Tampa, Fla. – Aug. 30, 2019 –The 2019 Southeast Medal Finalskicked off its third year at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center in Tampa, Florida, drawing a crowd of qualified horses and riders to compete for year-end finals titles. The prestigious competition presented many opportunities for athletes to showcase their skills and get experience in the ring prior to Saturday’s finals. Junior riders Addison Reed and Lauren Carpenter nabbed the win in the CWD $3,000 3’0 Hunter Spectacular and $1,000 2’6’’ Hunter Spectacular, respectively.
Reed took to the Stampede arena aboard Windsor, a mount that she only started riding Friday morning. She often catch rides various mounts for her trainer, Jamie Stryker, and she plans to continue the weekend riding Windsor in the Junior Hunter division. In the classic round of the $3,000 3’0 Hunter Spectacular, Reed and Windsor, owned by Bailey Tims, rode to a class-topping score of 80 to take the early lead.
Heading into the handy round, Reed’s trainer, Stryker, sat in second place aboard Quintilus, owned by Paige Moose, with a score of 81. Sophie Baron and Trident, owned by Stryker, sat in third place with a score of 68. Coming back for the handy round, Jessica Cross and Varina, owned by Waters Edge Stable, moved up in the ranks with a handy score of 83 for an overall total of 148.
As the second-to-last pair to enter the ring, Stryker and Quintilus earned a score of 78, enough to take the lead from Cross and Varina. As the final competitors to tackle the handy round, Reed and Windsor remained consistent, earning a score of 83 for a total overall score of 163 to clinch the win. Second place was ultimately awarded to Stryker and Quintilus, and Cross and Varina rounded out the top three.
Following the $3,000 3’0 Hunter Spectacular, competitors took to the Stampede arena for the $1,000 2’6’’ Hunter Spectacular. The class winner, Carpenter and her mount Bellini sat in the lead after their classic round received a score of 82. As the final pair to enter the arena, Carpenter and Bellini came back strong in the handy to earn a score of 81, ultimately clinching the blue ribbon.
Second place was awarded to Mia O’Brien aboard her own mount Dom Perignon after earning two scores of 80 for an overall total of 160. Rounding out the top three was Gina Zambrano riding her own Azalea Decor to scores of 77 and 65 for an overall total of 142.
The Southeast Medal Finals will continue throughout the weekend, with more hunter, jumper and equitation competition taking place in three separate rings through Sunday, September 1. Saturday will feature the first round competition in a multitude of finals, followed by the second and final round of riding Sunday to determine the Southeast Medal Finals champions.
For more information about the 2019 Southeast Medal Finals, click here.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Addison Reed – $3,000 3’0 Hunter Spectacular winner
On Windsor:
“Today is the first day that I’ve ever ridden. I did a warm-up class earlier on him. I ride a lot of horses for Jamie [Stryker], so this was a catch rider for me in this class. I will ride him through the weekend in the junior hunter division. He’s really fun!”
On the class:
“The rounds were really fun! The course was really smooth and it flowed well, it was really nice. The handy round was really fun, I liked the turns.”
Lauren Carpenter – $1,000 2’6’’ Hunter Spectacular winner
On Bellini:
“I got him just a few months ago, He’s an 11-year-old Westphalian. We had a few mishaps before the show just thinking that we wouldn’t do the best here, but we brought it and I’m so happy!”
On the class:
“I was really proud of my rounds. There was a lot of planning in the beginning, but it was nice and I was really proud of my scores because they are the highest scores that I’ve ever gotten.”
On competing at Southeast Medal Finals:
“We’ve been here once before, but it’s exciting to be back. It’s awesome here!”