Harrisburg, Pa. – October 13, 2024 – From the first day of the 2024 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships, 16-year-old Olivia Sweetnam sat just 0.01 points off the gold medal spot. On Saturday night, October 12, at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, she overcame that incredibly small margin to add her name to the history books as the new USEF Junior Jumper National Champion.

Throughout the four rounds and three phases of competition, held Thursday, October 10 through Saturday, October 12, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA, Sweetnam and HDB Quality produced nothing but quick, clear rounds. As rails fell for others over the Anderson Lima-designed course on Saturday, Sweetnam cemented her spot atop the podium.

Earning the additional podium positions also required nothing less than clear rounds all week, with the silver medal going to Clara Propp aboard Cocolina, and Ava Myers and Sparky taking home the bronze.

“This experience has been amazing,” said Sweetnam, who hails from Wellington, FL. “I kind of put a lot of pressure on myself both last night and tonight because I wanted to do good for both my team and my horse. I know that [HDB Quality] is very capable of doing this with ease, so I didn’t want to let her down.”

Sweetnam attributes a good part of her consistency and success at the PNHS to her strong partnership with “Quality,” an 11-year-old Westphalian mare owned by her family’s Sweet Oak Farm.

“This is my heart horse, so it means extra to me,” said Sweetnam of the mare she has been partnered with for the last three years. “I know her very, very well. I’ve moved up from the 1.20m all the way to this level, and she’s taken me around a 1.50m track now. We have a really, really good bond bonth in and out of the barn because she’s one of those mares that, once you connect with them and earn their trust, she’ll do anything for you. I trust her with my life, and she trusts me as her rider. it’s so great that I can walk into the ring every single time knowing that she’s going to give it her all.”

For her win, Sweetnam was presented with the AHSA National Show Jumping Individual Championship Perpetual Trophy.

Also adding her name to a prestigious and historic trophy was silver medalist Propp. Following her four clear rounds with Cocolina, Propp was awarded with the William C. Steinkraus Style Award, given to the rider who best exemplifies the American style of equitation and the respectful, dignified, courteous and workmanlike manner of a true sportsman.

“Coming into this evening, I knew I wasn’t going in on the podium, so I just wanted to have a clear round and hopefully move up,” said Propp, who sat in fourth place heading into Saturday night. “We did just that, and my horse was amazing!”

In speaking of the 13-year-old Oldenburg mare, owned by Marigold Sporthorses, LLC, Propp continued, “She handles pressure really well. I just didn’t want to let her down because she’s more than capable of this. I loved the course tonight. I think the difficulty was exactly right for a class like this, and I think that it was fair. I think that it was very doable, but it definitely asked the horse and rider correct questions.”

For full results of the 2024 Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships, click here.