GRACEFUL GRAY GRABS CET REGIONAL FINALS CHAMPIONSHIP

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013 – ROCKWOOD, ON – After three phases of competition at the CET Regional Finals, held at Angelstone Tournaments, Nora Gray has been named the CET Regional winner!! Eighteen riders competed over three days with one flat phase, one gymnastics phase, and one jumper phase with a final top six ride off. The top six participated in the final rider off where they switched horses with each other and each rode three horses.

The first phase began in the flat. The riders entered the ring one at a time, attempting to complete the dressage phase of the competition. The dressage test demands perfection from the riders and assigns them marks for every part of the class completed properly. The riders are awarded both a technical score as well as an equitation score. The scores are then combined and averaged for each rider’s official score.

Samantha VanderWoude put in a round that was absolutely stunning to watch and was given a score of 86.50 from the judges. Ashlee Steffens put in a wonderfully executed round as well and just missed out on the first place ribbon with a score of 86. Alexandra Millar was third, and Nora Gray followed closely for a fourth-place finish.

The Gymnastic phase began bright and early Thursday morning, as the riders entered the ring attempting to show their ability to seamlessly manage their horses over the technical track. Ashlee Steffens blew everyone away with a top performance that secured her a score of 88. Jessica Blum tackled the course with precision and earned herself an 83 for her execution of the gymnastic tests. Nora Gray was once again in the top four and received a score of 81 followed closely by fourth-place finisher Riley Correia with a score of 78.

Riders returned for the third and final phase of the competition on Friday afternoon in Angelstone’s main stadium with accumulated scores from their flat and gymnastic phases, which determined their order of go. In reverse order, riders entered the ring in pursuit of a spot in the top six; which would earn them a spot in the famous CET ride off.

Sarah Barker won the jumping phase with a phenomenal crowd-pleasing effort and a score of 87. Ashlee Steffens continued to demonstrate she was a top contender earning a score of 85. Jessica Blum received a score of 84 for a third-place finish, and Olivia Mortimer took home fourth place with a score of 81.

The riders nervously awaited their final tallied scores, which would determine who would have the chance to ride off for a spot in the Finals held at the Royal Winter Fair. Ashlee Steffens, Jessica Blum, Sarah Barker, Nora Gray, Paige Mawson, and Samantha Vanderwoude took the top six spots!

The six riders switched mounts in order to demonstrate their ability to master a shorter course on horses that weren’t their own. Each of the six riders was randomly assigned three of the other competitor’s mounts. One at a time they rode the shorter course on their competitor’s horses.

Nora Gray proved unbeatable in the ride off, as she was able to adapt her riding style masterfully on every horse she was on! Nora took her time to get to know each mount she was given, with unique warm-ups and thoughtful preparation. Nora was seen patting each horse and attempting to establish a partnership in the limited time she was given. Her patience paid off, and she was declared the winner.

Nora was thrilled with her win, and said: “I’ve been working towards this goal for a long time, and it’s amazing to have all the hard work finally pay off!”

Trainer Jen Gray felt that Nora’s background as a rider contributed to her win. “She’s gotten the opportunity to ride lots of different horses in her career so far, which gave her an advantage in the ride off yesterday. I’m so proud of my daughter’s accomplishments!”

Ashlee Steffens was a contender throughout the competition, just missing Nora’s final score in the top six by two points. Ashlee was calm, cool, and collected and showed she had great horsemanship by acclimatizing to each mount’s style. Sarah Barker and Paige Mawson also scored a ticket to the finals with a third and fourth-place finish.

Nora Gray, Ashlee Steffens, Sarah Barker, and Paige Mawson will go on to compete in the National CET Finals at the Royal Winter Fair in November. Congratulations to Nora Gray and her trainer Jen Gray for their amazing Friday night win at Angelstone Tournaments. Best of luck to all our equitation representatives as they head into National Finals!