The highly anticipated USHJA National Hunter Derby Regional Finals took place today in the Dee Dee Arena, welcoming top horses and riders to the prestigious event over a beautifully designed and decorated course by Nancy Wallis of Windsor, New Jersey.

Carero, owned by Taylor Mitchell and ridden by Alan Lohman of Poolesville, Maryland took home the blue ribbon today in the $10,000 USHJA Regional National Pro Hunter Derby earning a combined score of 182.5.

“Carero is a cool horse who belongs to one my customers. He’s been with us three or four years and he’s just a great and extremely talented horse,” Lohman said. “We’ve been riding him in the derbies when his owner isn’t showing him. Since the owner wasn’t able to show him this week, I was lucky enough to ride him,” he added.“I thought it was a nice course. It didn’t lock you into strides and the handy gave you plenty of options,” Lohman said.

“The Dee Dee Arena is a great ring to put a derby in. It’s really beautiful and it rides great. There are so many options in that ring and we don’t get the opportunity to show in a ring like that too often. The course designer made the ring beautiful and it was great that the hunters got to show in it all afternoon,” Lohman said. 

La Vida Loca, owned by Emily Cyrway and ridden by Brooke Kemper of Keswick, Virginia earned second place honors with their combined score of 182. Third place was awarded to Gable Stone, owned by Diane Semer and ridden by Erin Dombroski of Grimesland, North Carolina for their combined score of 175.

Hobbes, owned by Gabriela Martinez-Salas and ridden by Kelsey Campbell of Great Falls, Virginia earned a fourth place finish for their combined score of 163.

Fifth place honors was awarded to Carolina Blue, owned by Catherine Wheeler and ridden by Lohman. The pair earned a combined score of 162.

Calantus, owned by Addison Huffman and ridden by Selina Petronelli of Churchville, Maryland, earned a sixth place for their combined score of 157. Porto Rico, owned by Isabel Sotomayor and ridden by Jocelyn Martin of Louisa, Virginia finished in seventh place for their combined score of 155 and Cartel, owned and ridden by Jeffrey Ayers of Sellersville, Pennsylvania, wrapped up the class with an eighth place finish for their combined score of 149.

Chazeaux wins the $5,000 USHJA Regional National Adult Hunter Derby 

Chazeaux, owned and ridden by Claire Parkinson of Richmond, Virginia, rode away with the win today in the win in $5,000 USHJA Regional National Adult Hunter Derby.

Besting a field of fourteen horse and rider teams, the pair earned a combined score of 172.5.
“I’ve had him for about 5 years now,” said Parkinson.

“I got him when he was a pre-green horse and did the juniors on him. I took a gap year from college during Covid and rode him in the Derbies. He really is my ‘heart horse’,” she said.

“He [Chazeaux] was honestly amazing, he was just his normal good self and the course rode so well. It was so nice and open, I could get a nice gallop on him and just go to the jumps, trusting him all the way around the course. I have so much trust in him and had so much fun,” she said “Because it was such an open course, it really invited the hunter brilliance and allowed us to open up and find those jumps in a really nice rhythm,” said Parkinson.

“I’m really excited to head to the Finals in Kentucky. I’ve ridden him there a few times as a junior and it is a great show. But this is my first time showing him there as an adult,” she added.  

Cinderella, owned and ridden by Ashley De Woolfson of Warrenton, Virginia earned second place honors with their combined score of 169. Upcountry Pisani, owned and ridden by Madison Busey of Ashburn, Virginia placed third for their combined score of 168.

Fourth place was awarded to Falcon, owned and ridden by Kathryn Sanders of Charlottesville, Virginia. Tinsel, owned and ridden by Grace Blum of Keswick, Virginia earned a fifth place finish with their combined score of 160. Sixth place went to Cio Pepe, owned by Sally Hamlin and ridden by Erin Savannah Gill of Reston, Virginia.

Creative, owned by M2 Equestrian and ridden by Melissa Marshall of Middleburg, Virginia placed seventh for their combined score of 151 and Cayado, owned and ridden by Alexandra Finder of Washington, DC placed eighth.  

Sock Hop, owned and ridden by Lori Ohannessian of Burke, Virginia placed ninth for their combined score of 139 and tenth was awarded to Westerleigh WF, owned and ridden by Briana Kenerson of Frederick, Maryland for their combined score of 137.

Armani Code, owned by Mack Daddy Farm and ridden by Mackensie Bowles of Staunton, Virginia earned an eleventh place finish for their combined score of 131 and Carabello, owned and ridden by Rosie Powers of Middleburg, Virginia wrapped the class up with a score of 125 and a twelfth place ribbon.

Zeus Wins the $5,000 USHJA Regional Children’s Hunter Derby

Twenty four horse and rider teams took to the hunt for the blue in today’s $5,000 USHJA Regional Children’s Hunter Derby and Zeus, owned by Sophia Strahan and ridden by 12 year old Savannah Welch, took home the blue ribbon after earning a combined score of 174.

Second place honors went to Chance of a Lifetime, owned and ridden by Shannon Maguire of Sterling, Virginia. The pair earned a combined score of 172.4.

Camelot BF, owned by Hammer-Jadick Hunters, LLC and ridden by Paige Jadick of Wilmington, North Carolina earned a third place for their combined score of 169.Imperio, owned and ridden by Annabele Whitehead of Richmond, Virginia placed fourth for their combined score of 168 and Golden Humphrey, owned and ridden by Maggie Wren of Charlotte, North Carolina, earned a fifth place finish for their combined score of 162.

Viola BF, owned and ridden by Katherine Atherton of Montpelier, Virginia took home a sixth place ribbon for their combined score of 160 and seventh was awarded to Caleesi, owned and ridden by Grace Walker of Rixeyville, Virginia for their combined score of 158.

Oh Danny Boy, LLC’s Hurricane LCH, ridden by Kayla Wolfe of Burke, Virginia, placed eighth overall for their combined score of 151 and Important, owned and ridden by Sydney Callagy of Virginia Beach, Virginia, earned a ninth place ribbon for their overall score of 150.

Tenth place was awarded to Pick Six, owned and ridden by Kendall Austin, also of Virginia Beach, for their combined score of 137 and eleventh place went to Here I Come, owned by Coleridge Equine, LLC and ridden by Chloe Pausch of Norfolk, Virginia for their combined score of 135.5. Cassandro, owned and ridden by Grace Ellen Doerfler of Raleigh, North Carolina, wrapped up the class with a twelfth place finish for their combined score of 118.

Caroline Blum Soars with Glitter Glider

Caroline Blum of Keswick, Virginia and Deer Path Farm, LLC’s Glitter Glider took home the blue ribbon in the $500 Low Jr-A/O Jumper 1.20 m today in the Dee Dee Arena, besting a field of eleven horse and rider teams.

With a first round time set at 74 seconds, six advanced to a second round opportunity with a time allowed set at 44 seconds.

Morgan Baugher of Buckeystown, Maryland and Feelgood Farm’s Wonder Rabbit were the first to advance to a second round. Their fault-free time of 37.012 seconds set the new time to beat.
Blum and Glitter Glider were up next. The pair flew around the course turning in a fault-free round in a time of 35.975 seconds, taking the lead and setting the new time to beat.

Mackensie Bowles of Staunton, Virginia in the irons of her own Lando Van De Oude Molenhoeve followed Blum and Glitter Glider in the order, but four jump faults in their second round in a time of 36.986 seconds wouldn’t catch the leader and the pair finished in sixth overall.

Baugher returned to the arena, this time in the irons of Feelgood Farm’s Gladius Eickenrode. Although the pair turned in a clear second round, their time of 42.083 seconds would see the pair finish in fourth overall.

Kate Phillips of Montpelier, Virginia and her own Zara WWW followed Baugher in the order. Four jump faults in a time of 36.444 seconds earned them a fifth place ribbon.

Blum returned to the arena in the enviable last to go position with her own MTM Kappa Kappa Gamma. The pair turned in a clear round but their time of 40.116 seconds saw them finish in third place overall and secured the win with Glitter Glider.

“She’s [Glitter Glider] pretty cool and down for anything. She’s the most reliable horse I’ve ever ridden and I know she will try her best no matter what,” said Blum. “In the second round I did two inside turns that I saw no one else do and especially the second one-I didn’t see anyone else do that,” commented Blum. “I didn’t do those same two inside turns with my last ride [MTM Kappa Kappa Gamma] that I did with Glitter Glider and that’s obviously what gave me the lead with her,” she added.

Baugher and Wonder Rabbit took home second place honors. Kristin Stolpe of Charlottesville, Virginia and Open Prairie, LLC’s Miss Ley Van De Vlasput placed seventh. Eighth was awarded to Beerly Alcock of Philomont, Virginia and Nicole Perry’s Arko. Jesse Smith of Wellington, Florida and her own Savannah SN earned a ninth place finish and Molly Bance of Palmyra, Virginia with her own Martini Dry, wrapped up the class in tenth place.

For more information, please visit horseshowsonline.com.

All Photo credits: Teresa Ramsey