Smith Sweeps Marshall+Sterling/USHJA 3'3" Jumping Seat Medal Finals - East
Upper Marlboro, Md.—Sept. 29, 2025—A field of 200 horse-and-rider combinations contested the Marshall+Sterling/USHJA 3'3" Jumping Seat Medal Final - East, but it was Avery Faye Smith who emerged triumphant after three rounds of competition. Held on September 24-26 during the Capital Challenge Horse Show's Equitation Showcase, Smith delivered strong performances aboard Keep Calm, taking the win on a total score of 399.3.
After the jog, competition commenced with the Flat Phase, split into 17 sections, where judges Virginia Edwards and Mark Jungherr put the riders through their paces. Among the tenth group to take to the ring and one of only seven riders to score in the 90s, Smith, of Wilsonville, Oregon, rose to the top with Terrapin Hill Farm, LLC's Keep Calm to take a half-point lead of 91.5.
Course designers Meghan Rawlins and Ken Krome presented riders with a technical, 15-effort track for the Gymnastics Phase, including a bounce and a trot fence. Smith's masterful navigation added an 89 to her total, topping the round and holding on to the lead with a 225 after multipliers.
A shuffling of the rest of the leaderboard eased the pressure in the Jumping Phase as Smith entered the ring last to go. Posting a score of 87.15, her three-round score of 399.3 secured the victory with a commanding eight-point margin.
“I was super, super nervous. I really, really wanted to win, especially with it being my third time competing in this class, and especially because I won the first two phases. All day I was pacing around the barn and just trying to find things to do. I was really nervous, but I performed well under pressure tonight, so it worked out,” said Smith.
"I was probably a little bit conservative, especially because I was going in on top," Smith continued of her strategy in the final round. "I wish I had gone maybe a little bit faster, but it was enough so I was happy with it in the end."
Behind Smith was Ella Tarumianz, of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the irons of Maddie Tosh's 2022 winning mount Daktari, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker. The pair rose thirty places to sit sixth after the Gymnastics Round before finishing in second on a 391.685.
Rosemary Bilson, of Pacific Palisades, California, took third board Cherokee Show Horses' Que Color. With three scores in the 85s, the duo rose an impressive 58 spots, ending on an overall score of 385.495.
The Marshall+Sterling/USHJA 3'3" Jumping Seat Medal provides Junior exhibitors with the opportunity to develop their equitation skills over a jumper-style course, aiming to help riders gain experience in a format similar to that of the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search. The Medal is open to Junior riders who have not reached their 18th birthday as of December 1 of the current competition year and qualify for the Finals by earning points in Jumping Seat Medal classes during the qualifying period.
The USHJA extends special thanks to the Capital Challenge Horse Show team for hosting the Final; Title Sponsor Marshall+Sterling; Official Sponsors Herm Sprenger, Nutrena, and Parlanti; and Supporting Sponsor Essex Classics.
For more information about the EMO Insurance/USHJA 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal, visit ushja.com/jumpingseatmedal.
USHJA 3'3'' Jumping Seat Medal Final - East Results
Rider | Horse | Trainer | Owner
Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Overall
1. Avery Faye Smith | Keep Calm | Caroline Mcleese | Terrapin Hill Farm, LLC
91.5 | 89 | 87.15 | 399.3
2. Ella Tarumianz | Daktari | Hunt Tosh | Dr. Betsee Parker
87.06 | 86.75 | 87.25 | 391.685
3. Rosemary Bilson | Que Color | James Hagman | Cherokee Show Horses
85.37 | 85.75 | 85.75 | 385.495
4. Liliya Obaid | Diament | Andre Dignelli | Heritage Farm, Inc.
87.39 | 81.75 | 87 | 384.015
5. Audrey Geren | Levanto | Emmy Tromp | Wolfstone Stables & Sales Inc.
84.25 | 83.4 | 86.5 | 382.35
6. Mimi Maddock | Carcoon | Frank Madden | Maddock Horses LLC
82.66 | 86.5 | 84.6 | 381.61
7. Campbell Cauthen | Chris Craft | Emily Smith | DCTM, LLC
88.6 | 81.8 | 84.75 | 380.8
8. Payton Flanders | Brio | Rachel Agee | PEC LLC
87.85 | 84.3 | 82.9 | 380.1
9. Eliana Klane | Calina M | Valerie Renihan | Missy Clark
88.13 | 86.9 | 80.4 | 379.28
10. Lilly Herzog | CS Bethel Madison | Emily Smith | Cavalia Show Stables
90.32 | 71.6 | 90 | 377.72
11. Reilly Robertson | Lorenzo 354 | Abbi Seley-Ferrigno | Robertson Family LLC
84.2 | 82.5 | 84.8 | 377.55
12. Pavlina Escobedo | Quiwi | Maggie Gould | Pavlina Escobedo
88.65 | 86.15 | 79.6 | 377.075
Photos: Shawn McMillen Photography and Tricia Booker/USHJA
