Eila Fisk was a little shellshocked after her victory in the Third Level Junior/Young Rider Championship with 66.958% on the 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding Quaresma from 21 starters. That was understandable considering the 16-year-old is in her first year of recognized dressage competition, has only had her horse for a year, and they finished out of the top three at Regionals.

Photo – The 16-year-old Eila Fisk was stunned to win the Third Level Junior/Young Rider Championship with 66.958% on Quaresma in her first year of recognized competition. (Sue Stickle Photography)

“This was not anticipated,” emphasized the teenager, who has also achieved her USDF bronze with Quaresma this year. “He was a little stuck against my left leg in the warm-up, so we did a lot of leg-yields and when we went into the ring it turned out really well. It’s crazy.”

Diligent

Her mother Gina Fisk, who is a horse agent and owns the Aiken-based Zia Equestrian, owns the horse, which was imported from Germany just over a year ago. The teenager trains with USDF gold medalist Laura Abner, who is based at Zia. Fisk may be new to competing, but she has been diligently training, including a summer in Germany at Klosterhof Medingen — home of the famous stallion De Niro.

“Laura told me she had found a horse that would be great for me,” recalled Fisk, who is a dual-enrolled freshman at the University of South Carolina Aiken, although technically still a junior in high school.

Magical Feeling

“He gave me a magical feeling when I got on. In the trot he really carries you, and it’s so different and so elastic — I thought, ‘This is the one.’ Since day one he’s felt like that, and he’s so consistent and amiable. He’s living life to the fullest.”

Competition concludes on Sunday, November 10, with the final 10 championship titles to be decided. The full digital show program is available here. Follow the action via the USDF Facebook page and the US Dressage Finals website, plus live online streaming of all the action from the Alltech Arena on USEF Network. To learn more about the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® and read daily news, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website. Start times and results can be found on www.horseshowoffice.com.