United States Eventing Association Area VII Championships, Aspen Farms Horse Trials, September 6-8, 2019
Photos generously provided by Courtney Drake - https://www.cortneydrake.com/
Submitted by Chesna Klimek
For the fourth consecutive year, the United States Eventing Association Area VII Championships were held at the September Aspen Farms Horse Trials in Yelm, WA. Jonathan Elliott and his team have created a fabulous venue for eventing in the Pacific Northwest for riders and spectators.
The show hosted ten Championship classes from Beginner Novice through Intermediate level. To qualify, horses and riders had to place first through fifth at an event in Area VII during the qualifying period.
More than 300 competitors from throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and beyond attended the show with 133 Championship entries. After contesting dressage on Friday and the cross-country and show jump courses designed by Tremaine Cooper on Saturday and Sunday, the following pairs won Area VII Championship titles:
Open Intermediate Championship - Brennan Kappes and Amistoso, owned by Willis Kurtz
Open Preliminary Championship - Cassie Weber and Minnie
Jr. Training Championship - Jadyn Silver and Bro A Bryn Gellan Goch
Open Training Championship Final - Karen O'Neal and Clooney 14, owned by Annika Asling
Training Rider Championship - Carolyn Sufit and Kapowsin
Jr. Novice Championship - Connor Black and Jewel, owned by Tricia Stewart Black
Novice Rider Championship - Anne Marie McSwiggan and Cavalier Locked For Joy
Open Novice Championship - Jordan Linstedt and Lovely Lola
Jr. Beg. Novice Championship - Beth Ward and Quanta
Open Beg. Novice Championship - Tara Tangney and Gone With the Wind, owned by Gretchen Hogan
In addition to Championships, the show hosted Open Horse Trials divisions, including the $4,000 Tin Men Supply Advanced--the only Advanced level competition in Washington.
Sara Mittleider and her 2010 Hungarian Sport Horse gelding, La Paz, led the Tin Men Supply Advanced from start to finish. They won on a score of 43.6 ahead of Kerry Groot and Borasco in second and Kelsey Holmes and NZB The Chosen One in third.
Despite a brief thunderstorm at the end of Sunday, the weather cooperated and the event ran smoothly with the attention to detail competitors have come to expect and appreciate from Aspen Farms: excellent footing, beautiful and challenging jump courses, and amazing awards. Thanks to generous show sponsors and donors, the Area VII Champions and other top finishers took home their share of $30,000 worth of cash and prizes.
Detailed show results are available on www.startboxscoring.com and at the Aspen Farms website, www.aspenfarmseventing.com.