A tough inside turn proved to be the key for Caroline Nadalin and Boujis to win the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship. It was a turn that hadn’t worked out for a couple of the nine jump-off qualifiers from the original starting field of 25.
Caroline Nadalin and Boujis. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography
“My trainers told me I could do it, so I just believed in it,” Nadalin, 14, said of the turn. “I knew my horse could do it, so I had to believe I could do it, and I just went and did it!” The move resulted in a clean round in the winning time of 34.75 second, more than a second faster than second-placed Katalena Prusso on Camera Ready, who stopped the timers in 35.95 seconds. Stella Propp took third riding Baral Preciosa with a time of 40.94 seconds.
“This win is super exciting,” said Nadalin, from Plain City, Ohio. “We’ve been trying to qualify for these [year-end championships] all year; to win it is really special. It’s a really prestigious show, and it’s so cool to be here in the middle of the city. It’s just a really awesome show for anyone who can be here.”
Nadalin rides with the team at Ken and Emily Smith’s Ashland Farm as well as her mother, Jennifer Nadalin. She’s been riding Boujis, an 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse, for a year. “I love him so much,” she said. “He’s so trustworthy and he does whatever you ask of him. He’s amazing; I trust him with my whole heart. He’s so experienced, so when he gets in the ring, he knows what to do. He’s got it under control. Every time I’ve gone in the ring, it’s gone better and better.”
Nadalin shows in the hunters, equitation, and jumper divisions. This is her first year doing the fall indoor show circuit. “I was nervous because in the past indoor shows, I’ve had an unlucky rail here and there,” Nadalin said. “To make it to the jump-off, I really wanted to do well for my trainers and my horse, and it all worked out.”