Around the Horn: EP Riders Send Reports from Three States!

As the winter riding circuits down south start coming to an end and our far-flung Exceptional Proficiency program riders prepare to return to campus after Spring Break, we have gathered some highlights and photos of our girls’ accomplishments. This week we hear from Olivia D. ’20, Riley K. ’20, and Emma P. ’21. Look for updates from other EP riders, including the seven girls who trained with Foxcroft Director of Riding Kate Worsham at the Winter Equestrian Frestival, in the coming weeks. (Kate's Twitter feed has some highlights of the season if you don't want to wait.)
As an eventer, Olivia has to excel at three different disciplines — dressage, cross-country, and stadium jumping. That's a lot to work on. She has a great instructor: her father Phillip Dutton has won three Olympic medals and has been a leading rider in the U.S. 13 times. Olivia reports on her winter:

Over the past couple of months, I have been training in Aiken, SC, with my dad Phillip Dutton. I have been competing two horses, and they both have been going very well. During the first weekend in March, I came in first on Icabad Crane in the Junior Prelim Division at Junior Young Riders Open Preliminary (Sporting Days Farm) with a dressage score of 32.8. The week before, at the Pine Top Horse Trials, Icabad Crane and I came in second in the Junior Training, and another horse, Mr. Medicott, and I were eighth in the Junior Prelim.
 
My dad and I also spent two weeks working on our dressage and show jumping in Wellington, FL, which was great. I am hoping to go to the Young Rider championships this summer, so training this winter has been very helpful. 
 
Unlike Olivia, Riley stays in the show ring but she competes in three varieties of competitions, too: hunters, jumpers, and equitation. Here is her report: 

I have been riding in Gulfport, MS, in the Gulfport Winter Classic Horse Show with my trainers, Tracy Brennan and Tom Brennan. I have been competing in the Junior Hunters with my horse Russell; competing in Equitation with my horse Max, and doing the Jumpers with my horse Fufu — and I have had a blast so far! The first week of showing I was reserve champion in the 3'3" Junior Hunters. I won two of my Equitation classes and was also reserve champion in the Low Children’s Jumpers. 
 
Emma also competes in hunters, jumpers, and equitation but did her showing at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Her mother, Kristi, reports:

Emma has had a very busy winter traveling back and forth to WEF for five of its first six weekends to compete on two of her mounts, Cedilo (a medium green pony) and F15 (a new horse she is showing in the big equitation classes), as well as Twizzler, a fancy small green pony owned by Judy Hahn, and Rebel Yell, a talented medium pony, owned by Thora Pollak.

Emma also spent Wintermission at WEF and exbraced the opportunity by taking on extra duties at the barn. She acted as a personal assistant for her trainer, Denice DeRisio Perry, and learned things from a different perspective. She went to the barn on her day off to help the grooms and care for the horses. She met with the vet, helped with the daily schedule, and even acted as a groom/assistant trainer when her barnmate competed. She loved every moment.

Emma also had a very successful show circuit, earning lots of great ribbons and multiple wins on a string of green ponies, along with getting excellent experience with her new horse, F15. She rode Twizzler to the Small Green Pony Hunter championship one week, and rode Cedilo to the Medium Green Pony Hunter title another week, qualifying both mounts for this summer’s U.S. Pony Finals. You can find more results at https://skylandfarmva.com/news/.
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.