Chester County teen wins equitation crown

Jacqueline Lubrano of Glenmoore, Chester County, won the Ronnie Mutch Equitation Championship yesterday at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

In equitation, junior riders 18 and under are judged on their position and control of the horse over jumper-type courses. Lubrano placed first, second and third in three of the four classes.

The 17-year-old said she first rode at Devon in Lead Line classes, then showed a couple of times in Local Hunters before beginning to ride in 2004 in the competitive equitation classes.

"I'm very excited," she said. "I wasn't expecting this at all."

Lubrano, who is home-schooled so she can concentrate on riding, said her win was particularly exciting because she lives nearby and her parents and many of her friends were in the stands.

"I have a greener horse than I usually ride, so it was nice to have it all come together today," she said. "I won one section of the Maclay here two years ago, so to win the championship is really big for me."

With about 160 juniors entered in the equitation classes, each class was divided into three or four sections.

Reed Kessler of Wellington, Fla., rode Flight to victory in the first Junior Jumper class, a time-first jump-off competition.

Fifteen horses jumped cleanly in the first round to qualify for the jump-off, in which Kessler's time of 30.885 beat second-place Jennifer Waxman and Shakira, whose time was 31.432.

Kimberly McCormack, last to go in the $3,500 Junior Jumpers Gambler's Choice, proved to be the best, riding her Hetoile Platiere to win with 1,220 points over Alexandra Arute on Saphira.

Different winners in the two junior jumper classes leave the championship race, to be decided this evening, wide open.

- Sara Cavanaugh