Category Archives: Hunter/Equitation

Community/Charity, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Products/Services, Show Jumping

Shop ’til You Drop at the Alltech National Horse Show

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C. M. Hadfield's Saddlery trailer and interior design photo courtesy of Cindy Hadfield.

Lexington, KY – October 12, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, set for its exiting debut at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky on November 2-6, 2011, will be hosting some of the horse industry’s most sought after vendors at the Alltech Arena. Retail booths will be set up around the arena featuring 25 vendors specializing in fine and equestrian jewelry, souvenirs from the Alltech National Horse Show, ladies’ boutiques, art galleries and many more entrepreneurial venues.

This year’s show, designated CSI4*-W, will feature a complete schedule of ‘AA’-rated hunter divisions, including the Pony Lane Farm High Performance Hunter section. Also on the agenda, a big money Open Jumper division highlighted by the Sasco Creek Farm $50,000 Welcome Speed Class, the $75,000 Double H Farms Thursday’s Jump-Off class, the $60,000 Spy Coast Farm Faults Converted Speed class on Friday and of course, the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix, an FEI World Cup qualifying event. $100,000 will be up for grabs for the Junior and Amateur Jumper divisions, including the $50,000 SJHOF Junior/Amateur Championships, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch, Chansonette and Deeridge Farm. The final Sunday is highlighted by the signature event of the National Horse Show, the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals, presented by C. M. Hadfield’s Saddlery.

Continue reading Shop ’til You Drop at the Alltech National Horse Show →

Community/Charity, Diana de Rosa, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Washington Int'l Horse Show

Get Ready for a Barn Night Blast at the Washington International Horse Show

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The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), the leading year-end championship horse show in the country, is pleased to announce the popular kid-centric Barn Night will return to the show on Thursday Oct. 27, 2011. The 53rd Annual Washington International Horse Show will take place Oct. 25-30 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Starting at 6:00 PM, Thursday, Oct. 27, WIHS will welcome local barns and horse enthusiasts for Barn Night 2011. Barn Night offers a fun and exciting evening for riders, their barnmates, friends, and families to celebrate equestrian sport and pay tribute to those that excel at all levels of hunter jumper competition.

“We are creating a spectacular night of exciting competition and special exhibitions by equestrian stars, as well as interactive contests for kids and teens with great prizes,” said show Executive Director, Bridget Love Meehan.

Breyer Animal Creations will be joining Barn Night this year with Stablemates Painting on the concourse, free for kids 12 and under. In addition, special prizes will be given out for the first 100 kids to arrive for the big night courtesy of Breyer.

Continue reading Get Ready for a Barn Night Blast at the Washington International Horse Show →

Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy Win High Performance Reserve Championship at Capital Challenge Horse Show

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Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy win the High Performance Hunters Reserve Championship at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. Photo: Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Buffalo, NY – October 10, 2011 – SBS Farms returned home yesterday from the prestigious Capital Challenge Horse Show held in Marlboro, MD. The event has seen some of the most respected riders of the industry showing for the top honors in the competitive hunter divisions. SBS Farms’ professional rider and trainer Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy captured the judges’ attention in the High Performance Hunter division earning the reserve tricolor.

The nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding has built an extensive hunter record during his time with Alfano, winning events such as the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Devon Horse Show for two consecutive years. The talented duo claimed third place in their first three High Performance Hunter classes at Capital Challenge, as well as the first place prize in the High Performance Handy Hunter Stake. Their top awards earned the pair the reserve championship just behind Hunt Tosh and Rosalynn.

“I was really happy with our rounds at the Capital Challenge,” explained Alfano. “Jersey Boy and I have a great relationship, and we know what to expect from one another when we are out there. He was really good, a little spooky during the first class, which he can be; however, he stayed really consistent earning third in every class, and then won the handy. He was amazing in the handy, I was really happy with him.”

Continue reading Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy Win High Performance Reserve Championship at Capital Challenge Horse Show →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Junior and Amateur Riders Win Big Money, SmartPak Grand Circuit Champions Are Crowned, and the Road to America’s Richest Classes Begins Again at Culpeper Finals

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© ESI Photography. Laura Linback and Casino on course in the $25,000 Junior/ Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic.

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA (October 7, 2011) — Six weeks of show jumping, which started in April at HITS Commonwealth Park, concluded this past Sunday with big prize money, record-breaking entries and tons of exciting year-end show jumping at the Culpeper Finals. The final show week of the year for the HITS calendar delivered and set a promising precedent for next year’s show jumping opportunities.

After the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix drew crowds to HITS-on-the-Hudson as the top Grand Prix and Hunter riders from around the world rode for serious prize money, momentum was building for the Culpeper Finals. Riders caught Pfizer Million fever and transitioned from HITS-on-the-Hudson to Culpeper with ease to get a jumpstart on qualifying for the 2012 $1 Million Grand Prix. Commonwealth Park attracted impressive numbers for last week’s special year-end classes, serving as a strong finish to the HITS’ show jumping circuits.

$25,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic
Junior and Amateur-Owner Jumper riders were rewarded with a $25,000 purse in the High Classic on Sunday as a field of 18 competed over a course designed by Olaf Petersen Sr. of Paehl, Germany. Amateur rider and seasoned Grand Prix veteran Laura Linback of Mundelin, Illinois took home the blue ribbon after posting the fastest double-clear effort aboard Woodrun’s Casino.

Continue reading Junior and Amateur Riders Win Big Money, SmartPak Grand Circuit Champions Are Crowned, and the Road to America’s Richest Classes Begins Again at Culpeper Finals →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood

Kingston and Jazz Johnson Merton Crowned Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Champions at 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show

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Kingston and Jazz Johnson Merton. Photo © Parker/Russell - The Book LLC and Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Upper Marlboro, MD – October 6, 2011 – In a day full of amateur competition, the Capital Challenge Horse Show awarded seven championships and two grand championships. Jazz Johnson Merton of Pottersville, NJ, won the Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Championship aboard Kingston. The Grand Adult Amateur Hunter Champions were Music Street and Lindsey Evans Thomas. The evening session hosted the $10,000 Children’s/Adult Jumper Challenge sponsored by Jan Agardy Metzer and Sea Shore Partners LLC. Kaley Pratt and Shane were the fastest in the jump-off for the win.

The remaining highlight class of the week for the professional hunter riders is the $7,500 WCHR Professional Finals, presented by the John R. Ingram Fund, for the top six hunter riders in the country on Friday, October 7. The Capital Challenge Horse Show, held at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center, will run through Sunday, October 9.

Johnson Merton and Kingston were champions in the Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunters sponsored by The Hallman Family and MerryLegs South. They won two over fences classes and were fifth in another, and they added a fifth in the under saddle class for the top tricolor. The reserve champion was Thoughtful, ridden and owned by Keri Guanciale. They placed second and fourth over fences and won the under saddle class.

This was the first time that Johnson Merton and Kingston have been champions at the Capital Challenge, but they have stepped into the winner’s circle before. They have been champion and reserve champion at the Devon Horse Show, and they were named champions at the Washington International Horse Show.

Continue reading Kingston and Jazz Johnson Merton Crowned Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Champions at 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Local Rider Christina Kelly Qualifies for the Alltech National Horse Show

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Christina Kelly competing in the Amateur Owner Jumpers in Kentucky. Photo: Rebecca Walton

Lexington, KY – October 5, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show’s debut at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, is just a few weeks away, and local rider Christina Kelly is quickly preparing for her own debut at the event. Kelly is based out of her family’s Diamond Edge Farm in Nicholasville, KY, and will be competing in the $25,000 Junior Jumper Division, as well as the $50,000 SJHOF Junior/Amateur Championships, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch, Chansonette and Deeridge Farm.

Although Kelly represents Ireland, she has been competing in the United States for a number of years and has taken the circuit by storm in 2011. She has won numerous Junior Jumper Classics aboard her three talented mounts: Camirage, Creata Van Ten Biesen, and HH Narcos Du Marais, which have all earned a spot on the qualification list for this year’s Alltech National Horse Show.

“This is my first year competing during the Alltech National Horse Show, and I love the Kentucky Horse Park so I think it’s going to be a great event,” commented Kelly. “There are a lot of European riders coming over for the other classes and I think it’s going to be a great horse show, especially because it will be in the Alltech Arena. It’s going to be focused on that main event and I think it will be amazing.”

Kelly continued, “I love the Kentucky Horse Park. We stay there for five weeks during the summer and the horses never seem to get tired of it. They jump so much better on that footing and they have the grass field to ride in, I think they really like it and they perform better there.”

Continue reading Local Rider Christina Kelly Qualifies for the Alltech National Horse Show →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group

Lene Bruheim and Pristine Park Win Children’s Hunter Classic at GSEC Fall Classic

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Lene Bruheim and Pristine Park won the Children's Hunter Classic at the GSEC Fall Classic for Nordic Lights Farm. Photo Courtesy of the Client

Katy, TX – October 5, 2011 – It was a great week for the horses of Nordic Lights Farm during the GSEC Fall Classic, held at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX, from September 28 – October 2, 2011. Junior rider Lene Bruheim competed aboard Elisabeth Bruheim’s Pristine Park for the first time and the duo proved very successful. They were the winners of the Children’s Hunter Classic, as well as the Children’s Equitation Over Fences for Nordic Lights Farm.

After winning the first round of the Children’s Hunter Classic, Lene and Pristine Park returned to the ring and laid down a beautiful trip that received the highest score of the day and eventually garnered them the blue ribbon prize. The pair also went on to receive the top call in the Children’s Equitation Over Fences for their impressive partnership.

“Pristine Park was awesome to ride this weekend,” commented Lene. “He was a touch fresh the first day, but amazing the second day. I couldn’t ask for a more willing horse to mount, and I really started to get the hang of his ride by the Children’s Hunter Classic.”

During the GSEC Fall Classic, Lene trained with professional rider Shannon Slyfield, who has ridden Pristine Park to many excellent ribbons. This week, Slyfield and Pristine Park took home a third and fifth place award in the Performance Working 3’3″ Hunter division.

Nordic Lights Farm is a 70-acre establishment located in Tomball, TX, and was founded in 2007 by the Bruheim family to help further the equestrian goals of 18-year-old Eirin Bruheim and 16-year-old Lene Bruheim. Both girls have worked their way up through the ranks and are currently competing at the top levels in the hunter and jumper divisions aboard their incredible string of horses.

Media Contact: Mason Phelps
Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
phone 561.753.3389  fax 561.753.3386
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood

Eight Championships Awarded in Pro & Future Hunters at 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show

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Rosalynn and Hunt Tosh. Photos © Parker/Russell - The Book LLC and Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Upper Marlboro, MD – October 4, 2011 – Eight championships were awarded today at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, honoring the best hunters in the country. Sandy Ferrell piloted Showman, owned by Krista and Alexa Weisman, to the championship in the $9,000 Second Year Green Working Hunters. In the $10,000 High Performance Hunters, Hunt Tosh and Dr. Betsee Parker’s Rosalynn earned the top tricolor. Along with those two rated divisions, championships were given in five Future Hunter divisions and the Performance Hunters 3’6”. The Capital Challenge Horse Show, held at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, runs through Sunday, October 9.

The professional hunters will wrap up their divisions tomorrow. The highlight classes of the week for the professional hunter riders are the $15,000 WCHR Professional Challenge on Wednesday, October 5, and the $7,500 WCHR Professional Finals, presented by the John R. Ingram Fund, for the top six hunter riders in the country on Friday, October 7.

Ferrell and Showman won the Second Year Green Hunter championship, but they are no strangers to the winner’s circle at Capital Challenge. Two years ago, they swept the Future Hunter awards with a division tricolor, the North American Championship class victory, and the Grand Future Hunter Championship. Last year he was reserve champion in the First Year Green Hunters.

This week, Ferrell and Showman, a nine-year-old Westphalian gelding by Showstar, won three out of the four over fences classes and were third in the under saddle. The reserve championship went to Taken, ridden by Kelley Farmer for Nancy Amling. They were second in the handy hunter and third, third, and fourth in the other jumping classes.

Continue reading Eight Championships Awarded in Pro & Future Hunters at 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show →

Classic Company, Classic Company, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

2011 Atlanta Fall Classic

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Just a reminder, the Atlanta Fall Classic (November 9-20) is just around the corner. The prize lists have been mailed and are posted online. The highlights of the show include the National Classic Equitation Finals sponsored by Equestrian Travel.

A list of those qualified is posted on the www.ClassicCompany.com home page. The Classic Company Horse of the Year standings sponsored by EMO are also posted on our home page. Both Atlanta fall events will add points for the standings.

The show will also have our National Hunter Jumper finals which is our double money classic, and a $25,000 Welcome along with the weekly Grand Prix class.

This year the annual $25,000 Barry Lane Memorial class will be divided into a $10,000 class and a $15,000 class. This was changed due to USEF rules and hoops.

If you have any questions, please call our office at 843-768-5503.

See you at the rings,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd.
www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX:  (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311  Johns Island  SC 29457

Community/Charity, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Training/Clinics, USEF

Randolph College Pledges Continued Support of USEF National Junior Jumper Championships and Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Finals

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Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that Randolph College of Lynchburg, VA, has signed on again this year as the title sponsor of the USEF National Junior Jumper Championships, as well as presenting sponsor of the Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Finals.

“Randolph College is excited to sponsor high caliber events such as the USEF National Junior Jumper Championships and the Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Finals,” shared Tamara Wenning, Interim Director of Riding at the school. “At Randolph College, our riding program is structured to provide the serious rider with everything they need to succeed, including access to first-rate facilities. Whether they are in the classroom or in the ring, Randolph College students receive the highest caliber instruction and individualized attention.”

The Randolph Riding Center boasts some of the best views in all of Central Virginia, located at the foothills of the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains. The stable provides more than 40 spacious stalls, complete with wash stalls and six turnout paddocks for private boarders. The 100-acre facility caters to all levels of riders, as the Center features a jumping amphitheatre, 250′ x 150′ schooling ring, Hunter and cross-country jumps. The Claire Noyes Cox Indoor Arena (120′ x 300′) hosts riding competitions and sports an impressive lounge and viewing area. The Center features more than 30 quality school horses that are available to riders of all levels. The equestrian program at Randolph College offers weekly training for college credit, special coaching and clinics.

Continue reading Randolph College Pledges Continued Support of USEF National Junior Jumper Championships and Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Finals →