San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – September 20, 2024 – Caroline Ingalls and Big Country won big during the Blenheim Fall Tournament, with Ingalls riding to victory in the Foxfield Medal Finals, held on Sunday, September 15.
The Foxfield Medal Finals is one of the Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association’s annual featured events, and this year, 22 adult amateur competitors contested the two-round class held on the Oaks International Grand Prix Field at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
At the conclusion of the first round, Ingalls sat in fifth place with a score of 82, but a second-round average score of 88.5 and a well-executed work-off ride shot her to the top of the leaderboard for the win.
“I feel like I was a little bit rusty in the first round, but we just came back in the second round, and I loved that they had some really fun turns,” said Ingalls, who trains with Hap Hansen. “It was actually a little bit stressful to kind of figure out what distances I was going to take, what numbers, but [Big Country] just got in there and followed my hand and was so comfortable. It was just like a dream, and getting that 88.5 average score for the second round was really exciting.”
Finishing in second place behind Ingalls were Kelsey King and Closing Time, and Margrethe Munkdale and Look at Me took home third.
“When we were standing in the line [waiting for the results], I was still really nervous,” continued Ingalls. “All the other riders were beautiful as well, so it was a nail-biter until the end, but I was just in that work off thinking how grateful I am to be here with some of the best amateurs. Everybody fought really hard to the end, and it was really fun riding. I’m just so excited that it worked out for us today.”
This year marks Ingall’s third year competing her 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding Big Country in the equitation, but it’s only this medal finals season that she has felt that it is all really coming together.
“He’s just kind of getting the ropes of the equitation; he’s just gotten better and better, and I was so pleased with how he handled today. He just really rose to the challenge,” concluded Ingalls.
In addition to the Foxfield Medal Finals, the Blenheim Fall Tournament also hosted the PCHA’s 2’9” Junior/Amateur Horsemanship Medal Finals – South. The popular class attracted 35 young riders, who also competed over two rounds before India Kulkin was crowned the winner.
Not unlike Ingalls, Kulkin and her winning mount, Milan, climbed from fourth in the first round to first place by the conclusion of the competition. Taking home second and third place were Elizabeth Bohlin on Idea-K and Joslyn Calandra on On Point, respectively.
For full results of the Foxfield Medal Finals, click here, and for full results of the PCHA 2’9” Junior/Amateur Horsemanship Medal Finals – South, click here. To learn more about all PCHA programs, visit pchashows.com.
For more information on competition at Blenheim EquiSports, head to ThePlaceToJump.com.
