Julie Welles Dominates Junior Jumper Division at 2006 Devon Horse Show
Devon, PA – In addition to being one of the best equitation riders in the country, 17 year old Julie Welles of West Simsbury, CT, has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with in the junior jumpers. On her two mounts, Felix des Noues and Lapeti, Welles won every class in the division, was champion and reserve in the division, and was named Best Junior Jumper Rider of the show. The Shalanno Style of Riding Award went to Addison Phillips of New York City.
In last night’s $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior Jumper Classic, Welles led a field of 12 in the jump-off with Felix des Noues. She blazed home clean in a time of 36.861 seconds, edging out Addison Phillips and Flight for the win. Welles was also seventh with Lapeti.
On Friday morning, Welles and Felix des Noues won their first class of the week, the $2,500 Junior Jumper Class, which was a time first jump-off format. She returned Friday night for the Junior Jumper Gambler’s Choice class and won handily with Lapeti, who is owned by Turnabout Farm and Sarah Willeman. She bested the next closest competitor by 80 points. Lapeti came back on Saturday to win the Junior Jumper Hit and Hurry class. She and Welles were the only pair to amass 24 points, three points ahead of the second place finisher. No one else came close to challenging Welles for the championship title.
It was a fitting end to Welles’ junior career at Devon. After she won the equitation championship at Devon last year, she came into the horse show this year focused on her jumpers.
Felix des Noues is owned by Welles’ trainer Missy Clark, and is a fairly new ride for her. They started together this winter, and Welles mentioned that it took some time for her to get used to Felix’s speedy style. Their get-to-know-you phase seems to have ended with their championship this weekend, and Welles will be hard to beat on the quick bay gelding.
She has ridden Lapeti for three years now, which is the longest time she has had a horse to ride consistently. “It’s been really nice to have her for that long,” Welles remarked.
Between her two horses, Welles won all four junior jumper classes at Devon. “I’m kind of in shock that I won all four classes,” she acknowledged. “I came here just wanting to ride the best that I could. There are so many good people here, and it meant a whole lot to win.”
This year is also the first time that Welles has had two horses to ride in the jumpers, and it seems to have given her a distinct advantage. “It’s great to have two in the jumpers because if you know where you make a mistake, you can try not to do it on the second horse. You get a second chance to fix it,” she said. “It makes a big difference as a rider, and it gets you more experience.”
Winning at Devon was meaningful for Welles, especially in the classic on Saturday night when fans packed the stands. “It feels even more special than a normal class when you have crowds of people there to watch the class,” she revealed.
Although Welles will never show as a junior rider at Devon again, she is sure to have crowds of people to watch her compete for years to come.
For full Devon results, please visit www.thedevonhorseshow.com.