The hunter competition proved tough on opening day, but it was Victoria Colvin, of Loxahatchee, FL, who stood out and proved why she is a formidable opponent in the hunter ring, winning a total of five classes.
In the Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under Division, Colvin’s beautiful rounds aboard Dr. Betsee Parker’s OVATION clinched the win for the pair in all three classes: Over
Fences, the Handy Over Fences, and on the flat Under Saddle.
Victoria Colvin and WAY COOL
In the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 Over Fences, the rounds varied and so did the placings. Destry Spielberg and ILLUSION won the first class over fences, while Cloe Hymowitz and ENJOY claimed the Handy Over Fences. Ashley Foster and SIN CITY strutted their stuff on the flat, winning the Under Saddle class.
In the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under Division, Victoria Colvin rode both INCLUSIVE and WAY COOL, but it was the latter who kept his cool winning both the Over Fences and Handy classes.
“He went amazing today!”, said Colvin about her ride on WAY COOL. “Usually INCLUSIVE is a little easier, but today he was fresh”. Colvin has been riding both horses for almost 3 years and trains with Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley.
Courtney Butz and BROOKLYN, competing at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show for the second time, won their second Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under, Under Saddle class. “He’s usually very lazy”, laughed Courtney.
In the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 classes, it was Lillie Keenan who put the pressure on with WALK THE LINE, winning the first two classes, but it was Taylor Willever and ELOQUENCE who stole the under saddle class.
The Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the 2011 National Show Hunter Hall of Fame Horse Show of the Year and the sixth ranked horse show in North America in the 2012 North American Riders Group (NARG) annual rankings, is one of the largest indoor horse shows in the U.S. It hosts horses and competitors from across the country with 10,000 spectators attending from the Mid-Atlantic region.
With over 1,400 qualified horses competing for $450,000 in prize money, the show features Hunter and Jumper competition and is the site of the Pessoa/US National Hunter Seat Medal Final Presented by Randolph College, the Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships, North American League (NAL) National Finals and the $85,000 Grand Prix de Penn National.
In addition to world-class equestrian competition, the horse show offers a unique shopping environment with boutique vendors that offer everything from fine art to custom jewelry, clothing, accessories and horse show memorabilia.
Proceeds from the event benefit community equine and youth programs. Since its inception in 1945, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show Foundation has donated over $1.5 million to charitable entities.
Horse show competition can be viewed live free of charge at www.usefnetwork.com and live scoring and results are available at www.Ryegate.com.
For more details on show events, competitors and vendors, please visit the show’s website, www.PAnational.org or contact the Pennsylvania National Horse Show at 717-236-1600 or by email, eventinfo@PAnational.org.
