2005 Washington International Horse Show Wrap-up

Kent Farrington and Madison Race to Victory in the $100,000 President’s Cup at the Washington International Horse Show

October 30, 2005

---

Washington, DC, October 25 - 30, 2005 --- Kent Farrington of Greenwich, Connecticut and Madison, owned by Alexa Weeks, stormed to victory on Saturday evening, October 29, 2005, in the $100,000 President’s Cup, sponsored by Salamander Hospitality, LLC at the Washington International Horse Show on Saturday night at the MCI Center.

Twenty-five equestrian superstars and their equine partners went to the post in the highlight event of the 2005 Washington International Horse Show, the nation’s premier indoor equestrian showcase. Steve Stephens of Palmetto, Florida, designed this year’s President’s Cup course and scoring was under FEI Table A, Art. 238.1.2., Time First Jump-Off and Art. 655.2 FEI World Cup Qualifier rules.

Eight competitors qualified for the jump-off, mastering the first round challenge set by Stephens. Seven horse and rider combinations had four faults, while another five had eight faults. Four competitors had more than eight.

Kent Farrington and Madison, riding out of the fourth spot in the jump-off order, put the pedal to the metal at fence one and never let up on the gas until they had crossed the finish line in a blazing 32.22 seconds, a time that would hold up for the win.

Laura Kraut and Anthem, owned by the Summit Syndicate, gave Farrington his biggest scare. The veteran partnership, despite a stumble after the first jump-off fence, raced home clear in 32.44 seconds, just .22 seconds shy of Farrington’s top time.

Farrington, who has had a fabulous season, with five major grand prix wins, talked about Saturday night’s victory. “This is a really exciting win for me, competing against all of these great riders. Todd and Laura I’ve watched forever and that’s helped me a lot. And having Nick Skelton and Michael Whitaker here, those are two of my heroes from when I was a kid,” he said. “So for me, it was just an honor to ride in the class. To win it is something very, very special.”

Jumper Highlights- Wednesday through Saturday afternoon:

Gotham’s Georgina Bloomberg outdistanced a field of fifteen top Amateur Owner Jumpers to win the opening competition on Wednesday, October 26, at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Bloomberg came into Washington on a roll. She won the Amateur Owner Championship and the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classic last Friday night at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg and the week before that took the top prize in the $50,000 Knockout at the Las Vegas Invitational in Nevada.

Reggae and Cayce Harrison of Wellington, Florida, took over the lead with the first fault free journey over the jump-off course, tripping the timers in 29.879 seconds.

That set the stage for Bloomberg and her second mount, Lumina 2. Knocking almost two full seconds off of Harrison’s time, Bloomberg and Lumina raced across the finish line with no faults and a blistering time of 27.949 seconds.

“It was nice to have Lumina step up today and kick Action’s butt,” laughed Bloomberg. “I thought the horses were a little tired coming out of Harrisburg, but it felt like they both woke up once they walked into the ring today.”

On Wednesday night, the Children and Adult Jumpers took center stage at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show, running now through Sunday October 30th, at the beautiful MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

In the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship, twenty-four starters were challenged by courses designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, Florida. Scoring was under Table II, Sec 2a. Time First Jump-Off.

Twelve of the twenty-four produced first round clears to advance to the second round tiebreaker against the clock.

In the jump-off it was Farmingdale, New Jersey’s Kali Jerman and Canon coming home with the runaway victory. Jerman crossed the finish line in a blazing time of 30.703 seconds for the win. Her time was 2.90 seconds faster than second place finisher Laura Pfeiffer of Temperance, Michigan. Pfeiffer and her mount Cortez broke the beams in 33.604 seconds.

In the $10,000 Adult Jumper Championships, seventeen starters went to the post. Again Steve Stephens designed and again the scoring was Table II, Sec 2a. Time First Jump-Off.

Only three of the seventeen Adults managed to negotiate the first round course without penalty.

In the jump-off, Foul Play ridden by Mindy Blackford of Mayfield Heights, Ohio went first and set the pace with a fast and fault free performance in 33.934 seconds.

But Rockville, Maryland’s Ericka Schaefer aboard her mare, Maizy Toltien, was able to shave 1.65 seconds off of Blackford’s time for the win. Schaefer tripped the timers in 32.280 seconds. Third place went to Ima Good 1-2 and Patty Van Housen who pulled an early rail in the tiebreaker.

“Thank goodness I got a chance to watch Mindy go,” said Schaefer. “I saw how fast she went, how solid a ride she gave and I knew for me it was all or nothing. I got a good gallop going from the beginning and kept my leg and my horse took it from there,” she said.

For the third year in a row, McLain Ward led the victory gallop in the $20,000 President’s Cup Qualifier on Thursday, sponsored by Monarch International/Show Circuit Magazine, at the Washington International Horse Show at the beautiful MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Ward and Goldika, owned by the Double H Farm, flat out flew around the twists and turns of the Stephens designed challenge and when the smoke had cleared, the scoreboard flashed up an incredible time of 43.53 seconds.

“It’s been a good class for her for the past three years and hopefully we can repeat on Saturday night as well,” Ward said. “She’s incredibly careful, very fast and very quick inside. She adjusts very quickly. The size of the ring only helps her, it doesn’t hurt her,” noted Ward. “Her entire career, while she’s had some great success outside, her top ranked, quality wins have come indoors. You can feel her confidence inside. She’s really an indoor specialist,” he said.

Georgina Bloomberg posted her second win in as many days on Thursday, topping a field of thirteen in the Amateur Owner Jumpers, Time First Round Class.

Bloomberg and Lumina 2, owned by Gotham Enterprizes, raced across the finish line in 41.874 seconds to post a 2.31 second win over second place finisher, Laura Linback on Woodrun Farm’s Mohawk Du Clair De Lune. Linback’s final time was 44.185 seconds.

Cromwell, owned the Weinberg Brokerage and ridden by Tracy Weinberg, finished third in 45.198 seconds.

Twenty-one Junior Jumpers went to the post on Thursday, in a Time First Round class scored under USEF Table II, Sec 1. It was the first class in the division for the junior riders, leading up to their Championship and the Senator’s Cup Trophy class.

Evan Coluccio took the top two spots in the speed class, topping the field with Batman in 44.186 and finishing second with Ransom in 46.026 seconds. Brianne Goutal finished third with Onira, just off the second place pace in 46.157 seconds.

It was a one-two finish for Great Britain on Thursday night in the $20,000 International-Open Jumper Gambler’s Choice class at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

England’s Michael Whitaker broke the one thousand point barrier and edged fellow Brit Nick Skelton by seventy points for the victory. The Gambler’s Choice class features an array of jumps with point values based on the degree of difficulty of the obstacle. Riders design their own course and accumulate as many points as possible in the 50 second time allotted. The riders then have the option of the final fence, The Joker, with a value of 200 points. If they clear the Joker, the 200 points are added on, if it’s knocked down the points are deducted.

Riding Iqbal Des Hayettes, Whitaker sliced and diced his way around the Steve Stephens designed course to an initial total of 850 points. The successful effort at the Joker brought his total to 1050. Whitaker was the only rider to top 1000 points.

“Of course I had the advantage of going later on and I had a chance to see everyone else go and try and figure out the best course. Obviously the key is finding the best course and leaving all the fences up,” Whitaker said with a smile. “And, I got to that fence on the end of the ring again which no one else who did my course was able to do.”

Iqbal Des Hayettes is a brand new mount for Whitaker. “The first time I showed him was in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago and he was second, third and fourth,” Whitaker said. “This is just my fourth class together with him and he’s been absolutely brilliant.”

Whitaker, who returned to the Washington International for the first time since the move to the MCI Center, likes the new facility. “I showed a number of times at the old building (Capital Center),” he said. “But this place is fantastic. A really good atmosphere. I really like it here.”

Georgina Bloomberg of New York City completed a clean sweep of the Amateur Owner Jumper Division with a win in the Ambassador’s Cup Jumper Classic on Friday at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show. The show, the nation’s premier indoor equestrian showcase, runs through Sunday at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Seventeen starters went to the post in the grand finale for the Amateur Owner Jumper division, the $10,000 Ambassador’s Cup. The scoring was Table II, Sec 2a. Time First Jump-off.

Georgina Bloomberg once again qualified both of her mounts for the jump-off. Action was the first of her two to return. Bloomberg picked a feverish pace and finished up her jump-off ride with an amazing right hand cut following the double combination to the final fence in the tiebreaker. Action and Bloomberg flashed across the finish line in 31.832 seconds, a whopping 4.96 seconds faster than Weinberg.

Lumina 2, with wins in the first two classes and a third place finish in the Ambassador’s Cup, was named the Amateur Owner Jumper Champion. Bloomberg won the Leading Amateur Owner Jumper Rider title as well. She had garnered the same honors last week at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg with Action.

“It’s always great to mix it up a little bit and not always shine on one horse,” Bloomberg said. “I think anyone with more than one horse hopes they can do well on both. Action has always been there for me and it was a great win today, but it meant a lot to me for Lumina to be Champion at Washington.”

Twenty-two starters lined up for the early afternoon Junior Jumper competition at the Washington International Horse Show on Friday at the MCI Center.

Scoring was Table II, Sec 2a, Time First Jump-Off. Only three of the starting field advanced to the second round tiebreaker.

In the jump-off, Henry Pfeiffer and Elton were the first duo to return and they survived for top honors. The pair toured the speed course with four faults, tripping the timers in 31.705 for the win. Hemmingway and Whitney Linders also had a rail, but their slower time of 34.151 dropped them to second place. Hillary Dobbs and VDL Lotus Excel were eliminated.

“I came in wanting to win like everybody else,” said Pfeiffer. “I had to go first in the tiebreaker, so I had to go clean and decently fast. I needed to get him back a little to the jump I had down, but once I had that knockdown, I pretty much went for it the rest of the way. And it held up,” he said with a smile.

Twenty seven starters arrived for the final afternoon feature on Friday and a final chance to qualify for the $100,000 President’s Cup, sponsored by Salamander Hospitality, LLC. It is the highlight of this year’s jumper division and one of the nation’s most prestigious show jumping titles.

The $25,000 International-Open Jumpers President’s Cup Qualifier was sponsored by the Split Rock Farm and the Braun Family and was scored under FEI Table A, Art. 2382.2. Time first Jump-Off.

Seven of the starting field advanced to round two to face the clock.

Chris Kappler and his new mount VDL Oranta emerged victorious, producing a fault free round over the speed course and tripping the finish timers in 34.31 seconds.

Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands hit the big time twice on his first trip to the Washington International Horse Show, taking both the $25,000 Accumulator class on Friday afternoon and then topping the huge wall at 7’4” to win the $25,000 AOL.com Puissance on Friday night.

A crowd of over 9,500 excited fans watched as nine challengers negotiated the first round of competition in the Puissance. The class is scored under FEI Art. 262.2.

Five competitors then advanced to the second jump-off, and all five failed when the wall was raised to 6’11 ½” (2.11m). Jimmy Torano and Ruco-Line Van’t Paradys elected to withdraw after a refusal.

When the decision was made to try again, all but Todd Minikus and Game Boy elected to give it a second try at the same height. Harry Smolders on Verelst Quebec, Secret Love and Aaron Vale and Nick Skelton on Russel all returned, and this time all of them cleared the wall at 6’11 ½” with ease, setting up a fourth and final jump-off.

With the wall now set at a staggering 7’4” (2.22m) and the crowd in a frenzy, Harrie Smolders and Verelst Quebec returned to the ring first. With ease the duo sailed over the giant wall, and the crowd erupted in a cacophony of noise, the likes of which the MCI Center had not seen in years.

Following Smolders, Vale and Skelton both just rubbed the blocks off at the maximum height, sealing the win for the young Dutchman.

“It was amazing,” said Smolders jubilantly. “I went in the class with the idea of only going two rounds. I’ve only had the horse two weeks, but he kept going better and better. And then, what a great finish. He jumped the wall really well,” he said. “He was confident and he gave me a good feeling. Then the crowd got into it and they were super. It was great sport for everybody, especially the big crowd and for the sponsor,” he said.

Harry Smolders of the Netherlands also paid a visit to the winners circle as he scored the top prize in the $20,000 International-Open Accumulator class on Friday evening. The Washington International Horse Show runs through Sunday at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Smolders, aboard Verelst Quebec, scored 65 points and put up 46.10 seconds, the top time of the night.

“I had a chance to watch a couple go. I was sixteenth in the order,” said Smolders. “I felt that none of them went really, really fast, so I didn’t have to take any risks for the victory.”

Aimee Aron of Keswick, Virginia outraced Brianne Goutal of New York City for the hard fought victory in the $10,000 Senator’s Cup Junior Jumper Stake on Saturday afternoon at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show. The show, at the beautiful MCI Center in Washington, D.C., runs through Sunday.

Twenty-two starters went to the post in the early afternoon feature. The Senator’s Cup was scored under USEF Table II, Sec 2a, Time First Jump-Off.

Of the twenty-two original starters, seven mastered the first round course to advance to the second round tiebreaker to the jump-off against the clock.

Aimee Aron and Jamaica emerged victorious following an incredible jump-off ride that saw Aron knock a whopping 1.67 seconds off of early leader Brianne Goutal’s speedy time.

Aron talked about her winning ride. “Going after Brianne, especially when she’s on Onira, I knew I had nothing to lose, and to win, I had to go all out,” she said. “I think luck was on my side because we both had great rounds today.”

The Saturday afternoon crowd at the Washington International Horse Show was treated to an exciting speed competition following the Junior Jumpers as twenty starters took the field for the $20,000 International-Open Hit and Hurry.

In the class scored under FEI Art. 267, riders received two points for every fence they jumped clean and one point for those they knocked down. They had 45 seconds to accumulate as many points as possible.

Twenty was the highest total the riders could amass within the forty-five seconds this afternoon and four riders managed to accomplish that feat. So, it came down to who could jump the next fence the fastest to stop the time.

Margie Engle and Hidden Creek’s Alibi emerged as the winner, totaling 20 points and clocking in with the fastest time of 49.17 seconds.

Hunter Results- Tuesday through Sunday:

The evening performances highlighted the Children’s and Adult Hunter Championships on Tuesday. The win in the $10,000 Children’s Adult Hunter Championship and The H. Fenwick Kollock Memorial Perpetual Trophy went to 14 year old Melissa Ott of Cincinnatti, Ohio and Nicole.

Nicole is an 8 year old Westphalian mare that was imported by Peter Pletcher and purchased from Heidi Austin Fish. Nicole had no trouble stepping into the ring at the imposing MCI Center. “She is the most straightforward horse you’ve seen for a chestnut mare!” Belford mentioned. “She makes it seem so easy.” Nicole’s simplicity went a long way today at WIHS, as she and Ott loped away with prizes, a first place check of $2,000, and the honor of winning at Washington International.

The last class of Tuesday was the $10,000 Adult Amateur Hunter championship. It was a tough battle with the top two competitors, but Cecilia Halsey of Madison, Alabama and her 12 year old Thoroughbred gelding Galway Bay rose to the top. Their consistency showed in their scores of 82 and 83 for a winning total of 165.

After a twenty year absence from the show ring, Halsey returned last year and showed for the first time at an Indoor Final in the 2004 WIHS. She and Galway Bay were leading going into the second round, but she had to settle for second place by a half point. “I was extremely nervous this year,” Halsey admitted. “I got to watch Victoria Watters’ round, and it was wonderful. I knew it was sort of a do or die situation. I rode as a junior, but I never showed at this level. So, to come back at 46 is a big deal!”

The first championship of the 2005 WIHS was awarded in the Regular Working Hunter division. After finishing second and fifth over fences on Tuesday, placing third in the under saddle class on Wednesday, and winning the stake class Wednesday, Touchstone and Jenny Karazissis walked into the ring for their championship ribbon. Reserve champion went to Grey Slipper and Louise Serio, who rode for Bridget Hallman.

Karazissis, of Calabasas, California, said with a laugh, “This will make my plane ride home today much better!” Touchstone is owned by LRW Farm, but he will be going home with his new owners, Tammy and John Williams of Davlyn Farm. “I have to thank Karen Healey and Mary Ann Weisberg-Perry for giving me the ride on Touchstone initially,” said Karazissis. “It’s great that the Williams and their trainer, Chance Arkelian, let me continue with him here at Washington. This might be the last time I’ll ride him, so it’s a little bittersweet.”

Champion in the Second Year Green division went to Sequel and Terry Brown, who rode for owners Showcase Ltd. Brown traveled from Canton, Georgia to show at Washington and said that winning at Washington is “unbelievable. It’s everyone’s dream. It finally happened for us.” It is Brown’s and Sequel’s first championship at Washington, and they also won the Claire Lang Miller Challenge Trophy for being the high point Green Working Hunter after they won both over fences classes Tuesday and were second over fences on Wednesday. Reserve champion in the Second Year division was Tobasco, ridden by Holly Shepherd and owned by Ann Marie Walker.

Rider Scott Stewart is famous in the equestrian world as a top hunter rider and proved on Wednesday why the accolades continue to come his way. He rode Alexa Weisman’s Music Street to the reserve championship in the First Year Green division, and he swept the Green Conformation division on his own horse Granted and Molly Ohrstrom’s Truly. It was his performance on Krista Weisman’s Chopard, however, that sealed the honor of being named Leading Hunter Rider and Grand Champion Hunter of the 2005 Washington International Horse Show.

He and the 11 year old Chopard won all five classes in the Regular Conformation division, which also gave them the Grand Champion Hunter and The Rave Review Challenge Trophy. When asked about his top mount, Stewart said simply, “Chopard. He’s great. He does it all on his own. He’s just an unbelievable horse to ride.” Reserve champion in the Regular Conformation was Popeye K, ridden by Tommy Serio and owned by Elizabeth Spencer and Spencer Ranch.

Champion in the First Year Green division was Costello, ridden by Louise Serio and owned by Shaw Johnson Price. Costello also competed in the Amateur-Owner Over 35 division with his owner and received top ribbons; however, it was Shaw’s other horse Reese who earned the tricolor in the division.

Reese won the over fences class on Tuesday and was third in the under saddle class. “All I wanted to achieve for the whole weekend was to be consistent and to stay on track and not make any major mistakes. That was my goal for the weekend,” Price explained. When she came back and won another class on Wednesday, Price was surprised when she won the championship.

It is her first championship with Reese since she started showing in the Amateur-Owner division this past January. Price only started showing two years ago after a 15 year absence from the show ring. In addition to the division championship, she was named Grand Amateur-Owner Champion and the Leading Amateur-Owner Hunter Rider.

Due North and Avery Dimmig followed up their division championship at Harrisburg last week with another tricolor performance at Washington in the Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunters. They were first over fences and fourth under saddle on Tuesday and followed it up with second and third over fences on Wednesday. Reserve champion was Dream Date, ridden and owned by Rachel Geiger.

This is also Dimmig’s first championship at Washington. She showed as a junior in the equitation, but she has returned to the hunters as an amateur thanks to her fantastic mount. Regarding WIHS, Dimmig said, “This ring is great to ride in. You have tons of time to settle in the corners and open up and go forward to the lines. Even if it’s narrow, I found that if you just focus on slowing up before the corner, you had plenty of time to find the next jump.”

In the junior hunter divisions today, the Grand Champion was Moulin Rouge and Natalie Johnson of Greenwich, Connecticut.

Seventeen year old Johnson took a few precious days away from her studies at New York University to show at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show, and it was a fortuitous decision. She and the 10 year old bay Dutch Warmblood mare Moulin Rouge captured the tricolor in the Small Junior 16-17 division and the overall Grand Junior Hunter Championship on Friday. Reserve champion in the division was High Cotton, ridden by Jack Hardin Towell Jr. and owned by Christy Russo of Coral Gables, Florida.

Johnson has ridden with Heritage Farm for three years and Dignelli commented, “This horse is very expressive over the jumps, so it’s taken a little time for it to be really smooth. I think Natalie’s proven to be a competitive hunter rider. She’s very quiet and soft and loves her horse. It’s a good match.” Dignelli also mentioned the team spirit at their farm. “Without that team, we could never produce these hunters the way that we do. A horse like Moulin Rouge had to be produced and I think she fell into the right hands,” he explained.

In addition to Johnson’s success, Heritage Farm had multiple riders win tricolor ribbons in the junior hunters. In the Large Junior 15 & Under division, Addison Phillips swept the division. She was champion on Double H Farm’s Socrates and reserve champion on her own horse, Who’s On First. In the Small Junior 15 & Under division, she was also champion. This time it was on Sienna, owned by Missy Clark and North Run. Another Heritage Farm rider, Maggie McAlary, was reserve champion with Don Stewart Jr.’s Fernwalk.

The final junior hunter champion of the show was in the Large Junior 16-17 division. Jack Hardin Towell Jr. got the ride on Laura King Kaplan’s Bellingham Bay. Reserve champions were Caped Crusader and Haylie Jayne, who rode for Monarch International.

For riders under the age of 18, one of the biggest equitation finals in the country pitted top competitors from around the country on Saturday evening. After three challenging rounds, Julie Welles of West Simsbury, Connecticut, emerged victorious.

In the first round held on Friday, riders negotiated a hunter type course. The winner of the hunter phase was Michael Delfiandra of Delray Beach, Florida who rode Wellington, owned by Quiet Hill Farm. Although he was only the eighth rider on course, Michael Delfiandra put down a trip that no other rider could beat. Six judges sat in pairs around the arena and gave numerical scores for each round. Delfiandra scored a 90, 89, and 93 for an average of 90.6. In the jumper phase on Saturday afternoon, Sloane Coles won with a score of 89.333.

The unique aspect of the Washington International Horse Show Equitation Classic Finals is the work-off for the top ten riders. After the two phases, scores are combined, and the top ten riders are asked to return and ride over the jumper phase course once more. This time, however, riders must swap horses. In this format, they were only allowed to jump four practice obstacles on their new mount before they negotiated the course.

Julie Welles came into the work-off in first place. From the first jump, it was clear that she was going for the win. Welles was on Maggie McAlary’s Peter Pan and looked like she had been riding the new horse for years. Her round was smooth and even, and Welles received high marks from the three sets of judges. The judges at position one gave her a 93, position two posted 86.5, and the judges from the third position awarded a score of 92. This scored Welles with an average of 90.5. When added to her previous scores, Welles had a total of 268.666. She defeated her competition by a wide margin of seven points, giving Welles her second major equitation victory of the year.

“I wasn’t really nervous coming into the last round because last year was my first year here. I was nervous last year, but this year I just went in with confidence,” Welles recalled. “It was just fun and whatever happened, happened.”

Classes concluded on Sunday in the pony hunter divisions, which featured some of the best up-and-coming young riders in the country. One of those riders is Alexandra Arute of Avon, Connecticut and her pony, Keep Dreamin’. Reserve champion in the Large Pony Hunters was Who’s Kidding Who and Samantha Schaefer.

Keep Dreamin’ is owned by Olympic Dreams LLC and is a nine year old Warmblood pony that originally had a career in dressage. However, when Arute and trainer Scott Stewart saw the pony jump, they knew he would excel in the hunter discipline.

“His jump is amazing,” Arute said. “The jumps were a little bigger and scarier here, but he used that in a positive way and it made everything just a little brighter. It’s kind of funny and embarrassing though, because he uses everything when he jumps, and he grunts before the jump!” She went on to say, “He’s very full of himself. He definitely knows he’s a show pony, but he’s the sweetest.”

In the Small Pony Hunter division, it was Reed Kessler of Bedford Corners, New York and Helicon Take Notice that came away with the championship. Reserve champion in the Small Pony Hunters was Hi Lite and Schaefer Raposa, who rode for Lucille Oken and Redfield Farm.

It was a familiar face in the awards presentation for the Medium Pony Hunters. Tuscany and Jennifer Waxman have dominated the division from Florida to Devon to Harrisburg, and Washington International was no different.

Tuscany is a green pony owned by Cavallo Farms LLC, but he has performed this year like a seasoned competitor. “This was his first time here,” Waxman noted. “I was really nervous, but he wasn’t! He was trying so hard and was doing everything I asked. The first day I rode him in the ring, he seemed a teeny bit nervous, but then after one loop around he was perfect.” She also added, “He’s funny, because he gets excited for the bigger shows, not nervous.”

Waxman also piloted Lands End Pony Stables’ Make My Day to the reserve championship in the Medium Pony division. “I’ve shown him twice before,” she revealed. “His owner, Ande Farish, is sick, and she’s not allowed to ride.”

For her outstanding performances this weekend, Waxman was awarded the Best Child Rider on a Pony title, a feat she also accomplished just two weeks ago at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA. In addition to Washington and Harrisburg, Waxman was also named Best Child Rider on a Pony at the prestigious Devon Horse Show and at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. Waxman gave credit to those who helped make this victory possible. “I have to thank Ken and Emily Smith for training me, Babalu for grooming, Carly Kaber for organizing everything, and to my parents for supporting me,” she said with a smile.

The Washington International Horse Show Pony Equitation Classic Finals found a winner in 14 year old Taylor Brown of Palmyra, Virginia. Brown trains with Pam Freeley, and she had help from Russ Walther and Christina Schlusemeyer for the Finals.

Brown rode the fancy large pony Texas, who is Devon Walther’s pony. “He’s a blast,” Brown said about Texas. “He has a lot of scope and jumps anything, no problem. I was so happy with him and how I rode.”

Brown showed the judges what she could do with beautiful flatwork and an over fences score of 84 in a wonderful style. Her number was the last to be announced, and she came away with the win and the Jane Marshall Dillon Memorial Perpetual Trophy.

The Local Pony Champion on Sunday at WIHS went to Woodland’s Berry Hazy and Anna Lowery. The pair earned high ribbons during Local Weekend, which added to their fifth place finish in today’s over fences class. Fourteen year old Lowery rides with Becky Dye of Fredericksburg, VA, at a farm called Shenandale. Lowery and her nine year old grey mare reside in Spotsylvania, VA, and Lowery attends River Bend High School.

The top pony in Sunday’s class was Busybody Nora, piloted by Rachel Brodsky of Adamstown, MD. After winning a blue today, the duo finished with the WIHS Local Hunter Pony Finals reserve champion.

The Local Hunter Horse championship was presented to Tenerife and Elizabeth Gilaberti. Gilaberti and her five year old bay gelding won Sunday’s over fences class and earned top ribbons during the show last weekend. Gilaberti, who trains with Miranda Scott, lives in the District of Columbia and rides at Meadowbrook Stables in Chevy Chase, MD. “Our focus for today,” reported Scott, “was just to stay cool. She did just that and rode great!”

Reserve champion was awarded to Lizzie Nelson and her mount Didji Dupoulic. Nelson resides in the District of Columbia and trains with Jenny Graham. She is a senior at The Madiera School in Virginia.

All in all, the 2005 Washington International Horse Show was a huge success. Next year promises to be even bigger and better. The show drew to a close today, but the memories of victory at the country’s premier indoor equestrian event will live on in history.

For complete results on the 2005 Washington International Horse Show, please visit their website at www.wihs.org

To October 2005 News Articles Index | To Alberta Equine ...On-Line Home