WELLINGTON, Fla.--Olivia Sweetam , 16 of Wellngton and Lexington, Ky., won the WEF Equitation Championship over a field of 40 juniors on Thursday evening, March 20.
Olivia Sweetnam on Efendi (Photo by Sportfot)Sweetnam had the high score of 95 in the first round and a 91.5 in the second round riding Efendi.
Following in the footsteps of her sister’s 2024 runner-up finish, Baylee Rowan, 15, of Little Compton, R.I., placed second on Quantum, and Adriana Forte of Water Mill, N.Y., was third on Candescent.
“I am so proud of myself and my horse, and a bit relieved to be honest. I was very nervous going into this,” said Sweetnam, who is trained by Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farms, and Danny Arendt of her family’s Sweet Oak Farm. “I've been working on staying focused during important finals and championships, and I hope I can produce more results similar to this.”
Andy Christiansen designed the equitation course, over which the top 12 were called back in reverse order for a second round.
Four riders returned, without stirrups, for further testing: Sweetnam, Rowan, Forte and J.J. Torano, 14, of Wellington, FL, on Favorite Edition Z.
Their test included showing at a hand gallop, a trot fence, counter canter on both leads and halt after the last fence.
“I WAS NERVOUS going into the final test because I felt like there was a lot of pressure on me,” said Sweetnam, who returned last in the test. “I'm not weak without stirrups, but I’m not the strongest either. I tried to focus on what was best for my horse and my plan and it all worked out.”
After the three rounds, Olivia, daughter of Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam, was named the winner by two judging panels made up of Panel 1: Michael Tokaruk and Karen Healy and Panel 2: Tammy Provost and Caitlin White.
The unique format of the WEF Equitation Championship removes trainers and all outside help from the equation.
Riders must walk the course, make their plan and warm up without the assistance of a trainer.
Riders hand in their cell phones at the start and can only be assisted by one groom in the schooling area.
“I definitely relied on some of my peers throughout this class,”said Sweetnam, whose trainers were spectators on Thursday night. “It's a nice group of riders who are super positive and friendly. It's nice to have them in my corner, and I try my best to be in their corners.”
Diane Landreville and Jean Bonsall observed the warm-up for the first two rounds and awarded riders a score ranging from minus two to plus two points based on their time management, horsemanship and effectiveness in the schooling area.
Those points were either added or subtracted from their overall score, and Sweetnam earned both available points from the schooling ring judges.
“Efendi is super seasoned in the ring, which makes me feel like I can step into any class and win it," said Sweetnam. "He definitely stepped up to the occasion tonight. He's been under the lights a number of times, so I wasn't too worried about it. He jumped amazing, felt amazing and his quietness level was perfect; he gave me everything and more tonight.”
