Peg Seals, Shannon Maguire, Emma Woodworth, & Emily Roberson Win Big in the Largest Championships to Date

Lexington, VA – August 10, 2019 – The fifth annual Virginia Hunter Championships, presented by Markel Insurance, consumed the Virginia Horse Center’s Anderson Coliseum on Tuesday preceding the 2019 Lexington National Horse Show. Five hunter championships offering a total of $55,000 showcased some of the best hunters and riders from the Virginia hunt-country region & neighboring states.

Claiming the top prize in the $15,000 Professional Final was Chris Wynne riding Correlation for Maryellen Kroll.  Out of 15 entries they finished on a total two-round score of 514 points as judged by Kim Dorfman, Scott Fitton, and Leslie Talbert-Emerson.  Wynne & Correlation earned the highest total score out of all five finals, by winning Round One on 258 points and placing second in Round Two with 256 points.  Wynne also rode to the Reserve Champion honors on Grace Owen’s Superlative with 506 points, who was the 2018 Pre-Green Finals Champion at the same event.

Top trainer Peg Seals also had a banner Championships with a one-two finish in the $10,000 Pre-Green Final riding Jennifer Morris’ lovely Staros and Quetzalcoatl to the Champion and Reserve Champion tri-colors respectively.  

Additional winners included:  

$10,000 Adult Amateur Final – Dietric & Emily Roberson, 490.5 points
$10,000 Children’s Hunter Final – Goldspring Van St. Anneke & Emma Woodworth, 497 points
$10,000 Junior/Amateur Final – Cohiba & Shannon Maguire, 482 points. 

Junior and Amateur Style Awards were also presented – Helen Lohr was chosen by the judging panel as the 17 & Under rider with the best Hunter Style; and Sharon Cohen was presented with the 18 & Over Style Award.

For Wynne, these finals are more about just winning prize money and bragging rights – they are about supporting the Virginia show hunter community and the traditional independent heritage shows that have served as the roots and foundation of the sport.  

To qualify for the Finals horses must earn points by competing on the Virginia Horse Show Circuit, which are tracked only once a horse is nominated into the Virginia Hunter Championships program.  Shows held at the Barracks, the Virginia Horse Center, Upperville, Rosemount, and Keswick, among others, are all part of the tour. The “A-National” rated competitions provide one and a half times the amount of points that a “AA-Premier” show offers, thus rewarding riders who compete at the smaller more boutique hunter events.  

Once qualified, horses and riders then compete for free in a championship format event, which boasts top prize money, awards, and beautiful courses with all the pomp and circumstance found at a traditional national final.   With the increased growth in the program it’s evident that the concept has caught on.  

A separate final just for Ponies was held earlier in the summer at Rosemount Farm – with the Virginia Horse Center as host to the five horse finals.  2019 saw record attendance with almost all finals full to capacity.  

The Virginia Hunter Championships would also like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support and sponsorship of the 2019 season:  Presenting Sponsor – Markel Insurance; Program Sponsors – Ms. Bindu Balan, Ms. Judy Bishop, Cargill Animal Products, Diana Cummings, The Harrison Foundation, Loudon Benefit Horse Show, Lynn Ellen Rice, & Rosemount Farm Horse Show – The Garnett Family

To view a complete list of results and on-site social media photos, see the official Virginia Hunter Championships Facebook page and www.ryegate.com.  

For more information about the Virginia Hunter Championships, please visit www.vahunterchamps.com.

Photo Credit:  Teresa Ramsay Photography

Official horse show photos can be found at TeresaRamsay.com.