AHJF’s WCHR Annual Winners Named in Pro, Amateur and Children’s Divisions

Feature and Photos by Diana DeRosa

CAPITAL CHALLENGE IS THE HORSE SHOW FOR HUNTERS

Three of the riders who qualified this year have competed in this class multiple times while the other three were competing for the first time.  Even after all these years and multiple victories the veterans were still as determined to both qualify and win this very prestigious competition, which is the only one geared specifically for professional hunter riders.

“We are trying our best to stay at the top of the sport and maintain that for as long as we can.  You always want to be the best and be the most competitive,” explained Stewart.

Pletcher agreed.  “You want to stay at the top of the game and so you strive for it all year.  You check those points over and over again and you email to see where you are in the standings.  It’s a great goal.  It’s just a rush and an added bonus to the sport.” 

Thinking of all that it took to qualify against the best of the best Kirsten softly added, “The thought of trying to qualify for next year is daunting.” While Boyd interjected, “You try to act as if it doesn’t matter, but it does!”

It’s the title that matters most but along with that title come a lot of perks.  “There is no other show like this.  There’s so much publicity that surrounds it.  Just from winning it last year I got a book of all the articles throughout the year that have talked about the program and the win,” explained French.

The riders have the AHJF and Monarch International to thank for some of those benefits.  As one sponsor of this class they in unison with the AHJF want to reward the riders not only with money but also with recognition.

AHJF/DOVER SADDLERY JUNIOR HUNTER CHALLENGE

Another secondary bonus was presented to the winner of another program the AHJF sponsors with Dover Saddlery.  It’s based around the grass roots horse shows (non USEF) and a special series of classes guided by a specific set of rules and regulations.  The East Region winner was Kathryn Miller, Gainesville, FL and the West Region winner was Ursula Wise, Polson, MT.  Their wins earned them a complimentary trip to the Capital Challenge Horse Show and a chance to spend the weekend meeting the top professionals in the nation.  They also had the opportunity to be photographed with the top six riders and to interact with their idols.  It was a weekend that someone at their level could only dream about.

Ursula, 11, has only been riding for 18 months and takes lessons at Full Sale Farm with trainer Wanda Rosatti.  She won on Sprite, a friend’s pony mare who Ursula says “likes red twizzlers.  Kathryn, 12, has been riding for six years and now trains with Denna Johnson.  She has four ponies that she regularly rides but it was on Pony Source (a pony who Kathryn says “licks you all the time, loves hot dogs and blows bubbles in the water trough”) owned by Full Partners Farm in Newberry, FL, that she earned the honor of traveling to the Capital Challenge.

While Ursula and Kathryn were thrilled with their victory it was their parents and trainers that really understood the depth of what they had won.  “This is the most amazing opportunity for local kids,” commented Denna.  “The kids have something to shoot for.  This gives them a chance, especially those on a limited budget, to have the opportunity to see the best riders, trainers, course designers, judges, and so many more top people in the nation.  There isn’t anything for the local kids to shoot for.  This is the only opportunity they have to strive for something unique and special.”

Their glee was what those who qualified to compete in the pro finals also went through before they set out on their present path.  It was a seed that was planted along the way that helped all the qualified six riders to get into a field that gives them the job they enjoy going to every day.

For Kathryn that seed was planted when her mom came to school to pick her up. “I figured it out right away and rolled down the window and screamed that I had won the Dover class.”