San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – September 26, 2024 – The Youth Show Jumping Foundation U25 Challenge, presented by the Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association, made an exciting debut at Blenheim EquiSports on September 20-21, 2024, with Taryn McEntire adding her name to the history books as the inaugural winner.
The all-new American Jumping Style of Riding class gave riders the opportunity to compete at either 1.10m or 1.20m through three phases: the de Némethy Prep Phase, which incorporated dressage and gymnastics elements designed to show an athlete’s skills in preparing for a jumping competition; the Show Jumping Phase and the Ride Off Challenge.
At the conclusion of the de Némethy Prep Phase, Lillian Muzzy and Castelino 5 led the way in the 1.10m section, while McEntire and Crunch K topped the 1.20m section. The following day, riders moved on to the Phase II jumping track, designed by Karen Healey, with renowned equestrians and judges Anne Kursinski and Ronnie Beard presiding over the class.
With riders’ Phase II scores added to their Phase I scores, the standings remained the same, with Muzzy and McEntire each continuing to lead their respective sections. From there, it came down to the unique Ride-Off of the top three riders, including McEntire, Muzzy and Devi Ferreira.
The three riders first competed on their own horses, before drawing a horse for a second round over the same course. Challenge horses were graciously donated for the class by Shayne Wireman, Marnye Langer and David Bustillos.
With seamless rounds on both Crunch K and her drawn mount, Change Up PS, McEntire clinched the win with an overall, cumulative score of 478.75. Second place with a score of 465.25 went to Ferreira on Dancer Z, and Muzzy rounded out the top three with a score of 462.50.
“The class format was different than anything else I’ve ever done,” said McEntire, who trains with Shayne and Skylar Wireman. “[The gymnastics day] was a great way to set the horse up. There were a bunch of intricate tests that we had to build in ourselves, which I thought was really interesting. I’ve never done anything like that. It was great to get us as riders thinking instead of just hearing what our trainers want us to do – having us put ourselves in the trainers’ shoes. I thought that was really awesome and such a great experience.”
For the victory, McEntire was awarded a $3,500 training grant to be used for future educational opportunities, as well as a Topline Design Ribbon Wreaths picture frame and a custom ALON riding coat from Pacific Saddlery. As the winning trainers, the Wiremans also received a $3,000 bonus.
“I just want to thank the Youth Showjumping Foundation for setting up such a fun class and such an awesome stepping stone for the younger generation hoping to get to the top,” said McEntire. “I also want to say a huge thank you to Shayne and Skylar Wireman for being the best trainers I could ever ask for and giving me opportunities that I would have never gotten without them.”
Kursinski added, “This was really a riding test. It was not a beauty contest by any means. Seeing the riders being effective and having an effective position along with the right mindset and fighting for it, trying to win, were all things we were looking for. [Taryn McEntire] went all in to win it; she didn’t play it safe. It’s just a wonderful competition with really great questions. It’s a jumper format. They need to be thinking like a jumper rider.”
For full results of the YSJF U25 Rider Challenge, presented by PCHA, click here, and to learn more about the YSJF, visit www.youthshowjumpingfoundation.org.
