2016 GP winner- Brooke Kemper riding Classified, courtesy of Anne Gittins photography
The 34th annual ‘Jump for the Children’ Horse Show, benefiting Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center, is thrilled to be hosting TWO WEEKS of Premier rated hunters and international level show jumping at the Gov. James B. Hunt Horse Complex, 4601Trinity Road, Raleigh NC 27607: ‘Jump for the Children I, Nov. 8-12 and ‘Jump for the Children’ II, Nov. 15-19, 2017. ‘Jump for the Children’ is the longest continuously-held, annual fund raiser for Duke Children’s, raising over $1.9 million for the hospital and health center to date. While ‘Jump for the Children’ has always supported research and patient treatment at Duke Children’s, 10% of show proceeds in 2017 will go to research seeking empirical proof that therapy dogs reduce anxiety and the need for sedation in child patients.
“Duke Children’s could not continue its mission of providing world-class care for children without the support of events like ‘Jump for the Children,’” stated Amy Deshler, senior executive director of Duke Children’s Development. “Proceeds from the event will aid our physicians and researchers in their work to treat and understand the medical conditions our young patients are fighting.”
2013 $10,000 Welcome Stake and 2016 $50,000 Duke Children’s Grand Prix winner, Brooke Kemper- with her thirteen year old, American bred Holsteiner/Thoroughbred cross, Classified- plans to return this fall to defend her titles. The daughter of a professional horsewoman, Kemper started her riding career as a toddler on ponies in Harrisonburg Virginia. In addition to North Carolina, Kemper’s career include wins in Florida, Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Her Shadow Pond Stables in Culpepper VA boasts 15 show horses belonging to Kemper and her clients.
Her first year competing at ‘Jump for the Children’ in 2013, she received the Max Bonham Sportsmanship trophy- a much coveted honor bestowed by fellow competitors. In addition to her love of the show for the charity work it supports, its extraordinary community involvement, its exemplary hospitality, and its coliseum full of cheering jumper fans, Kemper has a sentimental and personal reason that ‘Jump for the Children’ holds a favorite place on her show calendar.
Kemper says, “I decided to show that first year in 2013 in part because my uncle and aunt lived in Chapel Hill. My aunt was in the hospital with a serious illness. When I inquired about the possibility of accommodations for them at the Saturday night Grand Prix, show officials Ralph Alfano and Vinnie Card went all out to welcome them. They provided car-to-coliseum golf cart transport and seated my uncle and aunt in the most comfortable seats, with the best view of the arena, at a table reserved only for show officials. That night was the only time my aunt ever got to see me ride and the last time she left the house before passing away.”
Show highlights include
$10,000 Duke Welcome Jumper Stake, Thurs. Nov. 9, 6:00 p.m.
KID FUN & Stick Horse Race: Fri. Nov. 10, 5:00 – 6:00 pm.
$10,000 USHJA (United States Hunter Jumper Association) International Hunter Derby Fri. Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m.
$50,000 Duke Children’s Grand Prix I, Sat. Nov. 11, 7:00 p.m. Watch the best riders on the East Coast compete for $50,000 in prize money in international caliber showing jumping. Admission $10 per person, children under 10 free. Box office opens at 4:30 p.m.
$10,000 Duke Welcome Jumper Stake, Thurs. Nov. 16, 6:00 p.m.
KID FUN & Stick Horse Model: Fri. Nov. 17, 5:00 – 6:00 pm.
$10,000 USHJA (United States Hunter Jumper Association) National Hunter Derby Fri. Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m.
$50,000 Duke Children’s Grand Prix II, Sat. Nov. 18, 7:00 p.m. Watch the best riders on the East Coast compete for $50,000 in prize money in international caliber showing jumping. Admission $10 per person, children under 10 free. Box office opens at 4:30 p.m.
