Katharine James, a 17 year old, high school senior from Northern California, and her horse, Lorelei, qualified to ride in the ASPCA Maclay National Championship on Nov. 3 in Syracuse, NY. Every young equestrian’s dream, the Maclay medal finals are held at the prestigious Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament.
Riding since the age of 6, Katharine set her sights toward this achievement early on. After Katharine’s qualifying round, her trainer, Nicole Bloom of Round Meadow Farm, says, “Katharine has wanted this since she was 9. I still recall the day we talked about it, this little girl looked at me and told me so emphatically this is what she wanted. She’s never had the most expensive horse, and she’s had to work hard for everything she’s achieved—but I’ve always felt this kid could do it.”



The quiet, thoughtful daughter of a Harley-Davidson dealer, Katharine has worked hard to be a top equitation rider. She attends public school. She’s never even had a new saddle. Lorelei isn’t a seasoned competitor, she was purchased as an inexperienced horse, and they’ve grown together into the team they are today. In the ring, Katharine has a quiet confidence, but she can be a fierce competitor. She’s earned the respect of the judges and her fellow equestrians.
Katharine’s rewarding performance came under the lights in the grand arena at the regional Maclay finals, held at the Oaks Blenheim Fall Tournament in San Juan Capistrano on Sept. 15. Arguably, the top 10 riders all had practically flawless rounds. Their ultimate placement, as with all equitation competitions, was subjective. Judges at this level of competition rely on their years of experience riding, training, and judging to distinguish which riders make up the coveted qualifying spots.
The crowds, the lights, the competition and a long and tough 3’6” course of 13 fences, challenged every rider and defeated several. For a trainer, watching a qualifying round can be a nail biter. Bloom comments, “Watching that round, I just knew she’d put it together. When it was finally over, I thought to myself, this kid’s going to New York. It’s an amazing feeling to watch someone who has worked so hard, and for so long, achieve this goal. It’s such a high bar to hit at this age.”

The Road to the Maclay
For roughly 150 junior riders, winners from the eight regional competitions, a trip to New York to compete for the ASPCA Maclay National Championship is the pinnacle of their sport. It represents an achievement that can only come after many years of hard work and a bit of luck. Securing a spot is the recognition of their talents that these young riders deserve. Discovery Channel’s Road to the Maclay series called these riders “the best of the best equitation riders from around the country.”
Few people outside the horse world understand the demands the sport places on its young riders. At the major shows it’s not uncommon beginning your day at five in the morning and ending long after dark. Balancing school Monday through Wednesday and traveling to horse shows often Wednesday night, to be ready for a four-day weekend of sun-up-to-sundown showing, requires tremendous dedication and organization.
Katharine, an honors student at San Mateo High School points out that it’s the camaraderie with her horse and the satisfaction of a good ride that makes it all worth it. “I guess I’ve given up some of the traditional things—I don’t get to hang out on Saturday night with my friends. But, in the ring, when I’m totally in synch with Lorelei, we’re a great team. I can think of the next move in my head, and she just makes it … it’s freaky. I love it when that happens—it doesn’t always,” explains Katharine with a big smile, “but, when it does—we’re fly’n. We both want to win, but I learned pretty young—a great trip around the ring is the high. Saturday night, we were on. I missed qualifying for New York last year, so this was really sweet.”
Tragically, the day of the Maclay finals, Lorelei had a bad reaction to her hay and broke out in severe hives. A local veterinarian treated Lorelei and pronounced that she would be fine in a few hours, but with both eyes swollen shut it was painfully obvious she couldn’t compete. After a few minutes of what Nicole describes as “sheer panic,” an alternate horse was found.
“I went and found Frank Madden of Beacon Hill Stable,” explains Bloom. “We have known each other for a long time and he really stepped up finding a horse for Katherine at last minute…I told Katherine I know this isn’t how you dreamed it, but go in the ring and put up a good fight, have a good time and in the end you’ll have good story to tell.”
Unfortunately, Katherine took down a rail in the first round. But her trainer, parents and friends at Beacon Hill couldn’t be more proud of Katherine. Though Katherine was disappointed, she will never forget her experience at the Maclay finals.
“I really had to pick myself up when I realized I wasn’t going to be able to ride Lorelei,” states Katherine. “There was already a lot of emotion going into the class, though the courses at both regionals and national were tough, the atmosphere in the East was different. I’m very grateful that I was able to compete. The trip was awesome and it was definitely the experience of a lifetime.”
Katherine is currently preparing for the WCE medal finals at the Los Angeles National Horse Show. She is also applying for colleges, including the University of Syracuse, and hopes to major in art and design.