Wayne, Ill. – July 22, 2019 – Pony fans proved you can beat the heat at the 2019 National Dressage Pony Cup (NDPC) and Small Horse Championship Show, held July 19-21, 2019 at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill. Leaders after the first round of competition on Friday had to contend with not only soaring temperatures but also heavy pressure from their fellow exhibitors, all vying to put in strong second round performances and earn the coveted titles of overall division champions.
PONY DIVISIONS
Starting off with Juniors at Intro Level, Devon Garutti of Flemington, N.J. posted a big score in the second round of competition to claim the overall come-from-behind victory with a combined average of 70.407 percent aboard Alexa Sendro’s Welsh pony Frostline, while Ruth Lemna of Wheaton, Ill. and Bergdalen Marit, an Fjord mare owned by Rebecca and Ruth Lemna, earned the Intro Level Young Rider title with a two-test average of 69.000 percent. Randie-Lynn Reynolds of Lake Villa, Ill. and her POA mare Jetta could not be beaten as they claimed the Intro Adult Amateur championship with 65.000 percent, while Joann Williams of Elkhorn, Wis. and Jill Gianoni’s Welsh mare WHW Mazing Rockette dominated the Intro Open division on their way to a combined score of 75.094 percent.
For Training Level Junior, Aislin Falasco of Little Rock, Ark. and her Dutch Warmblood gelding Unscripted swept both tests of the division for a winning average of 71.724 percent, while Emma Kane of Algonquin, Ill. and her American Warmblood gelding Mein Liebling put in another solid performance on Saturday to earn top honors in the Training Level Young Rider division with 64.138 percent. Melissa Gray of Mukwonago, Wis. was successfully able to fend off all challengers in the Training Level Adult Amateur division with her Welsh gelding G.M.A.’s Dark Shadow with a two-day average of 69.483 percent. Emerging victorious in both rounds of hard-fought competition in the Training Level Open division was Alexandra Du Celliee Muller from Little Rock, Ark. and her Warmblood mare Lark RC with a combined score of 72.069 percent.
Victory was never in doubt for Maya Ilada of Warsaw, Ind. and her Welsh mare Here-Be Seren Gwyn as the pair won the First Level Junior title with an average of 69.827 percent, and Young Rider Emma Kane and Mein Liebling earned their second title of the day, this time at First Level with 62.104 percent. Consistent performances over both days of competition earned Leana Tank of Grand Rapids, Mich. and her Fjord mare Odden’s Norske Wood Sunniva the First Level Adult Amateur title with 67.066 percent. In the First Level Open ranks, Emmanuelle Lord of Pakenham, Ontario and Christine Baker’s Westfalen stallion Deja D’Or were the only combination to earn an average score over 70 percent and thereby claim victory with 71.623 percent.
At Second Level, Nicole Lang of Dousman, Wis. aboard Pamela Lang’s Half-Arabian mare Ikia Q and Hayley Jonkman of Lafayette, Ind. with her Chincoteague Pony mare Love Bug earned top honors in the Junior (16 & Under) and Young Rider (17-21) divisions, with combined averages of 65.135 percent and 63.496 percent, respectively. An impressive second-round performance by Kristin McLaren of Kinburn, Ontario and her 11-year-old gelding Sambuca earned the pair the overall victory in the Second Level Adult Amateur division with 66.538 percent, while in the Open division Victoria Ryan Retamoza and Sarah Kay Rodina-Levdahl’s Welsh cross mare Butterfly Encounter posted a huge score on Saturday to also earn the come-from-behind win with a combed average of 70.485 percent.
For Juniors and Young Riders at Third Level, Iselle Longman of Tobaccoville, N.C. with Michelle Hargreaves’ British Riding Pony gelding Hidden’s Midnight Shadow as well as Amy Burnham of Maple Grove, Minn. and her Paint cross mare Stella Brillante both earned their divisional titles with averages of 63.382 percent and 63.229 percent, respectively. Kalie Beckers of Independence, La. and Gerlinde Beckers’ Welsh Cob mare Madoc Mari are no strangers to the winner’s circle at the Pony Cup, and the pair once again cruised down victory lane, this time in the Third Level Open division with a two-day score of 67.655 percent. Linden Thompson of Boyne City, Mich. and her Haflinger gelding N’Tempo SSH1 also enjoyed a tremendous weekend, first by earning a dramatic come-from-behind win in the Third Level Adult Amateur ranks by scoring a 70.727 percent and then by also claiming the Fourth Level Adult Amateur Championship with a 64.946 percent.
When final scores were calculated in the FEI divisions, all placings remained unchanged from the first day’s results. In the FEI Pony Test, Nicole Lang and Ikia Q earned their second NDPC title of the weekend with a combined score of 63.161 percent. Ashtyn Brandt of Lemont, Ill. with her Arabian mare Vikhtoria Bey claimed the FEI Prix St. Georges Junior Championship with 59.339 percent, while Wren Burnley of Fulton, Ky. rode Anna Hopla’s Welsh cross gelding Rialto to victory in the FEI Prix St. Georges Open division with 63.383 percent. Maddie Kanda of Woodbury, Minn. could not be stopped in the FEI Intermediate I Open classes as she piloted her Morgan cross gelding B-Squared to victory with a two-test average of 65.368 percent. Finally, in the FEI Grand Prix Open division, Lauren Chumley of Baptistown, N.J. and Melissa Dowling’s Morgan gelding Avatar’s Jazzman added yet another title to their extensive Pony Cup resume with a weekend average of 61.957 percent.
Freestyles are always popular divisions at the Pony Cup, and this year’s performances were once again fan favorites. For Juniors, Iselle Longman and Hidden’s Midnight Shadow earned their second championship title of the weekend, while Hayley Jonkman and Love Bug also went two-for-two by topping the Young Rider ranks. In a highly-competitive Adult Amateur division, Victoria Moricco of Howell, N.J. rode her NASPR gelding Flash to victory, while Kalie Beckers and Madoc Mari earned another championship sash for topping the Open USDF Freestyle class. For FEI Level Freestyles, Maddie Kanda and B-Squared wrapped up a fantastic weekend with one last win in the Open division.
See complete results on the National Dressage Pony Cup website HERE. Catch up on all of the Pony Cup action from the weekend on the NDPC Facebook page, and to find out more information about the National Dressage Pony Cup programs, visit the NDPC website at www.dressageponycup.com.