Edited Press Release
North Salem, NY – September 10, 2022 – Jordan Gibbs of Colorado Springs, CO took top honors in the 2022 ASPCA Maclay Region 2 Championship at Old Salem Farm. Gibbs topped a field of 49 riders who had qualified to compete in the Regionals with the top 33 now eligible to ride in the ASPCA Maclay National Championship at the National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky in November.
“I came into today just wanting to put down a smooth round and make it into the top 33 and make it to the Finals,” said Gibbs, who is trained by Stacia Madden and Beacon Hill Show Stables. “I trust my horse and I trust myself and I am so happy with how it turned out.”
“Our goal was to have what we call a lock-it-in round, where we just avoid making any blatant, big mistakes,” said Madden. “Sometimes that takes the pressure off and we get better results. Jordan has a tendency to be an overachiever so we weren’t working on having the brilliant round but she wound up having the brilliant round.”
Jordan Gibbs has taken Equestrian Studies with Piper Klemm at Clarkson University for the last two years. Learn more about 2023 courses here.
Holly Orlando and Lyman T. Whitehead judged the riders and were pleased with the class. “While there was a mix a good rounds and some not so good rounds, overall I thought it was a very good class,” Whitehead said. “It was a nice stepping stone to the Finals at the National Horse Show.”
“The course was very well done,” added Orlando. “In a lot of ways the class judged itself with the top 12 separating themselves from the others. Jordan was clearly the leader after the first round and there was no doubt that she earned the win.”
The 49 starters competed over courses designed by Paul Jewell and Nancy Wallis in Old Salem’s outdoor June Road ring, with ring dimensions, dressing and jumps mimicking the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park, home to the Maclay National Championship. Following the initial jumping phase, the 47 who successfully completed the course advanced to the flat phase, held in four groups, after which there was no additional testing.
Finishing as Reserve Champion was Kate Egan of Glen Gardner, NJ, trained by Luke Olsen. Alida Treuting of Selden, NY, trained by Myrna Treuting and Andre Dignelli of Heritage Farm, finished third. The full competition can be viewed online at www.ClipMyHorse.tv.
