Zone 4 Riders Earn Team Medals at USHJA Children's and Adult Amateur Hunter Championships, Presented by SmartPak
Aiken, S.C.—September 14, 2019—The USHJA Zone 4 Children’s and Adult Amateur Hunter Championships, presented by SmartPak, kicked off today with team competition at the Aiken Fall Festival II in Aiken, South Carolina. Five teams went head-to-head in an under saddle class and over two Dean Rheinheimer-designed classic hunter courses. Ultimately, the Orange Team made up of Children's riders Mary Caroline Nolan, Saylors Pursell, Stuart Rumsey and Lucile Milliken Sammataro claimed the gold medal with a final score of 1086. The Pink Team took silver with a 1074 and the Lime Team finished on a score of 1055.5 for bronze.
Children's and Adult Amateur Hunter Team Results
GOLD: Orange Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Stuart Rumsey / Urian / Mount Pleasant, S.C. (Child)
Lucile Milliken Sammataro / Pisani / Columbia, S.C. (Child)
Saylors Pursell / Chanel / Mountain Brook, Ala. (Child)
Mary Caroline Nolan / Timoteo / Marietta, Ga. (Child)
SILVER: Pink Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Theresa Sanders / Banderas / Charleston, S.C. (Adult)
Chrissie Catto / Intuition / St. Augustine, Fla. (Adult)
Wyette Felton / Empress / Milton, Ga. (Child)
BRONZE: Lime Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Sarah Clay / Camelot / Jackson, Miss. (Child)
Susan Davidson / Calliope / Mount Pleasant, S.C. (Adult)
Brittany Wyatt / Just a Dream / Fayetteville, Ga. (Adult)
Emily Giovino / Good Egg / Lake Wales, Fla. (Child)
All four gold medal winners were competing in the Children's and Adult Amateur Hunter Championships for the first time and had never met one another prior to being on a team together. They enjoyed meeting and encouraging one another through the team day with team-colored braids, bedazzled boots and helmets, and supportive high-fives.
Rumsey discussed her plan going into Sunday's Individual Final: "I'm going to keep a good pace and try to have fun too!"
All four riders agreed the team environment was exciting, though was stressful at times. Sammataro remarked on being on a team: "Being part of a team was really fun but also stressful...I'll definitely be a lot less stressed tomorrow because if I mess up the Individual Round [on Sunday] I'm not letting other people down."
Nolan on her mount Timoteo: "He always knows where he is, even when I forget to count. We say he has an Amazon Alexa in his stall and he does research and keeps up with the news because he's too smart for his own good."
All riders received polo shirts and tote bags from the Championships' presenting sponsor, SmartPak. Medals and ribbons were awarded to the top three teams with the gold medal team receiving embroidered coolers.
The horse-and-rider combinations will go on to compete in the Individual Championship on Sunday, which also consists of three phases: an under saddle, a classic hunter derby-style course and a handy hunter course. Each phase will be placed and awarded individually, and the horse-and-rider combination with the highest overall score from all three phases will be crowned Individual Champion.
The USHJA extends special thanks to J.P. and Megan Godard and the entire Equus Events team for hosting the Championships, Chef d’Equipe Kat DeMas Mulkey for leading the teams, and presenting sponsor SmartPak for their generosity and support of the sport.
Photos by Tori Bilas/USHJA
About SmartPak
Presenting sponsor of the Championships SmartPak Equine was founded by riders and horse owners for riders and horse owners in 1999 with the purpose of simplifying the administration of nutritional supplements to horses. Their patented SmartPak™ supplement feeding system has been adopted by thousands of barns and horse owners across the country, who value knowing that their supplements will be fed correctly. In addition to the SmartPak supplement system, they offer a broad line of horse health, show apparel, tack, and canine supplies sold online and through their catalogs. More information is available at www.smartpakequine.com.
About the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association
The United States Hunter Jumper Association, as the official hunter/jumper affiliate of the United States Equestrian Federation, is a competition-based sport organization that serves our members through educational programs, awards and recognition, communication and rules. We provide a wide array of programs for all hunter/jumper levels, and we are mindful of the well-being of our equine partners. Additionally, we are committed to preserving the history of our sport and through our Foundation we support charitable and benevolent services. Learn more at ushja.org.
