The Capital Challenge Horse Show opened up competition today at the Show Place Arena. This is the first day of Equitation Weekend, which is presented by BigEq.com. Today there were championships for equitation divisions split by age as well as the North American Junior Flat Equitation Championships. Cayla Richards of Calabasas, CA, was a big winner after she took the 15 Year Old Equitation Championship and outlasted top riders to win the Flat Championships.

     Richards, who trains with Jenny Karazissis, finished first, first, and second in her equitation division. She rode Asparagus, the horse she rode last year to the 13/14 Year Old Championship. “Last year was my first time back East with Asparagus, so we were more trying to get experience and have a good time. We did well last year. This year, I wanted to win; it wasn’t just for experience. We had higher expectations,” she explained.
      She noted that her championships on the first day of competition were “definitely a confidence booster.” She added, “I came here for practice for the Medal Finals, so it gets my name out there and gets me confident in the indoor ring against more competitors.”
     The reserve champion in the 15 Year Old Equitation division was Theo Boris of Culver City, CA. Boris rode Du Calme to first and second places over fences.
    Richards won the North American Junior Flat Equitation Championships, sponsored by BigEq.com, over 14 other riders from the five other equitation divisions. Second place went to Amber Henter and Diederique Vander Knapp was third.

     The champion of the 17 Year Old Equitation was Morgan Hale of Odessa, FL. Hale was the reserve champion last year in the 16 Year Old division and was happy that she improved from last year. Hale rode Urco, a horse she has shown for a year, and she trains with Don Stewart. They placed first and second over fences and were fourth on the flat.
     Hale felt that today’s courses were “challenging.” She said, “They definitely tested the horse’s ‘go’. I actually liked it, and it was fun. The course inside worked because he jumps better off the right, so the right turn was better for him. In this [indoor], the jumps are closer and you have to pay attention more.”
      The 17 Year Old reserve champion was Jacqueline Lubrano of Glenmoore, PA. She and Golou II finished first, second, and sixth.
Jessica Springsteen continued her success at Capital Challenge this year with the championship in the 16 Year Old Equitation, which is sponsored by Frank Madden Show Stables. She rode Papillon over fences to a blue ribbon indoors and Class Action to second place on the flat and first place in the outdoor over fences class. “They were both really good. I feel good about the win, and I am really happy with them,” Springsteen said.
      Springsteen recently purchased Class Action, who was last year’s WIHS Equitation Classic Finals winner. Springsteen will compete with him at the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals- East. “I wanted to practice on the flat with him,” Springsteen explained.
Springsteen trains with Stacia Madden and is from Colts Neck, NJ. This was her fifth year competing in the equitation at Capital Challenge.

      The 16 Year Old reserve champion was Amber Henter of St. Petersburg, FL. Henter rode Triumph to first on the flat and to two fourths over fences.
Caroline Spogli made her debut in the equitation weekend count when she won the 13/14 Year Old Equitation championship, sponsored by Erin Duffy, Laurie Derosa, Newmarket, and Tammy Provost. Spogli, who is from Rancho Santa Fe, CA, is 14 years old and trains with Ken and Emily Smith. She rode Superfly to two first places, one over fences and one under saddle.
     Spogli initially purchased Superfly as a junior jumper, but thanks to his smooth gait and hunter-like demeanor, he became a great equitation horse for her. “He goes perfect for the water jump too. I think he’s fabulous,” she said.
Spogli attends boarding school in Virginia, which limits her time in the saddle. She was very happy with her win today. “I’m just ecstatic,” she said. “I’ve never won in indoors or anything, so I’m just so happy.”
     Hasbrouck Donovan of Gainesville, FL, was the 13/14 Year Old Equitation reserve champion. She rode Almost Famous and placed second, third, and fifth.
      The final equitation championship of the day was in the 12 Year Old division, sponsored by BigEq.com. Sydney Callaway of San Diego, CA, captured the championship when she and her mount Cassius were first and second over fences. Callaway trains with Erin Duffy at Newmarket Stables.
Callaway and Cassius, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding, have been paired together for less than a year and have just started showing in the 3’6” classes a month ago. She described, “He’s really, really comfortable, and he jumps really good. My horse has shown back East in indoors before, but not for a couple years. He’s like an angel though, so he went right along and I just held on.”
      This is Callaway’s first time showing at Capital Challenge and her first time showing in an indoor arena. “It’s definitely fun,” she remarked. “I think it’s cool that I won on the first day.”
     The 12 Year Old Equitation reserve champion was Hannah von Heidegger of Chatsworth, CA, on Ambassador. They placed first, third, and fifth in the division.
     The Capital Challenge Equitation Weekend presented by BigEq.com continues tomorrow with more exciting classes, including the North American Junior Equitation Championship, the THIS National Children’s Medal Finals, and the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championships.