Washington, DC – March 17, 2015 – The qualifying period for the 2015 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) is currently underway, and the nation’s top horses and riders are gaining points early this season competing in winter circuits around the country. WIHS offers popular year-end championships for junior and pony equitation riders as well as adult and children’s hunter and jumper competitors. The 57th Annual Washington International Horse Show returns to Verizon Center in downtown Washington, DC, October 20-25, 2015.
Horses and riders compete all year to qualify for the WIHS Championship Finals, including the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Hunter Championship, $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship, $10,000 WIHS Adult Hunter Championship, $10,000 WIHS Adult Jumper Championship, WIHS Equitation Finals, and WIHS Pony Equitation Finals.
Although you do not have to be a WIHS member to compete in the qualifying classes, competitors must be WIHS members in order for their points to count towards the Finals. Sign up today at www.wihs.org/membership to become a WIHS member and start earning points. The qualifying period is September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2015.
As the season begins to heat up, we congratulate the top competitors in WIHS standings as of March 13, 2015:
WIHS Equitation and Pony Equitation Standings
Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL currently leads the WIHS Equitation East Coast standings with 2,168 points. Ashton Alexander of Ocala, FL sits second with 1,828 points, and Thomas O’Mara, Jr. of Rumson, NJ has 1,816 points.
The top rider on the West Coast standings is Alexandra Ladove of Rancho Santa Fe, CA with 1,160 points. Raegan Rast of Stillwell, KS stands second with 964 points and Morgan Dickerson of Pasadena, CA is third with 816 points.
In the WIHS Pony Equitation standings, Jordan Cobb of Austin, TX has 416 points to lead off the year. Augusta D. Iwasaki of Calabasas, CA is second with 372 points, and Sloan Hopson of Houston, TX is third with 352 points.
WIHS Children’s and Adult Hunter Standings
In the Children’s Hunter standings, Czech Mate and Carly Martin of South Barrington, IL have the lead with 818 points. Heartbreaker and Shaye E. Coe of Versailles, KY have 744 points for second place in the standings, and Journey to the Top and Brianna Laheta of Wayne, IL have 652 points in third.
Benvolio and Mary Grossman of Burlington, WI currently lead the Adult Hunter standings with 730 points. Duet and Susan Schmitt of Oconomowoc, WI have 554 points, and Overseas and Mindy Wurzburg of Memphis, TN sit third with 544 points.
WIHS Children’s and Adult Jumper Standings
In the Children’s Jumper standings division, Bilbo Baggins and Anna Claire Smith of Atlanta, GA are well on their way to qualifying for the championship with 2,361 points. Alanda and Sienna Partipilo of Chicago, IL have 1,916 points in second place. Thunderball and Anderson F. Wagner of Wellington, FL are currently third with 1,723 points.
The Adult Jumpers are also earning points to qualify for their championship in October. Bonapart and Lindsey Tomeu of Wellington, FL have 4,165 points to lead the division. Wup L and Maxine (Star) Schatten of Franklin, TN sit second with 3,002 points. Redefin and Dean Dignelli of Katonah, NY have 2,370 points in the third position.
Don’t miss your chance to qualify for the WIHS Championships! WIHS looks forward to hosting the best horses and riders from around the nation in 2015 and encourages all riders to continue their drive to qualify.
About the Washington International Horse Show (www.wihs.org)
Established in 1958, the Washington International Horse Show attracts more than 26,000 spectators to the six-day show, which includes Olympic-level competition along with community and charity events. More than 500 top horses and riders come to D.C. from all over the globe to jump for more than a half a million dollars in prize money. Event highlights include the Puissance high jump competition on Military Night (Friday), the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, a World Cup qualifier (Saturday night) and Kids’ Day (Saturday), a free, fun and educational community event. The Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and is recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group. WIHS is rated CSI4*-W by the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for horse sports.
Purcellville, VA (November 6, 2014) — Todd Minikus has once again helped the Vita Flex Victory Team live up to its name. Minikus and his star mount Quality Girl claimed the win in the $34,000 International Jumper Welcome Stake at the 2014 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) on Thursday, October 23, 2014. Vita Flex congratulates Minikus on his victory, and is honored to call him a member of the equine supplement company’s team of equestrian professionals.
The 2014 Washington International Horse Show, held at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, took place on October 21-26, 2014. Minikus took first place in one of the two International Open Jumper classes held on October 23.
Twelve of the thirty competitors in the $34,000 International Jumper Welcome Stake jumped clear through the course designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio. “I really didn’t know that there would be that many clean to tell you the truth, but the horses were sure jumping well. You really have to have your game on here; it gets very competitive,” Minikus of Loxahatchee, Florida, comments about the event.
Ten horse-and-rider teams moved into the jump off, where Minikus and eleven-year-old Quality Girl (Quidams Rubin x Dobrock) were third to jump. When the Grand Prix champion and Oldenburg took an early lead, he wasn’t sure what to expect. “I was third in the jump-off out of ten and there were a few familiar names coming at the end, so it was questionable whether the lead would hold up. But it seems like a couple of those super-fast riders had jumps down. It was a nice class for the first jump-off class, and it probably made for a good jump-off to watch,” Minikus says.
Minikus’s competitors were unable to beat his 32.90-second double clear round, earning the six-time Nation Cup Team member first prize and the Ben O’Meara Memorial Challenge Trophy. Minikus was proud of the accomplishment as a first step towards the prestigious $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, held at the WIHS on Saturday October 25. “I just wanted to go nice and try not to go totally crazy and get her frantic for the rest of the week, but she was pretty tidy everywhere,” he says about his equine partner Quality Girl. “She is really a good horse. She has an awesome record and she is now a true professional show horse, so she just takes everything in stride. She has a lot of class.” The pair’s recent history of wins — including the Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, New York in September — looks to be setting them up well for the President’s Cup competition.
Vita Flex, which supports competitors like Minikus by offering advanced supplements specifically created for equine athletes, is thrilled to see a Vita Flex Victory Team member attaining peak performance and bringing home the win. Vita Flex’s products include health supplements, antioxidants, electrolytes, joint supplements, performance supplements, topical ointments, vitamins, and minerals. For more information about Vita Flex, its products, and the Victory Team members, visit www.vitaflex.com or call (800) 848-2359.
Vita Flex is a registered trademark of Farnam Companies, Inc.
Washington, D.C. – October 26, 2014 – The 56th Annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) wrapped up another historic week of show jumping in the nation’s capital by adorning ponies with ribbons galore at downtown D.C.’s Verizon Center.
Armani, owned by Pretty Penny Farm and ridden by Claire Campbell, took Grand Champion Pony Hunter honors and was presented with The Miles River Moonglow Trophy donated by Scott Novick and Rustic Woods on Sunday. The WIHS Pony Equitation Finals were held in the afternoon with a win for Caroline Passarelli. The WIHS Regional Finals concluded the day with victories for Thea Bitar and Allison Kilroy.
A 10-year-old Welsh Pony gelding, Armani carried Campbell to her first-ever division championship in the Small Pony Hunter sponsored by Further Lane Farm. For the benchmark achievement, she was awarded The Stombock Saddlery Challenge Trophy donated by Stombock Saddlery in Memory of E. P. (Bud) Stombock.
“This was amazing and a big surprise,” said Campbell of her first divisional and grand champion title all in one day. “I have only been riding him for two months so this is a big deal.”
Campbell, who hails from Cochranville, PA, and Armani became fast friends just weeks ago before starring in the 11-year old rider’s second appearance at WIHS. “He’s really fun, a great jumper and he has a way better canter than any other pony,” she said.
Armani – a breeding stallion until he was seven – adds a charming sass to the small pony hunter division. “He’s sweet, but he wants to eat or bite everything. He has a lot of personality,” added Campbell.
That personality, while maybe problematic in the barn aisle, pays dividends in the show ring. Armani scored an 87 for Campbell to win the Stake and claim the Best Pony Hunter Stake Round Award. They also finished first on Saturday and were fourth under saddle. Arms full with prizes, Campbell returns home on Sunday promising Armani plenty of treats for his performances. She, on the other hand, has restful plans for herself. “I am going straight to bed,” she concluded with a smile.
Playing runner up to Campbell in the Small Pony Hunter Division was Sophie Gochman and Rico Suave owned by Ponies & Palms Show Stables. The pair won the Handy with an 86 for Reserve Champion, along with another second place over fences and third under saddle, but Gochman didn’t leave WIHS without a top tricolor. In the Medium Pony Hunters, she and Truly Noble, owned by Pegasus Show Stables, won the Stake to take Champion and were second over fences and third in the handy class. She was presented with The Shenandoah Sundowner Perpetual Trophy donated by Evan Coluccio and Ashmont Farms, Ltd.
Reserve Champion for the Medium Pony Hunters stayed in the family and was presented to Mimi Gochman after she and True Love owned by David Gochman were second in the Handy and also second and fourth over fences. Mimi Gochman also accepted the Potomac Trophy for High Score Junior Hunter Rider on a Pony sponsored by Riverview Farm, LLC for the second year in a row.
The Pegasus Stable Perpetual Trophy, donated by Ms. Fenwick Kollock, was claimed by Kirklen Petersen and All My Love owned by Dr. Betsee Parker after a Stake win clinched the Large Pony Hunter Championship. They were also second and third over fences.
Emma Kurtz of Hudson, OH and Storyteller, owned by Fair Play Farm, chased Petersen as Reserve Champion (they placed first, third, and fourth over fences and were fifth under saddle), but redemption came by way of The Captain V. S. Littauer Perpetual Trophy donated by Hugh J. B. Cassidy, III, Mrs. William Dillon and Miss Marion Lee. She accepted the trophy as Best Child Rider on a Pony, sponsored by Gotham North. Recognized for demonstrating the highest quality in horsemanship and sportsmanship combined with good appearance and courtesy, Kurtz won the award for the second time after also impressing the judges in 2012.
Storyteller is an 11-year-old German Sport Pony and no stranger to success at WIHS with Kurtz in the irons. The pair was Grand Champion Pony Hunter last year and stayed near the top of the results listings again this year. “He is so much fun,” said Kurtz. “You can get to any distance and he’ll jump amazing, so it’s nice to have that sense of security.”
“I was a little bit surprised, but it’s amazing. My trainers have a huge influence on me and how I ride,” said Kurtz after the final awards presentation. She rode under the direction of Amanda Lyerly this week and showed three ponies, as well as a Junior Hunter entry. She did it all while battling a cold throughout the week of her third WIHS campaign. “I’m exhausted,” she said, “but it was so worth it.”
WIHS Regional Champions Crowned
Later on Sunday, the young riders competed in the WIHS Pony Equitation Finals with a win for 13-year-old Caroline Passarelli of High Falls, NY. Trained by Robin Greenwood, Passarelli rode Little Black Pearl to the high score of 87 over fences and came out on top after the ride-off under saddle. She was presented the winning Jane Marshall Dillon Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by the friends and students of Mrs. Jane Marshall Dillon. Taylor St. Jacques finished second, Ellie Ferrigno placed third, and Wylie Nelson earned the fourth place honors.
Caroline Passarelli and Little Black Pearl
Passarelli has had 21-year-old Little Black Pearl for four years. The pair also won the Small Pony Hunter championship in Harrisburg last week and this was the rider’s last show on her and a special win to cap off their partnership.
“It has definitely been a journey from the bottom to the top,” Passarelli acknowledged. “We got her as just my first pony, never knowing anything like this would happen. I always do the medal finals and pony finals at Washington and I never get called back, but this year I really felt like I wanted to win it. It is my last time in the smalls, and I felt like I really had something to do it for. I went in there kind of just thinking to ride my best and think through the course and by my last jump, I knew that Pearl was perfect.”
“I wasn’t as nervous as the actual pony division. It is a completely separate part to me,” Passarelli said of the final. “You go in thinking that this is a new thing and start with a clean slate. Pearl was so good. I knew that it was my last class on her and that she was going to be perfect no matter what. She always goes into the ring wanting to do her best.”
“She has taught me everything about anything,” Passarelli recalled. “She wants a soft ride. She doesn’t like when you try to get your way and tell her what to do. She just wants to be your teacher. She will never do anything bad. She just likes when you can leave her alone and let her do the job.”
“It is amazing to win this. I definitely wanted to go out on a good note,” the rider stated. “The pony division went really well, she was awesome, but I just wanted to do that much better. I realized that I had to do my best, and it was amazing.”
Concluding the week of competition at the 2014 Washington International Horse Show were the Regional Hunter Championships. The WIHS Regional Pony Hunter Champion was Polka Dot Pal, ridden by Thea Bitar. Bitar (13), of McLain, VA, trains with Ian McCartney and this was her first time qualifying for the final at Verizon Center. Reserve champion was Blackberry and Grace Fulla.
To earn the championship, Bitar and Polka Dot Pal won the final class of the division on Sunday with the high score of 80 over fences. Kendall Youngblood and Pajama Party placed second with a score of 78. Sabrina Daniels and Stoneridge Show Stables’ Masquerade were third with a 76, and Olivia Carmouche and Mary Elizabeth Cordia’s Jumpin’ Jack Flash placed fourth with a score of 72.
Speaking about Polka Dot Pal, Bitar explained, “We went to try him on April 23, 2013, and when I first tried him I knew he would be perfect. He came home the next month, and I have been leasing him ever since. We renewed our lease last April, and we have him for two more months.”
“He is great. He is the sweetest little thing,” Bitar smiled. “You do need a lot of leg on him, but other than that, he is really easy. He goes in a D-ring bit most of the time. He is just a really happy pony. He never gets mad at the other horses, and he is just so much fun to ride.”
“Last weekend I was at Regionals, and I never thought we would qualify to show here,” Bitar admitted. “It is my first time and I guess it turned out pretty well. It is amazing to show here. I have always watched the show since I was little and thought how cool it would be to show here when I was so much older, and now I had this opportunity and I am so thankful.”
The WIHS Regional Hunter Horse Finals followed with a championship win for Inside Scoop and Allison Kilroy. They were awarded The Black, Starr and Frost Perpetual Trophy after winning the division’s final class at Verizon Center with a high score of 80. Hannah Showell and Unbelievable finished second with a score of 77, and Brittani Director placed third with a 73. Isabell Stettinius and Guest of Honor finished fourth and earned the division’s reserve championship overall.
Kilroy (17), of Severna Park, MD, trains with Amy and Streett Moore at McDonogh School. She leases Inside Scoop a.k.a. ‘Tank’ from the school and has ridden the horse for two and a half years.
“He is awesome. He is great to ride, and I am so lucky to have him,” Kilroy stated after her win. “This is actually my last show on him, so it was really special. He is so responsive, and he has the biggest heart of any horse I have ever ridden. He will do anything you ask him to do, so basically you just have to be assertive.”
Sunday was Kilroy’s first time competing in the Regional Final and a wonderful conclusion to her partnership with Inside Scoop. “It is amazing. It is the only show I ever really, really wanted to do, so it was such a great experience,” she smiled. “My round was really fun. I walked in and I just looked around a little bit because it is so cool to be in Verizon Center. Then I got my canter and got a good pace, and we just clocked around. It was a lot of fun.”
Kilroy is captain of the varsity riding team at McDonogh School and plans to stay involved in different activities. “I will probably switch to a different horse and do some local shows,” she noted. “Now I need to focus more on going to college and what’s the next step, so this is a great finale really. It was awesome.”
The Washington International Horse Show thanks their dedicated exhibitors, sponsors, staff, and spectators for supporting 56 years of show jumping in Washington D.C. The 2014 event was a remarkable one, and WIHS looks forward to welcoming everyone back in 2015. For full results and more information, please visit www.wihs.org.
About the Washington International Horse Show An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the country’s premier metropolitan indoor horse show. Each October, more than 500 world-class horses and riders, including Olympic medalists, arrive in Washington for six days of exciting show jumping and hunter competition. Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifier), the Puissance (high jump) and the WIHS Equitation Finals, an important goal for top American junior riders. Exciting equestrian exhibitions, boutique shopping and community activities, such as Kids’ Day and Breakfast with the Mounted Police, round out this family-friendly event. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group.
Since its debut, the Washington International has been a Washington, DC, institution attended by presidents, first ladies, celebrities, business and military leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Lindsay Brock and Lauren Fisher for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Michael Hughes Masters WIHS Equitation Finals; Colvin and Porter Top Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classics
Washington, D.C. – October 25, 2014 – McLain Ward (USA) and HH Carlos Z raced to victory Saturday night in the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI 4*-W, presented by Events DC, at the 56th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS). Competing at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C., Ward will have his name etched in WIHS history for now winning the coveted President of the United States Perpetual Cup four times in his illustrious career. The Longines FEI World Cup qualifying grand prix was the highlight event of the week at WIHS as competition concludes on Sunday with the Pony Hunters, WIHS Pony Equitation Finals, and WIHS Regional Finals.
Also competing on Saturday, Michael Hughes won the 2014 WIHS Equitation Finals. Victoria Colvin and Chanel B 2 won the $15,000 SJHOF Ambassador’s Cup High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, and Lucas Porter and Psychee d’Amour topped the $7,500 Senator’s Cup Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic.
Course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio set the tracks for jumper competition throughout the week at Verizon Center. In Saturday night’s grand prix, he saw 26 entries and just four were able to clear the first round course without fault. Rising star Jessica Springsteen, two-time Olympic gold medalists McLain Ward and Beezie Madden, and young Olympian Reed Kessler made up the star-studded line-up of American show jumpers to jump-off to the thrill of a packed house in their nation’s capital.
Springsteen and Stone Hill Farm’s Davendy S were the first combination to jump clear in round one and set the pace in the jump-off with a clear round 34.30 seconds to eventually finish second. Kessler jumped next with Kessler Show Stables LLC’s Cylana and had one rail down in 35.50 seconds to earn fourth place honors. Ward and Double H Farm’s HH Carlos Z followed, and upped the ante with the winning round in 33.52 seconds. Madden and Abigail Wexner’s Simon were last to go and beat Ward’s time in 33.48 seconds, but dropped a rail to place third.
“I have been in a little bit of a post-WEG (World Equestrian Games) rut with four faults,” Ward admitted after his win. “I felt Carlos was going well, so I was really pleased to jump a clear round tonight. Jessica has been impossible to beat. I saw her go in the jump-off and I went back in the schooling area and thought, ‘This is a task,’ but he really responded great. He turned phenomenally, and he is such a careful horse. I was really excited. I felt the horse was due a win, and it was nice for it to come together at a great show like this.”
Saturday’s win marks the fourth time that Ward has earned the coveted President’s Cup after topping the competition with Goldika 559 in 2004 and twice with his superstar mount, Sapphire, in 2008 and 2010. The win with Goldika was for owners Double H Farm and after a few years apart, Ward has once again renewed his partnership with the Harrison Family. They are the owners of HH Carlos Z, the winning 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Chellano Z x Voltaire).
“Every win is a little bit different,” Ward said of his triumphs. “The two on Sapphire were, as always with Sapphire, always easy. She made life very easy. I remember winning it on Goldika the first time. I had had a couple of second (places) years ago when it was at the Capital Centre, and your first win is always sweet. I’m excited about the partnership with Mr. Harrison, this being one of his horses he flew in for tonight to watch. As everybody knows, I am always proud to ride a horse for him and it was nice to have a victory, so that makes it always special. It was a nice win.”
Jessica Springsteen and Davendy S
Jessica Springsteen’s second place finish concluded a phenomenal week of competition for the 21-year-old rider with wins in Wednesday’s $10,000 Welcome Stake, Thursday’s $20,000 Gambler’s Choice, and Friday’s $25,000 Puissance. Springsteen swept the show’s international jumper championship sponsored by Robin Parsky, earning the championship with Lisona and the reserve champion with Davendy S. She was also presented with the $15,000 Leading International Jumper Rider Award, sponsored by The Boeing Company, along with the Margaret Chovnick Memorial Trophy, and the $10,000 Leading Rider 25 Years of Age and Under Award, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch. The Springsteen Family’s Stone Hill Farm was the Leading Jumper Owner sponsored by The Reid Family. Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts was named Leading Foreign Rider after winning Friday’s $50,000 Speed Final.
Commenting on an unbelievable week, Springsteen smiled, “I am thrilled. My horses jumped so good all week. Every time I brought them out they felt super, and I am really thankful for that.”
Springsteen got Davendy S in August and this was the pair’s very first grand prix together, although they have had several great wins. “I took her to L.A. and jumped a pretty big class about the size of this, so I felt pretty comfortable bringing her into this grand prix,” Springsteen detailed. “She felt amazing, and I felt like I rode her a lot better today compared to the other days. She jumped great. She was so careful and brave. She is an incredible horse, and I am lucky to have her.”
Ward, Madden, and Springsteen all have their sights set on the Longines FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas in April 2015 and earned valuable points in Saturday night’s class. For Springsteen, it would be her first time qualifying. “I really want to go to Vegas. I have never been (to the finals) before, so it is my goal to go next year,” the rider stated. “I won one qualifier already and now I was second in this one, so I am happy I have the points.”
Ward agreed, stating, “Beezie and I are a little behind the eight ball on World Cup points. We were focused on the WEG and missed some early qualifiers. Being that it is in Vegas, which is a great event that we love going to on home soil, I know I for one am desperate to go. I was getting very, very nervous. Last week I didn’t get any points and knew if it didn’t happen in the next couple weeks I was in trouble, so it is a nice leg up and hopefully we’ll have one or two more good results and it will look better, at least.”
Madden, who won the World Cup Final in 2013 with Simon, is also looking to return to the event this year. “I would really like to go to Vegas and this is only the second qualifier that I have done as well,” she said. “I got a few points last week, but not great, so this is a good score, and I am happy to have it under my belt.”
Commenting on the night’s round with Simon, Madden noted, “I saw Jessie go and I knew McLain was faster than her, so I thought, ‘Oh, it’s not so easy.’ It was actually a good jump-off for me because it wasn’t too much running anywhere. I just tried to use his turning ability to be faster and that’s where I was fast was on the turn from two to three, and then spinning around at the other end of the ring as well. He was very fast there, but the eight stride got a little steadier than I thought it would. I thought I had it fit in, and his momentum carried me a little deeper than I thought there.”
Ward commented on the course, explaining, “I thought it was very good tonight because when I walked it, I thought it was a little on the soft side to be honest, which I think is a great sign. When you walk a course and it seems very complicated or hard, that is an obvious test, but when a course designer comes up with a course that seems smooth and fair and you get a limited number clear, I think that is always a sign of a good test. I thought Anthony did a good job.”
D’Ambrosio explained his plan for the track, stating, “I thought I had a very good field and that I could build a real 1.60m World Cup qualifier, which I did, and I really like the way it unfolded. I had a nice number clean. I would have been happy if I had more clear, but it worked out well with regard to the number we had. We had a lot of four-fault rounds. I think a lot of riders felt really good about the way the horses performed. That means a lot to me, and I am pleased with that. It was a good competition.”
Rounding out a wonderful night of competition, Erik Moses, Senior Vice President of Events DC, remarked, “Events DC is the official convention and sports authority for Washington, D.C., so our job really is to help support and attract first-rate events like this to the nation’s capital, and we are so pleased to be able to support this. Having an equestrian event at such a high level in an urban city in North America in the nation’s capital I think says a lot of things to a lot of people. McLain was telling me he had a chance to go to the National Portrait Gallery and that’s good. We want people to see Washington when they are here and squeeze it in between competition. It was fantastic to watch tonight and see these riders compete at such a high level. I think it is great for our visitors and our residents who get to come out to such a wide array of events that we have in Washington, so we could not be more pleased.”
Hughes Wins WIHS Equitation Finals
The 2014 WIHS Equitation Finals concluded Saturday evening with a win for Michael Hughes (18) of Allendale, NJ. Hughes rode Jordyn Rose Freedman’s Finnick through the first two phases of competition, finishing with a score of 88.50 in the hunter phase and 90.25 in the jumper phase. Returning for the final work-off sitting in second place overall, his ride aboard Mckayla Langmeier’s mount Skyfall scored a 93.50, giving a three round total of 272.50 for the win. He is trained by Missy Clark and John Brennan at North Run along with Linda Langmeier.
For his win, Hughes was presented with the WIHS Equitation Classic Trophy donated by Mr. and Mrs. G. Ralph Ours, III. Finnick was awarded The Lugano Memorial Trophy donated by Stoney Hill as the winning horse of the night.
Hunter Holloway of Topeka, KS finished second with a 267.375 total. Holloway rode Hays Investment Corp.’s Any Given Sunday in the first two rounds with a score of 89.13 in the hunter phase and 89.75 in the jumper phase. Her final work-off round aboard Caitlin Boyle’s mount Loredo scored an 88.50.
Mckayla Langmeier of E. Granby, CT placed third with scores of 86.75 and 89.50 riding Linda Langmeier’s Skyfall in the first two rounds and a 90 in the final work-off aboard Michael Hughes’ mount Finnick to total 266.250.
Hughes had no experience with either of the horses he showed in the competition this week, but the rider’s talent and experience guided both of his mounts to great rounds. Finnick was a borrowed ride just before the final, and the seven-year-old Westphalian gelding (by Cayetano L) excelled.
“I didn’t really know my horse too well,” Hughes explained. “I have only ridden him about three times, but I have seen him go a lot and he is a fantastic horse. I was so lucky to ride him this week. I can’t thank Linda Langmeier and the Freedman family enough for letting me ride him.”
Langmeier explained that the gelding had never even been to indoors before. “He does the equitation for a 14-year-old girl who just started in Florida this past year,” she detailed. “The opportunity for Michael to ride him arose through the suggestion of Julie Welles and we just sort of pulled the team together to try and help Michael have the best opportunity possible. The family was so amazingly generous to allow us to use the horse. It was also a great experience for the horse to be here because he has never competed at indoors before, and he is only seven.”
Commenting on his rounds with Finnick and Skyfall, Hughes stated, “”The jumper phase was pretty basic. You got to see a lot of the lines all day. For the switch, I have seen Mckayla’s horse go a lot. I saw her go earlier, so I kind of knew what I had to do and Linda knows the horse very well and so does Missy and everybody. The biggest thing was just picking up the left lead. They said just right when you get in the ring, he is very easy and he was. He was really straightforward. I didn’t need too many jumps to get used to him because you really just sat there and let him do everything, especially since he had jumped the course already once.”
Hunter Holloway was on a horse that is new to the equitation ring with Any Given Sunday, who is usually her mother’s grand prix mount. Last week in Harrisburg was the horse’s first equitation show, and he has taken to the discipline easily.
“I just borrowed him for indoors this year, and he has been absolutely amazing,” Holloway acknowledged. “He is such an amazing horse just to come here. I did a grand prix on him a week before Harrisburg, and he came in and was perfect at Harrisburg. He came here and he was super yesterday and super today. I can’t thank my mom and Hays Investment Corporation enough for letting me ride him.”
Holloway also had a great round with Caitlin Boyle’s mount Loredo, who is owned by Micaela Kennedy. “He was super straightforward and super easy. It was a great round. I liked the course and the jumps came up nicely, so it worked out well. I have known Caitlin for a while and have seen him show multiple times and throughout indoors and watched her. I had an idea of what I was getting on.”
The judges for the class were Jimmy Torano and Linda Hough on panel one and Philip De Vita and Mark Leone on panel two. Torano weighed in on the judge’s decision following the competition, stating, “It is the same for all of these classes. You are talking about splitting hairs. All three of them rode super rounds and did an amazing job on the others’ horses. Not only the top three, the top six; they just came in and had some amazing rounds. Michael’s round on Mckayla’s horse was flawless. They are all super riders.”
Trainer Missy Clark spoke about her team’s preparation for the competition and her confidence in Hughes’ ability going into the final. He also won the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talents Search Finals in 2013 and has been very successful throughout his junior career.
“It is kind of a continuation to what we do all year,” Clark noted. “There isn’t any special prep necessarily, although Michael had a horse switch here, so we had a few lessons early in the week out at Prince George’s (Equestrian Center) so he could get to know this horse. Michael has ridden for years and he has had so much mileage that I knew it wouldn’t be a big issue for him to hop on at the eleventh hour and get along well with the horse. He is such a great rider and such a talent.”
Heading on to next week’s ASPCA Maclay Finals in Kentucky, Hughes feels good about his chances and was honored to win such a prestigious class. “I think it is going to give me a little bit of a boost of confidence going into next week,” he declared. “It feels amazing. It is my last junior year and hopefully I can come back next year and do the open jumpers or something. I haven’t come to this final as much as the others and there is a lot of history behind this. Some great riders have won, including McLain Ward, Julie Welles and others.”
Victoria Colvin and Lucas Porter Win Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classics
The $15,000 Ambassador’s Cup High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, sponsored by Ellen and Daniel Crown, saw a win for Victoria Colvin (17) and Karen Long Dwight’s Chanel B 2 on Saturday afternoon at WIHS. Colvin, of Loxahatchee, FL, rode the nine-year-old Mecklenburg mare (Cellestial x C-Indoctro) to victory to earn The Ambassador’s Cup Perpetual Trophy donated by Ambassador and Mrs. Marion H. Smoak.
The Ambassador’s Cup saw 21 entries with six to jump-off and only two double clear rounds. First to go over the short course, Colvin and Chanel B 2 set the pace at 33.96 seconds that would hold up for the win. Two riders were faster, but incurred faults along the way. Chloe Reid was the only other competitor to go clear in the jump-off with Chloe D Reid LLC’s Windbreaker and finished second in 34.52 seconds. Lauren Fischer and Offenbach du Granit had the fastest four fault round in 33.02 seconds to earn the third place prize.
After Saturday’s win and a second place finish in Friday’s jump-off class, Colvin and Chanel B 2 were also awarded the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper championship, sponsored by Ellen and Daniel Crown. They were presented the Greenberg Challenge Trophy donated by Mr. and Mrs. Hermen Greenberg. Colvin, who trains in the equitation and jumpers with Andre Dignelli, began riding the mare this winter.
“She is one of my new jumper rides. We got her at the end of WEF (Winter Equestrian Festival) and she is a different ride,” Colvin described. “She is a woman, so she is a little opinionated. She likes to have her hand held a little bit, so in the jump-off we try not to go too fast because she gets nervous. In the indoor she is a little funny with the crowd. On Barn Night she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there are a lot of people.’ I thought today she might be a little star-struck too because of all the people, but she went amazing.”
Colvin went first in the jump-off and had to set the challenge for the other competitors, but wanted to keep her mare’s nerves in mind and give her mount a positive round. “I got the unlucky draw of first,” Colvin remarked. “I wanted to go fast enough, but I wanted to have a clean round because I watched the low juniors and they didn’t have a clean round until the middle. I thought a little slow and steady would win, but not too slow. That is what I tried. I don’t really like going first, but it worked out.”
Karen Long Dwight purchased Chanel B 2 for Colvin to ride at the end of the Florida circuit this winter. The mare had been with German rider Andre Thieme showing at the 1.45m level, and Colvin knew the mare had experience indoors with him.
“I am pretty sure Andre showed her a lot in Germany indoors, but I had never shown her in the indoor and this was one to start it off with, with the schooling ring this size,” Colvin noted. “She is a little afraid of traffic, so I wasn’t sure how she was going to handle that, but she was amazing and she didn’t care at all.”
Colvin had two very different rides in the class with Chanel B 2 and her other mount, Don Juan, who was unfortunately eliminated. “I ride her like a hunter,” she detailed. “Don Juan is the total opposite. You just sort of let go with her. You have to hold her at the base to keep her comfort because she gets a little like, ‘Where am I going?’ but she likes to put her head out and just stroke along.”
Hunter Holloway and Hays Investment Corp.’s I Love Lucy were the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper reserve champions after winning the first two classes of the division. Holloway was also presented with the 2014 SHALANNO Style of Riding Award. The award is presented each year to the Junior Jumper rider who best exemplifies the American style of equitation and the respectful, dignified manner of a true sportsman.
Earlier on Saturday, Lucas Porter and Sleepy P Ranch LLC’s Psychee d’Amour jumped to a redeeming win in the $7,500 Senator’s Cup Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic, sponsored by The Strauss Family. Not only is Psychee d’Amour coming back from an injury that sidelined her for two years, an unlucky rail yesterday left the duo with only one choice to secure Champion: win the Classic.
“This has been a really good show in the Lows for me and I knew going into today that if I won, I would be champion,” said Porter who approached the course from the final position in the order. “Last is the best position, but I feel the pressure to win when I go last. My focus was to stay calm in both rounds, get in a half seat and let her do her thing.”
Porter finished clear in 37.211 seconds. The Classic blue guaranteed them Champion honors and earned Porter the Foxbrook Perpetual Trophy donated by Joy Slater in honor of Space Citation. Saturday’s win combined with a first and seventh-place ribbon gave them a total of 25 points. For the Classic win, he was presented the Swan Lake Perpetual Trophy, donated by Beagle Brook Farm, in honor of the 1992 winner Swan Lake ridden by Jennifer F. Miller.
Porter was one of nine to return over the short course from an original field of 23 in the Classic. The first double clear came five trips into the jump-off when Yasmin Rizvi and Heritage Farm’s Vivell-C crossed the timers fault-free in 38.959 seconds. One of only two to best the jump-off, Rizvi finished second, while Sima Morgello and Zopala, owned by Double S Farm, were the fastest of the four-fault rounds to take third. Morgello also earned Reserve Champion with 12 points.
A sizable oxer set against the rail of the Verizon Center ring was the first fence of the jump-off and saw more than half the field bring down the front rail. Porter was one of a few to rise to the occasion. “I held her to the first rail but gave her enough leg to get over the back rail, and it showed up right out of the turn,” he said. “The line set up nicely and the rest of the course was smooth. She [Psychee d’Amour] is super-fast, careful and a winner. She loves to win just as much as I do, so we’re a perfect match.”
Psychee d’Amour, an 11-year-old Selle Francais mare, returned to work this spring after a ligament injury at Kentucky in 2012. However, two years of careful rehab have returned the mare to top form, according to Porter. “She’s the same horse she was before the injury. She’s spicy, but it’s all part of her winning personality,” he said. “She wants to be fast, clean and win. I was really disappointed when she was injured, so my focus now is keeping her sound.”
To that end, Psychee d’Amour will rest between WIHS and the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, while Porter’s other mounts head to The National Horse Show in Kentucky. This winter, Porter will focus her on the Medium Jumpers.
While showing full time, 17-year-old Porter is a junior in high school and attends classes through Stanford University Online High School. Coupled with success in the show ring, he is also making plans for his future. Considering coursework in Engineering and Architecture, he has his sights set on attending Stanford University, or following in the footsteps of his older brother to Vanderbilt. “They are my top two, but they are also really hard to get into, so I just have to study hard,” he concluded.
Porter hails from Texas, but now calls Wellington home under the direction of his parents, trainers John Roche and Chelsea Sundius, as well as groom Oscar Marin.
The Washington International Horse Show concludes on Sunday with a day full of pony competition as well as the WIHS Pony Equitation Finals and WIHS Regional Finals. The final day of competition will be live streamed, sponsored in part by The Nutro Company, at www.wihs.org and www.usefnetwork.com.
About the Washington International Horse Show An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the country’s premier metropolitan indoor horse show. Each October, more than 500 world-class horses and riders, including Olympic medalists, arrive in Washington for six days of exciting show jumping and hunter competition. Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifier), the Puissance (high jump) and the WIHS Equitation Finals, an important goal for top American junior riders. Exciting equestrian exhibitions, boutique shopping and community activities, such as Kids’ Day and Breakfast with the Mounted Police, round out this family-friendly event. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group.
Since its debut, the Washington International has been a Washington, DC, institution attended by presidents, first ladies, celebrities, business and military leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Olivier Philippaerts and Carlito C Top $50,000 International Jumper Speed Final; Firestone and Holloway Triumph in Junior/Amateur-Owners Jumpers; Inclusive Earns Grand Junior Hunter Championship; Abbygale Funk Named Best Child Rider on a Horse
Washington, D.C – October 24, 2014 – The 56th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) continued on Friday with an exciting day of hunter, jumper, and equitation competition at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The $25,000 International Jumper Puissance, presented by The Boeing Company, was the highlight class of the evening with a win for 21-year-old Jessica Springsteen (USA) aboard Stone Hill Farm’s Lisona after clearing the wall up to 6’10” (2.08m).
In other competition, Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) topped the $50,000 International Jumper Speed Final, Christina Firestone and Hunter Holloway triumphed in the Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, and T. J. O’Mara led the WIHS Equitation Finals Hunter Phase. Inclusive and Victoria Colvin also earned the Grand Junior Hunter Championship, and Abbygale Funk was named Best Child Rider on a Horse. WIHS continues through Sunday, October 26. The $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, a FEI World Cup qualifier presented by Events DC, will be the highlight class on Saturday
Anthony D’Ambrosio of Red Hook, NY is the course designer for the jumpers at WIHS this week and fittingly holds the 31-year indoor Puissance record for his win at 7′ 7 1/2” aboard Sweet ‘N Low in 1983. He set the wall for the evening’s $25,000 Puissance presented by The Boeing Company, starting at 5’6” (1.70m) in height, and continuing up to 6’10” (2.08m) in four rounds of competition.
For the win after clearing all four heights, Lisona became the first recipient of a brand new trophy named in Sweet ‘N Low’s honor, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Tober. Springsteen was presented with The Sweet ‘N Low Trophy as well as The Armed Forces Cup, presented by The Boeing Company. She also accepted The Congressman’s Challenge Trophy, donated by the Late Honorable Rogers C. B. Morton and the Late Honorable F. Robert Watkins, as the owner of the winning horse.
The Puissance course began with four fences to clear, including an oxer, vertical and triple-bar leading up to the wall set at a starting height of 5’6” (1.70m). Five combinations, including Kevin Babington (IRL) and Goodwins Loyalty, Kama Godek (USA) and Sandra Zimmerli’s Apollo Mission, Todd Minikus (USA) aboard Coverboy Group’s Vougeot de Septon, Springsteen and Lisona, and Leslie Howard with The Utah Group’s Utah all jumped clear in round one and continued on. The second round had a triple bar set before the wall at 5’11” (1.80m), and all five horses and riders once again jumped clear. In round three, the imposing 6’5” (1.96m) wall came down for Babington, Godek and Minikus, leaving all three tied for third place. Springsteen and Howard each cleared the 6’5” height, but Howard took second place honors after choosing not to return. Springsteen and Lisona secured their victory with a fourth and final round as the only pair to jump the wall set at 6’10”, and they cleared it with ease.
Friday marked Springsteen’s third win in as many days at WIHS after topping the $10,000 International Jumper Welcome Stake aboard Davendy S on Wednesday and also taking top prize in Thursday’s $20,000 International Jumper Gambler’s Choice with Lisona.
An added incentive for the international riders this year includes new cash bonuses that will be awarded to riders accumulating the most points in the division. A $15,000 bonus will go to the overall leading international rider, sponsored by The Boeing Company, and a $10,000 bonus will be awarded to the overall leading rider 25 years of age or younger, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch. Although Springsteen had originally not planned on jumping the Puissance, her trainers Laura Kraut and Nick Skelton encouraged her to do the class when they found out it counted toward the bonus. She took their advice and was obviously happy with the outcome.
“I had a feeling that Nick would convince me because he is also the one that made me do it two years ago,” she stated. “I knew that once he found out that it counted towards the leading rider points he would make me do it, but it was really fun. Lisona jumped it so easily, so it gave me a lot of confidence and I am happy I did it.”
In 2012, Springsteen jumped the WIHS Puissance with her horse Temmie and cleared 6’3” (1.90m), but was eliminated in the third round after failing her attempt at 6’9” (2.01m). Her success at 6’10” with Lisona is an exciting feat accomplished with great confidence in her mount.
“I doubt she has done a Puissance before, but she has so much scope and she is actually better the higher the fences, so we had a feeling that this would be a good class for her,” Springsteen said of the 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare (OBOS Quality x Porsch). “She gets impressed by it, and she felt like she was just flying over the wall.”
“I felt confident,” the rider stated. “She is such a scopey and brave horse that I knew nothing disastrous would happen. Classes like this, you kind of have to have fun with it, so we were all just having a good time. It is important to have a brave horse that wants to do it and she did. I think she enjoyed it actually.”
Springsteen also had added confidence in her own ability after many big wins this year and let that momentum take her into the challenge of jumping the biggest height of her career.
“Winning definitely gives you confidence. Your spirits are high, but you can’t get overly confident. That is one thing I have learned in this sport,” she remarked.
Another thing Springsteen learned is that riding to a Puissance wall is much different than cantering to your standard jump. “I didn’t know you had to ride a wall that size differently,” she admitted. “It is so big that you just want to gallop down to it, but you are supposed to go really slow and get close to it so that they kind of climb over it. That is kind of the opposite of what your instinct is telling you to do, so it takes a couple of times to really learn how to ride it correctly.”
The high jump competition is a fan favorite at WIHS as spectators watch the incredible power and athletic ability of horse and rider attempting to clear a wall set at record heights, and the fans were in full force on Friday night as they took in the competition.
“It is so fun. It is not normal in the States when you have so many people that come to watch, and they really know what’s going on,” Springsteen stated. “You have all of the younger kids that are really excited about it, like the pony riders, so it is really fun. It makes it an exciting event for the riders, and I think the horses feel it too.”
“I have been coming to this show since I was maybe ten years old on ponies almost every year. Last year was one of the first years I didn’t come, so I have spent a lot of time here and it is nice when the crowd knows you,” she added. “The experience has changed a lot over the years. I think I was actually more nervous when I was coming for the pony hunters and the equitation finals. There is a lot of pressure in those classes. I think it is actually much more relaxing doing the open division.”
Belgium Is Best in International Speed Final
Prior to the Puissance, a $50,000 International Jumper Speed Final was held in a faults converted format with 22 entries and a victory for Olivier Philippaerts (21) of Belgium riding Franz Lens’s 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Carlito C (by Kannan). The pair was one of five entries to clear the course without fault and finished with a time of 54.79 seconds.
Beezie Madden (USA) and Coral Reef Via Volo also jumped clear and finished second in 55.68 seconds. Daniel Bluman had the fastest time of 54.15 seconds, but four faults were added to place third in 58.15 seconds. Reed Kessler (USA) and Kessler Show Stables LLC’s Ligist also had one rail down, adding four seconds to their time, to place fourth in 59.24 seconds. Leslie Howard (USA) and Moondoggie were clear in 59.49 seconds to earn the fifth place prize.
Philippaerts started showing Carlito C in June after his brother, Nicola, showed the horse for several months. With the new partnership, he has had a great season with several top finishes competing throughout Europe and Canada, and looks forward to continued success. “He is a very particular horse and he is a very big horse, and in the beginning I thought in this ring it would be quite hard for him. It’s a big horse in a small ring, but in the end, he did really well,” Philippaerts stated. “He has been great the whole year, so if he keeps continuing, then hopefully we can keep it up for a while.”
Detailing his plan for the night’s course, Philippaerts noted, “I was looking a bit and walking the course, and I didn’t really know what to expect since it’s the first indoor show for him. I didn’t really know how he was going to react, but he did very well. I made my plan and it worked out and I was quick enough.”
“I’m here for three shows: Washington, Kentucky, and Toronto. He’s a very quick horse, and he has won a lot of classes, so I thought maybe I would take him,” Philippaerts said of the decision to bring the horse abroad. “It looks like I made the right decision and hopefully I’ll do well the other two weeks as well.”
This is Philippaerts’ third year competing at WIHS and he has enjoyed the fantastic crowd and great event. “I think first of all, it’s a great show. I really like coming to these three shows, and also for the World Cup points,” he remarked. “It counts in Europe as well, but that’s what we are here for. They do a very good job here in Washington to make the show. It’s a very small place for the horses, but they make it fit. I’m very happy they keep organizing this show.”
“Tonight was very good,” he continued. “It was more people than I expected to come. They really were motivating the riders to go quicker, and it’s very nice. I’m very happy to ride for such a crowd.”
Junior Hunters Award Championships
The Junior Hunter divisions concluded their second day of competition at WIHS on Friday morning with the presentation of their championship awards. The Grand Junior Hunter Championship was awarded to Dr. Betsee Parker’s Inclusive ridden by Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL. They were presented with the Ides of March Perpetual Trophy, donated by Linda Lee and Lee Reynolds.
On their way to earning the grand championship, Colvin and Inclusive won the tricolor in the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 division, sponsored by Chansonette Farm, after topping all three classes over fences. They were awarded the Chance Step Perpetual Trophy, donated by Brooke Carmichael McMurray-Fowler and Pam Carmichael Keenan. The division’s reserve champion was Kerry Anne LLC’s Imagine ridden by Kerry McCahill. The pair won under saddle and placed second, third and sixth over fences.
“Inclusive has gone amazing this week,” Colvin stated after their win. “He has an amazing jump. His stride is not the biggest, so you have to go a little forward, but he is really fun. You know he is never going to spook. He would jump anything and leave from anywhere, and he is an amazing ride.”
Inclusive made a big comeback this year after a year-long break due to problems with sciatica in 2013. He came back to win at the Devon Horse Show in May and most recently the PA National Horse Show in Harrisburg just last week.
“It is important to remember this this is a comeback for him because last year he was not here,” owner Dr. Betsee Parker stated. “The year prior to that he had what is known as the ‘triple crown of indoors’ when he was champion at all three indoor shows. As of today he is poised to possibly do that a second time and that has never happened before in the history of indoors, but who knows, anything can happen.”
Inclusive now has a lighter training schedule in between competitions, but he knows his job and goes to work when he gets to the show ring.
“He flats for 20 minutes every day, and he rarely jumps,” Colvin detailed. “He maybe jumps once before coming to the show, but he is better that way. Less is more with him.”
A benefit to Colvin’s riding is her focus on the equitation this year and the additional help of top trainers including the legendary George Morris. “I have a better position, and I know how to flat more for equitation,” she acknowledged. “I have gotten a couple lessons from George Morris, so basically all of my hunters are flatted like that and I know my position is better around the course.”
Colvin also earned a championship tricolor in the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 division, sponsored by Dogwood Hill, riding Dr. Betsee Parker’s Canadian Blue. The pair placed first, first and fourth over fences and fifth under saddle. Meridian Partners LLC’s Good Humor and Megan MacPherson earned reserve honors, placing first, second and third over fences.
“Canadian Blue felt good,” Colvin said. “He is still a little green. His first round yesterday it was his first time jumping around here since last year and he was a little looky and quick, but he got better each round he did. His handy he felt unbelievable. He is so special because he jumps so high. Anything you put him at, he will jump very, very high. He was on this week.”
In the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under division, sponsored by Entrust, Abbygale Funk guided West Coast Equine Partners LLC’s Neander to championship honors after placing first, first and second over fences and fourth under saddle. The pair also had the best Junior Hunter stake round of the day with a high score of 88 to earn the Lyrik Challenge Trophy, donated by Ashley and Courtney Kennedy. Lili Hymowitz and Rose Hill Farm’s Tiffani placed first and fourth over fences to earn the division’s reserve championship. They were also awarded the Georgetown Trophy, sponsored by Sheila and Britton Sanderford, as the high score Junior Hunter riding his or her own horse.
For her success aboard Neander, 13-year-old Abbygale Funk of St. George, KS was named Best Child Rider on a Horse and earned the special DiVecchia Perpetual Trophy. The award was sponsored by Gotham North; the trophy donated by Mr. and Mrs. Frederick DiVecchia.
Trained by her mother, Funk showed at WIHS in the pony hunters five years ago and this is her first time back and a memorable first WIHS win. “Winning is just amazing. I never thought I would be able to do it,” Funk smiled. “He is the most amazing horse I have ever ridden.”
Funk has ridden Neander, a 14-year-old Warmblood gelding by Nimray B, for just a few months. His owner was kind enough to let her keep riding him to get to indoors, and it ended in wonderful success.
“Last year I qualified, but the horse sold to somebody else to do indoors with,” Funk explained. “We took Neander and he got better and better, and we got qualified. We didn’t expect it, but we did. He has been amazing this whole time. He doesn’t spook at anything, and he never misbehaves.”
“This is very different with riding all night long and no sleeping, but it’s amazing to do the show in the middle of the city and do this with him,” Funk noted. “He has proven over and over that he doesn’t care about anything. He came here and went in the ring and was totally perfect. I have never won a Best Child Rider before and it is amazing. I just wanted to go around and be good. I didn’t expect to win and be champion or any of it.”
Concluding the hunter division’s for the day, the Small Junior Hunters 15 & Under awarded championship honors to Autumn Lane, owned by Eugenie Kilb and ridden by Grady Lyman, with two wins over fences. Reserve honors went to Melissa Wight’s Chromeo with Samantha Wight in the irons, placing second and fourth over fences and third under saddle.
Firestone and Holloway Triumph in Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers
Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers competed in the afternoon in their first jump-off classes of the week with wins for Christina Firestone and Hunter Holloway. The $5,000 High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper time first jump-off class, sponsored by Ellen and Daniel Crown, saw the second win of the week for Hunter Holloway of Topeka, KS, riding Hays Investment Corp.’s I Love Lucy. Twenty entries showed in round one with eight advancing to the jump-off. Four were able to clear the short course without fault and Holloway blazed to victory in 32.85 seconds to earn The Cover Story Perpetual Trophy donated by Rolling Acres Farm.
Victoria Colvin and Karen Long Dwight’s Chanel B finished second in 33.85 seconds. Virginia Ingram and Riverview Farm’s Urban placed third in 34.11 seconds, and Chloe Reid stopped the clock in 34.91 seconds aboard Chloe D Reid LLC’s Athena to earn the fourth place prize.
The $2,500 Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper time first jump-off class was held earlier in the afternoon, sponsored by The Strauss Family with a win for Christina Firestone aboard M/M Bertram Firestone’s Zodiac. The competition saw 22 entries with eight clear rounds to advance to the jump-off. Only two were able to go double clear over the short course, and Firestone and Zodiac completed the fastest time of 31.13 seconds for the win. They were presented with The Eleanor White O’Leary Memorial Perpetual Trophy donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ashton Hill and Miss Linden Joan Hill.
Nikki Prokopchak and her horse Sofia Car finished second in 37.18 seconds. The fastest four-fault round in the jump-off belonged to Katie Tyler and Seattle 6 in 30.49 seconds to place third.
Equitation Begins with Hunter Phase
In addition to Junior Hunter championships during Friday’s day session, WIHS hosted the hunter phase of the WIHS Equitation Finals with an early lead for T. J. O’Mara riding Walstib Stables LLC’s Kaskade to the high score of 90.
Hunter Holloway finished second after riding Hays Investment Corp.’s Any Given Sunday to a score of 89.125. Michael Hughes and Jordyn Rose Freedman’s Finnick scored the third prize with an 88.500. Victoria Colvin scored an 88.250 aboard Dr. Betsee Parker’s Clearway, and Caitlin Boyle finished with an 87.500 riding Micaela Kennedy’s Loredo.
The WIHS Equitation Finals will continue on Saturday with all riders returning for the jumper phase. The hunter and jumper scores will then be averaged out to determine the top ten riders who will participate in the final work-off. The riders change horses by determination of a random draw by lot and then compete over the jumper course for final scores.
The competition will also continue on Saturday with the opening classes for the pony hunters followed by the $7,500 Senator’s Cup Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, sponsored by The Strauss Family, and the $15,000 Ambassador’s Cup SJHOF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, sponsored by Ellen and Daniel Crown. The jumper phase for the WIHS Equitation Finals will close out the afternoon session.
The evening session begins at 7 p.m. with the WIHS Equitation Finals work-off with the top ten riders. The $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, a FEI World Cup qualifier presented by Events DC, will conclude the night.
For those who cannot make it to the show, it will be live streamed in its entirety, sponsored in part by The Nutro Company, at www.wihs.org, and is also available on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com.
About the Washington International Horse Show An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the country’s premier metropolitan indoor horse show. Each October, more than 500 world-class horses and riders, including Olympic medalists, arrive in Washington for six days of exciting show jumping and hunter competition. Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifier), the Puissance (high jump) and the WIHS Equitation Finals, an important goal for top American junior riders. Exciting equestrian exhibitions, boutique shopping and community activities, such as Kids’ Day and Breakfast with the Mounted Police, round out this family-friendly event. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group.
Since its debut, the Washington International has been a Washington, DC, institution attended by presidents, first ladies, celebrities, business and military leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Jessica Springsteen Tops Costumed Gambler’s Choice; Lucas Porter and Hunter Holloway Victorious in Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers
Washington, D.C. – October 23, 2014 – The 2014 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) continued on Thursday with the first day of classes for the Junior Hunters and several International Jumper and Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper classes at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The show continues through Sunday, October 26, with much more exciting action throughout the weekend, including Friday night’s $25,000 Puissance, presented by The Boeing Company, and Saturday night’s $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, presented by Events DC.
The International Open Jumpers had two classes on Thursday beginning with a win for Todd Minikus (USA) and Quality Girl in the $34,000 International Jumper Welcome Stake. Top honors in the $20,000 Gambler’s Choice costume class went to Jessica Springsteen (USA) aboard Lisona. The Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers competed as well with wins for Lucas Porter and Psychee d’Amour in the Low division and Hunter Holloway and I Love Lucy in the High division.
Anthony D’Ambrosio, of Red Hook, NY, is the course designer for the jumpers at WIHS this year. In the day’s $34,000 Welcome Stake, sponsored by Louisburg Farm, D’Ambrosio saw 30 entries contest his track with 12 clear in round one and ten entries continuing on to the short course. Todd Minikus and Quality Girl completed the fastest double clear round in 32.90 seconds to earn the top prize and the Ben O’Meara Memorial Challenge Trophy.
Laura Kraut (USA) and Andretti S, owned by Stars and Stripes, finished second in 34.48 seconds. Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) and Armstrong van de Kapel placed third in 34.54 seconds, and Callan Solem (USA) and Horseshoe Trail Farm LLC’s VDL Wizard were fourth in 34.80 seconds.
Minikus and Quality Girl have shared many triumphs in the last two years and earned their biggest prize to date in September’s Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, NY. The 11-year-old Oldenburg mare (Quidams Rubin x Dobrock) continued her top form into the indoor season, also finishing second in the $85,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix de Penn National in Harrisburg last week. Minikus currently leads the Longines FEIWorld Cup™ North American East Coast League standings and hopes to earn more valuable points toward April’s final during his trip to WIHS. Saturday’s $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, presented by Events DC, is a qualifier and will be the major goal of the week for international competitors.
“It would be nice to get some World Cup points here,” Minikus stated. “The President’s Cup is for sure one of the more prestigious grand prixs that we have in America and I have been lucky enough to win it a couple of times, so hopefully we can be competitive again this year.”
In Thursday’s jump-off, he kept the grand prix in mind as he planned to give Quality Girl a positive round to keep her confidence up as the week continues. He had a great winning round and was pleased with her performance.
“I just wanted to go nice and try not to go totally crazy and get her frantic for the rest of the week, but she was pretty tidy everywhere,” he explained. “I was third in the jump-off out of ten and there were a few familiar names coming at the end, so it was questionable whether the lead would hold up. But it seems like a couple of those super-fast riders had jumps down.”
“She is really a good horse,” Minikus said. “She has an awesome record and she is now a true professional show horse, so she just takes everything in stride. She has a lot of class.”
“I really didn’t know that there would be that many clean to tell you the truth, but the horses were sure jumping well,” he said of the competition. “It was a nice class for the first jump-off class, and it probably made for a good jump-off to watch. You really have to have your game on here; it gets very competitive.”
Springsteen Scores Second Win of the Week
The $20,000 International Jumper Gambler’s Choice Costume Class, sponsored by Equestrian Sport Productions, was held on Thursday evening during the show’s always popular Barn Night, presented by Dover Saddlery. Local young riders and horse enthusiasts attended in groups and had the chance to enter contests, win big prizes, and enjoy a fun, horse-filled evening that included the WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Championship races presented by Charles Owen.
Jessica Springsteen and Lisona
Dressed as an airplane pilot, Jessica Springsteen added another international win to her tally for the week after also topping Wednesday night’s Welcome Stake. Springsteen and Stone Hill Farm’s Lisona jumped to a score of 850 points and cleared the joker for an additional 200-point bonus for the winning 1050 total. Springsteen was presented with the Crown Royal Trophy, donated by Crown Royal, as the winning rider, and Lisona won The Sue Ann Geisler Memorial Trophy, donated by the Washington International Horse Show, as the winning horse.
McLain Ward (USA) and Zander, owned by Ward and Grant Road Partners, finished second on a score of 1020 dressed in steeplechase attire. Beezie Madden (USA) rode Coral Reed Via Volo dressed as a Green Bay Packers fan to a 1010-point total to secure third place honors.
Springsteen credits her trainer, Laura Kraut, for coming up with the right course to accrue the winning total and was very happy with Lisona, her 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare (OBOS Quality x Porsch), for a great night.
“Laura came up with a course that worked really well,” Springsteen acknowledged. “It is nice when the fences stay up, and you can stay to your plan. She jumped really well tonight, and I was lucky that everything went according to plan.”
“My horses have all been going amazing,” the rider added. “I jumped her this morning and she is kind of better as she goes on, and today she really felt great. Usually I don’t do her in speed classes, so she handled this really well. I was really happy with her.”
Springsteen plans on jumping Lisona in Friday night’s Puissance presented by The Boeing Company, noting, “She has so much scope, so I really do feel like she would jump anything.”
An added bonus to Springsteen’s Gambler’s Choice win was the thousands of excited young fans from Barn Night cheering riders on.
“It was so much fun. I was really impressed when I came here and I saw the big crowd,” Springsteen smiled. “The pony racing is so much fun to watch and I think that is a really great thing about this horse show, that they have so many fun events. It really does attract a great crowd. It is exciting. It is a great atmosphere, and it makes it fun for the riders and the horses I think.”
Porter and Holloway Triumph in Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers
The $2,500 Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper speed class, sponsored by The Strauss Family, was held on Thursday afternoon for 21 entries and five clear rounds with a win for Lucas Porter of Bartonville, TX, riding Sleepy P Ranch LLC’s Psychee d’Amour. Porter and the 11-year-old Selle Francais mare (Juvaro du Rouet SF x Papillon Rouge) were presented the Beagle Brook Farm Perpetual Trophy for their winning round in 51.84 seconds.
Sima Morgello and Double S Farm LLC’s Zopala finished second in 52.41 seconds. Lauren Fischer and Norton de la Sapaie placed third in 53.99 seconds, and Yasmin Rizvi and Peacock Ridge LLC’s Delilah ended in fourth place with a time of 54.60 seconds.
Lucas Porter and Psychee d’Amour
Following his win, Porter explained that his family has owned Psychee d’Amour for over three years, but the mare got injured and was out of competition for almost two years. This is her first full year back, and she quickly came back to win classes with Porter while showing abroad inMünchen-Riem and St. Tropez.
“She has just been fantastic the entire year,” Porter stated. “She is super-fast, super careful. She is just a little speedster.”
Porter has had huge success this year including an individual gold medal at the North American Junior/Young Rider Championships and a big win at Spruce Meadows along with a fantastic European tour. He continued the streak on Thursday by earning his first win at the Washington International Horse Show.
“It is fun to win here and credit to the show organizers,” Porter acknowledged. “This is a fantastic show. It is well run. Even though there is one ring and you have to ride at different hours, everything is super punctual and everything runs on time. The in-gate guys here get all the horses in quickly, so the classes move nicely. Everything is just run really well.”
Thanks to his parents and trainer, John Roche, along with the help of Chelsea Sundius, Porter has a great support system getting him to the ring. For Thursday’s win, he and Psychee d’Amour had the combination of talent, speed, and a good strategy to jump to victory.
“The course was just about right for the first day here for the Lows. I thought it was a well-built course, so credit to the course designer,” Porter stated. “All of the lines had some difficulty to them, the first line especially. I was quite quick over to the double (combination). I think I did one or two fewer strides than the second place person there. She is just a naturally quick horse everywhere. That is mainly where she wins, is just her natural pace. I kind of just stay in a half seat and let her do her thing.”
The $5,000 High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper speed class, sponsored by Ellen and Daniel Crown, was held during the evening session with a win for Hunter Holloway of Topeka, KS, aboard Hays Investment Corp.’s I Love Lucy. The pair was awarded The “Footloose” Perpetual Trophy in remembrance of Ruth Ellen Wilmot, donated by The Curtin Family in honor of 1990 winner “Footloose.”
The class saw 23 entries with four clear rounds and the fastest time of 49.05 seconds set by Holloway and I Love Lucy. Meredith Darst and Page Tredennick’s Zenith Dance finished second in 50 seconds. Lauren Fischer and Offenbach du Granit were third in 51.57 seconds, and Victoria Colvin and Brigid Colvin’s Don Juan placed fourth in 54.38 seconds.
“It is super exciting to win here. The atmosphere is amazing,” Holloway stated after the class. “As a kid, you dream about showing at the Washington International Horse Show. It is such a big deal and to be able to come here is like a dream come true. It is one of your goals that you set throughout the year to come here and compete successfully and then to do it is just really special.”
“She is a pretty quick horse on her own and travels over the ground pretty quickly, so I just wanted a smooth, forward round and the course was set great. It was very consistent, and I liked it. My horse liked it too,” Holloway said of the nine-year-old Warmblood mare (Corrado II x Papillion).
“She is a great horse. We have had her for about a year now,” the rider detailed. “When I got her we did the 1.30m, and we have brought her up from there. We went to Europe this summer and she competed there on a CSIOY young riders team and she was awesome.”
Holloway is trained by her mother, Brandie Holloway, and also gets help from Don Stewart and Anne Kursinski. Describing I Love Lucy further, she smiled, “I love her. She is an awesome horse. She is pretty simple, kind of a point and shoot. She is a chestnut mare for sure, but she is always fighting for you, which is nice. You can’t beat that. When they are fighting for you, there is nothing better.”
The Washington International Horse Show continues on Friday with the championships for the Junior Hunter divisions as well as the hunter phase for the WIHS Equitation Finals. The Low and High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers will have jump-off classes in the afternoon session. The evening session begins with a $50,000 International Jumper Speed Final followed by the $25,000 Puissance, sponsored by The Boeing Company.
For those who cannot make it to the show, it will be live streamed in its entirety, sponsored in part by The Nutro Company, at www.wihs.org, and is also available on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com.
About the Washington International Horse Show An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the country’s premier metropolitan indoor horse show. Each October, more than 500 world-class horses and riders, including Olympic medalists, arrive in Washington for six days of exciting show jumping and hunter competition. Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifier), the Puissance (high jump) and the WIHS Equitation Finals, an important goal for top American junior riders. Exciting equestrian exhibitions, boutique shopping and community activities, such as Kids’ Day and Breakfast with the Mounted Police, round out this family-friendly event. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group.
Since its debut, the Washington International has been a Washington, DC, institution attended by presidents, first ladies, celebrities, business and military leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Scott Stewart Named Leading Hunter Rider; Last Call and Becky Gochman, Voila and Kyle Owens Top Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Championships
Washington, D.C. – October 22, 2014 – Day two of the 2014 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) featured the presentation of championship honors in the professional and amateur-owner hunter divisions at Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
Kelley Farmer guided Mindful to the overall Grand Hunter Championship after sweeping two divisions. Scott Stewart earned the Leading Hunter Rider Award following championship wins aboard Lucador, Quest, and A Million Reasons. A Million Reasons also earned the Grand Green Working Hunter Championship. Concluding the day session, Becky Gochman and Last Call and Kyle Owens and Voila each earned Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Championships. The show will continue through Sunday, October 26.
Kelley Farmer and Mindful were in a league of their own this week to win the 2014 WIHS Grand Hunter Championship and receive the Rave Review Challenge Trophy, donated by Stoney Hill. The ten-year-old Hanoverian gelding swept every class in both the High Performance Working Hunter and Regular Conformation Hunter divisions to earn each championship tricolor.
In the High Performance Working Hunters, sponsored by The Wasserman Foundation, Mindful and Farmer accepted The “NOT ALWAYS” Challenge Trophy donated by Miss Peggy Steinman along with championship prizes for winning all four classes in the division. Todd Minikus and LPF LLC’s LPF Woodford finished in reserve after placing second, third and fourth over fences and third in the under saddle.
In the Regular Conformation Hunters, sponsored by Lynn Ellen Rice, Farmer and Mindful once again topped every class and were presented with The Mary Farren Perpetual Trophy. Glefke and Kensell LLC’s Why earned reserve honors ridden by Elizabeth Sanden-Mulvey. The pair placed second, second, and third over fences as well as fourth under saddle.
“He is an unreal horse. He is unbelievable,” Farmer said of Mindful. “I can’t say enough about him. I am very lucky. He tries to win all the time, he wants to win, and he doesn’t let me down. He has so much ability. When he doesn’t win, it’s my fault. It’s just because I have gotten in his way. He is an awesome animal, and he has been unreal.”
In addition to the grand championship, Mindful’s owners, Glefke and Kensell LLC, were presented with the Leading Hunter Owner Award sponsored by The Reid Family. Mindful and Farmer were also presented with the special Protocol Trophy, sponsored by Platinum Performance, as the overall High Point High Performance Working Hunter from the Devon Horse Show, Pennsylvania National Horse Show, and Washington International Horse Show.
“Mythical won the Protocol last year, and Rosalynn won it three years ago. It is a very hard trophy to win, and I think it is very special,” Farmer stated. “For those three different venues that are so different, I think that is really a testament to a really good horse. It takes a hell of a horse to do it, and I am very proud that I have had three horses do it. All three of them were unbelievable animals and all three of them were capable of winning no matter the circumstances. It is really a true sign of a great horse.”
Showing in the city did not faze Mindful this week, who has proven himself in many different environments and even had a very successful jumper career before turning to the hunters. “He is out of a Thoroughbred mare, so he has enough blood to make him careful and aware, but he is a quiet horse,” Farmer mused. “He has so much ability that this is really easy for him. There is nothing that I have asked him to do that he thought was hard or that he hasn’t given us 100%.”
Farmer has been showing at WIHS since she was a child on ponies, but noted that you never lose that special feeling of nerves and excitement showing in the nation’s capital. “It always gives you a special feeling,” she said. “If you don’t get that feeling, then you should stop. It’s the best feeling in the world when you walk to the ring. It’s do or die. It’s excitement.”
While Farmer earned the overall grand championship, Scott Stewart guided Dr. Betsee Parker’s A Million Reasons to the Grand Green Working Hunter Championship to receive The Claire Lang Miller Challenge Trophy. The pair topped the Second Year Green Working Hunter championship, earning three first place ribbons over fences, and a second place under saddle. The Windy Acres Challenge Trophy was also presented to A Million Reasons earlier in the morning for the best Green Working Hunter stake round with a score of 87. The reserve championship went to Amy Guth’s Inspired ridden by Louise Serio, placing second, second and third over fences and sixth under saddle.
A Million Reasons, a nine-year-old Holsteiner mare by Coriano, is a brand new ride for Stewart as of just this week. She is owned by Maura Thatcher’s Pony Lane Farm and was leased to show.
“We tried her last week at Harrisburg. I jumped three jumps with her, and they were nice enough to let Betsee lease her,” Stewart explained. “Originally, the horse came from Larry (Glefke) and Kelley. I never jumped a line until yesterday, and she was amazing. She was so easy, but I was obviously nervous having never done anything with her before.”
A Million Reasons showed in Harrisburg with Maggie Jayne and was ready to go for Stewart this week. Although he does not know her well, the mare was unfazed by the impressive venue and change of rider.
“So far I think she is the easiest horse I have ever ridden,” Stewart acknowledged. “I think she goes exactly the way you want her to go. She is beautiful; she moves great; she is scopey. I have watched her go for a couple of years and I didn’t realize she would be available, so it is great.”
Continuing the day, Stewart went on to win the Green Conformation Hunter championship, sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. John R. Ingram. He guided Dr. Betsee Parker’s Lucador to top honors after placing first, second and second over fences and winning the under saddle. The pair also won Tuesday’s model. For the championship honors, they were presented with The Valiant Hark Memorial Challenge Trophy, donated by Mrs. Stephen J. Clark. California’s John French rode Montana Coady’s Ranger to the reserve championship with two wins and a second place finish over fences as well as second place under saddle.
Lucador, a six-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Lord Pezi, has been a solid mount for Stewart all year and handles the excitement of WIHS like an experienced veteran at such a young age. “He has been great, and he is so young,” Stewart said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to show him this year at 3’6”, but he does it so easy. This is the most consistent he has been. He was first or second in every jump class. I think it came down to the hack. We had to win that to be champion, so it was a tight race.”
“He is really great in the ring,” Stewart added. “He’s a little quirky in the schooling area and he doesn’t like the crowd, so it’s a little hard to get ready, but once he is in the ring he is easy. I literally don’t have to jump a jump with him. I can jump one little jump and go in the ring or not even jump, so I knew he could just go in there and be fine.”
Securing his third championship of the day, Stewart continued on to win the First Year Green Working Hunter division sponsored by Montana Coady. He guided Stephanie Danhakl’s Quest to the win after placing first, second and third over fences. Nilani Trent’s Autumn Rhythm and Sloane Coles finished in reserve with first and second place ribbons.
Seven-year-old Quest, a Warmblood gelding by Verdi, shows in the 3’3” Amateur-Owner Hunters with his owner and also had success in Harrisburg. “He just started back showing; he had a little time off, so he was out of the groove, but he was right on track here today,” Stewart noted. “It took him a show to get ready, but he was awesome. He is brave and not spooky. He is basically quiet, so he’s perfect for this situation.”
With three championships under his belt, Stewart was named the 2014 WIHS Leading Hunter Rider, receiving a special $5,000 bonus for the award sponsored by Dr. Betsee Parker. He was also presented with The Robert Coluccio Leading Hunter Rider Perpetual Trophy. This marks Stewart’s eighth time earning the title at WIHS in a long-standing and illustrious professional career. It was a close race with Farmer, who won the award last year, but Stewart got the winning edge.
“We figured it out this morning. Larry and I added up the points and I think Kelley was one point ahead coming into today,” he noted. “It all came down to today.”
Gochman and Owens Win Amateur-Owner Titles
The Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions concluded their second day of competition on Wednesday and awarded championship honors as well. The Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’6” championship, sponsored by Kim Davis, was awarded to David Gochman’s Last Call ridden by Becky Gochman. The pair earned the Frank Counselman Memorial Perpetual Trophy after topping the Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’6” Over 35 division, sponsored by Cembell Industries. They placed first, second and fifth over fences and won the under saddle. The reserve champion was Walk the Line, owned and ridden by Lynn Seithel, who placed first and second over fences.
Becky Gochman and Last Call
Gochman was also presented with the Leading Amateur-Owner Hunter Rider Award for the 3’6” level, sponsored by Kessler Show Stables. This was her third time receiving the honor.
“It has been a lucky show,” Gochman remarked. “I love Washington, D.C. and the diversity here. I absolutely love that the show is next to Chinatown, and I am really excited that it is the Year of the Horse and there is a special jump made to represent Chinatown. I love the city show because you get to see all the people on the street admiring the horses and it is all different kinds of people. That is pretty cool just to break up somebody’s day. They watch the horses being braided, and they ask people questions. I just get a real kick out of that. My husband and I also get to come without our kids, and there are so many great restaurants. It has been a special place for me and maybe I feel that too; I feel the love of it.”
Gochman bought her winning mount, Last Call, this spring and has been working with trainers Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley to get to know the 13-year-old Warmblood gelding and solidify their partnership.
“I haven’t had him for very long and it has just been a matter of making small adjustments to get him right,” she explained. “To be honest, I didn’t come in to indoors with the greatest amount of confidence on him. I wasn’t sure how he was going to be, especially without doing a professional division, and he really proved himself to be a true amateur horse. He went right in and he knew his business, and he made it completely easy on me. He gives 100%.”
Last Call is also a much bigger horse than the rider is used to, but Gochman enjoys the challenge. “I like how big he is,” she smiled. “It is extra hard to get on, and I have to get a super high leg up. It is just a different experience than I have ever had. It is that much more important that I have to stretch up and sit up tall. It is fun because the straighter you get and the calmer you are, the more he is really going to power off the ground. It has been a lot of fun getting to know him in that way.”
Gochman received several other awards for her high score stake round of 87 aboard Empire on Wednesday. She earned The Shari Hollis Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by the Late Col. J.B. Hollis and Ms. Jeannie Hollis, which is presented to the overall winner in the Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’6” stake rounds. She also received an award for the EQUUS Foundation Best Performance of the Day.
In the Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’6” 18-35 division, the championship was awarded to Stephanie Danhakl and Golden Rule. The pair placed second, second and third over fences and won under saddle. There was a tie for the reserve championship between Danhakl and her second mount, Humor Me, as well as Krista Weisman and Reality. After a coin toss, the prize was awarded to Weisman and Reality, who placed first and fourth over fences.
Continuing the day, the Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3’3” 18-35 division concluded its championship with a win for Kyle Owens and Voila. They won two classes over fences and finished third under saddle. Taylor Willever and Whisper finished in reserve, placing first, second, and fourth over fences. Willever was also presented with the award for Best Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’3” Stake Round for her high score of 85.
At the conclusion of the afternoon, Voila was named Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’3” Champion, sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Earnest M. Oare. Owens was named the Leading Amateur-Owner Hunter Rider for the 3’3” division overall. The 23-year-old rider from Columbus, OH, trains with Peter Pletcher and although he has ridden for many years, he only began showing competitively this year. This was the first trip to WIHS for both horse and rider and far exceeded expectations.
“This was his first time inside and mine too, so I was thinking it wasn’t going to go as well, but he was perfect,” the rider smiled. “This is my first time at Washington. I have never done any of the indoors (before this year), so I was thrilled. I am shocked, and I am so thankful that it happened.”
Owens bought Voila, a six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Verdi, this past winter and has been impressed with the horse’s quick progress. Although Voila is young and inexperienced, the horse took little preparation for this week’s competition.
“We just rode him in the ring the first day, and that is all I had to do,” Owens stated. “We did Capital Challenge and we did Harrisburg and got some ribbons, but second was as good as it got, so I am thrilled with what happened here. I couldn’t believe it. I have never gotten a leading rider title or any of this. I have not even gotten it at a smaller horse show, so for that to happen here is just really cool.”
Owens began riding when he was ten and only competed locally until he was an amateur. He decided to step up to the next level this year and purchased Voila and several other horses that he showed in Florida throughout the winter with great results.
“He is so sweet, and he is really smart,” the rider described of Voila. “He is actually one of the smartest horses I have ever ridden. I didn’t expect him to come along so fast. We started him in the 3′ Pre-Greens thinking he was going to be super green and we would just do him for a year at 3′, but after several weeks we moved him right up to the 3’3” because he was just learning so fast. He is really smart to learn, he is super brave, and he has a lot of step. He has all the right parts.”
The final hunter division of the day was the Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’3” Over 35, which saw a win for Glen Senk aboard Fashion Farm’s Beholden. The pair won two classes over fences and was fourth in another. The reserve championship went to Becky Gochman aboard David Gochman’s Touchdown with first, second and sixth place ribbons over fences.
The Washington International Horse Show continues on Thursday with the beginning of Junior Hunter competition in the morning and Low and High Junior/Amateur-Owner competition followed by a $34,000 International Jumper Welcome Stake in the afternoon. The evening session will welcome local horse lovers, riders, trainers, and their families for Barn Night, presented by Dover Saddlery, beginning at 6 p.m. The $20,000 International Jumper Gambler’s Choice costume class will be the highlight event of the evening.
For those who cannot make it to the show, it will be live streamed in its entirety, sponsored in part by The Nutro Company, at www.wihs.org, and is also available on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com.
About the Washington International Horse Show An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the country’s premier metropolitan indoor horse show. Each October, more than 500 world-class horses and riders, including Olympic medalists, arrive in Washington for six days of exciting show jumping and hunter competition. Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifier), the Puissance (high jump) and the WIHS Equitation Finals, an important goal for top American junior riders. Exciting equestrian exhibitions, boutique shopping and community activities, such as Kids’ Day and Breakfast with the Mounted Police, round out this family-friendly event. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group.
Since its debut, the Washington International has been a Washington, DC, institution attended by presidents, first ladies, celebrities, business and military leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Taegen Long and Katherine Pontone Victorious in WIHS Children’s and Adult Jumper Championships
Washington, D.C. – October 22, 2014 – Jessica Springsteen of Colts Neck, NJ kicked off the first day of international jumper competition at the 2014 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) with a win riding Davendy S at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The day also saw victories for Taegen Long riding Pocohontas and Katherine Pontone aboard Belladonna in the WIHS Children’s and Adult Jumper Championships. With six days of world-class competition, WIHS continues through Sunday, October 26, featuring hunter, jumper, and equitation highlights.
Wednesday’s feature event was the opening $10,000 International Jumper speed class, sponsored by Amalaya Investments, with a win for Springsteen and Stone Hill Farms Davendy S. The class saw 37 entries with six clear rounds over an Anthony D’Ambrosio designed course. Last to go, Springsteen and Davendy S blazed through the course in 50.80 seconds for the win. She edged out her own horse, Zero, who finished in second with a time of 55.31 seconds ridden by Laura Kraut (USA). Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts and J’Espere Dream placed third in 56.81 seconds.
Winning mount, Davendy S, is an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Kashmir van Schuttershof x Pachat II). Although she just got the mare in August, Springsteen and Davendy bonded quickly and had their first victories together in Valkenswaard and Dublin soon after.
“She is an amazing horse. She is so much fun, and she likes to go fast,” Springsteen described. “She doesn’t like when you pull her and try to school her, so she is very competitive and this is her kind of class. I brought her to L.A. and she was really good, and I took her to Central Park and she was second in the speed class there. We haven’t done too much together, but it was sort of an instant click with her, which is nice. The indoor rings suit her because she can cut really hard.”
Springsteen knew she had a fast time to beat from Zero and Kraut, but she was able to trust in her horse and go almost five seconds faster. “She is really careful, so I like to give her a strong ride our first time in,” Springsteen noted. “I went around everywhere, but she is so fast. Laura told me that I could go around and still have the winning time.”
Since riders can only show two horses each with limited space at WIHS, Springsteen thought it would be a good idea for Kraut to show Zero indoors before he heads to Toronto in November, and she was also very happy with his great finish tonight.
“I love when Laura shows my horses because I get back on them after and they are amazing, like completely different horses,” she laughed. “He is funny. He is very quirky. Sometimes he will go in, and he will be really focused and you will really nail it. Other times he is a little bit distracted and kind of all over the place, but he was really good tonight. He tried really hard. He is a careful horse and he loves to jump, you can tell.”
This was Springsteen’s first international win at WIHS, and it is a competition that she has always enjoyed. “It is always a special show. I have come here since I was on ponies, so it is definitely nice to be back,” she stated. “I have a lot of memories here.”
An added incentive for the international riders this year includes new cash bonuses that will be awarded to riders accumulating the most points in the division. A $15,000 bonus will go to the overall leading international rider, sponsored by The Boeing Company, and a $10,000 bonus will be awarded to the overall leading rider 25 years of age or younger, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch. Springsteen now stands in the lead with her opening day win and looks forward to seeing how the standings play out.
“I think it is really great to have those bonuses, and it is good for classes like this where a lot of people would just go in to school,” she acknowledged. “It makes it more exciting for the crowd because you are trying to win, and you are trying to accumulate the points. It really makes the riders go in and try to win every class, and it is nice when they do stuff for the younger riders too. The (United) States are good about building their young riders up, so that is always really appreciated.”
Taegen Long Wins $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship
Earlier this season, Taegen Long didn’t believe qualifying for the Washington International Horse Show was in the cards, and her October plans didn’t come together until just a few months ago. However, she surprised even herself tonight with the fastest of three double-clear efforts in the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship aboard her own 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Pocohontas.
Five pairs from a 30-horse order qualified for the jump-off, two belonging to Long. Returning first with Pollux Du Shalimar, owned by Maria Long, she was on her way to the lead before a rail bounced from the cups at the second-to-last fence. Her second chance came two trips later when she made good use of her mare’s natural speed. They crossed the timers clear in 35.282 seconds for the win and were awarded the H. Fenwick Kollock Memorial Perpetual Trophy donated by Friends of Fen.
Taegen Long and Pocohontas
“Pocohontas is really fast around the jumps, so I knew all I had to do was not knock a rail, and she would do the rest,” said Long. “I had already seen the track and knew we had the speed without too many tight turns as long as I got to the right spots.”
Behind Long, Madison Charlton and Ellen Mitchell’s Petit Flipper were second in 36.307, while a clear time of 37.330 seconds put Nicolas Horgan and Kelly Horgan’s Zico T third. Long’s second mount settled for fourth on four faults, and Gabriella Hurtado rounded out the top five on Rainbow Brite for Wonderland Farm, LLC after two rails down.
Partners for a year, Pocohontas introduced Long to the jumper ring at the Winter Equestrian Festival this year. “She just kept getting better and better during WEF, and we realized we were going to make it here,” said Long of her first WIHS appearance.
Long basked in victory tonight, but the win didn’t come without a full serving of hard work and a time-nurtured bond between horse and 15-year-old rider. “I do my own work – I feed twice a day, I tack up, I bathe – all without grooms,” admitted Long who trains with Carolyn Desfor and attends high school online, affording her more time in the saddle. “Creating that bond with my horses helps them to respect me. They would do anything for me in the ring.”
When Pocohontas arrived at Long View Farm, owned and operated by Long’s parents in Medford, NJ, the mare became part of the family. Their bond, however, wasn’t an immediate sure thing. “Pocohontas is the first mare I have gotten along with. I didn’t want to ride her at all when she first came because she wasn’t a gelding,” she said. “Now I can’t wait to keep moving up with her.”
After a successful debut at WIHS, Long and the mare she nicknamed “YoYo” after her occasional mood swings, will leave Children’s Jumpers behind and step up to the Low Juniors this winter.
Katherine Pontone Speeds to Victory in $10,000 WIHS Adult Jumper Championship
The $10,000 WIHS Adult Jumper Championship was held next in the evening session with 24 entries and 11 advancing to the jump-off, where five riders jumped double clear. Twenty-year-old Katherine Pontone of Red Bank, NJ took the top prize with the fastest clear round in 27.241 seconds aboard her horse Belladonna. The pair earned The Dorothy Foote “Goodie” Taylor Memorial Perpetual Trophy donated by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ashton Hill and Miss Linden Joan Hill.
Phoenix Cooke and Skys Burnin Blue finished second in 28.513 seconds. Aleesha Melwani and Thunder-Ball were third in 29.142 seconds. Alexandra Cherubini and Equifit Cayenne 178 stopped the clock in 29.806 seconds for fourth, and Nicole Lyvere and Arizona VDL finished in 35.717 seconds to place fifth.
Katherine Pontone and Belladonna
Pontone trains with Kali Jerman and has owned Belladonna, an eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Unbelievable, for two years.
“We have come a long way thanks to my trainer,” Pontone acknowledged after her win. “We showed here last year and ended up twelfth. We have been working on getting her fitter, and we have just connected a lot more. We went bitless a few months ago, and we have come a long way. When we started last year we could barely get over a liverpool.”
Speaking about her strategy on course, Pontone explained, “She is a smaller horse, so we planned on doing all of the strides except that tricky bending line across the diagonal. We added in the first line. She falls right, so we added one there to keep her straight and then went direct the second time. She is careful and quick with her legs, so everywhere else just worked out for us. In the jump-off, she was fast in the turns and in the air. To be fast on the ground is one thing, but to get stuck in the air loses time. She is quick across the ground and in the air, and she spins like it’s nothing.”
Pontone hopes to move up to bigger jumps this year and maybe return to WIHS next year in the amateurs. She had a great experience in the ring at Verizon Center and was very happy with her horse’s performance.
“She’s very different no matter where she is. In the schooling ring we can hunt her around and I’m kicking her, and she won’t go anywhere. The second she steps in the show ring, she turns on and just is ready to win,” the rider stated. “The atmosphere in there definitely helps because it keeps their attention, and it is just a fun ring to show in. It is amazing.”
The Washington International Horse Show continues on Thursday with the beginning of Junior Hunter competition in the morning and Low and High Junior/Amateur-Owner competition followed by a $34,0000 International Jumper Welcome Stake in the afternoon. The evening session will welcome local horse lovers, riders, trainers, and their families for Barn Night, presented by Dover Saddlery, beginning at 6 p.m. The $20,000 International Jumper Gambler’s Choice costume class, sponsored by Equestrian Sport Productions, will be the highlight event of the evening.
For those who cannot make it to the show, it will be live streamed in its entirety, sponsored in part by The Nutro Company, at www.wihs.org, and is also available on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com.
About the Washington International Horse Show An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the country’s premier metropolitan indoor horse show. Each October, more than 500 world-class horses and riders, including Olympic medalists, arrive in Washington for six days of exciting show jumping and hunter competition. Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifier), the Puissance (high jump) and the WIHS Equitation Finals, an important goal for top American junior riders. Exciting equestrian exhibitions, boutique shopping and community activities, such as Kids’ Day and Breakfast with the Mounted Police, round out this family-friendly event. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group.
Since its debut, the Washington International has been a Washington, DC, institution attended by presidents, first ladies, celebrities, business and military leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Lauren Fisher and Lindsay Brock for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Washington, D.C. – October 21, 2014 – The 56th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) began Tuesday with the first day of hunter competition at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. The day featured professional and amateur hunters showing in the first classes of their divisions as well as year-end championships for the children’s and adult hunter riders. The WIHS continues its six-day competition through Sunday, October 26.
The $10,000 WIHS Children’s Hunter Championship saw 31 entries on Tuesday competing over a course set by Kenneth Krome of Westminster, MD. The top 12 entries returned for round two where 14-year-old Aubrienne Krysiewicz-Bell of New York, NY qualified both of her two mounts. The rider won the championship riding Margaret O’Meara’s Monopoly to scores of 84 and 78.5 for a total of 162.5. For the win, she was presented the H. Fenwick Kollock Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by Friends of Fen.
Olivia Notman and Castlewood Farm, Inc.’s Signature finished second on a 161-point total with scores of 82 and 79. Krysiewicz-Bell also placed third aboard her horse Early Winter with scores of 81 and 77 for a total of 158.
Krysiewicz-Bell started training with Andre Dignelli at Heritage Farm in New York three years ago and has seen great progress in her riding. She began riding Monopoly one year ago and showed the 14-year-old Dutch Riding Horse gelding for the first time in Wellington, FL this winter.
“He is probably the perfect horse,” she smiled. “Everything about him, everything that you would want a horse to be, he is. He is reliable, he is rarely fresh, and he is an amazing jumper. Early Winter is my equitation horse, but I have been riding him in the hunters too and he has been really good.”
Tuesday was Krysiewicz-Bell’s first time showing at WIHS, and it was her goal all year to qualify for the final. This was her last show on Monopoly (a.k.a. Cash) and a wonderful win.
“My rounds today were really good,” she detailed. “I thought that they were smooth. I think I was a little more confident than I have been on them in the past because I just was relaxing and thinking about the quality of the round and focusing.”
“I came down yesterday and I was able to look at the ring and look at the schooling area and that gave me a sense of how it would ride and what the ring would feel like when I was riding in it,” she added. “Also, I got up this morning and I schooled a little in the ring, so I got a feeling of how I would need to ride later today. I had never been here before, and it is wonderful to come here and have this success. I love the ring. It is amazing to be here, and it feels incredible to win.”
Krysiewicz-Bell is a student at Marymount School in New York City and commutes to Heritage Farm four to five days a week after school to ride. This winter she will return to Florida to continue competing.
Laurie Barna and Laguna Top $10,000 Adult Amateur Hunter Championship
The $10,000 WIHS Adult Amateur Hunter Championship, sponsored by The Linden Group at Morgan Stanley, concluded day one at the 2014 WIHS with 27 entries showing over the first round course and the top 12 returning. Laurie Barna of Dallas, PA, finally got her victory after several top finishes in the competition in previous years. She rode her veteran mount Laguna, a 21-year-old Holsteiner gelding, to victory with scores of 78 and 81 for the winning total of 159.
Jacquelyn Maggiore and Contina finished second with a 155-point total on scores of 76 and 79. Dana C. Nifosi and Knob Creek placed third with scores of 72.5 and 82 for a total of 154.5.
Laurie Barna and Laguna
Barna started training with Liz Perry-Merbler at High Brass Farm in New Jersey in 2000 and has ridden Laguna for almost five years. The horse was previously her niece’s equitation horse and has given Barna great confidence in her riding.
“We have been coming here year after year, and I just can’t believe we actually finally won,” Barna beamed. “I have been doing Washington with either hunters or jumpers for at least 10 or 12 years now and this is my first time (winning). We are always a bridesmaid, but not this year. This is very exciting, especially on that horse. He is like our family heirloom. He has been in our family for a long time now. He was my niece’s equitation horse and when she went to college, we couldn’t bear to sell him. It is very sweet to have won it on him. We are probably semi retiring him this year and I thought, ‘Well, this is my last go of it.’ I can’t believe we actually got it.”
“Liz and I have been at this together for 15 years. I have a full-time job, and I only get out there once a week. Liz takes care of everything else,” Barna explained. “They have a rehab facility there, and he does the AquaPacer three times a week because it is a low impact workout. That is wonderful for him. Liz hacks him, and I have a lesson every Friday. I am very fortunate that he has so much experience, and he just loves it. He is wonderful.”
Although Barna still plans to show Laguna lightly next year, this win capped off an excellent partnership at one of her favorite shows.
“I was walking around the schooling area talking to him, saying, ‘All these years together buddy, do you think we can pull this off?’ It has never worked out. I landed off that last jump, and I thought, ‘Could it be?’ This will not be his last show. We might just have some fun with it next year, but it will be very limited. It will be hard to give him up. I have to wean myself off. Who knows, but how can you top that?”
Though she has many years of experience showing at WIHS, competing in the city never loses its luster for Barna. “I absolutely love it. It is just the atmosphere here,” she smiled. “Everything is so electric and unusual. It is just a neat show to be at. It is so friendly. I love being in the city and the horses walking down the street. It is a beautiful arena. It is challenging, but luckily I have a horse who doesn’t require much. There is just something about horses in the city that makes it really special.”
Also showing on Tuesday, the professional hunter divisions completed their first day of competition at Verizon Center with a very successful morning for Scott Stewart of Wellington, FL. The Robotyping Challenge Trophy was presented to Stewart and Dr. Betsee Parker’s A Million Reasons for the best Green Working Hunter round of the day with a high score of 92 in the Second Year Green Working Hunters. Stewart also accepted The Fairfax Hunt Race Association Challenge Trophy for the best Green Working Hunter handy round with a score of 86 aboard Stephanie Danhakl’s Quest in the First Year Green Working Hunters.
The Washington International Horse Show continues on Wednesday with championships for the professional and amateur-owner hunter divisions as well as the $10,000 Children’s Jumper Championship during the day. The evening session, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature the $10,000 Adult Jumper Championship and the $10,000 International Jumper speed class, sponsored by Amalaya Investments. For full results, more information, or to watch the free live stream of the show sponsored in part by The Nutro Company, visit www.wihs.org.
About the Washington International Horse Show An equestrian tradition since 1958, the Washington International Horse Show is the country’s premier metropolitan indoor horse show. Each October, more than 500 world-class horses and riders, including Olympic medalists, arrive in Washington for six days of exciting show jumping and hunter competition. Highlights include the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix (a World Cup qualifier), the Puissance (high jump) and the WIHS Equitation Finals, an important goal for top American junior riders. Exciting equestrian exhibitions, boutique shopping and community activities, such as Kids’ Day and Breakfast with the Mounted Police, round out this family-friendly event. WIHS is an official USEF Heritage Competition and recognized as a Top 25 Horse Show by the North American Riders Group.
Since its debut, the Washington International has been a Washington, DC, institution attended by presidents, first ladies, celebrities, business and military leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The Washington International Horse Show, an iconic horse show in the heart of the nation’s capital since 1958, has been honored with the United States Equestrian Federation’s designation as a USEF Heritage Competition. The Heritage Competition title is the highest honor currently held by any Federation horse show.
The designation of a USEF Heritage Competition is reserved for those competitions that have been in existence for a quarter-century or more, promoted and grown equestrian sport, and have made a contribution to the community outside the gates of the horse show by achieving, maintaining, and promoting the equestrian ideals of sportsmanship and competition.
“On behalf of the United States Equestrian Federation, I would like to congratulate the Washington International Horse show on its appointment of a USEF Heritage Competition at the Mid-Year Meeting of our Board of Directors,” said USEF Chief Executive Officer Chris Welton. “This show has become a part of the fabric of the American showing scene. With its endurance, dedication to philanthropic efforts and impact on its community, it is a perfect example of what we look for when designating Heritage Competitions.”
Since its debut, the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) has been a major event on the equestrian calendar, with international show jumping the highlight of the show. For many years WIHS hosted Nations Cup competition, as well as top grand prix events. Today the show’s premier event is the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, a World Cup qualifying event. The winner is presented the President of the United States Perpetual Cup, a trophy commissioned by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, and bearing the seal of the President. For 2014, WIHS is rated USEF 5* Jumpers, USEF Premier Hunters and FEI CSI4*-W.
In its early years, WIHS also served as a showcase for the top horses from many breeds and disciplines. Though the competition focus is now on hunter, equitation, and show jumping, other disciplines and sports including dressage, driving, and barrel racing are regularly highlighted as special exhibitions.
As a qualifying show, competitors are accepted based on points earned throughout the year, which brings the top hunters in the country and jumpers from around the world to D.C. WIHS also hosts one of the 3’6″ “Big Eq” finals, making it an important goal for the best American junior riders.
Central to the WIHS mission are community outreach, education, and support for charitable organizations. To share its passion for horses and horse sport, WIHS has worked with a number of distinguished and nationally known partners, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and has built relationships with the mounted police and local and national charitable organizations, such as EQUUS Foundation, PATH International and the Capital Breast Care Center.
Throughout its history, WIHS has had a close connection to the military community, and in recent years, Friday has been designated Military Night, with a powerful program blending exciting competition, such as the Puissance high jump, with recognition of our servicemen and women, support for its official military charity, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), demonstrations by the U.S. Army Caisson Platoon and an opportunity for military families to enjoy an evening of international-level show jumping and equestrian entertainment at no cost through its military ticket program.
In 2013, WIHS generated nearly $9.4 million in economic impact to the District of Columbia, according to a study conducted by Stephen S. Fuller, Ph.D., Dwight Schar Faculty Chair and Director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University.
Since its debut, WIHS has been a Washington, D.C. institution attended by celebrities, business, military and diplomatic leaders, as well as countless horse enthusiasts of all ages. Washington International Horse Show Association, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.wihs.org.
