Edited Press Release
Twenty-six horse-and-rider combinations entered the Show Place Arena for the $25,000 KASK/VogelGreen Hunter 3’ and 3’3” North American Championship at Capital Challenge. After posting scores of 87.16 in round one, and 88.50 in round two, Scott Stewart, of Wellington, Florida, and Betsee Parker’s Florian came out on top with an overall score of 175.66.
“I love these special classes at Capital Challenge,” expressed Stewart, who won this class last year with Betsee Parker’s Ackergill Castle. “The best riders are here with their best horses, so I think it’s a spectacular horse show.”
The class was overseen by three panels, each with two judges. Tammy Provost and Dale Pederson sat on the first panel, while David Beisel and Gavin Moylan made up the second, and Tom Brennan and Bobbi Reber were the third. Each panel awarded a score with the average representing the rider’s overall mark. Horses competing at either the 3’ or the 3’3” heights were scored equally, and the top 12 returned in reverse order for the second round.
Stewart noticed the six-year-old Westphalian gelding by Like Angel x Lupicor on a video and called René Tebbel in Germany to purchase him, but at the time, he wasn’t for sale. With some persistence, Parker was able to buy the handsome bay during the winter show season, and the horse made its U.S. horse show debut in the spring. Now in just their fourth competition together, Stewart was able to make it memorable, tacking this win onto the championship title they picked up in the Green Hunter 3’ Colts and Geldings division, sponsored by Boggs Hill/Mr. & Mrs. Tim Goguen.
“He is really a confident horse,” noted the seven-time WCHR Professional Final winner. “He’s quiet but he’s a little bit alert, so I wasn’t sure about the weather. He ended up being really good outside all week.
“You can count on him at the jump all the time,” continued Stewart. “He is a little bit green, like sometimes he looks outside the ring, but he’s really straightforward to jump.”
In a very competitive group, the reserve championship went to Duke of Argyll, also owned by Betsee Parker and ridden by Hunt Tosh of Milton, Georgia, with a final score of 173.66. Third place was awarded to Liza Boyd of Camden, South Carolina, and Irene Neuwirth’s Coconut Grove for their 173.24 score.
For his win, Stewart was presented with the Beverly Brooks Solter Memorial Trophy, donated by Hilary Scheer Gerhardt and Zan Martin Dillon.
Vivian Yowan, of Darien, Connecticut, was the recipient of the William “Bill” Ellis Sportsmanship Award, dedicated in memory of Bill Ellis for his exceptional commitment to horsemanship. The award is presented to the rider of the best turned out horse in the $25,000 KASK/Vogel Green Hunter 3’ and 3’3” North American Championship.
Nick Haness of Temecula, California, and Circa, owned by Glade Run Farm LLC, won the Grand Champion Green Hunter 3’ & 3’3” award, sponsored by David Belford and Christopher Payne of New Hope LLC with 31 points. For the award, Orlando was presented with the “A Rare Diamond” Perpetual Trophy donated by “The Friends of Mickey.” They were also the winners of the EMO Green Hunter 3’ & 3’3” Trip of the Show with a score of 92.
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Whitethorne LLC always carries a number of high-quality Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation horses for sale or lease in Southern California. All of these horses are personally chosen by Georgy Maskrey-Segesman and her partner in Germany, and represent some of the best competition horses available in Europe for every level of competition in Hunters, Equitation, and Jumpers. Georgy travels to Europe several times per year and together with her partner in Germany, selects the best of the horses available in Germany and Holland and several other countries in Europe, and imports them to Whitethorne Ranch where they are available for sale or lease.
