Brian Feigus and Four Aces. Photo © ESI Photography
Hunter competition during HITS Championship week at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday, September 8, with the inaugural $100,000 ClipMyHorse.tv Hunter Classic. The class represented the culmination of not only an incredible week of top sport, but of an amazing summer season. Exhibitors and spectators alike gathered around The Ring to witness some of the nation’s top hunter horse-and-rider combinations. In the end, it was Brian Feigus of Morriston, Florida who realized he did not need any extra cards up his sleeve as he piloted Four Aces to the top prize.
Riders in the exciting new class were invited to participate, bringing the best of the best in the discipline to compete head-to-head. Each pair contested the single classic hunter round set at 3’6”, overseen by three judging panels. Judges Chris Wynn and David Beisel represented panels one and two and were positioned in different locations around the arena, while MaryLisa Leffler, Linda Andrisani, and Keri Kampsen represented the third panel observing the round from the ClipMyHorse.tv livestream on a monitor. Scores from each panel were then added together to yield a final mark and placing.
Kerry Kocher designed an elegant and flowing classic hunter track for the 20 horse-and-rider combinations to contest, but as they have proven since the start of their partnership, Feigus and Four Aces are a hard act to follow. Laying down a trip worthy of three scores in the 90s, the Florida native and the nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Acodetto 2, owned by Marita Zuraitis, received the three highest marks of the class, earning a 92.00, 93.00, and 90.00 to effectively close the book on the competition with a 275.00 point total.
For more information, visit HitsShows.com.