Pieters Placed on Top in USHJA 3'3'' Hunter Seat Medal Final - East

West Springfield, Mass.—Oct. 25, 2022—Out of 95 riders vying for the 2022 USHJA 3'3'' Hunter Seat Medal Final - East title, Eleanor Pieters rose to the top aboard her equitation mount, Tibri's Rain King, owned by Tibri LLC. Held for the third year in a row during the New England Equitation Championships at Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, October 22, Pieters, of Chepachet, Rhode Island, took the lead after round two, taking the win ahead of Juliette Earley in second and Tara Govindarajan in third.  

The USHJA 3'3'' Hunter Seat Medal Final - East saw 95 entries compete over two rounds designed by Ken Krome, of Westminster, Maryland, and judged by Robin Rost Brown, of Ocala, Florida and Cynthia Hankins, of Wellington, Florida. At the conclusion of round one, Alyssa Bauer, of Califon, New Jersey, took an early lead with Pieters sitting in second with an 86, followed closely by Sophia Masnikoff, of Wellington, Florida, with an 85.5. 

The top 25 riders returned for round two, which shuffled the scoreboard, and the top four riders returned for a final work-off round. Heading into the final round, Govindarajan, of North Falmouth, Massachusetts, sat in fourth with Earley, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, in third. Bauer and Pieters swapped in the second round, moving Pieters into a strong first place. Ultimately, Pieters, trained by Annie Dotoli and Aster Pieters of Tibri Farm as well as Peter Wylde, wowed the judges and took home the tri-colored ribbon. 

"It is such a huge honor to win this event, it is definitely my biggest Equitation accomplishment so far," commented Pieters on her win. "It meant so much to me to have all of my barn mates, parents, grandparents and Peter Wylde all there to support me."

Well-versed in USHJA's opportunities and all three rings, Pieters was also a 2020 USHJA Gochman Grant for USEF Pony Finals recipient and earned the 1.20/1.25m Junior/Amateur Individual Gold at this year's Markel/USHJA Zones 1 and 2 Jumper Team Championships.

"I thought the first round was nice and inviting. My goal was to just be as smooth and consistent as possible. The second course was definitely more technical. I was coming back in second place, so I was going in trying to show off. Ken Chrome, the course designer, did an excellent job with the courses all week," Pieters continued. "I showed my Equitation horse, Tibri's Rain King, [also known as], King. He is a 10-year-old grey Belgian warmblood by Cumano. This is our second finals season together. He was really on his game throughout the week, especially Saturday. I made sure he got all of his favorite treats afterward!" 

The USHJA 3’3” Hunter Seat Medal serves as a stepping stone for equitation riders, providing an opportunity to qualify and compete in a national equitation final at fence heights of 3’3”. The Medal is open to Junior riders, who have not competed in any of the following National Equitation Finals with fences at 3’6” within the same competition year, including USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic, ASPCA Maclay Finals, USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals, USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals (East or West), WIHS Equitation Classic Finals, Jump Canada Medal Finals or the North American Equitation Championship.

"I enjoyed the qualifying classes over the summer because you get to practice testing. This final provides a nice stepping stone for riders to compete in a national final before moving up to the 3'6'' finals," said Pieters.

The USHJA extends special thanks to the entire New England Equitation Championships team for hosting the event as well as Official Sponsors CWD, Exhibitor's, Nutrena, Parlanti and Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and Pharmacy; and Awards Sponsors Charles Owen and Essex Classics.

To learn more about the USHJA 3'3" Hunter Seat Medal, visit ushja.org/HunterSeatMedal.

USHJA 3'3" Hunter Seat Medal Final - East Results

Rider | Horse | Trainer | Round 1 | Round 2 | Two-Round Score*
*The Final Round was not scored.

1. Eleanor Pieters | Tibri's Rain King | Ann Dotoli | 86 | 90 | 176*
2. Juliette Earley | Nils On | Armand Chenelle | 83.25 | 85 | 168.25*
3. Tara Govindarajan | Parc Monceau | Kathryn Fletcher | 84 | 81 | 165*
4. Alyssa J. Bauer | Cantucardi | Emil Spadone | 88 | 87 | 175*
5. Katie Nedder | SLS Qournet | Johanna Hyyppa | 85 | 79.75 | 165.75
6. Rylie True | Utrillo Du Soleil | Lainie Wimberly | 80.35 | 83 | 163.35
7. Sophia Masnikoff | Handsome DD | Valerie Renihan | 85.5 | 77.25 | 162.75
8. Marielle Walrath | Dallas | Pamela Polk | 80 | 82 | 162
9. Camilla Murray | Calvorno WP Z | Ann Dotoli | 82 | 79.5 | 161.5
10. Leah Munoz | Fanfare CBF | Gretchen Anderson | 81.5 | 79 | 160.5
11. Grace Taylor | Miracle Max | Ann Dotoli | 82.5 | 77.5 | 160
12. Cecilia Chatterjee | C-L'artiste Z | Lindsey Knight | 78.75 | 80 | 158.75

Photos: Anne Gittins Photography