Professional Hunters Jumpstart the 2009 Capital Challenge Horse Show

Upper Marlboro, MD – September 28, 2009 – The professional hunters began their competition today at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, which runs through Sunday, October 4, at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD. Four rated divisions had classes in the indoor arena, while six Future Hunter divisions began outside. The professional hunters will award championships on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The First Year Green Working Hunters were divided into two sections with winners such as Sandy Ferrell on Ante Up, owned by Ann Thompson of Upperville, VA, Scott Stewart on Way Cool, Peter Pletcher with Becky Gochman’s Arabella, and Russell Frey on Inside Scoop, owned by Chloe Reid.

The big winner in the Second Year Green Working Hunters was John French on Rumba, owned by Mountain Home Stables of Woodside, CA. They led the jog in both over fences classes.

French and Rumba have been huge winners this year with an undefeated record in Second Year Green Hunter championships. Owner Taylor Siebel competes with Rumba in the junior hunters as well. French and Rumba have not shown since they won the $100,000 ASG Software Solutions/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals in August.

French revealed, “When I came up to the ring I was like, ‘Oh no. It is making me so nervous to ride him now.’ I didn’t show him since Kentucky, just so I could rest on that for a while and I thought, ‘Oh God, now I have to show him.’ There is a lot of pressure right now because he just came off of winning the Derby Finals.”

“I thought it was going to be downhill from there, but actually he was great,” French joked. “He scored 92 today and won both classes.”

French said that Rumba knows when to turn it on at big events. “I never had a horse that knows when he’s in the ring, that he’s on stage. He can get kind of bored at home and bored in the schooling area, but he goes in the ring and says, ‘Ok, now I’m going to show you something.’ There are some horses that try to lose, but he is a horse that tries to win.”

Scott Stewart and Declaration, owned by Fashion Farm of Philadelphia, PA, were first in the Green Conformation Hunter over fences class while Christa Endicott and Pegasus Show Stables’ Rockwell topped the model class.

With a high score of 92, Hunt Tosh and Lonestar, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Wheeler of Keswick, VA, won the first Regular Working Hunter class. The blue ribbon in the second Regular Working Hunter over fences class went to Andiamo, ridden by Emily Williams and owned by Brad Wolf.

In the outdoor ring, the early morning winner was Sandy Ferrell on Prudence, owned by Torrey Pines of Schomberg, Ontario, Canada. Prudence and Ferrell jumped to first place ribbons in both of the over fences classes in the Future Hunter Mares division. Ferrell also won in the Future Hunter 6 & Over division on Showman, owned by Alexa and Krista Weisman of Sherborn, MA.

Ferrell recently got the ride on Prudence from trainers Eric Lamaze and Tiffany Foster. Foster showed Prudence this winter in the 3’3″ Pre-Green Hunter division. “They ultimately would like to sell her. I’ve maybe had her 10 days and it was the first time for me jumping a course on her and the first time in the show ring with her. She was an absolute joy to ride,” Ferrell explained.

She described, “She’s very straightforward and very easy to get to the ring. She tries hard and is just a really legitimate horse. It was so much fun to ride around the ring. She’s a lovely mare. A good horse is a good horse, and she has a great brain. She tries hard and has a lot of talent. Those three things combined make a good horse. My job was very easy today.”

Scott Stewart found success outside in the Future Hunter Non-Thoroughbred division with Summer Place and in the Colts & Geldings division on Crownpoint. Additional winners today in the outdoor ring were Tim Goguen and Tripoli, Havens Schatt on Franklin, Hunt Tosh and Good Humor, and Kelley Farmer with Listen.

The Capital Challenge Horse Show continues tomorrow with more professional hunter classes and championships for the Second Year Green and Regular Working Hunter divisions, plus championships for all of the Future Hunter divisions.

For more information about the show including photos, news, and results, visit the official web site at www.capitalchallenge.org. To watch live footage of this year’s horse show, please visit www.equestriansport.tv. This year’s Capital Challenge Horse Show will run from September 26 through October 4 at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The horse show is conveniently located off of Route 4, just seven miles east of the Capital Beltway.