Winning at Waredaca
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Leah Sartotius’s Flame of Truth, ridden by Julia Beamish, was the top placing Maryland-bred in the 5-Year-Old Young Event Horse division.
On Memorial Day weekend, Waredaca in Laytonsville hosted a Future Young Event Horse, Young Event Horse and USEA Recognized Horse Trials (Beginner Novice through Intermediate). The weekend was full of eventing action, and for once in a long while, no rain!
Future and Young Event Horses
Entries were a bit low for the FYEH and YEH competition on Friday, May 28. The day began with eight 5-year-olds in the YEH competition. Placing first and second was Ryan Wood of West Grove, Pennsylvania, riding two horses for owner Sarah Hughes. He won aboard Zeizos and placed second riding Alcatraz.
The highest placing Maryland horse was Flame of Truth, ridden by Julia Beamish of Sunshine and owned by Leah Sartorius of Silver Spring. Clifford, as he is called at home, placed third. He is a Thoroughbred by the Maryland stallion Salute The Truth. Beamish stated, “[Salute The Truth’s] offspring tend to be very talented, good horses but late bloomers and Clifford is still very much an adolescent. Because he’s still changing so much, we’re not rushing things with him.”
Clifford and Beamish have been impressing dressage judges all around Area II, scoring in the low 20s on many occasions. “He’s happy, calm, uncomplicated, open-minded… he is relaxed and elastic, has good natural balance and a powerful hind end, responds nicely to the aides and is completely obliging. I have to give him almost all the credit for our good dressage scores. If I just sit up straight and keep my hands quiet, he puts in a beautiful test for me. It’s that easy.”
The 4-year-olds were next on the competition schedule. Matt Flynn of Gladstone, New Jersey won the class aboard a Holsteiner gelding named Caspar. Flynn co-owns the horse with Susan and Matt Schmidt. Marylander Julia Wendell of An Otherwise Perfect Farm in Upperco rode her own Piper Cub to third place.
The only 3-year-old in the FYEH competition was Emmi Holmes’ American Warmblood filly Little Miss Moonshine. Jill Windsor’s Skylark WS, an Oldenburg filly bred by Windsor at Windsor Stables in Linthicum, won the 2-year-old class.
Waredaca Horse Trials
Waredaca is one of the few events in Area II to offer the “in-between” levels that help horses and riders make the jump from one level to the next. For these divisions, riders are tested at the higher level for dressage and show jumping and at the lower level for cross-country. Points are awarded towards the lower level.
At the May event, Waredaca offered a Preliminary/Intermediate, Training/Preliminary and Novice/Training division, as well as the regular divisions at Beginner Novice through Intermediate. These in-between levels are great for the horses and riders, however can cause scheduling nightmares. Thus, the only complaint heard from competitors throughout the weekend was the delays in the jumping phases. Waredaca’s staff and volunteers did a great job keeping the day moving as quickly as possible.
Barbara Cohen-King jumps clean aboard Zeke to place fourth in Beginner Novice A.
Grace Fulton shows good form aboard FMF Griffin to finish second in Beginner Novice B.
Skyler Decker looks for her next jump while riding Checkered Flag to sixth place in Beginner Novice B.
Four Beginner Novice divisions ended competition day on Saturday. Jill Windsor rode her own W.S. Reckless to second place in Beginner Novice A. She added only one dropped show jump rail to her dressage score of 32.5. In Beginner Novice B, Grace Fulton of Full Moon Farm in Finksburg earned second aboard FMF Griffin. The pair finished the day on its dressage score of 29. Sarah-Elizabeth Hyde, also of Finksburg, took home second in the division riding The Great Gatsby.
Edgewater rider Janice Binkley Cole, rode Lionheart to win Beginner Novice C with a score of 34. The pair led the division from start to finish and ended on its dressage score. Jennie Stone of Damascus rode Emerald Isle to third place in the same division. Alexandra MacLeod of Chevy Chase was the highest placing Marylander in Beginner Novice D. She rode Noble to fourth place.
In Novice Horse A, Alyssa Peterson of Waldorf rode Slew of Diamonds to third place. Leslie Favre of Crofton earned second in Novice Rider A aboard Remington. Heather Berwanger of Brinklow and April Johns of Mt. Airy placed second and third, respectively in Novice Rider B. Berwanger rode Rainbow’s Promise to second and Johns placed third with Mariah’s Top Dollar.
Valerie Kubit of Annapolis topped the Novice Rider C division with Might Mouse. The pair jumped clean to finish on its dressage score of 33.5. Catonsville junior Kelsey Parks Smith rode Louie to second place in the division.
Samantha Allan of Allan Sporthorses in Brandywine rode Everest to sixth place in Open Novice. She was the highest placing Maryland Open rider at the Novice level.
Molly Rosin and Sprite jumped clean to finish on their dressage score and in fourth place in Open Training.
Tracey Bienemann placed 10th in Open Training riding Zara (pictured) and then won Jr/YR Preliminary aboard Aces Zoomin’ Dude.
Kelsea Blazek and Jon’s April Lark complete their first recognized Training level horse trials in eighth place.
After competing Parisian at Training level in 2009, Piper Shepard of Baltimore started the 2010 season with winning the Novice/Training division. The pair finished on its dressage score of 35. Ashleigh McKown, also of Baltimore, rode In Full Swing to third place in the division.
In the regular Training divisions, Marylanders topped three out of four divisions. Megan Avella of Clarksburg won Training Rider A aboard Fantastick. Hagerstown rider Lisa Warnock took home the blue for Training Rider B with Constant Sorrow and Sally Buchheister of Upper Marlboro won blue in Training Rider C with Whispers.
Suzannah Cornue of Poolesville placed second with Korbin and Lara Miller of Boyds placed third in Training Rider B. In Open Training, Molly Rosin placed fourth riding Sprite.
Alexandra Curtiss of Mane Chance Eventing in Brookeville placed third in the Training/Preliminary division riding Sunshine Stalker.
Savannah Fulton tried her hand at Preliminary in the Training/Preliminary division where she rode Regal Wood to seventh.
Mary Ballew is all smiles as she finishes a clean round in the Preliminary/Training division to place sixth.
Maryland juniors took home the top four spots in the Junior/Young Rider Preliminary division. Tracey Bienemann of Pasadena topped the list with Aces Zoomin’ Dude. After placing second in dressage, Bienemann put in the only double clean rounds both in show jumping and cross-country to earn the win. In second place was Sarah Bratton of Linesboro. She rode Aztec Gold to clean jumping rounds but racked up some time faults cross-country. Silver Spring junior Maddie Fleit rode Guypowder Valley to fourth place, dropping a rail in show jumping. Rounding out the top four was Gabrielle Shaw of Port Republic. She and My Majestic Knight dropped a show jump rail and earned some time faults cross-country.
Oliver King of Frederick rode Active Andy to third place in Preliminary Rider.
Sheri Thornley of Southwind Farm in Damascus put in two impressive clean jump rounds to place third in the Preliminary/Intermediate division aboard Toga.
At Intermediate, Alexandra MacLeod was the only Marylander to finish in the ribbons. She rode Arrow to clean jump rounds to place fifth overall.
Alexandra MacLeod and Arrow jump the bench on the Intermediate cross-country course. The pair jumped clean but just outside the time to place fifth.
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