Zone 9 Takes the Gold in the Zone 9 & 10 USHJA Children's and Adult Amateur Hunter Championships, Presented by SmartPak
Thermal, Calif.—November 10, 2019—The USHJA Zones 9 &10 Children’s and Adult Amateur Hunter Championships, presented by SmartPak, kicked off Saturday with team competition at the National Sunshine Series II at the Desert International Horse Park. All teams went head-to-head in an under saddle class and over two classic hunter courses designed by Thomas Hern. In the Children's division, the Pink Team with Karsen Kadien, Isabella Mullan, Emma Robins and Regan Szambelan claimed the gold medal with a final score of 1121.5. The silver medal went to the Light Blue Team on a score of 1028 and and the Green Team finished on a score of 1014.5 for bronze.
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The Children's podium was topped by the Pink Team from Zone 9. Photo by: Tori Bilas/USHJA |
None of the four gold medalists had participated in these Championships before, nor had they ever competed in a team setting at a horse show. Regan Szambelan said, "It was a really cool new experience, but it was also hard knowing that you have the pressure to do well. But I think that motivated me to try even harder to do better for these beautiful riders."
The group of riders was able to grow a strong friendship as a result of the Championships and they look forward to competing on teams again in the future.
Karsen Kadien remarked, "My horse used to be a big jumper and it’s cool that I now get to bring her over to the hunters. It’s our first time doing big things in the hunters so it was something new and fun."
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The Adult Amateurs turned Yellow into Gold, bringing a medal home to Zone 9. Photo by: Tori Bilas/USHJA |
The Adult Amateurs wrapped up with a win for the Yellow Team, who finished the first day of competition on a total score of 1170. The riders receiving gold medals were Amy Bean, Tressa Blankenship, Briteney Mercer and Hilary Zak. The group finished on a score of 1170, with the Navy team just behind them on 1138 to take silver, and the red team accumulating 1037 points and the bronze.
Gold medalist Amy Bean spent most of her year recovering from hip surgery, but has made a powerful return to the hunters with her new mount Tic Tac Toe. She expressed how she felt the pressure upon beginning the Team Competition. "I'm not going to lie - I was really worried about letting everyone else down," Bean said about her mindset preparing for team day. "But when I got out here I realized everybody has the opportunity to do well or not do well and we were going to support each other no matter what."
A close friend and teammate of Bean's, Briteney Mercer beamed with pride over her horse's performance in the competition so far. "[Testify] is 6 this year, so our goal was to just give him good experiences and let him have exposure to some bigger events and this was the culmination."
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.
For more information on the USHJA Children's and Adult Amateur Hunter Championships, presented by SmartPak, click here.
The USHJA extends special thanks to the entire Desert International Horse Park team for hosting the Championships, Chefs d’Equipe Wendy Krohn from Zone 9 and Rebecca Bruce from Zone 10 for leading the teams and Championship presenting sponsor, SmartPak.
Children's Hunter Team Results
GOLD: Pink Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Karsen Kadien / Carmelina / Medford, Ore. / Zone 9
Isabella Mullan / Code Red / Bend, Ore. / Zone 9
Emma Robins / Bambeco / Redmond, Wash. / Zone 9
Regan Szambelan / Decollage / West Linn, Ore. / Zone 9
SILVER: Light Blue Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Camille Cheng / Evermore / Goleta, Calif. / Zone 10
Caroline Gabus / Escapade / Laguna Beach, Calif. / Zone 10
Harliana Otto / Blanche GCF / Palm Springs, Calif. / Zone 10
BRONZE: Green Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Cassie Griffin / Moonstruck / Sammamish, Wash. / Zone 9
Zoe Macbeth / Andante / Redmond, Wash. / Zone 9
Peyten Seltzer / Que Creme / Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. / Zone 10
Adult Amateur Hunter Team Results
GOLD: Yellow Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Briteney Mercer / Testify / Seattle, Wash. / Zone 9
Amy Bean / Tic Tac Toe / Portland, Ore. / Zone 9
Tressa Blankenship / Capaccio / Portland, Ore. / Zone 9
Hilary Zak / Cascade / Seattle, Wash. / Zone 9
SILVER: Navy Blue Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Jennifer Boyce / Maximus Z / Eugene, Ore. / Zone 9
Nancy Butano / Triple Crown / Bend, Ore. / Zone 9
Adrienne Buttelmann / Swan Song / Redmond, Wash. / Zone 9
Allison Talbot / My Oh My / Bellevue, Wash. / Zone 9
BRONZE: Red Team
Rider / Horse / Hometown
Katie Cook / Doheny / Newport Beach, Calif. / Zone 10
Jolene Swann / Le Reve / Plymouth, Calif. / Zone 10
Carrie Kehring / Kings Cross / Woodside, Calif. / Zone 10
