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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2012

An edited Pennsylvania National Horse Show press release

Harrisburg, PA - Three National Championships were decided this past weekend at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Thirty-one competitors in the 2012 Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships and more than 250 of the best hunter equitation riders in the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Medal Finals presented by Randolph College vied for the top spot in their championships.

Abigail McArdle of the Zone 5 Team on Cosma 20. (Al Cook)

The Zone 5 Team Wins Gold in the Randolph College/USEF Prix de States Team Championship

The Zone 5 team captured the Gold medal in the Randolph College/USEF Prix de States Team Championship at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Friday evening. The team members were: Kalvin Dobbs of Carmel, IN riding Winde; Abigail McArdle of Barrington Hills, IL on Cosma 20; Lillie Ross of Wheaton, IL aboard Pako; and Catherine Tyree of Chicago, IL on Wetter.

Following a modified Nations Cup format, the teams jumped the same course twice with one drop score permitted from each round. At the conclusion of the first round, the challenging Alan Wade designed course yielded only three clear trips. The team from Zone 1-8 was on top of the leader board scoring eight faults. Zone 2 was only one point behind with nine penalties. The Zone 5 team was in the mix with a first round score of 12 faults and Zone 4 had 14 penalties.

The riders returned in reverse order of merit for the final round, which meant that all the pressure rested on the shoulders of the team's final rider. Ross and Dobbs had already gone without fault so another clear would give Zone 5 a score of 12 faults and the gold medal. As McArdle entered the arena the announcer told the story, which surprised her.

"As I was going into the ring for the second round I heard the announcer on the way to the first jump and I said 'Oh!' I felt a little bit more pressure," said McArdle. "We had such a great team, I was really happy to be a part of it."

The 18-year-old rider rose to the occasion with a faultless ride clinching the Gold for her team.

"Any team competition is really fun, especially when we all know each other," McArdle continued. "We just want to do well, it's a big deal."

With the Silver and Bronze medals still to be determined, anchor rider Dana Scott held the fate of the Zone 1-8 Team in her hands. A clear round meant that they would win Silver with an overall score of 16 faults. Teammates Sydney Shulman already went clear on Little Lady d'Elle and Madeline Thatcher scored eight faults aboard Licapo. Scott and KM Whatever RV left all the rails intact and impressively negotiated the only double clear of the evening.

The Zone 2 Team of Meg O' Mara and Sinatra IV, Lydia Ulrich with Santos Utopia, Charlotte Jacobs riding Kachina and Mattias Tromp on Vosqinus took home the Bronze with a final tally of 25 penalties.

Dana Scott USEF Champion and KM Whatever RV (Al Cook)

Dana Scott is Practically Perfect to Win the Randolph College/USEF Junior Jumper Individual Championship

Dana Scott of Wilton, CT, captured the Gold medal riding KM Whatever RV in the Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Individual Championship at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Saturday evening. The 17-year-old rider was nearly perfect finishing with a score of only two faults.

"I got a little lucky," said Scott. "Everyone here has a really fantastic horse, everyone here has a fabulous team behind them and everyone here is a fabulous rider. So really anyone could pick up the win this week and it ended up being my lucky week!"

The week began on Thursday with Phase I of the Championship and on Friday with Phase II. The top 60% were eligible for the Phase III, which yielded a field of 17 competing in reverse order of merit. The scores from Phases I and II carried over into Phase III to determine the order.

Liza Finsness and Ormsby Hill went clear in the final phase, establishing a lead with a four-day score of 12 faults. That score held for most of the class until Charlotte Jacobs and Kachina, going third from last, entered the arena. The pair had a carryover score of 6.5 faults and then incurred four more by knocking down a rail for a total of 10.5 faults. Abigail McArdle was next on Cosma 20. They came into the competition with a carryover score of five faults, so if they went clear, they would take over the lead. McArdle and Cosma 20 were faultless and put the pressure on the final rider.

Scott and KM Whatever RV made the Alan Wade designed course look easy, negotiating a clear round. The dynamic duo did not have a single rail down throughout the four rounds of competition. Their only faults were incurred by the clock, by going a little too slow on Thursday evening. Scott was thrilled with their victory, but she was truly happy just to take part in the event.

"I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by some of the best riders in the country and I thought that it was such a privilege just to be here," said Scott. "It was icing on the cake just to win here."

Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals Presentation. (Al Cook)

Meg O'Mara Wins the Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals

Meg O'Mara of Rumson, NJ, bested a field of 257 junior riders to win the prestigious Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals, presented by Randolph College, at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Sunday. It was an emotional time for O'Mara. The announcer just finished naming Lillie Keenan of New York, NY, the Reserve Champion. When she realized that the Championship title was hers, the 18-year-old put her hand over her face to hide her tears.

"I never thought that I would be here," said O'Mara. "So to be able to win it - I am still in disbelief."

Judges Bill Moroney and Geoff Teall called back the top 28 riders for the second round and the top four riders were tested further to determine the medal winning positions. The test consisted included a hand gallop, a halt and back, two counter-cantered fences, and a trot fence. The final four were Hasbrouck Donovan of Gainesville, FL, Sydney Shulman of Greenwich, CT, Keenan and O'Mara. All four riders handled the test very well, but the judges used the words "Confidence" and "Brilliance" to describe O'Mara's performance. Teall said, "Her round fell into place a little bit nicer and she went and did it."

Confident, is not exactly a word that O' Mara would have used, admitting that the only time she felt able to breathe was after the test was over.

"Before the test started, I started having a mental breakdown for like 30 seconds. I didn't know what was going on," said O' Mara. "But I decided I just had to go out there and ride. I couldn't freeze, because that's usually what I do."

Don Stewart, the trainer of O' Mara was proud of the way she overcame her nerves. "She's a fighter for sure."

Keenan may have finished in the runner-up spot, but she was not complaining. "I am extremely happy. Just coming here is exciting and getting a ribbon is a huge accomplishment," said Keenan. "I did what I thought was right at the moment. I have an amazing horse and I was very lucky to ride him."

For more information about the 2012 Pennsylvania National Horse Show visit; http://www.panational.org/.

To watch live on the USEF Network presented by SmartPak and to find news, photos, and video on demand visit; http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012PennsylvaniaNational/.

Watch clips of individual rides on the USEF Network YouTube page at www.youtube.com/usefnetwork. The vision of the United States Equestrian Federation is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its human and equine athletes