Zone 10 Dominates NAYC Podiums in Traverse City

Brookelyn Roy and Carlo DC Stables Z during the FEI Jumping North American Championships for Pre-Juniors © FEI/ Natialie Suto Photography

In the closest of finishes, Kait Meggenhofen claimed individual Young Rider gold at the North American Youth Championships (NAYC) to cap an action-packed week at Traverse City Horse Shows in Williamsburg, Michigan (USA).

With less than a penalty point separating the top two athletes, Meggenhofen (USA Zone 5) and the 13-year-old mare Diva de Talma secured the coveted title with 12.99 points on their cumulative scorecard. JJ Torano (I Am Inge) of Zone 4 finished second (13.60 penalties), followed by his Zone 4 teammate Isabelle Ehman (Darra du Soleil). Ultimately, it was the initial speed competition that decided the medals, with Meggenhofen and Torano finishing just 1.22 seconds apart and producing identical scores thereafter.

“[My goal] was to stay consistent, to keep going, start to finish. I was just happy to be here. Nonetheless, my horse wanted to jump clear, every single time,” Meggenhofen said. “The pressure is hard, but I trust my horse, and she’ll do everything to keep [the jumps] up for me.”

Across the board, USA Zone 10 dominated the standings, claiming four gold medals in team and individual competition. Cameron Trimino (Rendez-Vous van’t Klavertje Vier), Emmeline Adamick (Apollo Z), Grayson Pacelli (E-Up), and Della White (Gaufrette des Roches) reached the top of the podium in the Young Rider category. Led by Chef d’Equipe Mitch Endicott, the group finished on 34.23 penalties. The challenging 1.50m competition, available to riders aged 16-21, saw Zone 4 finish second (39.26 penalties), with Zone 7 third (41.44).

Endicott was also at the helm of the of Zone 10’s Pre-Junior team, made up of Ripley Ehrlich (Keatingstown Skorphults Joker), Grace Wahlberg (Zeppelin Blue), Vincent Lin (Ortega di Fer), and Brookelyn Roy (Carlo DC Stables Z), who finished their competition on 9.94 penalties. They were flanked on the podium by the combined team of Zones 5, 8 and 9 (11.83 penalties) and Zone 4 (12.36).

“Competing on a team has been really exciting,” Ehrlich shared, “but it’s also very hard. [At the end], all you can do is watch, and there was so much pressure on our last rider, Brookelyn.”

Roy, the team’s anchor, needed to jump clear to clinch the gold medal, and she delivered. The 16-year-old, in her NAYC debut, ultimately added a second gold medal to her tally when she topped the Pre-Junior individual standings. The only athlete of her category to finish the week without a single jumping penalty, she and her 9-year-old gelding Carlo DC Stables Z produced a winning score of just 1.65 penalties. Less than a rail separated the top three, with Zone 2’s Kaitlyn Linck and Frenesie de Mars earning individual silver on 4 penalties. Sydney Cummings of Zone 1 finished with individual bronze aboard Untouchable 34 (4.04 penalties).

“I didn’t ride my best [in the last round], but my horse takes care of me,” Roy said. “I’m just proud of our consistency throughout the week.”

Zone 10’s Violet Tatum was the individual Junior gold medalist, finishing on 4 penalties with the 13-year-old mare BP Swify. She was accompanied on the podium by a pair of Zone 2 athletes, Scarlett Samuels (Confidence, 5.52 penalties) and Rylynn Conway (Capella Y, 10.44).

“Going in on top is definitely a lot of pressure, but I knew if I gave her a good ride, [BP Swifty] would give me her all,” Tatum said. “She’s such an incredible horse, and this is such a meaningful event to earn gold at.”

Samuels and Conway got their gold in team competition, as Zone 2 confidently led the way in the Junior category. Alongside teammates Agatha Lignelli (Xo Gracieux du Pachis) and Cecilia Chatterjee (Cartouche vd Cumel Z) and Chef d’Equipe Krista Freundlich, the group finished with more than two rails in hand over Zone 10 (16.79 penalties) and Zone 4 (39.81). Three of Zone 2’s four Junior riders produced at least one clear effort in the Team Final.

“It feels amazing [to win gold],” Samuels said. “Our team is so strong this year, and we have such a great support group behind us. I’m pretty grateful.”

The competition’s youngest athletes took center stage in the Children’s category, where it was Zone 4’s moment. Georgina Jewell finished on a perfect 0.00 score through five rounds of jumping with her 9-year-old Holsteiner mare, Conny 424. Her Zone 4 teammate Jesus Rigu finished with individual silver (Indigo, 0.55 penalties), with Zone 2’s Cisy Zhou third (Dalido 8, 6.28).

“[Conny] is really sweet, and she’ll always help me out,” Jewell said. “Going into the last round, I had confidence, because we were clear in all the other [rounds]. I knew [my horse] would be good.”

Jewell and Rigu shared the gold medal in team competition, as the Kim Land-led Zone 4 finished on top of the Children’s standings with 4.32 penalties. Mackenzie Badley (Comeback Queen) and Paisley Cramer (Iris E.S.) were also on the winning team, ahead of Zone 10 (9.81 penalties) and Canada (25.07).

“I always like the team competitions best. We don’t get to do them as much,” said 14-year-old Rigu, the most experienced athlete on the team with two previous NAYC appearances. “It’s nice when you have a good team that you trust. We all rode great, [and] we didn’t add anything to the score we brought [from the first day], and we did really well [then]. It feels good to win as a team.”

FULL RESULTS