Competition came to a close in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring on Friday, December 18, after the completion of the $2,500 National Hunter Derby, presented by Pilates Rocks. Horse-and-rider partnerships completed the first round course, designed by Danny Moore, and the top twelve moved on to the handy round. After moving up one spot in the handy round, Alliy Moyer and Moyer Farm LLC’s Hero took home the blue ribbon with a total score of 175.

“We’ve had Hero since he was a five-year-old and he’s turning nine this year. He’s really stepped up this year to the National Derbies; we started doing them in June when we could start showing again,” Moyer explained. “My first round was really pretty solid. A little slow here and there, but he was really good. This is his first time out since we’ve been here and the first day of showing, so he was really good!”

Moyer, of Carmel, IN, and Hero were sitting in second place behind Jennifer Bliss of Loxahatchee, FL, and Harris Hill Farm’s Sugarman after the first round with a score of 83 and four high option bonus points for an overall score of 87. Bliss and Sugarman, winners of the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by Wanderers Club, just days prior during the ESP Holiday III Show, earned a score of 91 to take the lead.

Returning to the handy round as the second-to-last to go, Moyer and Hero were able to show off and stay consistent over the handy course, which included four high-option fences and a trot jump. Thanks to a handy round score of 84 and four high option bonus points for a total of 88, the pair moved into first place with a two-round score of 175, which ultimately could not be caught by the final challengers. 

“There were two inside turns, the first one and the one to the last fence. The first one I thought I would do but then he landed on the wrong lead so I decided to be safe and go around to have a nice solid round. That’s what I went for and it worked out!” Moyer commented regarding the plan for her handy round. 

Second-place honors in the class went to Erika Jacobson aboard Barn Rat LLC’s Van Gogh. Jacobson of Boca Raton, FL, and Van Gogh earned a first-round score of 80 and an 86 in the handy round for an overall score of 166. Based out of Lexington, KY, Alex Granato and Scorez, owned by Mad Season LLC, finished in third place. The pair received a score of 85 in the first round followed by 77 points in the handy for a total score of 162.