Ellanor Boehning and Josephine Hinnemann Share The Limelight CDI FEI Young Rider Division

Friday, May 5, Temecula, California. Continuing the showcase of talented young riders in steep ascent mode, Ellanor Boehning and Sir Junior earned a 68.432% to lead the CDI FEI Young Rider Team Test. Sir Junior is a 12-year-old Hanoverian by Sir Stauffenbuerg.

photo ©thewestequestrian.com

"Today's test felt fantastic," said Ellanor of their performance in the class sponsored by It's A Good Life podcast. "We've been working with Steffen Peters to help clean up areas of the test, especially the canter pirouettes and to make everything go smoother overall. I think that showed today and I'm really happy with it."

They were just a tick ahead of Josephine Hinnemann and Copa Cabana MRF. Riders and horses are close friends, having represented USDF Region 7 together twice.

Horses and Friends Love Each Other

"We always work better together," said Josephine. "The horses love each other. Junior always calls out to Copa," Elanor concurred.

Josephine described her test as "one of our best of the year and it's our best score." Their 68.186% was the result of restraint. "I wasn't trying to push for grand," said Josephine. "I was trying to go for a clean test today and that helped us get the focus we needed to put us higher in the rankings."

Josephine rides primarily with her mother Natalie Hamilton-Hinnemann, and weekly with David Wightman and Kathleen Raine. They've all been a big help in this year's quest to qualify for the North American Youth Championships and the Festival of Champions.

Grace Dugan and Farruco LXXXIX, an 18-year-old PRE sired by Lego, finished 3rd, earning a 62.451% from judges Jane Weatherwax and Stephen Clarke.

Josephine Hinnemann's Turn Atop CDIY FEI Young Rider Individual

Playing it safe paid off again for Josephine Hinnemann and Copa Cabana MRF, who emerged atop the CDIY FEI Young Rider Individual Test today with a 66.627%. "He was really perfect today, but I went off course!" "Jojo" shared. "You just have to forget about it."

Yesterday, the pair finished 2nd in the Team Test by also focusing on precision over pushing for extra. These solid outings set the stage to push the envelope in Sunday's Freestyle, JoJo explained. "It gives me confidence that I'll have that control tomorrow, so I can ask for that extra."

Team Test winners Ellanor Boehring and Sir Junior, a 12-year-old Hanoverian by Sir Stauffenbuerg, were a close second today on a 66.373%. Grace Duggan and Farruco LXXXIX, an 18-year-old PRE sired by Lego, were third on a 61.912%.

Stu and Laura Mollrich sponsored this class, which was officiated by Jane Weatherwax, Maria Schwennesen and Sarah Geikie.

Next Gen Stars

Josephine Hinnemann and Ellanor Boehning might be rivals if they weren't such good friends. Ellanor and Sir Junior, 12-year-old Hanoverian by Sir Stauffenbuerg, won the CDI FEI Young Rider Team Test on Friday, and "JoJo" and Copa Cabana MRF, a 14-year-old Hanoverian by Contucci, won Saturday's Individual Test and today's Freestyle. In every case, they were close in their scores and united in projecting a strong core of talented young riders developing on the West Coast.

JoJo had prioritized precision in her first two tests, and today's determination to push for bigger movements resulted in their winning 71.933% from Jane Weatherwax and Brenda Minor, in a class sponsored by the It's A Good Life Podcast. Ellanor was close behind on a 71.467%, even with some glitches that she described as learning experiences.

Both up and comers have the advantage of top coaching from California's rich reserve of professionals. JoJo works with her mom, Natalie Hinnemann-Hamilton, her grandfather Johan Hinnemann and David Wightman and Kathleen Raine.

Ellanor has been working with Steffen Peters for the last few months, an experience the multi-Olympian seems to appreciate as much as Ellanor does. "I think for any rider at the Olympic level, it needs to be an obligation to help bring along the next generation,” Steffen commented. “When I see a beautiful test ridden by a young rider, it means as much to me as if Mopsie (Suppenkasper) and I won a class.

"If I can bring along this riding style in which dressage is not forceful -- in which it's more like dancing and less like weightlifting -- I want to do it. And, Ellanor is certainly fun to work with."

In the CDI FEI Junior Freestyle, Kathleen Nayak and MW Fabulos concluded a strong weekend with a 69.842% from the same two-judge panel. Fabulos is an 11-year-old Oldenburg by Furstenball.