Opening Day in the Dixon Oval By Halie Greening T he opening day of Devon started out brilliantly in the Dixon Oval as the WIHS Equitation Classic- Jumper Phase got underway, with over 120 riders making the competition nothing but arduous. With a double and triple thrown into the mix, and an allowance of 81 seconds to complete the 3’6” course, this challenge set the standards for the junior jumpers. Meg O'Mara on Fernleigh (Photo by James Leslie Parker) The WIHS is divided into four sections and had strong riders in each setting the bar high for scores. The highest open numerical score was set by Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL who rode VIP Z to the score to beat of 91, and won the first of the four sections, Colvin had a fluid and flawless ride.  A spectator commented as the section continued, “She’ll win, she’ll stay on top,” and she most certainly did. Junior jumper Meg O’Mara of Rumson, NJ brought in the blue in the second section of WIHS atop Fernleigh in a flawless round with acute accuracy giving her a score of 90 finishing in a clean 68.778 seconds.  Continuing on to the third section of the first junior jumper class of the day, Elizabeth Benson of Whitehouse Station, NJ and trained by Stacia Madden put up a clean score of 89 on San Remo VDL for the win. In the fourth and final section of the WIHS Equitation Classic- Jumper Phase, a mere point put Schaefer Raposa of Wellington, FL riding Charlie Z.  with a score of 87 safely ahead of Julia Fowler’s 86. Elizabeth Benson on San Remo VDL (Photo by James Leslie Parker) A long list of robust junior equestrian athletes commanded all attention in the Dixon Oval during the WIHS Equitation Classic sponsored by Turner Investments and set high expectations for Junior Weekend