“My trainers said I could have done less…”
2 Likes
Another fun finals in the book!
1 Like
Glad to see Syd up there. Not a pro’'s kid, has a great connection with her horse.
6 Likes
I had her on top of my first standby. Lovely rider and you’re right, she and her horse look to have a good relationship. She did a great job today!
Imagine being 13 years old and your parents and farm are coaching you before the class for how to represent yourself well in a post-ride interview in case you win the freaking Medal Finals- on horses, not ponies. Well done, JJ!
3 Likes
Well, I don’t know what to do with myself for the rest of the day.
Good watching with you all as always!
2 Likes
Yes, he is! From the COTH recap article:
“When Marnell faltered in the counter-canter, 14-year-old Torano rose to the top, becoming the youngest rider to win the final. (George Morris won in 1952 when he was 14, but Torano is a few months younger than he was when he won.)”
7 Likes
I don’t mean to rub it in, but I went and rode my horse and then my husband made ghost pepper margaritas that we enjoyed while watching the sun set. Definitely an atypical finals afternoon, but I like it!
[And if it could be 72 degrees with low humidity for the rest of October in Maryland, I’d really appreciate it.]
7 Likes
I am catching up with the thread after avoiding it all day to steer clear of spoilers until I could watch the replay of the whole class.
The rail is supposed to count for four points off in the equitation regardless of whether it’s a hunter seat or a jumping seat class. There is also a point deduction for going over the time allowed in a jumping seat equitation class.
So the judges are supposed to come up with the base score they would have given the person for the round and then knock four points off of it for each rail, which would make a huge difference in a big class with a lot of close scores.
Before the four fault deduction was formalized some years back, there were people who would end up winning the finals even if they had a couple of rails throughout the day if the judges decided not to hold it against the rider. So now it’s much more uniform.
Screenshot of the current USEF rule:
I’ll try to remember to bring my black magic marker next week. Lol.
I had the same thought. If you can’t school over it, you shouldn’t have to see it in the ring.
2 Likes
Again, just catching up on the thread, so maybe this is already been answered. A test of at least the top tour is a requirement for this class.
The Medal final requires a test of at least the top four.
The Maclay final does not.
I don’t know off the top of my head if they did the show ages the same way that far back. But JJ’s show age is 13. He just turned 14 last week, according to the commentary.
Were they posting the scores at some point today?
It looked like there was a tile for that earlier this morning on the dashboard on that stall info website, but I did not look at it again until the whole thing was over. I don’t see any scores there now.
The article actually says he is! George Morris was also 14, but JJ’s birthday is later in the year than GM’s so they say JJ is the youngest.
1 Like
There were no scores posted.
This press release from the horse show includes a few more comments, plus an interview with JJ after he won the class, as well as his second round.
1 Like
I went back and re-watched the test. I have to say I didn’t love the use of the hand gallop to 1. Hand galloping an upright delicate vertical, which most did off of a rollback, going towards home, just doesn’t seem like a great test. Much less when you throw in the counter canter on the backside. I think it’s much better used to a long run oxer or triple bar with some fill that you can ride up to. A la Jessica Springsteen 
2 Likes
