Add Tomiko McGovern to the brief list of national champions from Cornwall! The 10th-grader finished first in a two-day competition in Lexington, Ky. last month, and won a $1,000 saddle, a silver trophy and other valuable gifts from the Interscholastic Equestrian Association.
It’s not a sport for the faint-hearted. “The judges watch your every move,” Miko said a short while after her victory. “They watch how much control you have over the horse.”
And the contestants aren’t on their own horse. They’re riding steeds that were asigned to them that day. The animal’s personality can change when it enters the ring.
Once horse and rider are inside the ring for the open flat competition, the rider has to listen for the judges’ directions, which change without warning. Contestants don’t know how they’re doing. They can try to get an idea by glancing at their trainer. But it’s risky, because looking away can be a distraction.
The judges don’t announce scores at the end of a ride. In Kentucky, the contestants waited to hear their names at the end of the day to see if they would come back for the finals. The sequence of names didn’t matter. What was important was being one of the eight people who qualified.
As one of the eight, Miko rode the next day and then listened to the recital of names at the end of the competition. This time the order was important. The eighth-place finisher was introduced first, which meant that the last person called was the winner.
Miko waited patiently, and knew that she had won as soon as she heard the name of the first runner-up. It was a good weekend for the Cornwall girl. She won a fourth-place ribbon for fences, and another first place ribbon as a member of the Lucky C Stables equestrian team.
Lucky C in New Paltz is where Miko trains under the direction of Susan Clark and Jess Anselmo. During the summer, Miko works at the stable in addition to riding there. She’s away from Cornwall through July and August.
To get to the national championships, Miko had to first accrue points in local shows, and then do well at Regionals (in Newburgh) and Zones in State College, Penn.
