Harrisburg, Pa. – October 10, 2024 – The hunt for the 2024 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championship title kicked off on Thursday, October 10, and following the conclusion of day one at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA, Isabelle Ehman leads the way.
The 18-year-old from Milton, GA, opened the 78th-annual edition of the horse show with a victory aboard Magnolia in the $5,000 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championship Phase I. Finishing in second place were Olivia Sweetnam and HDB Quality.
Sweetnam entered the Harrisburg Coliseum in the middle of the 36-horse order of go, and she laid down a time to beat of 56.71 seconds. That lead was short lived lived however, as Ehman and Magnolia were the very next in the ring, and they tripped the timers in 56.67 seconds to narrowly edge out Sweetnam.
With Ehman and Sweetnam’s times holding up to the end for first and second place, third place went to Mia Bagnato and Florida N with a time of 57.52 seconds.
“I think I was tidy everywhere,” said Ehman of how she squeaked out the win across the Anderson Lima-designed course. “I don’t necessarily have to leave strides out with [Magnolia] in the lines just because her foot speed is so fast. I know she’s super careful, so if I take a risk, I know that she’ll be able to cover me and help me out. I was a little worried since I didn’t do the leave outs. I didn’t know if someone was going to do the leave outs and be tight around the turns. I knew the foot speed was fast, but since I was so close to Olivia’s time, I thought it was beatable. It turned out that [the foot speed] helped!”
Ehman has been partnered with Magnolia since the winter of 2024 and has been competing the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare in the High Junior Jumper division ever since.
“She’s very fast; it was just about building a relationship with her and making sure I gained her trust, and she absolutely has mine,” said Ehman. “She’s naturally fast, so we didn’t have to run her crazy tonight; we’re just letting her do what she does best.”
For the win, Ehman was presented with the Helvetia Stables Perpetual Trophy, donated by Nancy M. Harris and John Scott Norogren. With that first honor under her belt, Ehman will now set her sights on Friday’s $15,000 Turnham Green/USEF Prix des States Team Championship and Individual Championship Phase II.
The Friday class will kick off at 6:10 p.m. and will culminate in the naming of a new Prix des States winning team. From there, the top 60 percent of riders will advance to the Individual Championship Phase III on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. when a new junior jumper national champion will ultimately be crowned.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to go for two steady clears – just maintaining the goal for the team and staying clear for myself as well,” said Ehman, who rides for Zone 4. “Then we’ll finish strong for the last day!”
Ehman concluded, “I love the ring here. The atmosphere is amazing; the fact that it’s all indoors makes it really special.”
For full results of the $5,000 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championship Phase I, click here. To learn more about the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, visit PAnational.org.
