Devon, Pa. – May 27, 2022 – Equitation competition resumed at the 2022 Devon Horse Show in the Dixon Oval on Friday morning bright and early, welcoming three sections of ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship exhibitors to the arena to kickstart the day. At the conclusion of the three sections, judges welcomed back both Luke Jensen and Avery Glynn into the Dixon Oval for the presentation of the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship. The highly regarded R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Trophy is awarded to the junior athlete who accumulated the most points throughout the two days of equitation competition.
In order to qualify for the coveted award, riders must accumulate points from competing in the WIHS Equitation Classic Jumper Phase, the Platinum Performance / USEF Show Jumping Talent Search 3*, Dover Saddlery / USEF Hunt Seat Medal or the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship. During Thursday and Friday’s equitation competition, 18-year-old Jensen earned the Devon blue trifecta, topping Section A of the Washington Equitation Classic Jumper Phase, Section B of the Dover Saddlery / USEF Hunt Seat Medal, and Section C of the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class with the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding. Jensen and Jamaica’s strong partnership has rocketed them to success, most recently earning them top honors in the 2022 WEF Equitation Championship earlier in the year. The Denton, Texas native is a working student for North Run Stables. Jensen’s partnership with Jamaica is made even more noteworthy due to the fact that he takes care of the gelding on his own, developing a special bond that is evident in the show ring.
Glynn, who is from Petaluma, California, traveled arguably the longest distance to the historic Devon Horse Show grounds to compete in the Dixon Oval for the first time. Having only ridden Gerardus three times prior to arriving in Pennsylvania, she still managed to skillfully showcase the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding’s talents in the equation arena with top results. Glynn and Gerardus, owned by Georgy Maskrey-Segesman, earned first place in Section B of the Platinum Performance / USEF Show Jumping Talent Search 3*, third place in Section C of the Dover Saddlery / USEF Hunt Seat Medal, fourth place in Section A of the Washington Equitation Classic – Jumper Phase and clinched the tie for the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship Trophy Friday after topping Section B of the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class.
Earlier in the day, junior competitors took to the Dixon Oval to contend for top honors in three different sections of the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class. The course presented 12 natural brush obstacles to test athletes and their horses through several rollback turns and four lines of varying strides. Emerging at the top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of Section A was Cody Rego riding Wolfstone Stables & Sales Inc.’s Tanzanite De Semilly. Section B saw Glynn take home the blue ribbon with Gerardus, with Jensen and Jamaica claiming the win in Section C of the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class.
Competition at the 2022 Devon Horse Show will continue Saturday, May 28, beginning at 8:00 a.m. as junior hunter athletes wrap up their respective divisions to vie for the coveted Devon Grand Junior Hunter Championship and Best Child Rider On A Horse Award.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Luke Jensen – R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship winner
On riding in the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class:
“I was really just hoping for me and Jamaica to have a good finish for the week and go home on a good note and give him a good experience. Overall this week has been so fun and we had a good amount of success. Mostly thanks to the team at North Run that helps us do everything that we do.”
On his partnership with Jamaica:
“I started riding him at the beginning of this winter season down in Wellington, and I got to ride him in the WEF Equitation Championship class there and he’s been so great. I take care of him myself and having that partnership and bond with him I think is really special. To have that partnership just makes it so much more fun and special to have success. I’m excited about the rest of the year and so grateful that I get to ride him, and I’m thankful to North Run and everyone that makes this possible.”
On competing at the Devon Horse Show:
“I came to Devon some time ago and I rode a medium pony here. It’s a great venue and it’s a lot of fun because it is a prestigious and historic show. It’s just very special to show here and I am very grateful.”
On Jamaica’s personality:
“He’s got a great personality and I think the coolest thing about taking care of your horse and being around them in the barn often is that you get to start to see that partnership develop and get a little bit more of the affection. You start to understand their personality a bit and I’ll say that’s really beneficial when you start to show – you understand the ins and outs of your horse’s personality, so it’s been special. He’s a generally affectionate horse to be around.”
On the course:
“The courses have been great all week. It’s a lot of fun to make your plan with your team. We have a great community at North Run and a large team, and everyone is so supportive of each other and of teamwork. Designing your plan with everyone to plan out your track is a great part of it and an advantage.”
Avery Glynn – R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship winner
On riding in the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class:
“The Maclay is one of my favorite classes. I love that it has a jumping phase and a flat phase. I was so excited to ride [Gerardus] in this because he is just so good on both the jumping and the flat. Even though I haven’t been riding him as long as I have been riding other horses, I already trust him because he is so great on both the jumping and on the flat. I already trust him so much, I feel like we created such a great bond. I went in there, took some risks and had the best round we could have together. I’m just so excited we ended up winning today.”
On competing at the Devon Horse Show:
“This is my first Devon Horse Show so I had so many expectations coming into this. All my friends and family have been telling me about this show for years. You watch this show online from home when you don’t get to come here and it’s really unlike any other show I have ever been to. The fair, the spectators, the ring, it’s just all so special and to be here. My mom and my grandma got to come this week and all the teams at Elvenstar, North Run, White Thorne, Stone Valley Stables and Hope LLC, thank you to everyone that got me here. I am just so thankful. It was really just a great end to the week to be able to win this award and with one of my good friends Luke [Jensen], it was just so exciting.”
On riding on the East Coast:
“Planning this year has changed a lot, then we had the EHV-1 breakout in California this year, so my plan was much different than how it ended up happening. My plan was to stay in California more, but since shows didn’t end up happening there, I got to go out to Wellington and show with the team at North Run even more than I originally was going to, which was just such an amazing experience. I learned so much. I was in Kentucky last week, and here this week. Showing on the East Coast is just so special for me. It’s such a big deal. Bringing a horse from California is a lot, so I’ve just loved being here because it’s such a prestigious show and it’s just so much fun.”
On Gerardus:
“He is 11 years old and he was imported at the beginning of this year. He hasn’t even done that many shows as an equitation horse because as I said, there haven’t been many shows in California. I showed him about a month ago for the first time, rode him for the first time at a more local show in California and had a great time on him. I really felt like this was going to be an amazing horse. I was able to get back with him last week in Kentucky and I met his owner Georgy Maskrey-Segesman and she has been so generous to let me ride this horse, as well as the whole White Thorne team that’s been a part of him, his career, and me. Last week I got to show him in Kentucky and we won the [Dover Saddlery / USEF Hunt Seat Medal] and [ASPCA Maclay] there, so I felt like we were really going in with a good streak from last week to this week. He was just on his game this week. It was so much fun to ride him. I’ve never ridden a horse with so much talent in the equitation ring. He’s so special.”
On the Maclay course:
“It’s funny because it’s similar to the [ASPCA Maclay National Championship]. I found that the last couple of years’ finals started with a forward line, so I love that they incorporated that in the course today. We started with a forward line and that always gets you on a good pace and a good start to your course. They had the test of the diagonal line where it was a little bit forward to a little bit easy, so it tested you and your horses adjustability through there. We used the skinny jump and the combination. The jumps looked beautiful, and it rode lovely in this ring. It was a really nice course, then they asked us to test on the flat and the test was super nice.”
On riding with North Run:
“Missy Clarke, John [Brennan] and Maggie [Gampfer] have been [at the Devon Horse Show] for so many years with many of the top equitation riders. They give us such good advice and it’s so nice to be able to walk with them and get to learn from them.”
RESULTS
R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner
1. Jamaica / Luke Jensen / North Run
1. Gerardus / Avery Glynn / Georgy Maskrey-Segesman
ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship – Section A
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner
1. Tanzanite De Semilly / Cody Rego / Wolfstone Stables & Sales Inc
2. Heartbeat Z / Abigail Gordon / Richard Gordon
3. Dark Night DC / Annalise Manoog / Knight Takes Rook LLC
ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship – Section B
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner
1. Gerardus / Avery Glynn / Georgy Maskrey-Segesman
2. Attendu de Lannois Z / Augusta Iwasaki / Ashland Farms
3. Efendi / Kat Fuqua / Kat Fuqua
ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship – Section C
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner
1. Jamaica / Luke Jensen / North Run
2. Chacco Star / Carlee Mccutcheon
3. Eres Tu / Emma Blumenkrantz
