Thermal, Calif. – The final day of competition at the 2025 National Sunshine Series at Desert International Horse Park saw top equitation athletes come to compete in a unique medal final. The USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal Final – West challenges finalists in a single-day, three-phase competition that is a true test of horsemanship.
This year’s champion is Violet Tatum (Los Angeles, Calif.) riding Kruz, a 2015 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Bridgeport Farms LLC. The pair started the day strong, earning a class-topping score of 90 for the first phase. Tatum and Kruz made easy work of the Philip De Vita-designed course, impressing the judges and punching their ticket to the second phase.
The top ten entries were invited back for the second phase flatwork. From there, the top four competitors returned for the bracket phase, which is modeled after the format used at NCEA Equestrian meets for varsity competition. In that phase, the riders switch horses and complete a shortened course on horses that are new to them.
“I was really happy with my first round,” said Tatum. “I was a little more nervous before the flat, because that’s not my strong suit, but it ended up going pretty well and I made the top four, which was nice.”
Tatum stood in third place at the end of the second round. The placings from the first two phases are used for seeding, but the scores do not carry forward into the final phase, and it’s anyone’s game. For the bracket phase, Tatum was partnered with Linford 9, Adelaide Ellis’s mount, and Olivia Aul’s Copyright.
“I’ve seen Linford 9 around, but [Copyright] was a little newer to me,” she said. “I’ve seen him a couple of times, but not as much as the other one. But they were both very, very nice. Their riders and trainers gave me a summary on the horses, but I wanted to do what I felt and didn’t want to overthink it.”
Tatum was right to trust her instincts as her skillful rides on the unfamiliar horses secured her the championship title. It’s a good sign for her future as an intercollegiate equestrian athlete; she’s already committed to Auburn University’s Equestrian Team starting in the fall of 2027.
“I’m looking forward to being able to get the experience of riding new horses and to get better as a rider,” she said. “I think it’ll be really fun to have teammates and to be able to cheer them on and have a big group of friends.”
Adelaide Ellis (Hunts Point, Wash.) and her own Linford 9, a 2016 KWPN gelding, had two strong rounds to stand in fourth place after phase two. She earned the reserve champion title thanks to her solid bracket phase rides.
Olivia Aul (Woodinville, Wash.) and Copyright, a 2018 Warmblood gelding owned by Elizabeth Aul, finished in third place, while Kathryn Padilla (Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif.) and Georgetown, a 2018 Hanoverian gelding owned by Highland Farm, LLC, placed fourth overall.
USEF/NCEA Medal Finals – West Live Stream
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