Grace McReynolds and HH Hyyerr Calling Conquer USHJA 3'3" Adult Jumping Seat Medal Final at HITS Championship
Saugerties, N.Y. – September 9, 2023 – This weekend the nation's top adult equitation riders gathered at the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium for the 2023 USHJA 3'3" Adult Jumping Seat Medal Final. After two days and three phases Grace McReynolds rode her new partner, HH Hyyerr Calling, to victory with the impressive scores of 88, 86.5, and 90.
"Charlie [HH Hyyerr Calling] is a dream to ride, and Thursday was actually my first time showing him!" explained McReynolds. "He’s very calm in the ring, extremely smooth, and I just feel lucky I had the opportunity to ride him for this class as well as in the Gladstone."
Grace McReynolds and HH Hyyerr Calling. Photographed by ESI Photography.
On Friday riders completed the flat phase and the gymnastics phase, which consisted of eight obstacles. This course included a bounce combination away from home, an in-and-out jumping into a line to an in-and-out jumping out of the line, as well as a triple combination before finishing on an oxer towards the front of the ring.
On Saturday, the final jumping phase consisted of 11 obstacles, starting on and oxer away from home, multiple rollbacks, an in-and-out, and was concluded with a triple combination. This course gave riders the opportunity to make smooth turns and technical decisions to show off their skills.
“The Gymnastics Phase was a lot of fun and something you don’t see too often at shows. I was a little nervous about the bounces, but Charlie rode through it beautifully,” McReynold noted. “I also thought the course for the final jumping phase rode really nicely. The track gave us a lot of options, like the bending line you could make it work really well in a 7 or 8 stride, and could take inside turns or stay out if you chose to do so.”
Grace McReynolds and HH Hyyerr Calling. Photographed by ESI Photography.
Earning reserve in the class was Samantha Sommers riding Wengen with two scores of 88 and an 86. Kiera Phlipot and her mount, Red Roc, rounded out the top three with two scores of 83 and an 80.
Being from Colorado, this has been McReynold’s first time visiting HITS Saugerties and she has been thrilled with her experience concluding, “I love it here! The grounds are super open and beautiful. The show has been running super well, and I love all the trails here!”
The HITS Championship will conclude on Sunday with the week’s main event, the $300,000 FEI Grand Prix CSI4*, which gets underway at 1pm. Riders can also continue to showcase their skills at HITS Saugerties the following week during the 2023 Marshall and Sterling Finals.
Photographed by ESI Photography.