Schaefer Sisters Rule The Day With Grand Hunter Championships At National Horse Show

The first set of major awards saw Samantha staying in the ring for one accolade after the next, starting with the championship honors in the Judith Murch High Performance Hunters. She and sister Madeline’s In The Know earned the tricolor ribbon thanks to first-place trips over fences and in the handy, as well as third position in the stake and fourth place under saddle. Though the horses swapped, Samantha maintained her place in the winner’s circle, now with Trademark, to accept the Meralex Farm Grand Champion Professional Hunter Award, presented by Bryan Baldwin. The flashy gelding carried his rider to a perfect score in the Goshen Hill Green 3’6” Hunters with four first-place results, as well as top-five placings in all five of the classes in the Mrs. Kenneth Garber Green Conformation Hunters. Considering her lengthy list of standout results, it came as no surprise that Samantha’s list of achievements culminated with her being named the Meralex Farm Leading Hunter Rider.

Samantha’s trophies are the culmination of a successful year for the rider that is based out of Maryland and Florida, who rode to success at Tryon, Kentucky Horse Shows, Traverse City Horse Shows, American Gold Cup and Capital Challenge Horse Show during 2020. Aboard her two main hunter mounts In The Know and Trademark, the trainer from Shadow Ridge Equestrian topped scorecards all around the country, both in divisional competition as well as derbies.

The Schaefer family name continued to be represented well thanks to Madeline and Sutton Place, the partnership that competed in the Hunt LTD Amateur-Owner Hunters for the Under 35 age group. Much like their familial counterparts, Madeline and the chromey chestnut gelding impressively garnered the division championship due to a perfect 40-point score following four winning rides, which also propelled them to the head of the leaderboard for the overall Amateur-Owner honors as the best-performing Amateur-Owner partnership over the 3’6” fences. Though Madeline and Sutton Place have only been paired together since the summer, the duo has made quick work of show rings around the U.S. beginning with their first event together at Traverse City Horse Shows.

The National Horse Show will continue Thursday with the crowning of the Grand Champion Amateur-Owner 3’3” Hunter and the Phelps Media Group $72,900 International Welcome Stake, as well as Friday’s T & R Development $36,600 International Speed and National Horse Show $50,000 Hunter Classic. Saturday’s highlights will include the $213,300 National Horse Show Grand Prix CSI4* and the $25,000 SJHF Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Grand Prix, and Sunday will conclude the show with the highly-anticipated ASPCA Maclay National Equitation Championship, presented by Chansonette Farm.

To learn more about the National Horse Show, Click HERE.

(Above and Below Photo Credit:  Georgie Hammond/Phelps Media Group)