Category Archives: Hunter/Equitation

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Grand Pony Hunter Championship Title Goes to Meredith Darst at 2011 USEF Pony Finals

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Julia Curtis and The Waterboy Win the Pony Jumper Individual Finals

Meredith Darst and Enchanted Forest. Photo by Shawn McMillen

Lexington, KY – The fifth day of the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals was warm and sunny as the Large Pony Hunter Over Fences kicked off the day in the Walnut Ring. For the third year in a row, For The Laughter claimed the Overall Large Pony Hunter Championship, this time with Meredith Darst in the irons. As the USEF National Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans came to a close, the Grand Hunter Pony Championship title was awarded to Darst and Enchanted Forest for their efforts in the Medium Pony Hunter division earlier in the week. The final event of the day was the Individual Pony Jumper Finals where Julia Curtis and The Waterboy jumped to the championship honors.

Earlier this week, Meredith Darst and Enchanted Forest, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, had an incredible performance in the Medium Pony Hunter division. They were in the lead going into the over fences phase and with a beautiful trip they scored the blue ribbon prize and were eventually presented with the Overall Medium Pony Hunter Championship. The Large Pony Hunters were the last to compete this week, but Darst and Enchanted Forest’s excellent effort prevailed and they scored the Grand Hunter Pony Championship. The duo was awarded the International Jumping Derby Perpetual Trophy, and also has the “Trip of the Show.”

“Enchanted Forest has been really good,” smiled 13-year-old Darst. “I started to ride him at the beginning of WEF. He has a huge stride, so I can go really slowly, but you have to sit up a little bit at the jump because he likes the gap. He has easy lead changes and his canter is very comfortable. Enchanted Forest has been there and done that, so he’s pretty made, plus he’s very pretty and moves very nicely.”

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Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Daisy Farish Awarded Overall Small Pony Hunter Grand Championship at 2011 USEF Pony Finals

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Daisy Farish and Ballou (Photo: Shawn McMillen).

Lexington, KY – Another cool summer day greeted exhibitors for the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park. The Large Pony Hunters took center stage in the Walnut Ring this morning as they completed their Model and Under Saddle phases, where Meredith Darst and For the Laughter took home both blue ribbons. The Small Pony Hunter Over Fences were next, and at the end of the day Daisy Farish and Ballou earned the Overall Small Pony Hunter Grand Championship with their consistency throughout the division. Finally, in the Covered Arena, riders participated in the USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship.

“Third time is the charm” proved to be the lucky phrase for today’s winning combination in the Small Pony Hunters. This is Daisy Farish’s third year competing at Pony Finals and it proved to be the best. Farish and Ballou, owned by Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, took home the Overall Small Pony Hunter Championship, presented by Sallee Horse Vans, and the Professional Horseman’s Association of America Perpetual Trophy. The duo was ranked eighth going into today’s Over Fences phase, and with scores of 84.7, 83.25, and 87 they scored the third-place award, jumping to the top of the leaderboard and earning the coveted title.

“I have been riding Ballou for about three years,” explained 10-year-old Farish, who trains with Scott Stewart. “He jumps really well and he is very easy to find the distance on, he’s very smooth. I rode him at Pony Finals before, but we weren’t as good as this year. We have been coming to Pony Finals for about three years and I felt ready this year. I chose to show Ballou because I have ridden him for a long time and have a good relationship with him. Ballou has shown a lot, so it helps me to stay confident. He also has a really sweet barn personality; he is very sweet and he loves apples.”

The winner of today’s Small Pony Hunter Over Fences phase was also the division’s reserve champion. Bergen Sanderford and First Edition, owned by Katie Dinan LLC of New York, NY, received scores of 87, 85.25, and 85.25 to take home the blue ribbon prize as well as the Overall Small Pony Hunter Reserve Grand Champion title. The second-place finisher during the Over Fences was last year’s champion mount, Elation, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, who was ridden by McKayla Langmeier. The pair earned scores of 86, 83, and 86 for their beautiful round.

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Awards, Community/Charity, Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

OVATION Leading Rider Awards Announced for 2011 Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival

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Erin Haas and Kimberly Seay. Photo: Randi Muster

Traverse City, MI – August 12, 2011 – Horse Sports by the Bay, Inc. is pleased to announce that the following riders achieved OVATION Leading Rider Status during the 2011 Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival this summer at Flintfields Horse Park in scenic Traverse City, MI.

Courtesy of Gold Sponsor English Riding Supply, recipients received a $500 gift certificate, allowing them free rein with the 2011 English Riding Supply equestrian apparel and equipment catalog. Riders who earned this coveted award scored the highest total number of points in their respective section from all four weeks of recent competition.

English Riding Supply, located in Scranton, PA, represents the world’s greatest brands including OVATION, Veredus, Pessoa, and Mountain Horse, all of which are endorsed by the country’s most elite equestrian athletes.

The 2011 winners are:

Kelley Farmer, Professional Hunter Rider
Wilhelm Genn, Professional Jumper Rider
Carson Gibson, Junior Hunter Rider
Weatherly Stroh, Amateur-Owner Hunter Rider
Maddie Darst, Pony Hunter Rider
Paige Matthies, Children’s Hunter Rider
Sue Hehl, Adult Hunter Rider
Erin Haas, High JR/AO Jumper Rider (pictured)
Kimberly Seay, Low JR/AO Jumper Rider (pictured)
Lauren Keck, Adult Jumper Rider
Kady Abrahamson, Children’s Jumper Rider
Meehan Shirey, Equitation Rider

For complete results of the 2011 Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival at Flintfields Horse Park, please visit www.horseshowsbythebay.com or www.horseshowing.com.

For more information on English Riding Supply please visit www.englishridingsupply.com.

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

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Meredith Darst Scores Overall Medium Pony Hunter Grand Championship at 2011 USEF Pony Finals

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Meredith Darst and Enchanted Forrest. Photo by Shawn McMillen

Lexington, KY – It was a sunny and warm at the Kentucky Horse Park for the third day of the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals. The day began in the Walnut Ring with the Small Pony Hunter Model and Under Saddle phases. The Medium Pony Hunter Over Fences were up next, and after three days of competition the Overall Medium Pony Hunter Grand Championship was awarded to Meredith Darst for her ride aboard Enchanted Forrest. The final event of the day was the Pony Jumper Welcome Class and first qualifier for the Individual medals, which was held in the Covered Arena this evening.

Meredith Darst and Enchanted Forrest, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, have had a fantastic week in the Medium Pony Hunter division. They held the lead going into the final phase, and with scores of 86.9, 87 and 87, the duo garnered the top call over fences. Darst and Enchanted Forrest’s efforts eventually earned them the Overall Medium Pony Hunter Grand Championship and the Beagle Brook Farm Perpetual Trophy, donated by Jennifer Miller and Beagle Brook Farm in honor of “Special Effects.” All of this week’s USEF National Hunter Pony Championships are presented by Sallee Horse Vans.

“I began riding Enchanted Forrest at the beginning of WEF, and I really like the under saddle and over fences phases with him,” noted Darst. “He is really quiet and has a really big stride, so you can go pretty slow, but you need to have impulsion and keep him in front of your leg. He moves really well and jumps over fences smoothly.”

Darst added, “It’s great to do well at Pony Finals because it validates all of our hard work during the year. It is one of my favorite competitions, and I like that it is on different days, so I do not have to run around as much; I like the separation of the classes.”

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

Kincannon and Conroy Guide Alltech National Horse Show’s Kentucky Debut

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ANHS mgt team, Bobby Murphy, Robby Murphy, Hugh Kincannon, Ellen Veitch and J. P. Bordeleau. Photo: © Kenneth Kraus/ PhelpsSports.com.

Lexington, KY – August 11, 2012 – When the Alltech National Horse Show makes it Kentucky debut in November, the first class production will be under the direction of one of the nation’s most trusted and experienced managements teams.

The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, will be held from November 2-6, 2011, at the beautiful, new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. This year’s debut event is designated a CSI4*-W and the featured class, the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix, will be a 2011/2012 FEI World Cup qualifying event. The ASPCA Maclay National Championships will take center stage on the final Sunday of the show.

Leading the production and heading up the management team are Co-Managers Hugh Kincannon and Leo Conroy.

Hugh Kincannon’s management resume is an impressive one.

Kincannon’s talents were evident early on in his career, as he developed a highly successful series of horse shows at his farm just outside of Cleveland, and then additional events in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1982, he joined forces with the Murphy family at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Since then, he and his team have been producing top rated USEF horse shows at the Kentucky Horse Park for over three decades. His spring and summer series of shows are always near sell-outs and are among the most popular and respected horse shows in the United States.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Kirklen Peterson Garners Overall Green Grand Hunter Pony Championship at 2011 USEF Pony Finals

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Kirklen Peterson and Magical Diamond. Photo by Shawn McMillen

Lexington, KY – The 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals continued today at the picturesque Kentucky Horse Park with the conclusion of the Green Pony Hunter divisions. Ponies and riders from each division completed their over fences phases, competing for the top honors, as well as the championship and reserve championship titles. At the end of the day, Kirklen Petersen and Magical Diamond claimed the Green Pony Hunter Grand Championship title after winning the Medium Green Pony Hunter Over Fences and the Medium Green Pony Hunter Championship.

The first class of the day for the USEF National Hunter Pony Championships, presented by Sallee Horse Vans, was the Small Green Pony Over Fences. Emma Lemke and Chatterbox, owned by Frank Hernandez of Cordova, TN, jumped to the top of the leaderboard with scores of 85, 82, and 85, taking home the blue ribbon prize. Lindsay Levine and Bit of Laughter, owned by Scott Stewart of Wellington, FL, followed in the second-place position after earning an 83, an 83, and an 81. The third-place ribbon went to Emma Kurtz and Quicksilver Butterfly, owned by Kate Taylor of Pittsford, NY, who received scores of 84, 79, and 80. At the end of the class, the overall points were tabulated and Levine was named with Overall Small Green Pony Hunter Champion aboard Bit of Laughter. The reserve championship honors were presented to Kurtz and Quicksilver Butterfly.

“This is Bit of Laughter’s first time at Pony Finals,” commented Levine. “He is still very young and very green, so you have to stay in the middle and keep him going because if you fall out he falls off his lead. The course today was good. I thought he was going to spook on the out of the diagonal line because he isn’t as experienced as my other ponies, but he was really good.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

2011 USEF Pony Finals Get Underway at Kentucky Horse Park

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Opening Day Features Green Pony Hunter Model & Under Saddle

Find the Love and Alex Crown. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography

Lexington, KY – It was beautiful and sunny for the first day of the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals National Championship at the Kentucky Horse Park. Today, the top ponies and riders from across the nation gathered at the Walnut Ring for the Green Pony Hunters Model and Under Saddle, as well as the Regular Medium Pony Hunter Model. Throughout the year, riders have worked diligently to qualify for this prestigious event and compete for the winning honors.

The USEF Pony Finals offers three phases of competition, and the ponies are scored on conformation, way of moving under saddle and jumping ability. The young riders are subject to scoring based on equitation and skill at piloting their pony over fences. Winners are declared in all six divisions: small, small green, medium, medium green, large, and large green pony, and each year the points are tabulated to declare a USEF Green Hunter Pony Champion and USEF Regular Pony Hunter Champion, presented by Sallee Horse Vans.

The first event of the day was Small Green Pony Model, where Isabel Ryan of Locust Valley, NY, claimed the blue ribbon prize with Roll Call. The second place honors went to Parker Wright and Shenandoah Sirocco, owned by Sarah Berkowitz of Nottingham, PA. Lindsay Levine and Bit of Laughter, owned by Scott Stewart of Wellington, FL, rounded out today’s top three.

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Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation

Patty Stovel and Kenya Top 70 to Win Saturday’s $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Saugerties

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©ESI Photography. Patty Stovel and Kenya in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 8, 2011) — Patty Stovel, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania and Shoal Creek Stables’ Kenya scored another victory in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix as they topped a field of 70 starters in Saturday’s featured class for hunters during the NY Horse & Pony Show at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York.

Hunter riders are down to the wire with only three qualifiers remaining for September’s Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final. Two more $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix will take place August 20 and 27 as HITS moves south to Culpeper, Virginia for the Winston National and Constitution Classic at Commonwealth Park.

In Saturday’s class, Stovel and Kenya posted a score of 85, the third highest, in the first round over Rian Beals’ course. Heritage Farm’s Patricia Griffith of New York, New York set the pace in the first round scoring an 87 aboard Lyn Pedersen’s Mahalo.

Stovel and Kenya recently won the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix during the Cavalier Classic at HITS Commonwealth Park in Culpeper, Virginia.

“This horse is really coming into his own,” said Stovel. “We did the Hunter Prix classes last year and got some ribbons, but now he is a little more mature and seems to like them!”

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Championships, Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Lillie Keenan and Kristen Lutz Dominate 2011 USEF National Junior Hunter Championship – East Coast at HITS-on-the-Hudson

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Lillie Keenan with her overall Grand Champion award with Don Stewart's Confidentialand overall Reserve Grand Champion award with Chansonette Farm LLC's Madison. ESI Photography.

Saugerties, NY — After three rounds of competition, Lillie Keenan of New York, NY, returned to the Strongid C 2X Grand Prix Stadium at HITS-on-the-Hudson to accept champion awards with not one, but two horses in the 2011 USEF National Junior Hunter Championship – East Coast. Keenan claimed the Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under Champion award as well as overall Grand Champion on Don Stewart’s Confidential with an overall score of 89.37. She also captured the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under title in the irons of Chansonette Farm LLC’s Madison, to post an overall Reserve Grand Champion score of 87.83.

“These horses were up to the challenge,” said Keenan. “They are a really special pair and winning both champion and reserve was unexpected and exciting.”

Adding to Keenan’s list of accolades, she also rode Madison to win the War Dress Memorial Trophy, awarded to the high score mare of the Championship.

At 14 years old, Keenan, who trains with Andre Dignelli at Heritage Farm, proved that age is irrelevant, beating all riders in both older divisions to take home Reserve Grand and Grand Champion honors. While age may not play an important role in success, Stewart admits that genetics do.

“This is second nature for Lillie,” said Stewart. “She comes from a family of champions, as do these horses.”

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

McLain Ward Retains Lead in Hagyard Challenge Series

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McLain Ward placed first and second in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show to take over the lead in the Hagyard Challenge Series standings. Photo: Rebecca Walton/PMG.

Lexington, KY – August 7, 2011 – After claiming the first and second place honors in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during last week’s the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, McLain Ward took over the lead in the 2011 Hagyard Challenge Series. The talented rider completed double clear rounds aboard Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve and Vocas to earn valuable points towards the $45,000 Leading Rider Bonus.

Ian Millar of Canada continues to hold the second place position, having piloted Instyle and Star Power to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively, during both of the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic competitions during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Hector Florentino from the Dominican Republic is currently in the third place ranking, having placed first and sixth aboard Ultimo earlier in the year.

The Hagyard Challenge Series features seven show jumping events at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The rider who accumulates the most points in the series will receive a $45,000 Leading Rider Award, presented after the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier held on September 23, 2011, during the Kentucky National Horse Show.

Several generous sponsors have helped make this exciting series event happen. These gracious supporters include: presenting sponsor Pfizer Animal Health, Audi of Lexington, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, Hagyard Flex-tra 200, Wyatt Equine Law Group, Johnson Horse Transportation, Chase, and J. P. Morgan.

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