Samantha Schaefer and Gone Country. Credit: Anne Gittins Photography
Samantha Schaefer, Westminster, MD, kicked off week one of the Brandywine Valley Horse Shows with a win and wrapped up week two with another.
Schaefer and In The Know, owned by Madeline Schaefer, were week one champions of the High Performance Hunter division after almost clean-sweeping the division.
Schaefer and In The Know also received the Grand Open Hunter Championship award for the points the pair accumulated in the High Performance division, as well as the Gray Slipper Perpetual Trophy, donated by Bridget Hallman. Schaefer also earned the Leading Professional Rider award for her efforts in the ring.
In The Know, more affectionately known as 'Spyder,' initially began his career as an equitation horse, and Schaefer would occasionally compete with him in hunter derbies. She did not start seriously competing with him in the hunter ring until last year when she entered him in the High Performance Hunter division at Upperville. It was there she realized his potential as serious hunter competitor, which he has continued to prove over the last year with top placings at horse shows across the country.
The second week's feature class, the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, was split into two sections - open and junior/amateur, with Samantha Schaefer and Gone Country taking home the win in the open section.
Schaefer and Gone Country, owned by Morgan Kazerman, led the class with a total overall score of 178. Dominique Damico and Ramble on Farms's Rockette finished in second place with a score of 175. Rounding out the top three was Maria Rasmussen Sunset View Farm LLC's Hobbs Lane with an overall score of 170.
"Gone Country is a new horse we just bought for a client in the barn named Morgan Kazerman. We bought him in the spring and she started showing him in the 3'3'' Juniors, and has had quite a bit of success already,” Schaeffer said. “Morgan was traveling and wasn't able to make the second Brandywine, but they said to go ahead and take the horse and get him more experience under the lights in that ring, so that when it's time for her to do the 3'6'' Juniors at Devon he'll have more experience.”
In the junior/amateur section of the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, Ashley Vogel and Legacy bested a field of 27 riders for the win with an overall score of 176. Second place went to Claire Campbell riding Samantha Schaefer's Stallone with a total score of 167.5. Third place was awarded to Caroline Bald and Vondel DH Z, owned by Maarten Huygens Horse Sales, Inc, with an overall score of 166.
The week one $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby was split into the junior/amateur and professional groups. Samantha Schaefer and Nino Nacho, owned by Morgan Kazerman, came out on top in the professional group. Lauren Reid topped the junior/amateur section aboard Oxford, owned by Capstone Farm LLC.
Scott Stewart earned both the championship and reserve in the Green/High Performance Conformation Hunter division. Stewart rode Betsee Parker's Private Life to the championship and Alexa and Krista Weisman's Status to the reserve championship.
In the Green Hunter 3'6'' division, Sandra Ferrell and Hemingway, owned by Stephanie Bulger, earned the championship. Scott Stewart and Playbrook, owned by CH Farm, LLC, received the reserve champion ribbon in the division.
Dylan Bentley earned the Children's Hunter Grand Champion award. Aboard his own mount, Focto, Bentley finished with three first place ribbons and a third in the division, as well as first place in the Taylor Harris Insurance Services Children Medal and second place in the NAL/WIHS Children's Hunter Classic.
Samantha Cooper aboard Ellen Malson's Nandino captured the top honors during the first week's feature class, the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. Second place went to Dominique Damico riding Nemesis 11, owned by Ramble on Farm. Rounding out the top three was Samantha Schaefer and In The Know, owned by Madeline Schaefer.
Katie McVeigh took home the Grand Amateur Owner 3'6'' championship aboard her mount Goyard. In the Amateur Owner 3'3'' Hunter, Stephanie Danhakl rode Starina B to the grand championship title.
Emma Kurtz rode Betsee Parker's A Million Reasons to the 3'6'' championship, while Caroline Ratigan rode her own Trust to the 3'3'' championship. The Grand Junior Owner award was earned by the Caroline Ratigan and Trust.
Olivia Markmann rode Ken Berkley's Gynhafan Red Kestral to the Grand Regular Pony Hunter Championship. The Grand Children's Hunter Pony Championship was awarded to Jacqueline Zhai aboard Redwood Forest owned by Sage Hill Farm. In the jumper ring, there was a three way tie for the Grand Jumper Championship, with top honors being given to Elenor Kunsman and Escape, Adrienne Marciano and Laspari, and Ellie Ferrigno and I Dottori VD Richter.
David Connors and Bieber, owned by Four Winds Farm LLC, swept the Green Conformation Hunter division to secure the week two Grand Open Hunter Championship. Connors also received the Leading Professional Hunter Rider award.
Brandywine hosted the $5,000 USHJA Green Hunter Incentive East Championships on Thursday, July 5. Sandy Ferrell and Hemingway, owned by Stephanie Bulger, took home the 3’6’’-3’9’’ win with a first round score of 85 and a second round score of 90. Ferrell also received the reserve championship on her other mount, Moonshot, also owned by Bulger.
In the 3’-3’3’’ section of the $5,000 USHJA Green Hunter Incentive, Laena Romond and Traveller, owned by Catherine Cowie, claimed the championship with a score of 85 in the first round and 89 in the second round. Ferrell received the reserve championship riding Dapper, also owned by Bulger.
Ferrell and Hemingway’s also received the Green Hunter 3’6’’-3’9’’ Regional Championship. In the Green Hunter 3’3’’ division, Christiana Serio and Wendy Janesky’s Clairvoyant earned the championship. Sydney Hamel and Sunset View Farm LLC’s O.Henry won the Grand Children’s Hunter division. The Lannie Lipson Riders Bonus, given to the top three professional hunter riders with the most points throughout the two weeks, was awarded to Sandy Ferrell, Christiana Serio, and David Connors.
The Grand Amateur Hunter Champion was won by Mia Latran and her own mount Rockwell. In the Junior divisions, the Grand Junior Hunter Champion was Kaitlyn Williams riding Ramble on Farm's Rockette. Williams also received the Grand Junior Owner award. Sydney Hamel and O Henry received the Grand Children's Hunter championship award as well as the Oberkircher Family Award.
In the $5,000 High Junior/Amateur Jumper Hall of Fame Classic, Chloe White and her own Miss Understood II rode to the first place finish. The pair tied with Caroline Ratigan and Gotham Enterprizes LLC's Washington Square for the overall Grand Jumper Championship title.
In the pony divisions, Grace Debney and Rivers Edge's Upside brought home the win in the USHJA Pony Hunter Derby with a total score of 172. The pair was also awarded the Grand Pony Hunter championship title for their leading performance in the Large Pony Hunter division.