McAlary Captures R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship at Devon Horse Show…
Equestrian News Release
Jennifer Wood Reports from Devon, Pennsylvania
Julie Welles and Felix des Noues Win First $2,500 Junior Jumper Class
Devon, PA – May 26, 2006 – After a strong start yesterday, 16 year old Maggie McAlary of Amherst, NH, continued her equitation winning streak today in the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class at the Devon Horse Show. Three wins gave McAlary her first equitation championship at Devon against the best junior riders in the country.
McAlary rode Mid-Accord, who was originally bought to be her junior jumper. When McAlary sold her first equitation horse, Mid-Accord made the transition to equitation this winter. After this week’s performance, he has shown he is well-suited for the task.
“Being champion here shows that all of my hard work has paid off,” McAlary noted. “It took a lot to transition him from the jumpers to the equitation. He was really consistent in every class, and that’s all I could have asked for. Being champion was like a bonus.”
Julie Welles was the focus of two awards ceremonies in today’s competition. Welles was the winner of Section B of the ASPCA Maclay and also raced to the win in the $2,500 Junior Jumper class.
In the ASPCA Maclay, Welles rode a relatively new mount, Marcus, who is owned by her trainer Missy Clark. Welles rode Lando to the win in the WIHS Equitation Classic Finals last year, but Lando was sold to another rider this year. Welles decided to try Clark’s new horse and was very pleased with the results. “He’s been amazing,” Welles said. “Every time I get on him he tries his hardest and always wants to do well. He does whatever you ask him.”
“Last year I rode Lando, who’s been here many times before, and I felt really confident on him,” Welles said of her equitation championship mount of 2005. “This year, knowing I was on a horse who has never been here, I just went in with a positive attitude.”
Welles said that Marcus’ adjustment time was quite short. “He was a little nervous the first day, but after the first four jumps in the USEF Talent Search he relaxed and was back to his normal self. I went in with an open mind, and he was amazing.”
Welles conquered the first junior jumper class of the week on another of Clark’s horses, Felix des Noues. Welles was the second to last in an 11 horse jump-off and was chasing Addison Phillips’, who was seated in first and second on Flight and Trezebees. Flight was clear in a time of 30.644 seconds after leaving out a stride to an upright plank fence.
Felix and Welles zipped around a twisty shortened course and finished just 4/10ths of a second faster than Phillips in 30.275 seconds.
“It took me awhile to get used to him,” Welles admitted. “Once I figured out how to ride him, because he’s so much different from the other horse that I show, it just clicked.”
Felix des Noues was a speed horse in Europe before Clark brought him to the United States. It showed in today’s jump-off when Felix cut across the top of the jumps with the speed of a pro.
When asked where she made up time, McAlary told Welles, “You did eight strides to the last jump, and Addison did nine,” to which Welles said with a smile, “I did? I didn’t count!” She added, “I knew I had to be fast and tidy through my corners. Missy said that once I landed from the second to last jump, just to kick!” Welles followed her trainer’s orders and finished with the blue ribbon.
In tomorrow’s Devon Horse Show competition, the junior and pony hunters will go head to head for championship honors and the Best Child Riders will be announced.
For full results, please visit http://www.thedevonhorseshow.com.
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