Cazenovia, NY, August 21, 2006: Sloane Coles is leading the Bates USA Equitation Rankings for the second week in a row. Coles, who had been third to Maria Schaub and Julie Welles for months, was propelled into the top spot with wins at the Lake Placid horse shows, Hits-on-the-Hudson V and Hunterdon County. Schaub and Welles are now second and third respectively. On the heels of the Coles-Schaub-Welles trio are Haylie Jayne and Nikko Ritter, both of whom have recently jumped into the top five.Though she leads the Bates rankings, Coles has had to be flexible in order to be successful. “I’ve been riding different horses all year,” she explains. While she has had a great deal of success on various horses, Coles’ trainer, Frank Madden, says the changes in mounts have “caused some inconsistencies in her performance between Florida and now.” But circumstances changed recently for Coles. Since the end of Lake Placid last month, she has been leasing a new horse, Papillon, that she will be able to ride consistently for the remainder of the season. Coles says Papillon just started his equitation career at the beginning of this summer. “He’s got a great personality. I got really attached to him right away. He learned a bunch very quickly, and he really wants to win,” Coles says of her new partner. According to Madden, Coles possesses similar qualities herself. He describes her as “a ‘steady Eddie’ who is very committed to the sport.” He adds, “Of course, any of the riders who are high on the Bates list have those same qualities.”
BATES USA EQUITATION RANKING as of August 18, 2025
Place Rider Points City, State Trainer
1 Sloane Coles 1743 The Plains, VA Frank & Stacia Madden
2 Maria Schaub 1694 Holmdel, NJ Frank & Stacia Madden
3 Julie Welles 1553 West Simsbury, CT Missy Clark
4 Haylie Jayne 1237 West Simsbury, CT Alex Jayne & Missy Clark
5 Nikko Ritter 1227 Geneva, FL Wendy Peralta & Beacon Hill
6 Chelsea Moss 1211 Medford, NJ Frank & Stacia Madden
7 Maggie McAlary1202 Amherst, NH Andre Dignelli
8 Kimberly McCormack 1182 Clermont, NJ Kristy McCormack
9 Jack Hardin Towell, Jr. 1022 Camden, SC Jack Towell & Missy Clark
10 Elizabeth Lubrano 996 Glenmoore, PA Frank & Stacia Madden
The complete list is available at www.batesequitationranking.com. The Syracuse Invitational will provide a monthly update on the Bates USA Equitation Rankings until the year-end medals are presented in November.
Each fall the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament welcomes the top-ranked equestrians from across the US and the world to downtown Syracuse to compete at the War Memorial Arena in the Oncenter Complex. Beginning November 1 and running through November 5, the 2006 event will feature a full slate of high-level competition, entertainment, shopping and exhibitions. A 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, the Syracuse Invitational benefits Cornell University Equine Hospital and Vera House. More information is available at www.syracuseinvitational.com.
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