Lauren Fisher for PhelpsSports.com
Reporting from Winter Equestrian Festival, PBIEC, Wellington, FL
Wellington, FL – February 14, 2010 – The 2010 Winter Equestrian Festival concluded its fifth week of competition this afternoon as the Large Junior Hunters 16-17 awarded championship honors in the Rost Arena and the Amateur-Owner Hunters 36 & Over completed the day in the E.R. Mische Hunter Arena. Following two days of challenging competition with many of the best horses and riders in the country, Paulena Johnson and Eastwood topped the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 division, while Jane Gaston took home both the championship and reserve honors in the Amateur-Owner Hunter 36 & Over with her horses Listen and Lumiere.
The chilly Florida temperatures continued this morning as the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 division got underway in the Rost Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Although cold, it was a beautiful, sunny morning and the 22 competitors each showed two rounds over fences and rode under saddle to complete their division. After winning both classes over fences yesterday and placing fifth over fences and second under saddle today, the classes concluded with the championship presentation for Paulena Johnson and Eastwood, owned by Paulexi LLC. Samantha Schaefer rode Fiyero, owned by Molly Gardner, to the reserve honors with third and fourth place ribbons in today’s classes over fences, and two second place ribbons yesterday. Another top competitor throughout the two days of competition was Kelsey Thatcher, who rode Gianni to the win in today’s first class over fences, and Early Applause to the win in the second class over fences.
Paulena Johnson explained that seven-year-old Eastwood is a young horse that her family has owned for two years. Johnson’s sister shows the gelding in the Children’s Hunters, and this is only his third or fourth show competing in the Juniors. “Eastwood is my sister’s Children’s Hunter, but he is really green, so we decided to move him up,” Johnson stated. “He has a really big jump, so he jumps better over 3’6”, and he is really brave.”
“He is really fun to ride; he has a great jump, great rhythm and for how young he is, he is doing so well and I am really happy with him,” Johnson continued. “He is easy; he has a really nice canter and he gives you the best feeling over the jumps.” Eastwood showed his greenness in the first course today, stopping at a vertical coming off the top end of the ring. Johnson explained that he did not see the jump coming off of the turn and got a little scared. “He went around perfectly in the main hunter ring yesterday and I think it was spookier in there, but he came around the short turn today and he wasn’t trying to be bad, he just didn’t really know the jump was there until he got there. The second round today he jumped around fine,” she stated.
Johnson trains with Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farms and also competes in the equitation and junior jumpers. This will be her last year competing in the junior divisions however, and she will move up to the amateurs next year when she ages out. Until then, Johnson will continue showing Eastwood in the Junior Hunters. She plans to show him next week for the World Champion Hunter Rider Spectacular and then he will get a few weeks off. Other goals for the year are to compete at Devon and Indoors. Johnson hopes to make it to the North American Junior/Young Rider Championship over the summer and would also like to ride on the Prix de States team in Harrisburg this fall.
“I just want say to thank you to my trainers and my mom for supporting me,” Johnson concluded. After graduating from high school early, Johnson will be attending FAU in the fall so that she can continue to ride and show in Florida as an amateur next winter.
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