The medal final for the older age group was 16 riders strong at this year’s FOC, and all performed beautifully in the two-part class which consists of group railwork and an individual equitation pattern.

Autumn Vavrick (Oxford, Mich.) emerged as the gold medalist in her first year in the 14-18 age group. Autumn rode her own Dante, a 2007 Hanoverian gelding who she also rides in the FEI Junior division, and scored 85.000% from the judges.

Photo – Autumn Vavrick and Dante. (©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian)

“My horse definitely gets in his head a lot, but I think that’s what’s great about this class,” said Vavrick. “It’s not about your horse, it’s about the rider, and that’s really encouraging. It’s very different from all the other classes. We’re such individual athletes, mostly competing against each other, and [in the medal final] we’re all together in the ring, it’s all young riders. It’s really exciting to see the future of the sport and be with all our friends.”

Challenging Experience

The medal final can be a challenging experience for some dressage horses, who aren’t always accustomed to being in a show ring with other horses, and this year’s 14-18 final was a big class with a wide variety of horses. But Vavrick said her horse—and all the riders in the class—handled it well.

“Dante was really good. I was a little bit intimidated going in, but he handled it really well,” said Vavrick. “And the other riders were great with spacing each other out, so it was good.”

Darian Kauk (Lincoln, Neb.) clinched the silver medal with a score of 83.000%. Kauk rode her own Celoso Ta, a 2016 Andalusian gelding. Their partnership is relatively new, having just started in January.

“My ride went pretty well. He is a nervous horse for a new combination, so it was a lot of getting him working through his body and getting his mind where it needs to be, and trying to focus on myself through all of that,” said Kauk. “I think it went quite well. It’s the most focused he’s been all week. I was kind of worried at the beginning of the week that I think he really went for it in this class, and he really was focused on me, and that was the most important part.”

Catch Ride

Veronica Sambor won the bronze medal catch riding Lauren Chumley’s Leeloo Dallas, the 2016 Dutch Warmblood mare who had finished in third place earlier in the week in the Intermediaire I division.

“My ride went very well,” said Sambor. “Lauren Chumley very graciously offered me her horse Leeloo Dallas. I wanted to go out there and just really have a good time. And it was such a cool experience. I rode her the last two days; it was my third time riding her. And so I was like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna give it the best we’ve got.’ And so I really just went out there and I really enjoyed myself.”

Competition Information:

The 2024 FOC takes place Aug. 19-25, at HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill. Competition takes place in two arenas and will be broadcast on USEF Network. Bookmark the FOC event page on USEF.org for the latest coverage of this year’s show.

Ring Schedule | Orders of Go and Results

2024 Festival of Champions Livestream

The U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions replay is available on-demand on USEF Network. US Equestrian members and subscribers, and fans can watch all classes live. Not a member? Join today!