Washington Wrap-Up

Just came out from under the pile of homework, reports and packing for Syracuse and the Maclay, to give you a few of my impressions of the jumper phase and final work-off.

The jumper phase course included a skinny oxer, roll back to a vertical, and a liver pool oxer. The time allowed got adjusted and extended but some riders still had time faults. In the evening, the work-off course was the same as the jumper phase without the time allowed.

Whimsey was really good and we were 8th!

Just wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported my riding efforts; my parents, my high school and it's teacher's, my trainers, the EquiSearch.com contingent, the owners and trainers who have provided catch rides and, my friends. Without your help and support, I wouldn't be doing this! But most of all, I want to thank, Whimsey, because he has taught me soooo much and I love him with all my heart!

Talk to you soon!
Maria Schaub

Washington update 10/27

Hi everyone!

Today, the first part, the hunter phase, of the Washington International Equitation Final took place in the morning. The course was a classic hunter type which included a bending line to an in and out, a straight line and several single jumps.

Whimsey felt really good during the warm-up this morning and during the round as well. We are currently sitting in sixth place after the first phase. Tomorrow afternoon's class, the jumper phase, will be the last class duuring the day.

Saturday evening at 7:00pm, the final work-off for the Washington Equitation final will be held.

Talk to you later!
Maria Schaub

Washington International Thursday update

The junior jumper class was challenging today! Some people had a hard time navigating the course and/or had refusals. Marga was in really good form, jumping well and, seemed to be calmer and less strong than usual. Although we had the fastest time, the last rail came down and, we finished just out of the ribbons. A good start to three days of competition.

In the evening, Frank, Maggie, Sloane, Brianne, and myself, signed posters from the Animal Planet series HORSE POWER for anyone interested. The feedback from those who watched and enjoyed the series was quite positive.

At 11 p.m., the Beacon Hill junior riders flatted their equitation horses for about twenty five minutes.

At 4:15 a.m., we will flat our junior jumpers as well.

Tomorrow, I will give you a synopsis of the Hunter Phase of the Washington Equitation.

Talk to you then!
Maria Schaub

Washington International Horse Show arrival 10/25

Hi, everyone!

Today, after a 6:30 a.m. lesson, I traveled by train to Washington for the horse show.

The Junior Jumper classes are scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The Washington Equitation class which consists of a hunter phase, jumper phase and a top ten ride off, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Tomorrow, after the jumper class, I will be back to talk about the course and the rideability of its elements.

Talk to you then!
Maria Schaub

USEF HUNT SEAT MEDAL FINALS 10/15/2006

The course for round one of the medal final was difficult right from the start.
The first four jumps of phase one weeded out many of the competitors. The first line was a very forward and direct five, to a steady three. Many riders that tried to do five strides wound up chipping in a six while others chose to take the less difficult route by planning on six right from the start. Unfortunately, Whimsey tripped twice during the course and jumped one jump out of shape but all together it went well.
After phase one, I was called back in 25th place for round two. The course was quite difficult, a very long one stride, oxer, oxer in and out, caused difficulty for the majority of the riders. The course rode differently than it walked and going first made me unaware of the correct striding particularly to the skinny.
It was an honor to be called back in the top twenty five and great to be back at a final on Whimsey! I'm looking forward to competing at the next two finals, Washington and Maclay.

Talk to you again soon with another update from the finals!

Maria Schaub

USEF HUNT SEAT MEDAL WARM-UP 10/14/2006

The warm-up class today gave the riders an opportunity to get their horses in the ring and gear up for tomorrow. The class was a hunter-type course and many of the horses found the jumps to be spooky.
Tomorrow, I show 168th out of about 277. The course walk for the first 40 riders is at 6:15 and the remainder will walk at 6:30.
Whimsey felt great today in the warm up class and in the lesson.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Maria Schaub

USEF TALENT SEARCH EAST OCT 7&8 PART 2

Riding in the show jumping portion of the USEF TALENT SEARCH EAST on Sunday was an enjoyable learning experience for horse and rider alike. The course was difficult but attackable and included a water jump, two liver pools, and a standard-less gate. The water jump seemed to be the most problematic course element of the class.

The final four ride-off was exciting to watch. Unfortunately, Michael’s horse was unable to compete after the first round and the format changed as a result. Charlie’s horse proved to be the most challenging to ride during the afternoon competition. Congratulations to the final four riders for a job well done!

The Beacon Hill juniors also had a very good day with four riders in the top ten!

Teddy Bear was a good boy, again! He held his own despite his lack of experience in this kind of competition.

Talk to you again on Saturday after the warm-up class at Harrisburg.

Maria Schaub

USEF Talent Search East, Oct. 7-8 - Part 1

Photo at right: Maria Schaub over the water at the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East. © 2006 by Nancy Jaffer

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for all your comments and questions concerning this blog. Since we are in the midst of the big eq finals, I will not be answering questions right now. Instead, I will try to give you my perspectives and share some of my experiences about the finals.

The USEF TALENT SEARCH EAST was held over two days this past weekend. From my point of view, the gymnastics phase was the most challenging and difficult part of the competition. The first jump was a deep cross rail that you had to trot. The open faced Liverpool from a short turn out of the corner was another difficult aspect of the course. If the Liverpool was not ridden strong, many of the horses wouldn't jump it. I felt that the gymnastics phase was challenging for horse and rider alike.

The horse I rode, Teddy Bear, was such a good boy! He had not experienced a class like this one and he really tried his heart out!

Tomorrow, I will write about day two of the competition.

Talk to you later.
Maria Schaub

Editor's Note: Click here to read EquiSearch.com's coverage of the USEF Talent Search East.

HOW TO QUALIFY FOR THE MEDAL AND MACLAY FINALS - PART 2

The ASPCA MACLAY qualifying period begins September 1 and ends on August 31. Current membership in the USEF and ASPCA is required to enter a class. Six entries in a class are required for the points to be valid.

Like the USEF MEDAL, the ASPCA MACLAY point requirements are by the number of entries in a class and the placing of first through fourth positions, as well as, by the geographic points required by state (please refer to the part 1 blog for this information).

Unlike the USEF Medal, before a junior rider can compete at the ASPCA Maclay National Championships, they compete at one of the seven regional qualifiers held throughout the country in September. Once the regional qualifiers are complete, the final number of junior rider positions (2006 will be 150) is determined proportionally from the number of entries that actually show in each Regional Final.

Forty-eight hours after the last Regional competition occurs in late September, the National Horse Show Association, announces the names of the junior riders who qualified for the ASPCA Maclay National Championships. This year, for the second year in a row, the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, Syracuse, New York, hosts the ASPCA Maclay National Championships on November 4th and 5th .

For more information about the ASPCA Maclay, you can go to the USEF website, the National Horse Show website, and the Syracuse Invitational website.

Hope you find the information helpful!
Talk to you soon!

Maria Schaub