Colleen Akin finishes second — by a hair — at Golden State Dressage Show

Warwick — Warwick Valley High School sophomore Colleen Akin went to Rancho Murieta, Calif., this summer to compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Dressage Seat Medal Finals. She came back Reserve Champion - and on crutches. Akin competed in the 14 to 18 year-old division, just a few weeks shy of her 15th birthday. Riding a borrowed horse, she scored 80.000 percent. The champion, Rachel Campbell of Wylie, Texas, also rode a borrowed horse and scored 80.667 percent. Less than one percent separated the gold and silver medalists. Akin, who is trained by two-time Olympian Lendon Gray, hurt her ankle while warming up just before the competition. With a bad sprain, she continued and rode to second place. According to the United States Equestrian Federation, the purpose of the Dressage Seat Medal Program is to promote and reward excellence in equitation, including correct seat, position and use of aids in the sport of dressage. Junior riders in these finals qualified last year by competing in the Dressage Seat Medal Semi-Final classes held at each of the nine United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Regional Championships, with the top two competitors in each age division being eligible for the finals. Akin placed first in 2005 at the region 8 final in Saugerties with a score of 90. Her closest competitor scored an 80. Since the rider, not just the horse, is the primary focus of the judges’ scrutiny, one of the unique aspects of the Dressage Seat Medal Program is that riders may use borrowed horses. This allows competitors from across the country to attend and compete. Twelve of the 17 juniors in the competition rode borrowed horses. Coming home from California with a medal didn’t surprise Akin’s parents, Joe and Laura Akin of Bellvale. Seeing her on crutches, however, was not what they expected. “Colleen was in terrific hands with Lendon out in California,” said Laura. “We are so proud of her accomplishment and, although she came home on crutches, it was a terrific experience for her.”