Traverse City, Mich. – U.S. athlete Carlee McCutcheon clinched an Individual and Team gold medal at the 2023 Gotham North FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships Presented by USHJA, bringing this year’s event to an exciting conclusion at Flintfields Horse Park.

Photo: Carlee McCutcheon and Coco Mercedes at 2023 NAYC FEI Junior Jumping Individual Championship (©Leslie Potter US Equestrian)

Carlee McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) expertly piloted Coco Mercedes, a 2013 Westphalian mare owned by McLain Ward and Old Oak Farm, through five rounds with no jumping penalties to secure individual gold. With a team gold for Zone 7 earlier in the week, McCutcheon ended her first complete NAYC experience as a double gold medalist, which she said was an unexpected surprise.

“I definitely didn’t think that was going to happen,” she said. “I was just trying to have fun and take it day by day. I’m so lucky to have Coco Mercedes as my partner. She’s the best partner I could ask for. I think she’s better at it than I am, and for so many rounds, for her to perform so well is just such a great feeling.”

McCutcheon Had Plenty Of Praise For Her Horse

McCutcheon had plenty of praise for her horse, whose reliability in the ring helped temper some of the pressure for the final round.

“She’s so brave, I never have to worry about it,” said McCutcheon. “If I don’t see the perfect distance, I know she’ll take care of me, and I think having a horse with so much confidence has definitely given me a confidence boost and improved my riding all year.

“I was glad there was no water in the second round,” she said, adding that round B of the two-round final day of competition was a bit easier than the first. “More than anything, I was just trying to get in range of the jump.  So, it was pretty scary, but I think the pressure is good for me and it’s definitely good for her, so it worked out well.”

No Jumping Penalties All Week

Zone 2’s Stephanie Garrett (New York, N.Y.) also came into the final round of the day having no jumping penalties all week. She rode Darius de Kezeg Z, a 2011 Zangersheide gelding owned by Postage Stamp Farm, LLC.

“This has been a pretty big goal of mine,” said Garrett. “Last year I was able to compete on the Zone 2 team, which was a phenomenal experience. The outcome might not have been what we were looking for, but it gave me a good experience and coming back this year, I kind of knew more about what to look for and how to prepare, so that’s been super helpful.”

Garrett also credits her horse with giving her the confidence in the ring that makes a successful championship outing possible.

“I’ve had ‘Darius’ for about a year and a half now, and he has been the absolute best,” she said. “He has taken me up the levels a little bit. He’s given me a lot of confidence in the highs and I’m hoping to step up a bit more to the U25 with him. We’ve done a few national grand prixes as well. He has far more experience than I do, and he can really help show me the ropes as I step up.”

My Horse Is A Good Water Jumper

First-time NAYC competitor Elise Stephens (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.) from Zone 6 had solid rounds all week to win individual bronze with O’Mega H & DB, a 2014 Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Rendezvous Farm.

“I really just wanted smooth, hopefully clean rounds,” said Stephens. “Especially after the first round when I had one down, I just wanted a really good, clean second round. I think the first course had a lot of tests in it. The water to the vertical, a lot of people were having issues with that, and I’m really lucky that my horse is a good water jumper.”

2023 FEI NAYC Junior Jumping Individual Results

Gold: Carlee McCutcheon and Coco Mercedes (Zone 7)
Silver: Stephanie Garrett and Darius de Kezeg Z (Zone 2)
Bronze: Elise Stephens and O’Mega H & DB (Zone 6)

Full Results

US Equestrian subscribers, and members can watch the reply of the 2023 FEI North American Youth Championships on-demand on USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.TV. Not a member? Join now!