Friday is already upon us and that means roughly half of the USEA American Eventing Championships winners were crowned. The Modified through Advanced levels concluded their competitions with show jumping today, while the Novice and Training divisions ran cross country and the Beginner Novice divisions began with dressage.
Here’s a look at your newly-crowned winners and current division leaders:
$60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final: Helen Alliston and Ebay (32.8)
USEA Intermediate Championship: Tommy Greengard and Joshuay MBF (32.9)
Bates USEA Jr./YR Preliminary Championship: Maddie Smith and Versace (44.2)
Bates USEA Preliminary Horse Championship: Nicole Aden and Illustrator (26.8)
Bates USEA Preliminary Rider Championship: Eileen Galoostian and Ardeo Lord Lancelot (34.5)
Bates USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship: Amy Haugen and Ebenholtz (31.2)
Festival Open Preliminary: Kelly Groot and Super Nova (23.4)
Festival Open Modified: Sarah Sullivan and La Copine (26.4)
USEA Open Modified Championship: Madison Langerak and Normandy Kivalo (20.6)
Festival Open Training: Stephanie Goodman and Esmèe (23.8)
USEA Training Amateur Championship: Morgan Wenell and Kremer VD Falieberg (26.1)
USEA Training Horse Championship: Jennette Scanlon and Zoltaire (24.3)
USEA Training Jr. Championship: Lizzie Hoff and HSH Limited Edition (24.0)
USEA Training Rider Championship: Sarah Ross and Fernhill Heart Throb (28.6)
Festival Open Novice A: McLaine Mangum and Grantstown Mr. Big (31.7)
Festival Open Novice B: Teresa Harcourt and Csongor (26.4)
USEA Novice Amateur Championship: Jennifer Williams Southworth and Special Agent (27.2)
USEA Novice Horse Championship: Tommy Greengard and Cappachina (24.9)
USEA Novice Jr. Championship: Olivia Keye and Oso Mighty (27.2)
USEA Novice Rider Championship: Alyssa Cairo and Paddington (25.4)
Festival Open Beginner Novice A: Katrina Catto and Moinin’s Boy (29.7) – Julie Goodwin and Horse Of My Dreams (29.7)
Festival Open Beginner Novice B: Kelly Schwisow and Redfieldd Out Of The Blue (26.3)
USEA Beginner Novice Amateur Championship: Jenna McFadden and Take a Shot (28.3)
USEA Beginner Novice Horse Championship: Madeline Backus and Slew the Blues (26.6)
USEA Beginner Novice Jr. Championship: Bridget Kelly and Windover Tarragon (27.8)
USEA Beginner Novice Rider Championship: Mandy Collins and Vatino (29.2)
We’ll be adding more report excerpts and photos to this post, so keep checking back!
A Magical Finish to the Modified Championship at #AEC2022
If your eyes felt a little misty this morning following the USEA Open Modified Championship show jumping rounds taking place at the 2022 USEA American Eventing Championship (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds, you weren’t alone. Madison Langerak’s white glove came up to catch her tears of joy while her other hand fell on Normandy Kivalo’s glistening neck after a clear round, signaling that they had indeed taken the win, finishing on their impressive dressage score of 20.6 from Wednesday. It was Leonie Padgett aboard her own 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley Precision (Arkan x ISHD Baronscourt) who earned second place with a score of 31.0, and Ashley Horowitz piloting her 6-year-old Thoroughbred mare Tiny Dancer (Fusaichi Pegasus x Burren) brought home third place on their score of 44.7.
The real reason for emotion, though, stems from a place of Langerak and “Norman” bringing a long-time goal to full fruition despite some recent health hardships that kept the 10-year-old Hungarian Sport Horse out of the game unexpectedly and sporadically between summer 2019 and summer of 2020. The flashy and stout chestnut seemed to know this was his time to shine after making a full recovery after two colic surgeries and a torn tendon, giving Langerak a fleet of moments that she won’t soon forget.
“I’m overwhelmed. It’s something that I definitely wanted to achieve for a really long time, and you know, we went to Kentucky last year and our lead up to it definitely didn’t condone a fast cross-country round so I kind of had to sacrifice the speed,” said Langerak. “I know we didn’t place as high as I know he’s capable of so it’s really nice to come back this year and really redeem ourselves.” A savory redemption it was indeed. In a typical championship, there’s this incessant need to know what’s next for a winner, but for those who have followed Langerak and Norman since their flawless dressage test on Wednesday, our concern really comes down to ensuring his health and happiness after this event, given his history.
[Read the full Modified recap]
Tomorrow, the Training and Novice divisions close out competition with show jumping while Beginner Novice tackles cross country. You can view the full schedule + watch the live stream here.
USEA American Eventing Championships (Kalispell, MT): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores] [Livestream] [Shannon Brinkman Photography] [Ride On Video]