The USEF Junior Hunter Finals-East Coast came to a close this evening following the completion the very competitive 2010 USHJA Hunterdon Cup Equitation Classic. Seventy-five riders showed over the first-round course, vying for the for the coveted equitation title. The riders with the top 15 scores returned for the handy round and then the top six returned to the ring aboard different mounts to complete the final test. Catherine Tyree rose through the ranks with consistently high scores in each round and after completing a stunning final test she was awarded the top prize. Hayley Barnhill followed by just a quarter of a point with the second place award, while Chase Boggio took home the third place honors.

“For the final test I just went forward and found my jumps,” explained Tyree after her win. “I didn’t put pressure on myself. I was in the top 6 so for me it didn’t really matter where I ended up after the final round.”

Today’s first round got underway at 3 p.m. in the Indoor Ring at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park with 75 participants. The courses were designed by Bobby Murphy and each featured a hedge fence in a double combination, a Swedish oxer, and the USHJA wall fence. Riders with a score of 81 and above were called back for the handy round, which included the same fences but with many more inside turn options.

After receiving an 87 during the first round and an 83.5 in the second round aboard World’s Fair, owned by Ashland Farms, Shawn Casady entered the final test in the sixth place position. Casady was aboard Chase Boggio’s Massimo and had a very good round to receive a score of 81 for a total of 251.500, and the fourth place ribbon overall.

Chase Boggio sat in the 15th position after the first test having received a score of 81. He then laid down a beautiful trip aboard Massimo during the second round for a score of 90 and moved into the fifth place position for the final test. During the test he rode World’s Fair and was very consistent once again for a score of 86 and three-round total of 251.5, which held up for the third place prize.

Lillie Keenan began by setting the pace in the first round with a score of 88 that eventually put her in the second place position for the handy round. During the handy round she rode Sir Neel, owned by Madeline Turner, to a score of 84 which moved her into the fourth place for the final test. Keenan competed on Cheyenne, owned by Heritage Farm, for the final but the pair had an unfortunate rail for a 242 total and the sixth place prize.

Katherine Schmidt had the high score of 90 during the first round with Cheyenne and together they earned an 82.5 during the handy round to place third for the test. For the final test Schmidt was aboard Sir Neel and they had an unfortunate chip at the Swedish oxer for a score of 77. Her three-round total of 249 earned Schmidt the fifth place honors.

Hayley Barnhill rode Podest, owned by Emily Gardner, to a first round score of 87.5 and a second round score of 89 to take the top spot going into the final test. During the test she rode Triple Lutz and she once again laid down a good trip for a score of 87 and a total of 263.250. Unfortunately, she would be beat by just a quarter of a point by Catherine Tyree to place second overall.

Tyree took her victory during tonight’s Hunterdon Cup by continually posting excellent rounds during each course. During the first round she scored an 87.5 with Triple Lutz for the third place position. The pair moved into the second place position after the handy round, having earned a score of 86. For the final test Tyree was aboard Podest and once again her consistent skills paid-off. The pair flowed through the winding course with ease and topped the bill with a score of 89.5, earning the Hunterdon Cup victory with a score of 263.50.

“During the first round, I just wanted to start out smooth and just keep going,” said Tyree.”It was a really open course and I just wanted to go in and try and do the best I could. During the second round, I was coming back at third and I didn’t want to get nervous. I kind of just thought of it as another class, and just went in and did the same thing as I did in the first round and it worked out well.”

For the final test Tyree had two minutes to warm-up with her new mount Podest before entering the ring. “I didn’t really know how this horse goes but I show a lot with Haley and everyone else, so when I went in I just went forward, trusted my eye, and it all worked out,” she smiled. “He’s a little slow but he has a huge stride so I had to make sure I kept him in front of my leg. He jumps great, turns well, and he was straight forward so I thought he was nice.”

This is 16-year-old Tyree’s first major equitation win and she has only been partnered with Triple Lutz for a short period of time. “It’s a pretty new partnership but he is great,” she commented. “He tries so hard, he has a big heart, he always wants to please, and he gets a little nervous but today he just went in and was awesome.”

Tyree will now travel with her trainer, Katie Kappler, to the Trader’s Point Horse Show. She will then go on to compete during the Indoor circuit.

The Junior Hunter Finals-East Coast came to a close today but the Kentucky Summer Classic is just getting underway. This week’s competition is a World Champion Hunter Rider qualifying event. Tomorrow the professional hunter divisions will wrap-up their second day of competition, awarding championship and reserve championship honors to the top horse and rider combinations.

For more information about the Kentucky Summer Classic please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

RESULTS:

Hunterdon Cup 1 123 TRIPLE LUTZ CATHERINE TYREE CATHERINE TYREE 263.500 2 40 PODEST HAYLEY BARNHILL EMILY GARDNER 263.250 3 138 MASSIMO CHASE BOGGIO CHASE BOGGIO 257.000 4 185 WORLDS FAIR SHAWN CASADY ASHLAND FARMS 251.500 5 85 CHEYENNE KATHERINE SCHMIDT HERITAGE FARM,INC. 249.500 6 86 SIR NEEL LILLIE KEENAN MADELINE TURNER 242.000 7 186 PIONEER SAMANTHA SCHAEFER HERITAGE FARM,INC. 170.000 8 175 CHARLESTON Z CAITLIN ZIEGLER ARTISAN FARMS 164.000 9 89 ICON CATHERINE COWIE ADDISON PHILLIPS 162.500 10 174 SIROCO SAMANTHA RAMSAY FAR NIENTE EQUINE LLC 162.250 11 88 SIERRA CATHERINE PASMORE HERITAGE FARM,INC. 161.500 12 169 PROSECCO 24 PAULENA JOHNSON PAULEXI LLC 159.000