Source: News Release
Experience Counts at the LAHJA Medal Finals
Katie Kramer, Alex Ladove, and Mara Chemerinsky Cinch Wins
Katie Kramer carries on her trainer's legacy by winning the LAHJA/LA Saddlery Senior Medal Final Photo: Flying Horse Photography |
Katie Kramer (Shauna Pennell, trainer) was thrilled to carry on her trainer’s legacy of winning the LAHJA/ LA Saddlery Senior Medal Final aboard S.S. Brando (Sierra Swaffar, owner) at the LA Season Finale (Nov 13-16). In 1984, Shauna won the LAHJA Senior Medal Final as one of the highlights of her junior career. “This medal final is part of our barn’s history,” Katie explained. “Since both my trainer Shauna and my barn mate Diana Del Pizzo have won LAHJA Medal Finals before, it really adds to the meaning of it for me.”
Katie herself is no stranger to winning medal finals as she has quite an extensive background in equitation. “I won the Show Circuit Magazine Medal Final, now renamed the Taylor Harris Medal Final, when I was 14 years old,” she shared. “I’ve been riding for 20 years. I went straight from riding as a junior to IHSA shows in college to riding as an amateur.” Although Katie can only ride on weekends nowadays as she works full time at a Beverly Hills talent agency, she has not wavered in her commitment to riding.
Katie recovers her cool to claim victory Photo: Flying Horse Photography |
Katie’s tight schedule didn’t stop her from competing in the medal finals, but it did add some challenges to overcome. “In the first round, I was feeling anxious because I had just come straight from work,” Katie recalled. “Due to my work schedule, I wasn’t able to make it out to the barn all week. I made it to the show just in time for the warm-up. In the first round, the first line was a nice, solid ten- or eleven-stride bending line. I think it was a combination of me being anxious, not being prepared, not balancing my horse in time, and his huge stride which caused us to get a nine in the line instead of the ten or eleven.” The pair earned a score of 63.5.
In the second round, Katie was determined to prove her riding abilities. She surpassed everyone and advanced into first place with a score of 84.5. “I think I kind of got angry at myself for making such a silly mistake in the first round,” Katie explained. “I knew I could do better, and I used that as motivation. There was a forward eight stride line. If I even hesitated for a second the nine would have got me, but because I didn't want a repeat of my first round it gave me that strength to ride better. Going from not receiving a ribbon in the first round to winning the second round was a huge surprise. The courses got progressively tougher because they showed off our strengths and weaknesses.”
Katie kept it consistent going into the top ten round, earning a score of 90. “It was a once in a lifetime feeling,” Katie shared. “My horse was perfect. We just melted into our rhythm. I felt that I had nothing to lose. It was a make it or break it type of ride.” For Katie, having all her barn mates from Silver Crest supporting her made the win all the more meaningful. Her barn mate, Darcie Grote, made it into the top ten with her, placing seventh overall.
Medal final judge Dale Pederson was pleased with what he saw in Katie’s riding. “Katie really came from behind,” he explained. “She had a few small mistakes at first, but she was just smokin’ in the subsequent rounds. In my opinion, her top ten round was the best round of the entire competition. She kept the same pace throughout, her leg was quiet, and her body was quiet in the air. She has this incredible ability to stay in balance in the center of her horse over the jump and keep her heels down in the air.”
The courses in the LAHJA Junior and Senior Medal Finals were designed to separate out effective riders and let them shine. “The second course was really difficult because of the turns and striding. It started with a forward eight stride line,” Dale explained. “Riders had to be on pace from the very beginning. Only two adults out of the entire group were able to get the eight strides, and Katie was one of them.”
Then it came down to the work off between some very talented riders. “The goal of the work-off is to separate the winner,” Dale added. “It isn’t a race, but an opportunity to properly perform the test. With the juniors, they had to jump the bounce, then return to the line demonstrating a lengthening of stride at the posting trot. Instead of going around the corner to show off their lengthening of stride, they all took an inside turn back to the line. I would have liked to see them show off their trot and take the longer route.”
Alex Ladove notches another medal final win Photo: Flying Horse Photography |
In the LAHJA/LA Saddlery Junior Medal Final, 17-year-old Alex Ladove (Robyn Stiegler, trainer) celebrated a win aboard her brand new horse, Beau Van Het Keyershof. She also followed in the footsteps of her trainer’s assistant, Katie Taylor, who won the LAHJA Senior Medal Final in 2006.
Alex just purchased her new horse with hopes of qualifying for all the big medal finals next year, which will be her last year competing as a junior. “I’ve only had my horse for two weeks,” Alex revealed. “I’ve ridden him less than ten times in total. He’s eleven, but he just transitioned to equitation recently after being a jumper. Spencer Smith won the USEF/Pessoa Medal Final on him this year and they were fifth overall in ASPCA Maclay Nationals.”
Alex and her new horse have hit the ground running Photo: Flying Horse Photography |
Not only does Alex’s horse have many accolades under his belt, so does Alex. “I’ve won the Onondarka, the CPHA 14 & Under, the CPHA 21 & Under, and the WCE Medal Finals,” she shared. “I really try to stay consistent and not let myself get nervous. I try to focus on how I’m going to ride the course rather than thinking about how I could mess up.”
She certainly put that experience to use. “For the all phases my plan was to go smooth and forward,” Alex explained. “Since I was on a new horse, I wasn’t really expecting to win. After being second in the first round, I wanted to make a little more of an impression. There was a bending line in the second round where you could choose to collect and wait or ride up. We went for it.”
Alex did make an impression, according to Dale. “She knows exactly when to wait or move up,” he noted. “She was consistently in the top because she rides a strong horse with a very big stride, but she knows how to regulate the pace and package him nicely. He’s not a flat equitation horse, but is rather scopey. She knows how to stay with him and keeps her lower leg still with a lot of depth in her heel. She’s a beautiful rider.”
Having a new horse has helped Alex gain more confidence. “A strong horse hasn’t been my style in the past,” she expressed. “However, he helps me ride forward and make more bold decisions. My horse has a very large stride, but using voice commands keeps him calmer. I had gone through a rough patch not being able to consistently ride the same horse. I finally found a horse I click with, and it’s a great confidence booster.” Next year, Alex plans to attend Auburn University with an equestrian scholarship and travel back and forth to compete in the medal finals.
Alex really appreciated the generous sponsored rider gifts. “It was a lot of fun receiving the LA Saddlery gift card and being able to go shopping. The cooler was just beautiful as well.” She also appreciated the hard work of her trainers. “Robyn Stiegler and Katie Taylor have really helped me get it together in such a short amount of time to accomplish one of my long-term goals: winning this medal final.”
Mara Chemerinsky celebrates her win in the LAHJA Pony Medal Final Photo: Flying Horse Photography |
In the LAHJA Pony Medal Finals, 14-year-old Mara Chemerinsky (Emily Tuttle Trowbridge, trainer) earned the championship aboard her catch ride Rollingwoods Twist of Fate (Grace Reynolds, owner). Like Katie and Alex, Mara has experience winning medal finals. “Last year, I won the CPHA Horsemanship Medal Final and was in the top four in the CPHA Child-Adult Medal,” she explained. “I also went to the Kentucky Pony Finals this year with my green pony.”
Riding has only been a part of Mara’s life for the past five years, but she has pursued her passion intensely. “She’s transitioning out of ponies and moving on to horses,” explained Mara’s trainer, Emily. “For the past three years, she hasn’t had a pony to compete on in the LAHJA Pony Medal Final and at the last minute there was a pony for her to borrow. Since she rides a lot of sale horses, she has experience catch riding. She always has these big goals and it all just came together. It’s been a moving up year for her.”
Mara's catch riding skills pay off Photo: Flying Horse Photography |
Despite never riding the pony before the warm-up, Mara adjusted easily to her new mount. “I sat on him for the first time on Friday night for the warm-up,” she revealed. “Since I ride a lot of different sale horses, it was not so scary catch riding for the medal final. It’s an all or nothing type of ride and I tried not to go in with many expectations.”
Mara had consistently strong rides on the medium pony, placing first in the first round and second in the second round with scores of 80 and 78, respectively. “I really liked the courses,” she said. “I thought it was inviting, but challenging enough at the same time. Since the second course was the first course but backwards, I had an idea of which turns I could take to make it a little fancier. The most challenging aspect was the bending lines because they were so open for interpretation. Rollingwoods Twist of Fate is forward and you always get enough pace to go for that longer distance if needed.”
When it came time for the final four, Mara, Pilar Schrage (Nancy Frost, trainer), Stella Buckingham (Elvenstar, trainer), and Tali Dejong (Angel Pitton, trainer) to work off, Mara rose to the occasion. “We had just a few jumps,” she remembered. “There was a lot of pressure to nail each one. We cantered straight to fence 9, bending line with 11 strides to fence 6 which was an oxer, and trot fence 5. Then we had to halt and demonstrate a sitting trot to the gate. It was really simple, which almost made it more difficult.”
Part of Mara’s success came as a result of learning from past mistakes, a key part of sportsmanship in riding. “Every time you go in the ring it’s a learning experience,” she explained. “Last year, when I went into the work-off for the CPHA Child-Adult Medal Final, I forgot the halt. Luckily, this time I didn’t have to go first in the work-off, which helped take the pressure off. I like to have a plan before I go into the ring. It was mostly about going in there having fun and doing my best. We were hoping everything would work out and I’m so happy it did.” Mara balances her time between schoolwork, riding five days per week, and being in a musical. Next year, she plans to move up and focus on showing in the Junior Hunters.
Stay tuned for more exciting results from the LA Finale (Nov 13-16), the LEGIS League Medal Final Winners Photo Essay, and High-Point Trainer Results.
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