UPPER MARLBORO, Md.--Caroline Signorino on Liberty won $10,000 NAL1.25m Junior/Amateur Jumper Final at the Capital Challenge Horse Show on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Carolne Signorino on Liberty (Photo by Shawn McMillen)It was a close jump-off in the Junior/Amateur Final, but Signorino of Basking Ridge, N.J., won by two-tenths of a second, finishing clean in 31.301 seconds.
Jaime Auletto of Tabernackle, N.J., on Dynamite placed second, in 31.507 seconds, and Faith Schuttemeyer on Cookie and Cream was third in 35.662 seconds.
Signorino purchased Liberty, an 8-year-old KWPN gelding, this past summer for experience, both for her and her horse.
“We’re starting slow, but he has all the desire in the world to jump any height,” she said.
“He’s very, very quick,” she said. “He’s super sensitive; the most sensitive horse I’ve ever ridden. He can turn the best that I’ve ever had a horse turn. He’s just very honest. You can leave from any distance and he’s okay, so I think he’s given me a lot of confidence to choose the right distances on course and maybe if I’m a little wrong, he’s always there with me.”
SIGNORINO found Liberty through her trainers, Geoffrey Hesslink and Brendan Williams.
While Hesslink, who finished second on Friday in the WCHR Pro Finals. is mostly known for winning in the hunter ring, he has helped Signorino develop in the jumper ring as well over the two years they’ve worked together.
“He is really descriptive when we’re going over my jumper plan,” she said. “He’s super confident in my plan. Sometimes I don’t trust myself enough to do something, and he gives me a lot of confidence to make it happen.”
Signorino has been showing at Capital Challenge “for as long as I can remember,” starting in the Small Pony Hunters, but this is her first jumper win at the show.
“It’s a very special feeling to win, and the courses have been great," she said. "It definitely feels real here.”
Signorino also won the Best 1.20m/1.25m Amateur Jumper Award.
Taylor Landstrom of Excelsior, Minn., on Elite Girl won the $10,000 NAL 1.35m Junior/Amateur Jumper Finals.
This was her second win in an NAL final, having won the NAL Children’s Jumper Final in 2021.
With seven in the jump-off, Landstrom had to be clean and fast to win, and she did just that, finishing in 37.433 seconds.
Stella Propp of New York, N.Y., on Irocco Blue S was the only other clean in the jump-off, placing second in 37.717 seconds, and she also placed third on Chakalaka 8 with four faults in 35.435 seconds.
Landstrom began riding Elite Girl at the 2024 Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida after purchasing her from Sandra Dalman, who competed the mare at the grand prix level.
“She’s a very intelligent horse,” said Landstrom of the 10-year-old Oldenburg mare. “She’s very special that way. I know that every time I step into the ring that I can count on her, and she wants to win as much as I do. It’s been really special creating a bond with her for this past year.”
Landstrom is preparing for the Prix de States junior jumper competition next week, so she used this opportunity to compete in an indoor arena.
“I’ve never shown indoors with her, and she hasn’t had a lot of experience indoors, so this was a great way to go into the ring, get some confidence, and be competitive,” she said. “It turned out to work really well.”
“Once we did the first jump, I felt like everything just clicked,” she said. “I was able to see the inside turns that I was hoping for, and everything was coming up as I was hoping. It kept building confidence throughout the jump-off. She’s a small little mare, so she can go inside those turns really quickly and move quickly. I think I had a large pony that was bigger than her; she is quite tiny!”
Landstrom was the Best 1.30m/1.35m Junior Jumper Rider, and Propp was the Best 1.30m/1.35m Amateur Jumper Rider.
