YOUNG ENTRY Yeager Rises Up To Claim Washington Final A longtime partnership with her own Copperfield 39 helps her capture her biggest victory to date.

BY KIERAN PAULSEN AND TORI REPOLE

A strong bond with Copperfield 39 helped Elli Yeager win the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund WIHS Equitation Final at the Washington International. EMILY STAKEM PHOTO

66 The Chronicle of the he lights dimmed in the went on a pony ride at a local fair. Capital One Arena as the top When her father tried to take her out LINDSAY MAXWELL three riders in the Lindsay of the at the end of the ride, Elli CHARITABLE FUND Maxwell Charitable Fund screamed in protest. WIHS EQUITATION TWIHS Equitation Final walked in “He knew he had to let me ride, even FINAL under a spotlight. Only the judges at that young age,” Elli said. Washington, D.C.­—Oct. 27 knew who would take the coveted She started taking lessons at a RIDER HOMETOWN 1. Elli Yeager Westlake Village, blue. Brian Moggre, Coco Fath and Elli western barn near her home but Calif. Yeager lined up and waited. Moggre switched to English once she had the 2. Coco Fath Fairfield, Conn. was called first, in third place, and basics down. Her debut in the show 3. Brian Moggre Flower Mound, Texas then Fath and Yeager—who both ring came in leadline classes, and she’s 4. Emma Kurtz Hudson, Ohio 5. Alexandra Worthington Las Vegas, Nev. train with Stacia Madden of Beacon been chasing blues ever since, first 6. Madison Goetzmann Skaneateles, N.Y. Hill Show Stables in Colts Neck, New under the instruction of Karen Healey 7. McKayla Langmeier East Granby, Conn. Jersey—held their breath. and then under Madden. Elli spent the 8. Grady Lyman San Diego, Calif. 9. Ava Stearns Chilmark, Mass. More than 2,500 miles away, at Oaks last 1 ½ years living with her father 10. Sam Walker Nobleton, Ont., CAN Christian School in Yeager’s home- in New York City, where they moved 40 riders competed. town of Westlake Village, California, to be closer to Madden and the show Yeager’s friends gathered around circuit on the East Coast. a small screen at their lunch table But New York wasn’t the right fit and crossed their fingers. The arena for Elli. She was attending online erupted in cheers when Yeager was school to accommodate her training He always has his game face on. He’s left standing alone, and in the dark- schedule and missed seeing her never let me down, and he’s been the ened stands her father, Lou Yeager, friends and classmates, so she moved best horse I could ask for.” rejoiced. back to California a few weeks before Elli and Copper won a section of the Elli topped the class aboard her the Washington International Horse ASPCA Maclay at the Devon Horse longtime partner, Copperfield 39. It Show got underway on Oct. 23-28 in Show (Pennsylvania) and claimed was her first overall win in a major downtown Washington, District of the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation equitation final, and at 16 years old it Columbia. Championship there, as well as came sooner than she’d anticipated. “I wanted a separation between contesting all the big equitation finals “I didn’t think this was ever going and real life,” Elli said. She’s this fall. to happen,” said Elli. “I’m so grateful considering a career in science, and “[Elli] always had a tremendous that it happened here, at my favorite she’s particularly interested in human amount of feel and an excellent rela- , with my favorite horse. anatomy. tionship with her horse,” Madden It’s better than I could have asked for. But she’s also a serious equestrian, said. “We’ve just been working on He’s been super all week. Even when and when she set the goal of riding really trying to tidy up the focus. She’s we got here he felt spot on, and that’s and winning at the Winter Equestri