds at the Friday Derby, much to my chagrin) - no, it was the fairly ordinary-looking stone wall. Here's just one of a number of unfortunate refusals:

In addition to the refusals there were a lot of chips, a deer jump or two, and somebody plowed right through it. What was the big deal? The long bending line, or the appearance? I'm not sure.

It definitely took a skilled rider to make this course look smooth. Most people didn't achieve that, and the ones who did stood out. Everybody sorted out into three groups: a top group, a middle group who rode pretty well, and those who had a refusal or a bunch of chips. I only saw one rider who was a jumped-loose trainwreck from start to finish and made me wonder how on earth she qualified.

The nervous crowd of trainers, grooms, parents and friends at the in-gate.
You could feel the tension.

Accordingly, I mostly agreed with the groupings for the flat phase. There were three; I thought it was nice that they allowed everyone to come back. They were asked for the usual W/T/C in both directions, although it was "mixed up" with a number of random transitions. I was surprised again when they were not asked for any extensions. I guarantee you they will be in KY! Also, no dropping of stirrups and posting the trot. I remember when that was de rigeur for a flat phase.

Nobody moved up from the bottom group but one rider did from the second group, and I was very happy about that since she's one of my favorites (go, Bethany!). Six were called back to test from the high group and I picked the top three, so I was pleased with my eye. (I may know what good equitation on the flat looks like, but just don't ask me to do it, LOL). One thing I noticed that really amused me; I spent a lot of time back in my junior days being told to turn my *(&#!)^@ toes in. This clearly does not matter a whit anymore. Lots of highly-placed toes out past George's "maximum 45-degree angle!"

The test was hard, harder than the last few I've seen (two years ago, IIRC, there was no test, which I thought was a shame). All the jumps were arranged in a zig-zag down the middle of the ring. It went like this:

- Counter-canter #8
- Hand-gallop to #12 (a long ways, about half the ring)
- Canter #5
- Halt
- Counter-canter #1
- Trot the stone wall, #2 (lowered to 2')
- Sitting trot, then walk out

The test course, from the other side of the ring:

The first rider to return lost her first counter-canter, had no gallop, a late halt and made a complete hash of the trot jump, barely trotting it and then knocking it down. Not pretty. The second rider also had just an okay, short trot. Once again, this surprised me since surely they practice these plenty - maybe just not walls? The last four to test did much better and Hunter Holloway really nailed it, which moved her from second to first place. I especially liked her real gallop (if you've read my entry about the national Final last year you know this is a pet peeve), but she also had a text-book trot fence, quiet halt and an authoritative sitting trot.

[Side note: Hunter's mom Brandi won the $25,000 GP earlier Saturday, so it was quite a day for the Holloway girls!]

I mostly agreed with the final ranking of the riders. Hunter absolutely deserved the win, that's for sure; she was poised, effective and just looked like she knew what she was doing. I think this additional year of experience has helped her a lot and she'll do very well at the Finals. Let's keep the Region 5 streak going!

Results:

1. Hunter Holloway
2. Caroline McLeece
3. Kristin Lutz
4. Katherine Woodruff
5. Savannah Talcott
6. Kaitlyn Alsup
7. Barbara Ann Merryman
8. Emily Hartley
9. Landrie Folsom
10. Bethany Bolan
11. K C Thompson
12. Blair Julia Wright
13. Mackenzie Clark
14. Reily Reiker
15. Colleen McKenzie

Random attire/tack observations: I saw an equal number of CO helmets (GR8 and AYR8) and GPA Speed Airs. The Lady Speed Airs (with a giant brim) just look goofy indoors. :-) The usual navy jackets, some with an extremely subtle pinstripe. Seemed like an equal number of wrap and traditional choker-collared shirts. I did not know you could still monogram a wrap collar, but I prefer the traditional nonetheless. Most of the horses wore jumping boots front and back, in a color that "blended in." I guess that's okay in an Eq class, because you still can't have them in Hunters as far as I know.

The top 11 from here will go to KY. Good luck, ladies!

Maclay Comments

I got very busy last week helping my DD with her college applications (which, BTW, are making me a nervous wreck for a number of reasons), so I wasn't able to come here and finish up my Maclay 2011 ramblings. You didn't think I was going to let you go without comments regarding horses, clothing and riders, now did you? :-)

HORSES

Apparently there is a Big Eq Horse factory somewhere cranking out large, brown or bay-with-no-markings Warmbloods, because I swear that about 75% of the horses in the Maclay class fit that description. It was truly amazing. It's a good thing there was an announcer because you literally could not tell them apart! I felt like standing up and cheering when a horse of a different color came into the ring (especially a grey, of course). When I was watching the warmup on Saturday night I was astonished to see a red roan trotting around out there. Boy, would I love to show up with a flashy Pinto or Appaloosa... that would shake things up.

Well, what do you know, look what I found on the Bigeq.com website. They do exist!

This fella is a Belgian WB, billed as a 3' Eq horse or Jumper. I don't see why he couldn't go into the Hunter ring as well with those lovely knees! $40K and probably worth every penny, much-loved by a family of daughters.

This is just a pony, but what a doll... and I like his young rider's riding very much.

I have to say, though, despite the endless parade of brown horses being a little dull to look at, those eq horses (of all colors) were good eggs. Every one that I saw had his/her ears pricked and a real can-do, sporty attitude. "Okay, Mom, just point me where you want me to go and I'm there!" And it seems that they don't all cost the earth, either. Looking at the Big Eq website I am pleasantly surprised at the prices listed there. Oh, sure, some are in the stratosphere ($70,000) but there are plenty for under 20K. Of course, I bet like in every other aspect of the horse world, prices are down right now due to the economy. I remember when a friend was shopping for a Big Eq horse over 20 years ago, and her trainer couldn't seem to find a thing for under 20K.

RIDERS

I think the Brown Horse Syndrome is doubly amusing because heaven knows, the riders themselves are fairly undistinguishable. Same old, same old Tailored Sportsman breeches, dark coat, light shirt. Yaaaawwwwn. Really the only variation is in helmets and boots. With the helmets, a few years ago the "skunk stripe" GPAs were all the rage. Now it's Charles Owen GR8s or GPA Speed Airs. Thanks to a COTH Forum thread I read yesterday I have learned that Antares is in the helmet business now, and that some of the kids like those, too, but I wouldn't know one if it bit me. The uber-spendy Samshields are also picking up steam, but again - from my seat in the Arena all I noticed was the usual two suspects. Here are some course walkers modeling the GPAs:

Nope, shiny with holes just doesn't do it for me in the Equitation/Hunters (I didn't think much of the skunk-stripes, either). I greatly prefer the traditional black velvet of the COs, or even a plain matte-black finish without giant vents. Oh, well, I guess I can stand them for as long as they are in fashion, which ought to be only a couple of years, LOL. (As an aside, here's what I think I'll be getting next, if it fits me and looks okay: Ovation Deluxe Schooler. Smart-looking, appropriate and cheap!)

Some of the boots were kind of interesting. This pair belonged to a young lady who washed out after the first round and was sitting near me in the stands:

They had embossed fake (?) crocodile skin cuffs at the top and bling-y little doodads on the swagger tabs. Hey, I guess if you've got the bucks you might as well sneak a little fun into your outfit. I have no doubt that GM would NOT approve, though!

As far as the riding actually went in the Maclay, for the most part I was suitably impressed in the first round. Most every rider put in a workmanlike trip with good to great results. I saw a few who must have come from the "easy to qualify" regions: one with legs shooting forward over every fence, another who was jumped loose every time, with noodle-y legs and heels up (that could have been partly nerves - I know my lower legs practically lose sensation in the show ring, I'm so wired from crise de nerfs). The riders who moved up to the flat phase and then especially the second round were uniformly excellent, effective horsepeople. The fact that some of them didn't look so pretty bugged me... and you know by that I mean those boys. Regarding this issue, I read someone's comment on COTH where she said the boys "lead with their shoulders" - exactly. Maybe this is something they can't help? But they didn't all do it...

Anyway, if you will allow me a moment of further political incorrectness, we all know that certain rider conformation lends itself to success in equitation. Basically, if you have legs the length of a giraffe's, thighs like twigs and the BMI of a supermodel, you're going to be favored. I was gratified to see that not every rider fit into that mold. This is a good thing. Girls today have enough problems with body image and they don't need to be discouraged from riding if the family genes have rendered them less than svelte. (Take that, George!)

Here is one thing I noticed a few riders doing: posting at the canter. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but nope, that is exactly what they were up to. I forget where I saw it, if it was during the flat phase or in opening circles, but I know I did. The only other time I have seen this is on the polo field. All the players do it. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why I was seeing it in the Maclay ring (for that matter, nobody has been able to tell me yet why they do it playing polo). COTH thread to the rescue, again: supposedly this is to "help establish the quality of the canter." Hmmpf. I just think it looks weird.

AFTERWARDS

As soon as the Maclay ended, which also signaled the end of the National Horse Show, I made a beeline for the NHS merchandise table. My hunch was correct: everything had been marked down 50%! I bought a pretty enamel pin with the NHS logo on it for $3.00, which I thought was a pretty good price for a souvenir. It joined my WEG pin on one of my horsey hats.

Then I made another clandestine trip "backstage," with the specific aim of finding Sarah and congratulating her. Once again, all the barns were deserted. I moseyed around, petted some noses and admired the gorgeous horseflesh, and then went into the warmup  area/tunnel of the Arena. I thought it would be fun to see. I encountered absolutely no one... until I heard some shrieks of laughter and a young voice saying, "Don't drop the champion!" I peered around a corner and there she was, Sarah and two friends. One was a boy who had picked her up and was swinging her around. I waited until they had calmed down and were walking to the barn and then approached. I told her that I'd seen her win in St. Louis and had been rooting for her and she did a simply terrific job. She could not have been more gracious, thanking me and saying she appreciated my support. I thought about being a total fan-girl and asking for a photo with her, but it was pitch dark and I didn't want to embarrass Sarah (or myself) any more, so I skipped it. But I felt good getting to speak to her - what luck that I found her, out of everyone there!

The 2011 Maclay Finals

If you recall, I was very high on the winner of the Regional/Zone 5 Maclay finals held here in St. Louis. Sarah Milliren was the young lady's name and I thought she was a terrific rider, literally from the moment her horse set foot in the ring. I've found a video of her Regional ride here. There was no question that I'd be rooting for her at the National Championship along with Bethany Bolen, the nice girl I'd spent time talking to before she took her turn (she finished third).

So you can imagine that I was bit disappointed when I was finally able to lay my hands on the order of go for the first round of the Maclay, and realized I would not be able to watch Sarah or Bethany's trips:

Sarah was #44, and Bethany came shortly after at #48. My problem was I would be over at Wendy's barn when they rode. I had dropped in to the Arena long enough to get the sheet, take a look at the course map and watch a couple of riders' trips, but then Wendy picked me up. All I could do was cross my fingers and hope the young ladies did well with this very, very tricky course:

Sorry for the lovely grease stain from my lunchtime cheeseburger. The food was really good :-).

I do not think you will be surprised to hear that the one-stride "fan" jump, #10a and 10b, was the bugaboo of about 95% of the riders this day. Horses smacked into one or both of these jumps practically every time through. Here's a look at someone jumping in:

I must admit to never having seen a jump set-up like this before. I'm wondering how many of these kids practiced them, either, given the number of issues I saw. Probably it was just the fact that they had to approach the fences off the wicked, bending line which started back at Fence #8. It was waaaaaaay too easy to not get yourself set up right. And yes, in case you are wondering, they DID have the option to take the bounce route through the inside/lower part of the vee. Out of all the riders I eventually watched go, only two did that. Personally, I found that a little puzzling; I'm not sure if it's because they thought that way was too easy, or too hard (unlike me to not have asked someone). Besides, I like bounces. I am anxiously awaiting what I hope will be a written analysis of this course in an upcoming issue of one of my magazines!

If you can make out some of my dotted lines there on the course map, you can see the riders also had many options when it came to finding routes to the jumps. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen any kind of hunter course, Big Eq or not, with quite that many options. It was truly mind-boggling! For example, there were three different routes you could take just from #2 to #3a, and then they could pick which side of the "3" jumps they wanted to do. I think virtually everyone did the lower pair (as seen on that map). Once out of there, they had three choices of how to get to #4a!

Before you get any more confused, here's a video of someone's ride in Round 1. This youngster is maybe 13 years old, and in her first year of showing at 3'6", so her trip is not the smoothest. In comparison, here's someone else who did a really nice job. BUT, she didn't make the flat phase, either.

Who did? Hee hee hee... when I got back to the Arena after Wendy dropped me off, they were on about #138 in the order of go. I asked someone how Sarah did, and what do you suppose was the answer? She was first in the callbacks so far! FIRST! I nearly fell off my chair. Sure wish I could have seen that ride, and unfortunately, I am unable to find any video of it. Oh, well, I couldn't be two places at once and I certainly enjoyed meeting Ollie and Toby.

I settled in and began watching rounds. One rider I was anxious to see was Kalvin Dobbs. His name was familiar and I'm still not sure why; it's either because I saw him here at a Regional, or because he was a top rider in a previous Maclay Final. This time he didn't do too well. Megan Bifano, who came in second here, had a very good trip. Another girl who I recognized from our Regional, along with that "poker-face" girl, did not have good rides (I was not too sorry about the latter, I'm afraid: she was just as odd here as she had been at home. Can we say "Stepford Rider"?). Neither did either of the boys from here who I thought had no business finishing as highly as they had. Interesting.

Round 1 finally ended at about 3:30 PM (it had started at 7:00 AM), and the preternaturally fast crew was back zooming around collecting the jumps and dragging. The riders came back for the flat phase in three waves of 12, in reverse order of preference from the judges. Guess who was still in first place?? That's right, Miss Sarah. I was incredulous and delighted!

Notable in their absence during the flat phase were Lillie Keenan, who won the International Hunter Derby Finals over her trainers and who has done extremely well in other Big Eq classes this year (and finished 5th in last year's Maclay), and a certain young lady who was the owner of those five horses I saw show in the local Hunter Derby. Notable in their presence were four boys, all of whom made the top group. I'd say this is statistically significant because only 14 of the original 198 riders were male (as far as I can tell from the list - some of those names are a bit ambiguous, like "Hasbrouck." I just happen to know she was a girl.) What is the deal with the boys? Let's just say, I was not impressed with two of them. At all. Another one looked pretty good, and one I liked very much, but I'm sorry, the boys just tend to have crummy posture and that drives me crazy.

The flat classes went by pretty quickly - the usual deal of w/t/c/lengthen trot/lengthen canter - and we all waited to see who'd make the final 18. I wound up being quite pleased with myself, because all three of the riders I liked best from Group 2 advanced to the final round (nobody from Group 1 went all the way up). This included Megan Bifano, so I had someone else to root for.

The jumps were reset in a new course (I am sorry, but I didn't get a map), and I'm sure the riders were not thrilled to see their old friend the fan jump was back... and the first element had to be trotted. They were coming from the other direction, though. Here are some kids and trainers checking it out during the course walk:

After this jump combination, the riders were supposed to hand gallop to the next fence. I say "supposed to" because unfortunately, I didn't see very many true gallops. In my humble opinion, they also had had the chance to gallop to the final fence in Round 1 and practically no one did - I know from reading past Maclay summaries that judges are favorably impressed when a hand gallop is offered, so why not? Guess most people are afraid they won't be able see a good distance. Anyway, it was a "required" element of the Final Round course here and still not all of them did it. A slightly faster canter ain't cuttin' it kids, I want to hear those hooves thumping in the dirt! It really was rather frustrating. I found myself leaning forward in my seat trying to urge the horses on!

I kept very detailed notes on all 18 trips in the final round. Once again, the riders were called back in reverse order. The first rider performed her gallop admirably; I thought the rest of her round was good, too. And luckily, here it is for you to see! Most people did really well. A few probably left the ring and burst into hysterical tears (I know I would have) like the boy whose horse decided that now was the time to be pissy and nearly refuse a jump. It was NOT rider error. Poor Megan from my Regional rode 7th and had one of the worst rounds, with a bunch of sticky fences.

Speaking of boys, there was a big roar from the crowd when the one who I really didn't care for (initials CB) entered the ring for Round 2. Clearly he was a favorite and I actually did recognize his name; he finished 2nd in the Maclay in '09 (was not in the top 10 last year), and has a string of major Big Eq wins under his belt. I'm sure he is a perfectly nice young man and he did put in a lovely round, but I just cannot forgive his bent back and dare I say it, heavy seat. This is again, my humble opinion - maybe I'm crazy and I don't want a Googling posse on my tail, so that's why I'm just using initials here!

Another boy, Michael Hughes, who I did like very much, was called back on top for this round. Sarah was second and by the time she rode, let me tell you, I was a nervous wreck. However, her round, along with those of two other girls who were called back third and fourth, was clearly superior to Michael's. My nerves were then not helped when the judges announced that there would be further testing for the three girls...  apparently only one point separated them. Surprise, surprise, they were asked to switch horses and re-ride the Round 2 course. Grooms were allowed in the ring to help and I had a friend who was following online exclaim on FB, "Since when are grooms invited in there to do the tack and give a leg up???" I guess that is a relatively new wrinkle. My friend (along with some other folks) thought it was pretty stupid, considering this is supposed to be a horsemanship test and they should be able to tack and mount from the ground by themselves.

Elizabeth Benson went first aboard Sarah's horse, and I thought that although she did a great job, there was room above her. Come to find out she actually lost a stirrup - I didn't see that, but apparently Terrapin Station put in a big jump she didn't expect. Demi Stiegler went next and I felt was not quite as good, especially in the gallop. Then came Sarah. I was practically hyperventilating at this point and could hardly stand to watch. I held my breath... good pace... good jump... good trot through the fan... good gallop... SHE NAILED IT!!! There were a couple of knocks but boy, did she ever perform! Here is video of all three final rides.

Here's another look at Sarah's final two rides (watch your volume control!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=753uN1v8tAA I hope you will agree that she did a phenomenal job!

When they announced Demi in second place and we knew that Sarah had the win (though I'd really had no doubt), I went completely nuts. I mean, tears pouring down my face, screaming my head off nuts. I ask you, what are the chances that the one rider I knew about first-hand, the one rider I'd been so wowed by, would actually win the whole darn thing, out of 197 people??  I still just can't believe she won. I don't know how to find the exact statistics, but I don't think too many Region 5 riders - from Oklahoma, no less! - have taken first place in the past. Sarah is also not one of the "big names" in Big Eq, and according to several people I asked, certainly was not considered a favorite. Like it or not, we all know that reputation definitely has an impact on horse show placings, so I think it is just extra-marvelous that she won. Here she is getting all her goodies:

A group of people sitting behind me were yelling and carrying on just as loudly as I was. After all the hoopla had died down a little bit, I talked to one of them and found out she was the wife of one of Sarah's trainers. I was delighted to learn that Sarah is wonderful, polite down-to-earth kid who has not been spoon-fed expensive horses her whole life. Oh, no: this was a boot-strap operation to some extent, with her whole family including Grandma pitching in to help. She truly earned these accolades. In a news article I found, her (I think part-time) trainer Don Stewart said, "Any horse I put her on, she gets the job done... she really is a natural." From what I've seen, I completely agree. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving, All!

Horsemanship, Indeed - Part II

"Uh, I don't know." - Maclay Region 5 Finals competitor, when asked the breed of horse he was riding

To say I was disappointed in this young man's response is an understatement, and I have no doubt that Alfred B. Maclay would agree with me. Excuse me? This is supposed to be a Horsemanship class? Knowing the breed of horse you're sitting on, that you're supposed to have a partnership with, just might be something you ought to know? Now, I know a lot of these Big Eq horses are leased or borrowed. I suppose I could give the kid the benefit of the doubt and assume that maybe he'd just met the beast the day before. Maybe I'm being far too picky. However, I can tell you that I would want to know every single thing about a horse that was supposed to carry me to fame in short order, including what breed it is, but that's me...

I must have had a look on my face, because after that the boy did turn turn, mutter something to the groom who was busy cleaning his boots, and then reply to me, "Warmblood." Gee whiz, I never would have guessed! >.< (And for the record, yes Honey, I do know that Warmbloods come in specific breeds.) The reason I asked in the first place is that I was playing "spot the TB" during this class (and also during the Hunter Derby).

I'm afraid I came up blank... I could be wrong, but I doubt it. You already know Thoroughbreds are my favorite breed; back in the day, everyone in the H/J world rode them, including in the Big Eq. Here's some clips I found from the 1982 and 1984 Maclay Finals which illustrate this nicely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zjlZie0UDM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbX16dX8880

In contrast, here's last year's Maclay winning rider, Hayley Barnhill, on a Warmblood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um4DJZ5jEI0

Whoo-ee, look at those olden-days riders go (especially Peter Wylde - he was flying)! I was cracking up at some of the Comments posted on these videos by today's youth, particularly the ones that noted, "Those horses look really hot" (I'm sure the kid who wrote that had absolutely no idea they were TBs) and "It looks really jumpery." Yes, that's how we used to do it, there was none of this slow n' genteel Warmblood loping around the course business (what's ironic, though, is today's courses are so twisty and technical they practically are jumper courses). You'd be left in the dust far behind the hounds if you tried that look in the real world, and hello, HUNTERS are supposed to be able to actually hunt! I've read stuff that says "we need Warmbloods to get down the lines," but maybe the course designers started building them longer when everyone began showing up on Warmbloods? Seems to me it's the classic chicken/egg conundrum.

Anyway, I saw no Thoroughbreds, which saddened me, but I did see some very nice horses. Some of those parents shell out serious money for a special Big Eq horse and for the most part I'd say they got their money's worth. I've heard that some are BTDT babysitters and others are real firecrackers, guaranteed to give anyone you have to swap with fits - I think I saw the latter in person during that first Big Eq class I watched the week before!

Let me hasten to add that in general I also was impressed with the sportmanship and conduct of the young people in this Maclay class. Their poise, class and nerves of steel were very evident. When you have worked your tail off to qualify for an event like this, it would be extremely upsetting when Horsie suddenly decides to be a jerk and buck and kick out when you ask him for a lead change, something I would imagine he's done perfectly thousands of times in the past. Or slam on the brakes in front of a reasonably-sized, non-scary oxer to which you've found a great distance. Maybe they went back to the schooling ring afterwards and had a meltdown, but I didn't see it happen in the ring. I saw smiles. I saw focus. One rider fascinated me for her absolutely neutral expression; I don't think I've ever seen someone with such immobile features, especially someone less than 18 years old. She kind of scared me!

I had a nice conversation with the young lady who wound up finishing third, while she was watching earlier go's. She was sweet, friendly, and didn't mind answering my questions. No stuck-up attitude there. I went back into the barn area to congratulate afterwards, and tell her I'd be looking for her in Lexington, but it was like she'd vanished into thin air: I could not find her or the horse. Oh, well, I remember her name, so that gives me at least one person I've met to root for. What's that? YES, I am going to the National Horse Show! I'm terribly excited and of course I'll be writing all about it. First time in 30 years or so that I'll see the Maclay finals... no Victor H-V announcing, no MSG, but that's okay, I'm still delighted the big event is finally going to be within driving distance.

As far as the results of the class, I mostly agreed with the placements. I kept careful notes. Here are my score sheets:

Out of 35, I really only saw one or two riders that I thought were clearly outclassed by the competition. Most fell somewhere into the middle, earning a Very Good from me. A couple were absolutely, obviously superlative, none more so than the eventual winner. Literally from the second she stepped into the ring, I just knew that she was top-notch. Why? Beautiful position. Invisible aids. Horse balanced perfectly between hand and seat. Legs nailed to horse's sides. If you look on the first page of my notes, you'll see her about 3/4 of the way down, with her number (204) and the word EXC. circled, along with a *. She also rocked the flat phase, which included a request for trot lengthening that went on... and on.... and on. My legs would have been Jello!  I told my daughter, who was watching with me (she's a "horse-liker," not "horse-lover," to borrow a phrase from a fellow blogger), "If that girl doesn't win I'm hanging up my helmet. She. Is. AWESOME."

On the other hand, I sure was perplexed at the choice of a couple who finished in the top 10. For example, #206 earned a No Good from me for her jumping round. Yet she was called back in the top group and finished 8th. Huh? (Contrast that to poor #10, who'd gotten an EXC., and fell out of the top group after the flat. Didn't see her do anything awful but she was out, replaced by #39 who'd been brought back in the second group). The one that bugged me the most, though, was one of the boys. He got an OK after jumping, but I thought his position was horrible. Very hunched over with a swinging leg. He finished FIFTH, and the only other boy got 4th (he'd earned a Very Good for his jumping and truly hadn't impressed me all that much). This annoyance was only reinforced when #5 boy appeared the next day in the Hunter Derby, more hunched than ever. I don't just mean over fences, either, though he did roach his back there in a way that would have GM in fits. No, he rode like my old trainer who was 50ish and had back trouble. But apparently his dad is some big cheese trainer??? Makes you wonder... Do you think maybe they like to send the boys off to the Finals, no matter what they look like, since there are so few of them?

A note, regarding tack and apparel: I think that maybe, just maybe, I saw a bit more variety in show coat color this year. Generally these riders are indistinguishable from one another, all sporting the ubiquitous greige Tailored Sportsman breeches, navy show coat, Ariat Monaco or custom boots and Charles Owen GR8 helmets. In addition to the slight variations in coats, I also spotted some of the "bug head" looking GPA Speed Air helmets with lots of vents, which I was a bit surprised to see in any hunter ring, much less this one. I thought those were favored by jumper riders. Nothing different in saddles, bridles, martingales or fleece pads, but that's no surprise. (What's fun to look at is those perfectly flat zero knee-roll saddles the riders are using in the old Maclay clips. I used to ride in one myself, and boy, do I appreciate the return of the padded flap!)

I will wrap up this discussion of the Maclay Regional with this moment, my favorite of the whole competition. As I said, I headed back to the barn area after the class was over. The first thing I saw was the rider who had finished 11th, still mounted on her horse. She had tears streaming down her face and was hugging and petting the horse over and over. Her mother was crying and petting the horse. The trainer was crying and hugging the mom, hugging the rider and hugging the horse. I heard the mother say, "I'm just so proud of you and you worked so hard for this!" It was all very emotional, and I was so glad to see it! Just writing about this is making me sniffle again. It was wonderful to witness true appreciation of achievement, and of course appreciation of the horse; after all, they're the ones who "do all the work." Wink, wink! :-)

Horsemanship, Indeed - Part I

To everyone in the Hunter/Jumper world, it's simply "the Maclay." The sight of that trophy alone is enough to almost move me to tears. When I think of the hopes and dreams, the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the win of every single rider's name engraved on it, I get the chills. Some of them are legends: Bill Steinkraus, Frank Chapot, George Morris. Some of them I've never heard of: Lane Schultz, Keri Kampsen. Every one of them, no matter how wealthy their parents, no matter how expensive the horse, still had to get on and ride. The Maclay may be the culmination of a nearly life-long dream for some of these young people, and there is nothing quite like watching them in the ring.

I grew up in New Jersey and was fortunate to have a mother for whom New York City was Mecca (I knew kids who never went into the City, despite our location only an hour away by car). For a number of years one of the highlights of my existence was our annual trip to the National Horse Show. Oh, the sheer magic of that show! I can just hear Victor Hugo-Vidal's voice booming over the loudspeaker. I would be beside myself with excitement over everything, but the Maclay in particular. Two years stand out in my mind: watching Leslie Burr win in 1972, and watching a young lady who boarded at Tricorne Farm, where I was a humble lesson student, compete. I can't remember if the latter made the cut or not, but just knowing someone in the ring was awesome. Mom and I have delighted in following Leslie's amazing career ever since. She hasn't done half-bad for someone who won the Maclay at age 15. :-)

The actual full name of the premier huntseat equitation competition for Junior riders in the US is the "National Horse Show ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Championship." However, if you look closely at that beautiful silver plate, you will see the words "Horsemanship Trophy." I found myself mulling that over a lot during the class here...

A little bit about the background of the competition: Mr. Maclay was one of the founding fathers of the American Horse Show Association, now the United States Equestrian Federation. He came up with the idea for the class while president of the National Horse Show. Here's a quote I found on the ASPCA website:

"The ASPCA Maclay, a championship class at the National Horse Show, was initiated in 1933 by Alfred B. Maclay, an ASPCA board member, accomplished horseman and president of the National Horse Show. Maclay conceived of a trophy that would inspire young riders to develop the best horsemanship skills and instill in them respect and compassion for their equine partners."

Here's a little more, found on this year's National Horse Show website:
"The first endeavor put forth by the organization called for amateur riders, 15 and under, to ride horses not exceeding 16 hands over a course of eight jumps that were no taller than three feet.  The contenders were judged on their seat and control of their mounts.  The “Horsemanship Cup” was donated by the late Alfred B. Maclay, an officer of the ASPCA and President of the National Horse Show from 1922-1924. Since that time, the Maclay Championship has been a significant presence in the Equestrian World, and cherished by those who have had the honor of competing."

Pretty funny that there were only eight jumps and a height restriction on the mounts! That's a far cry from today's Big Eq rings full of ginormous Warmbloods. So, on with the show I saw - 35 kids qualified for the Region 5 Maclay Final. Here's the course map:


A glance at this pretty much told me where the trouble spots were going to be. A look into the ring only added to that; Fence 8 was three options built out of these faux brick and stone elements, as seen in a prior equitation class (in the Maclay they were all 3'6"):

As always, sorry for the lousy photography - this ain't a photography blog! :-)

Definitely scary to some of the horses, I would say! I went in the ring and felt those blocks afterwards. They were heavy, and I'm sure gave any horse that touched them quite a whack. Anyway, besides 8, the other fence I predicted would be bad was the very last one. An oxer off a long, bending line, at the end when horse and rider would be tired and ready to be done, towards the in-gate... yep, watch out.

I was not proved wrong; a number of riders botched the last jump, some after an otherwise really good round. Lots and lots of chips occurred. I'm pretty sure the judges were looking for the brave riders to pick up a head of steam towards that jump and really show 'em what they could do, but most kids at least attempted to keep a steady pace. The horses occasionally had other ideas, unfortunately. Don't tell me they don't know when it's about over!

Fence 8 also was a real issue. To set yourself up for a good Fence 9, the smart thing to do was jump the most inside element of 8, and that's just what almost everyone tried to do. But the tight bend from Fence 7 proved to be a killer. Horse after horse arrived at 8 with a crappy distance, took a hard look, and then finally popped over from a near stand-still. It wasn't pretty.

What surprised me, however, was Fences 1 and 2. On paper you would think, no big deal, a related distance and an easy opening for the course, but NO: apparently it measured out as a looooooooong five strides. If you did not smoothly pick up the pace a couple strides before Fence 1 and jump in big, you were not going to make that distance (I think one rider on a smaller horse successfully stuffed in six strides). And then they had to immediately take back to make the tight turn to Fence 3! The kids that did this well made it look easy and graceful; those that didn't, well, it really separated the wheat from the chaff right away.

Every single element of this cleverly-built course tested these riders. 9A and B? Saw problems, including a refusal (rider's fault, lousy distance and horse said unh-uh). 6 to 7? More funny striding, I believe, plus the worry of the turn to 8, caused trouble. I think this course truly was an excellent test of these riders, and I remain impressed.

I think three out of the 35 made a tight inside turn from 4B to 5, without going around 2. I wish I could remember if the winner did - I believe so - but that was definitely an opportunity to show off if you were so inclined. This wasn't supposed to be a jumper round, of course, so making all the turns without your horse looking like a motorcycle on its side took skills I certainly don't possess.

Next up: Notes about riders, tack/apparel and horses