Charlie Jayne Wins Victor Hugo-Vidal National Horse Show Equitation Championship At The 120th National Horse Show

WELLINGTON, FL – December 1, 2003 – Charlie Jayne, 17, of Elgin, Illinois, riding Ivy owned by Missy Clark, clinched the win in the Victor Hugo-Vidal Equitation Championship on Sunday, November 30, the final day of the 120th National Horse Show in Wellington, FL.

The three-phase championship was contested over three days and included testing on the flat, over a hunter course, and on a jumper course. Charlie bested the reigning champion, his sister Maggie Jayne, 19, who rode Cedar owned by Sarah Willeman, by two points, edging her out when the two were asked to work-off following the jumper phase. Riding off against his sister didn’t faze Charlie. “That was just fun,” he said. “If I won or she won, it was in the family, so I felt pretty good about that. It’s not as much pressure.”

Going into the Jumper Phase in the Internationale Arena, the Jayne siblings were tied for second place with 14 points each. Michael Morrissey riding Truffle owned by Missy Clark was in the lead with 17 points, having earned 87 in the Flat Phase on Thursday for third place and 7 points, and 88 in the Hunter Phase on Friday for first place and 10 points. Charlie scored 80 on the flat for fourth place and 6 points, and 84 in the hunters for second place and 8 points. Maggie earned 90 on the flat for second place and 8 points, and 87 on the hunter course for fourth place and 6 points. [The points were awarded for each phase according to the number of riders in the class, i.e., first place received one point more than the total number of riders in the class, which was nine in this year’s championship; second place received two points less than first place; third received three points less than first; and on down to the last place rider who received one point.] The total points earned from the three phases determined the Champion and Reserve.

In the Jumper Phase, Morrissey’s horse had an unsteady first line and a rail down, for a score of 65, which put him in eighth place for the class and 19 points total, which was still good enoug for third place overall. Maggie scored 89 while Charlie earned 87. The judges called the two Jaynes back for additional testing and they changed horses to jump the course again. Charlie cleared the 13-effort track aboard Cedar, but Maggie riding Ivy had a rail down. Charlie earned the Championship with a final tally of 24 points while Maggie took Reserve with 22 points.

Maggie explained the knockdown with Ivy in the final test, “I just didn’t know him real well and I kind of rushed him off the ground and he ticked it down.” But she didn’t mind being beaten by her brother. “Oh, it’s fine,” she said. “We switch off all the time.”

Charlie had ridden Cedar for two weeks earlier in the year at the Winter Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club show grounds, but said he didn’t feel it made a big difference in the outcome of the work-off, “But at least I knew the horse. She didn’t really know Ivy.” Cedar is leased to younger sister Haylae Jayne, who loaned him to Maggie for the championship.

Charlie said with a smile that he had slowly worked his way up to the win. “The flat phase was the first one and that’s not my strongest area,” he admitted about his fourth place finish. “Then after that was the hunter phase and he was good over there. I knew he would be best in the grass field and that’s where he was the best.”

Ivy is a nine-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding owned by Charlie’s trainer Missy Clark. Charlie assessed why Ivy did well in the championship, “The fact that he’s so smooth and that he can go from a 14-foot stride to an eight-foot stride really helps in the lines. And he’s easy, so easy.”

For complete results visit www.nhs.org or www.stadiumjumping.com

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