This past weekend, Karen Healey Stables came out in force for the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA. In the USEF/Pessoa Medal Finals, one of the oldest and most competitive equitation finals in the country, Karen Healey students Hannah Selleck, Tina DiLandri, and Shelby Wakeman finished second, third, and fourth, respectively. In addition to equitation success, Tina DiLandri was on the Zone 10 gold-medal winning team in the Prix de States junior jumper competition.
Hannah Selleck of Thousand Oaks, CA, jumped up to finish as the reserve champion in the USEF/Pessoa Medal Finals. DiLandri, who lives in La Jolla, CA, finished third. Westlake Village, CA, resident Shelby Wakeman placed fourth. The riders were some of the best in a field of 295 competitors.
“They were absolutely fabulous,” Healey said. “They rose to the occasion and never gave up. They’re good riders, and they handled themselves beautifully.”
In the warm-up class the day before the finals, five Karen Healey students received ribbons. Michelle Morris of La Canada, CA, rode Eventual to second place in the ‘A’ section. Selleck and Apartico won the ‘C’ section, while DiLandri and RSVP were fourth. Wakeman and San Francisco were fourth in the ‘D’ section, and Navona Gallegos of Santa Fe, NM, rode Kendjira to eighth place.
In the finals, the top 29 riders from the first round were called back to compete in a second round. After the first round, DiLandri was in third place, Selleck was in eighth, and Wakeman was in ninth. All three had stellar second round performances, and they were called back in the top six riders for a test. “Their second rounds were amazing,” Healey said. “They scored in the 90s and put in beautiful trips.”
The riders tested with Wakeman in fourth place, Selleck in third, and DiLandri in second. They all rode their own horses and were able to execute the test very well. Selleck and DiLandri switched places for the final results, and all three riders were very pleased with their performances.
“I was shocked,” Selleck said. “I was nervous with my horse (because) he’s just started doing equitation this year. He was straightforward and scopey.” DiLandri noted, “It’s been a good indoors for me. My horse is only seven years old and is still learning tremendously, but he has been amazing.”
Wakeman rode San Francisco, a horse that won the USEF West Coast Talent Search with Kasey Ament. However, San Francisco had never shown indoors, and this was his first time at Harrisburg. RSVP is only seven, and Apartico just started in the equitation division this year. All three riders showed their expertise on horses that had little experience in the USEF Medal Finals. “The horses were prepared; they have lots of experience with the many different courses that I put in front of them,” Healey explained. “The girls just rode well.”
DiLandri added to her indoors success with a team gold medal in the junior jumper Prix de States competition. DiLandri and Chanel 292 only had one rail in each round of the team competition to help them win over nine other teams. The Zone 10 team had only four total faults, which blew away the competition. Their nearest competitor had 16 total faults.
Wakeman also participated in the hunter classes on My Cap, owned by Archie Cox. The top 30 horses in the nation are invited to show in this prestigious horse show. Wakeman and My Cap placed fifth and sixth in the Small Junior 16-17 Hunter division.
Reprinted with permission from Phelps Media Group.
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