Harrisburg, Pa. – The 2024 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships wrapped up Saturday evening at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show with the $10,000 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper Individual National Championship Phase III. The leaderboard shook up dramatically as 21 qualified riders took to the course designed by Anderson Lima. Out of three clear rounds from the night, Zone 4’s Olivia Sweetnam finished on 0 faults in 60.326.

(Top Photo:  2024 Turnham Green_USEF Junior Jumper National Champion Olivia Sweetnam and HDB Quality. Photo Credit_Avery Wallace_US Equestrian)

Sweetnam (Wellington, Fl.) dominated throughout the weekend, riding clear in both rounds of Friday night’s Prix des Stakes Team Competition in addition to Saturday’s individual rounds. Despite putting a lot of pressure on herself to perform well, she was pleased with the result for not only herself, but also her horse, Sweet Oak Farm’s HDB Quality (Quality Time x Goldgranda), cared for by Marco Turcios. “This is my heart horse, so this experience means even more to me,” she said, “I wanted to do well for my team and my horse because I know she’s capable of doing this with ease, so I didn’t want to let her down.”

Values The Unique Team Opportunity

The future of U.S. jumping looks bright according to Sweetnam, who values the unique team opportunity that the Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships provides, “This experience has been great because I aspire to jump in a Nations Cup and compete in team competitions for the U.S. This competition has taught me how to better work with teammates, the drop score, and knowing what you must do to produce the best result for the team.”

A Challenging, But Fair Course

Zone 2’s Clara Propp (New York, N.Y.) came into Phase III outside of podium position and set a clear goal of jumping clear. “I just wanted to have a clear round and hopefully move up. We did just that!” She and her horse, Marigold Sporthorse, LLC’s Cocolina (Conthargos x Carolina), cared for by Reina Chevalier, moved from fourth to silver medal position after jumping a what she felt was a challenging, but fair course. “[Cocolina] was amazing. She handles pressure well. I think the difficulty of the course was exactly right for a class like this. It was doable, but definitely asked the horse and rider the correct questions. When I walked it, I was a little nervous, but it was great.”

We Hit It Off Right Off The Bat

Another athlete who moved up the leader board was Zone 7’s Ava K Myers (San Antonio, Tex.) who took home the bronze medal. Her partnership with her own horse Sparky (Stolzenberg x Quantana), cared for by Anjel Montalvan, began only a year ago, but they’ve made big improvements in that short time. “Sparky is nine years old and before we got him, he didn’t have much experience in the 1.40m,” she explained, “It’s been very nice to develop this young horse and we develop together as a pair. We hit it off right off the bat – he’s a funny, quirky horse, but he loves his job so it’s been a truly amazing partnership between us. I’m thankful to ride him every day.”

Clara Propp received the William C. Steinkraus Style Award as the Prix des States junior jumper athlete who best exemplifies the American-style of riding and the respectful, dignified, courteous, and workmanlike manner of a true sportsman or sportswoman.

From left to right_Clara Propp, Olivia Sweetnam, and Ava K Myers. Photo Credit – Avery Wallace_US Equestrian.

Find out more about the Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships.

View the full individual results here.

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