Wayne, Ill. – Aug. 24, 2018 – A large crowd gathered around the arena at the Lamplight Equestrian Center to watch the afternoon’s exciting USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 13 & Under Championship. The class was packed with young, eager talent, all who had been working diligently towards the championships all year. In the end, it was Camille Molten who returned to the ring to claim the title of champion in the 13 & Under division aboard Wyldwych Bamboozle for the second year in a row.
The class began with all riders in the ring together, performing each gait and skill that the judges requested. The young riders demonstrated the medium walk, free walk, posting trot, sitting trot and canter in both directions. Once the first portion was completed, competitors were given a pattern to ride through that included a leg-yield, extension and canter transitions. Molten impressed the judges with a fault-free, smooth pattern that helped contribute to her overall score of 91.
Molten, traveling from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, entered the arena with the goal of defending her champion title from the 2017 USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals. She explained that much of her preparation involved riding as many horses as she could to further develop her seat, and riding on a lunge line with her friends while offering each other critiques. Today, Molten was happy that her pony stayed with her and allowed her to really focus on her equitation.
Taking the reserve championship was Kasey Denny of Hutto, Texas, riding Feyock. Denny was also awarded the reserve championship at last year’s competition and returned this year with the goal of improving upon her performance. Denny explained that she initially was nervous about how her horse may handle the afternoon’s rainy weather, but was relieved when he stayed calm and listened to her well. Denny was awarded a score of 89.
Finishing in third place was Reece O’Keefe of Puyallup, Washington. O’Keefe rode Arianna, a horse that she explained has had issues with holding the canter in the past. She was excited that Arianna stayed connected with her in today’s class and allowed her to focus on the task at hand, riding a smooth pattern. The pair earned a score of 87 to finish in third.
On Sunday, the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 14-18 Championship will take place at 1 p.m. to wrap up the finals.
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Camille Molten – USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 13 & Under champion
On her experience competing:
“My pony usually deals with laziness issues, but today he was really good and kept going so that helped a lot. I’ve learned to stay calm, concentrate on myself and stay on point.”
On her preparation:
“My friend and I lunged each other a lot and some peer commenting on each other’s equitation. I try to ride as many horses as I can to keep my seat really well.”
On returning to compete:
“It’s great, I try not to expect anything and just ride my best. I’m really glad that it turned out the way that it did.”
On watching the other championship divisions:
“It helps me know what I want to do. My goals are pretty much based off of everyone that I watch who is better than me. I just like watching all the big fancy horses and see what I would like to ride like.”
Kasey Denny – USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 13 & Under reserve champion
On her experience competing:
“My horse freaks out when it starts barely raining, I thought when it started raining he was going to be bananas and it would not go well, but he handled it really well and I’m really proud of him. I’ve learned to stay relaxed and calm and not to give up in the middle of my ride.”
On her preparation:
“I did lunge lessons with my mom for equitation. I focused really hard on this ride so that I knew what I was doing since my horse is spooky and I didn’t want to drift off.”
Reece O’Keefe – USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 13 & Under third place
On her experience competing:
“We’ve had a hard time keeping my horse in the canter and sometimes he can get a little excited so I was really happy when she kept it together today. I’ve learned to really listen to my coaches and focus on my horse. I personally like to remember how great it is to be here and I’m so grateful for all of my privileges.”
On her preparation:
“I took off my stirrups and my mom helped me get my equitation through lots of no stirrup lessons.”
On watching the other championships:
“I liked watching all the other horses. I really like the venue here. I think it’s inspiring to watch the others because it makes me want to do more and improve just by watching the others.”
Results: USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 13 & Under Championship
Rider / Horse / Owner / Total Score
1. Camille Molten / Wyldwych Bamboozle / Deborah Stanitski / 91
2. Kasey Denny / Feyock / Amy Denny / 89
3. Reece O’Keefe / Arianna / Reece O’Keefe /87
4. Tessa Holloran / Appielousa B / Tessa Holloran / 86
5. Caitlyn Massey / Zassafrass / Kathleen Massey / 83
6. Ella Fruchterman / Recess / Ella Fruchterman / 80
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