Wilmington, Ohio – Midwest Indoors II showcased the highly anticipated WEC – Wilmington Medal Final on Friday evening at the R+L Annex Arena. A total of 27 athletes put their best forward over a jumping phase with tracks built by Joe Carnicom (USA) and a flat phase. Riders were asked to showcase their rideability and technique in both the WEC Medal Final 2’-2’6” and the WEC Medal Final 3’-3’6″.
In the 3’-3’6 section, it was Elizabeth Rinehart that finessed each phase to impress the judges for the win. The junior rider of Rinehart Farms in Westfield, Indiana, is coming off a successful indoor season, and spoke on how the WEC Medal aided in her successes, “This class has been really helpful throughout the year. It is really nice to have an extra equitation class for practice at the shows. Coming here and showing in the indoor really helped when we went to Medal Finals and Maclay Finals!”
Rinehart commented on her new mount, “His name is Lincoln. This is my second time showing, the last time was little over a year ago. My horse has been out with an injury, and he needs a couple of months off. We needed a horse to do this, so they let me ride Lincoln and he was perfect.”
Though the ride was new for Rinehart, she wanted to take all of the risks. “One of his strong suits is turning, so my plan was to stay as tidy as I could everywhere and make the jumps all look smooth,” she noted.
In the 2’-2’6” section, 12-year-old rider Corrigan Janiak perfected the track, and maintained her leading position with a strong flat test to take the top spot.
“Sparty [Sugar Rush] is such a good boy in the ring. He has a little bit of attitude the ground, but he always makes up for it in the ring! He always takes care of me,” Janiak spoke about her pony’s unique personality.
The young rider of Oxford Farm in Toledo, Ohio, was pleased with the opportunity to get more equitation classes under her belt and looks forward to 2024.
“I do the Pony Medal on Sparty. I think the WEC Medal was definitely helpful because I was able to get more experience throughout the year. It’s an extra chance to get in the ring with Sparty, so it’s good for both of us. I am going to try and qualify for this class again next year and hopefully qualify for Pony Finals in 2024!”
Janiak was enthusiastic about the medal track, “The course was so fun today! I loved all of the lines and the rollbacks. The two end jumps were my favorite part of the course.”
WEC Medal Final 3-3’6” Results:
1 Lincoln, Elizabeth Rinehart, Andrea Stout
2 Lucky-One, Ellie Welte, Madison Hills Farm
3 Castlebridge Cassius, Lily Kosal, Lily Kosal
4 Flynnigan, Emily Kowalchik, Emily Kowalchik
5 Diatano Ps, Carolyn Meng, ThinksLikeAHorse
6 TBF Independence, Kasey Wares, Kasey Wares
7 Guest List, Ava Roof, Ava Roof
8 No Worries, Elaina Davis, Sarah Oelerich
WEC Medal Final 2’-2’6” Results:
1 Sugar Rush, Corrigan Janiak, Leslie Janiak
2 Surf’s Up, Brooke Barket, Brooke Barket
3 Czech Mate, Marcella Dhority, Marcella Dhority
4 Cinda, Vivien Kosal, Vivien Kosal
5 Just My Style, Maxwell Brown, Jordan Ayres
6 Princess Fancy Feet, Ava Heath, Chloe Bender
7 Cabernet, Briana Ancalmo, Sarah Oelerich
8 Taylored To Fit, April Whitlock, April Whitlock