San Juan Capistrano, CA – September 17, 2023 – Rebecca Beall bested a field of 29 entries to win the Foxfield 3’3” Medal Final, held on Saturday, September 16, during the Blenheim Fall Tournament in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
Finishing in second place was Jessica Smith on Black Emerald, while Kelsey King and Closing Time rounded out the top three.
After leading the first two rounds of competition at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park, Beall and her own Calino G earned a final round test score of 86 to cement their win.
“It’s always been a dream to win a final, so this is really exciting!” said Beall. “In the first round, I was going into it trying to have the best round that I could possibly have, while also trying to have fun. I put a lot of pressure on myself sometimes, so I tried to keep the pressure off and just go and ride my best.”
Beall – who hails from Honolulu, HI, and trains with Alicia Saxton and the team at Oceancrest Farms – had a moment of panic after the first fence in round one but still managed to recover and secure the lead.
“My curb rein actually broke, but I honestly think it took a lot of the pressure off, because I was like, ‘You know what, it’s going to be what it’s going to be now!” said Beall, who ultimately earned a score of 85 to top the leaderboard in the first round.
Beall then returned to nearly replicate her score in the second round, with judges Sissy Wickes and Heidi D’Angelo awarding her an 84.25 over the course designed by Marina Azevedo.
From there, the top six were called back for additional testing as the margin between them remained close.
Sitting in the lead meant Beall was the final rider to take on the test – and her nerves had extra time to increase.
“I normally get nervous but not super nervous, and this time I was so nervous!” said Beall. “I feel like I picked up the canter, and I kind of rode off my rhythm and blacked out a little bit! I’m glad that it went the way that it did. My trainer’s very good at telling me all the right things before I go in, so that helped. I knew I could do it, I just had to believe in myself a little bit.”
Developed by National Show Hunter Hall of Fame inductees JoAnn Postel and Nancy Turrill, the Foxfield Medal Final provides amateur riders like Beall the opportunity to compete in the equitation beyond their junior years. The innovative class helped pave the way for many of the amateur medals in existence today.
As the 2023 winner of the prestigious class, Beall’s name will now be added to the Foxfield Medal Finals Perpetual Trophy. She also received a Topline Design Ribbon Wreaths custom frame and gift certificate, courtesy of Blenheim EquiSports.
Those accolades are particularly meaningful for Beall, as she earned them with her longtime mount, Calino G, her partner of more than seven years who will retire at the completion of this year.
“I bought him from California and moved him to Hawaii for three years, and we did the local Hawaii circuit there,” said Beall of the 18-year-old Oldenburg gelding. “My senior year of high school, I decided to move him here [to California] to finish out my last junior year. It was so much fun, so I decided to continue doing it as an amateur.”
Beall continued, “I always said I wanted to retire him when he was still at the top of his game. He loves to perform, and I never wanted to have to step him down just because I know he wouldn’t be happy doing that. So, I feel really good about being able to retire him after this year, but it’s definitely been very emotional.”
Now, Beall is looking ahead to next week when she and Calino G will contest the USHJA 3’3” Jumping Seat Amateur Medal Finals – West, held during Blenheim EquiSport’s International Jumping Festival.
“It’s been a really cool season, and I feel good being able to end it on a high note,” concluded Beall. “We still have two more finals, but however it goes, I’m happy!”
For full results of the Foxfield 3’3” Medal Final, click here, and to learn more about competition at Blenheim EquiSports, visit ThePlaceToJump.com.
