Horse Illustrated Magazine

On November 1 in Syracuse, N.Y., Jessica Springsteen won the ASPCA Maclay Championship at the Syracuse Sporthorse Invitational Tournament Featuring The 125th National Horse Show, and it was a star-studded event. In the stands to cheer on the teenager was her celebrity father, Bruce Springsteen, as well as her famous mother and her two brothers.

“Jess has worked so hard ever since she was young. It is amazing to see young girls and boys her age with the kind of adult discipline it takes to achieve something like that,” Bruce said. “It is tremendous; it takes a very mature work ethic and a good degree of character. She has done wonderfully and has really developed. It has been so exciting to watch her ride and exciting to watch her develop into who she is through the activities with the horses. That has been exciting for us.”

Springsteen’s famous mom, singer Patti Scialfa, who has been married to Bruce since 1991, was also there to watch her daughter compete. Scialfa said that she usually does not get nervous when she is watching her daughter unless it is an important class like the ASPCA Maclay.

Bruce commented on his daughter’s discipline and how much he has learned from this sport over the years. “After you have been to so many shows year after year, you realize how difficult it is and what an achievement it is. You also realize how good the others riders are and how much work has gone into it,” Bruce said. “You see a culmination of thirteen years of riding come down to one minute and thirty seconds. That is a tough lesson in life. Musicians always get to sing it again; riders get one shot.”

The ASPCA Maclay has been held since 1933, and it is one of the most prestigious competitions for junior riders in the United States. Its winners are some of the biggest names in equestrian sport. Previous winners include: William Steinkraus in 1941, Frank Chapot (1948), George Morris (1952), Leslie Burr Howard (1972), Stacia Klein Madden in 1987, and Nicole Shahinian Simpson in 1992.

Final Results of the 2008 ASPCA Maclay Championship:

1. Jessica Springsteen, Papillion 136, Stone Hill Farm
2. Victoria Birdsall, Cheyenne, Heritage Farm
3. Zazou Hoffman, Ivy, Missy Clark
4. Christy DiStefano, Fingerprint, Christy DiStefano
5. Samantha L. Smith, Palladium
6. Laura Pfeiffer, Foreign Encounter, Terri Dandino
7. Rachel Udelson, Littlefoot, Missy Clark
8. Carolyn Curcio, Rodin, Golden Goose Investments
9. Lucy Davis, Patrick, Lucy Davis
10. Samantha Senft, Lord Loxley, Liza Finsness

Reserve is Jacqueline Lubrano who rode Calito 7, owned by Horizon Hill Farm.