By Joanie Morris

A World Championship Format

These top four riders returned after the lunch break to jump another course on their own horses and then the same course on each of their competitors’ mounts. Based on the format used at the World Championships, the competition continues to test a unique variety of skills. The scores from the first three rounds are thrown out and all four riders start again on zero. Each rider rode solid, polished rounds on their own horses and then began handing the reins to each other.

Amazingly, after the first two rotations, all four riders were tied on a score of 176.

Eight more trips over a course thoughtfully designed by judges McLain Ward (who himself won the Talent Search Finals East in 1990) and Jimmy Torano left the judges with some difficult decisions. The four competitors didn’t make life easy for the judges.

“Picking the winner today was very hard,” said Ward at the end of the afternoon. “All four of these riders could win on any given day. It’s a credit to them, the horses, their parents and their trainers.”Torano echoed the sentiment, “It was a privilege for us to judge these riders.”

Ritter jumped three consistent rounds, scoring an 89 on his own horse and 87s on both Hettoile Platiere and Deneuve. He then all but sealed a victory for himself with a score of 92 on Phillips’ Flight. His final score in the Ride-Off was 355, which gave him a comfortable lead, but he was the first rider in the rotation so he had to wait to ensure that his score held up. The other three riders got close but at the end of the competition, Ritter’s experience riding lots of horses on a daily basis paid off. The versatility of his technique was evident as he seamlessly turned in quality performances.

“I spent the summer in Germany and they drilled on the flatwork,” said Ritter. “I’ve been at home since riding lots of different horses.”

Ritter’s next step is to the grand prixes and he is looking forward to turning professional later this year.

“This was always my favorite final,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to win it. You really have to be able to do it all, the flatwork and the gymnastics.”