Rare three-way tie in Equitation Championship at Devon

Three riders, Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, Fla.; Gabrielle Bausano of New York; and Sydney Shulman of Greenwich, Conn., tied for the Equitation Championship on Friday, a very unusual result at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

That championship is decided on points, and in most cases only one rider is pinned champion.

There were four equitation classes divided into 12 sections, and Colvin won two sections and placed third in another.

Bausano won one section and had two second-place finishes, while Shulman had a first, a second, a fourth, and a fifth.

"It feels amazing to be champion, because equitation is the hardest discipline for me, and this is such a big, prestigious show," said Colvin, who also competes in hunters and jumpers.

"It's really special to be champion, especially as this is my last year as a junior, and this is such a great venue," Bausano said.

"It means a lot to be champion at Devon," said Shulman, who said she keeps her horses at home and cares for them herself while training with her mother and Stacia Madden.

Madden also trains Bausano, while Colvin trains with Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley of Rivers Edge in Flemington, N.J.

Colvin returned in the Junior Jumper, time first jump-off, class to win on Don Juan and place fourth on Monsieur Du Reverdy.

"I went first on Monsieur Du Reverdy, and I was just going to go smooth to get confidence for [Saturday] night," Colvin said. "Then Lillie [Keenan, who eventually placed third] came in and beat my time, so I thought I'd just have to go a little faster on Don Juan. I only started riding him last winter, but he's like a little motorcycle, he just runs to the fences."

Keenan, of New York, rode Vanhattan to win the $2,500 Junior Jumpers Gambler's Choice on Friday evening.

"This is the first Gambler's Choice I've ever done, so I was a little nervous," Keenan said. "But this is Vanhattan's type of class. He's a speed demon. We love him to death. He's part of the family."