July 22, 2006 – East Dorset, Vermont – Abigail “Abby” Crowell, entered the ring ranked third in the National Standings for the Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal, and will maintain her status as one of the top riders in the country as she claimed victory in Saturday’s Show Circuit Magazine Children’s Medal class at the Vermont Summer Festival. The competition was one of Saturday’s featured classes during Week 2 (July 19-23) of the five-week Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, Vermont.

Crowell, 16, of East Dennis, Massachusetts, riding her own Bennington, topped a field of 39 horses in the three-foot equitation class. Crowell was very pleased with the win. “It feels really good, I’m happy and excited,” she enthused. This fall, the top 30 qualified riders in the series will compete in the Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal Final at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Judge Jerre Frankhouser officiated over the class. All 39 competitors jumped a first round course of eight fences and were scored numerically on their performances. The highest scoring riders were very close – Sarah Flink earned a score of 82 points, Crowell scored 81, Samantha Smith earned 80, and Colleen Lewis notched 79.

These four highest-scoring riders were called back to ride a test to determine the class winner. For the test, riders were asked to canter to Fence 1, halt and face the road, back up three steps, counter canter to Fence 2, trot Fence 3, canter Fence 4, and return to the line.

Crowell aboard Bennington, who went into the test in second place, emerged the winner of the Show Circuit Magazine Children’s Medal class. Samantha Smith of Wakefield, Rhode Island, riding Carmichael placed second. Sarah Flink of Charlestown, Massachusetts, aboard Aracona Z was third. Colleen Lewis of West Chester, Pennsylvania, on Captain Nemo placed fourth.

Crowell, an 11th grader at Cape Cod Academy, rides with Holly Hill Show Stables in Hanover, Massachusetts. The 15-year-old trains with Cathy Grady, Phyllis Cervelli and Caitlin Venezia. Crowell’s mount, Bennington, is a seven-year-old dark bay Oldenburg gelding that stands 17hh that she has owned since February.

Crowell admitted that she was apprehensive going into round one, which provided riders with several long runs to the jumps. “I get kind of nervous going the long distances to the jumps because you can change your mind on the distance,” she said. “But other than that, I really liked the course because I like doing rollbacks and bending lines and jumping.”

As the riders are judged on their performances, not their horses’, Crowell explained why she thought Judge Frankhouser determined that she was the best rider of the 39 competitors. “I actually think it was a combination of my horse and I,” Crowell explained. “When he’s calm and relaxed I can flow with him. If he wasn’t relaxed, if he was nervous, then I would be nervous, so it’s a combination of how we work together.” Crowell was very pleased with how Bennington performed, attesting, “He was amazing!”

Crowell also credited her trainer, Venezia, explaining that they followed their regular plan for competition. “I will go and jump my jumps in the schooling area, then she’ll get on him, and then I’ll go in the ring right off her ride,” Crowell detailed. “So a big thanks to Caitlyn Venezia!”

For the test, the four riders are told the pattern only after they line up in the ring, so they do not have the benefit of their trainer’s coaching and must plan their own ride. Being the third rider to test was an advantage for Crowell, as the riders rode in reverse order of their placing. “I was lucky because I was in second place, so I got to watch two people go before me. I had time to think about the route and how I was going to go. There weren’t too many options. There wasn’t an inside turn that you could do,” Crowell explained. “It was pretty much straightforward, so it was nice. It was a good test. It was challenging, but it rode smooth enough that you could work through it.”

One of the biggest challenges proved to be backing up. Going into the test, Sarah Flink, who won this class last week, was in first place and rode a nice test, but was unable to perform the three back-up steps, which dropped her to third place overall. Crowell acknowledged that it was a difficult movement, saying, “I was a little nervous about the three steps backing up, but I did the three steps.”

Crowell plans to compete in the Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal Final in October at Capital Challenge in Maryland, acknowledging that she is “pretty high up” in the standings after a previous victory at Saratoga followed by her win in Vermont.

The Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal features a yearlong national and regional series of three-foot equitation classes in which riders accumulate points. National and Regional standings are maintained. Riders earn points in every show in which they compete (National points). They also earn points in each USEF Zone (Regional points). Regional points are based on the location of the show, and therefore a rider may earn points in different zones. The total of all points are National Points. Each USEF Zone has its own totals. Approximately 30 riders will be invited to compete in the Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal Finals at Capital Challenge and will be chosen based on the high point rider in each of the regional series along with additional riders working from the top down on the National Standings list for the qualifying period.

Action continues on Sunday, July 23, at the Vermont Summer Festival with the week’s final class, the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix.

Featuring more than $650,000 in prize money, the Vermont Summer Festival includes a $10,000 Mini Prix each Friday and, for the first four weeks of competition, a $30,000 Sunday Grand Prix. The 2006 Vermont Summer Festival closes with the grand finale, the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Sunday, August 13. The Vermont Summer Festival is also a proud member event of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame, the Marshall & Sterling League, and the North American League (NAL).

For more information about the 2006 Vermont Summer Festival, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit www.vt-summerfestival.com. For full show results, visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.