Touchstone and Jenny Karazissis Top Regular Working Hunters, Chopard and Stewart Are Grand Champions, and Reese and Price Rule the Amateur-Owner Hunters at 2005 Washington International Horse Show

Washington, D.C.- October 26- The 2005 Washington International Horse held its second day of exciting competition at the fabulous MCI Center and wrapped up the professional and amateur hunter divisions.

The 2005 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) serves as one of the country’s most prestigious and competitive indoor equestrian events, with prominent riders, Olympic veterans, and superstar equines competing for top honors and fabulous prize money.

The first championship of the 2005 WIHS was awarded in the Regular Working Hunter division. After finishing second and fifth over fences yesterday, placing third in the under saddle class today, and winning the stake class today, 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.”

This was Karazissis’ first championship at WIHS. The win came with the ride on a special horse. “I’m so lucky to be riding him. He’s just so smart and an incredible horse,” she explained. “He knows when he’s ready to go in the ring. He’s eager to get in there and do it, but once he gets in the ring, he’s completely calm and really does his job.”

Since being in Washington, Karazissis has gotten to know Touchstone even better. “He’s the only horse I’m riding, so I spent time with him hanging around the barn,” she clarified. “I’ve loved getting to know him more on the ground.”

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 yesterday and were second over fences today. Reserve champion in the Second Year division was Tobasco, ridden by Holly Shepherd and owned by Ann Marie Walker.

“It’s always fun to come and compete against the best. They do a beautiful job producing this horse show,” she added about WIHS. “Every detail is as fine-honed as it gets.”

Brown mentioned that Sequel “notices everything, everywhere, everyday.” When he arrived at Washington, the 11 year old Hannoverian Sequel knew that he had a job to do. “When I call on him, he almost always comes through,” she said. “He’s got heart, and he’s an athlete. When I know things are lining up for him, I can pressure him, and he’ll go spectacularly.”

Rider Scott Stewart is famous in the equestrian world as a top hunter rider and proved today 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.

Although WIHS offers a different set-up for preparation than other horse shows, Stewart remarked that it had no effect on Chopard. “In this environment, he’s so easy. He doesn’t lunge. You ride him for five minutes. He’s that easy.”

Stewart and Chopard won the same honors in 2003, but Stewart said that this year’s performance at Washington was “probably the best he has ever gone.” “I thought yesterday’s classes were the best we’ve ever had,” he went on to say. “It’s probably because I know him so well, and I know exactly what he’s going to do every step of the way.”

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 yesterday 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 today and won another class today, 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.

Price enjoyed showing in the arena at Washington. “It’s bright, friendly, cheery, and more comfortable. I enjoyed riding in this ring,” she concluded.

Luckily, Price was able to find two wonderful horses to ride in the limelight. Reese, a nine year old Swedish Warmblood, is “really special.” “He has a lot of personality,” Price explained. “I feel like I’m a really, really fortunate person to be able to come back after such a long break and have two really nice horses. It’s been a terrific thing, and I’ve been incredibly lucky.”

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 yesterday and followed it up with second and third over fences today. Reserve champion was Dream Date, ridden and owned by Rachel Geiger.

“He was actually even calmer here than at Harrisburg,” Dimmig remarked. “I think he realized the routine. He got better and better every class here. He certainly did his job.”

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.”

Some of the horses at Washington are housed in temporary stalls under tents set up on the blocked off city streets of downtown Washington D.C. This would be nerve-wracking to any horse, much less one that has never been to this show before. “Due North hasn’t cared at all,” Dimmig said with a laugh. “They were raising and lowering a dumpster at the construction site nearby. I thought if he’s not bothered by this, then he must be okay!”

Due North has become accustomed to being the winner, especially after his latest victory in Washington. “He knows if he jogs in first or second that he gets mints. If he’s below that, he knows he gets a pat on the neck. He knows he was good, but that he wants to be in the top two!”

Tomorrow’s hunter competition continues with the start of the Small and Large Junior Hunters. Full results for the 2005 Washington International Horse Show can be found at www.ryegate.com.

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

Photo Credit: Touchstone and Jenny Karazissis, Regular Working Hunter champions at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show. Photo by Al Cook.