Day Four at Devon Brings Out the Nova Nation
Darian Smith rides Aymar De La Rose trained by Villanova Equestrian coach Lindsay Langan in the Dixon Oval on Sunday (Andrew McKeough | AKSM Photography)
Villanova University Equestrian coach Lindsay Langan and her rider Darian Smith began their first day of competition at Devon on Sunday
Article by Thomas Zaffalon (Sports Writer)
DEVON, PA - The temperature on Sunday hovered around 87 degrees the whole day, making it a beautiful but scorching day with the rain only coming in during the late afternoon. However, that didn't stop it from being an eventful day in the Dixon Oval, with 13 total events taking place over the course of the day.
The main highlight of the day were the Carriage contest, which were divided by size of the horses, number of horses, number of wheels on the carriage, and number of harnesses. There were a total of 9 carriage events with a total of 27 contestants. John White of Newton, New Jersey competed in 3 events with his carriage "Heavy Dog Cart". While White only one one event, in which he was uncontested, he still placed in the top 3 of every other event he was in.
On the jumping side of things, Villanova Equestrian coach Lindsay Langan and her rider Darian Smith competed in the $2500 Adult Amateur Jumpers event. Smith ended up being disqualified for an incident in the ring where the horse, Aymar De La Rose, slowed down and refused to obey Darian's commands. Darian Will be competing 3 more times with Aymar De La Rose and another two times with her other horse, Just Special. Darian Smith and her two horses are the only rider/horse combos that Villanova's Langan brought to the Horse Show.
Darian Smith's disqualification capped off a rain ridden afternoon, as everyone begins to look forward to a great Memorial Day in Devon.
Click here to purchase tickets to the 2019 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.
Thomas Zaffalon joined the AKSM photography team in the spring of 2018 as an intern sports writer. Thomas covers Villanova Athletics and excels in writing about basketball, football and baseball. Click Here to Contact Thomas Zaffalon.