Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 15

This week Stephanie Danhakl had a premonition that she needed to be in Kentucky for the final round of the Platinum Performance 3’/3’3″ USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship.

Even thought she had horses competing this week, the amateur hunter rider wasn’t planning to attend because her family is in the middle of moving from Boston to Pennsylvania. But when her newest horse Cadet had a good opening round on Wednesday with her trainer Scott Stewart to qualify for the final, she started looking for flights.

“There was just something in my head; I said I need to be there,” she said. “So miraculously, there was a there was a late flight, and I got on it. I got in a little before midnight and was here in the morning. I couldn’t have predicted a better end to the morning. Just really happy that I could be here in person, because it’s always different when you watch on the live feed versus being here in person, and it’s such a special show. I’m just really proud to be here and to just get to witness this first big win for him and for Scott.”

“He’s amazing,” Stewart said of the 7-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Untouchable—Viljana). “He came that way. Natural with his technique; he’s calm and relaxed.”

Stewart and Cadet showed midway through the order for the championship round, and their scores of 88, 90 and 90 for a 268, left everyone else chasing them. Holly Shepherd and EL Porvenir Zara came the closest with a 267 for second, and Samantha Schaefer was right behind them in third with a 266.5 on Game On.

“I thought the course was excellent,” Stewart said. “It rode nicely, and I didn’t see too many horses, actually, all week, really being spooked by the environment. We get to get out there in the flat and prepare a little bit, so it went nice.”

Cadet was eighth on the first day, so Stewart elected to save him for the final and not jump in Thursday’s round.

“He actually was a little bit more interested, I think, going earlier today,” Stewart said. “And he’s just very consistent always.”

Stewart found the gelding while on vacation in Europe. A friend of his called about a horse just outside of Munich, so Stewart took an extra day to go try the gray, and he was glad he did. Cadet showed just three times before this week and has already amassed an impressive collection of first-placed ribbons, including with Danhakl.

“[I’m just] really appreciative that Scott kind of—I feel like he chose me to have the horse and that feels really special because he’s kind of everyone’s type; anyone could ride him,” Danhakl said. “I feel very lucky to be able to own him and ride him.”

While Shepherd was proud of being the first one to show “Zara,” a 6-year-old Silla Argentino (Balou Du Rouet—El Porvenir Coronada, Con Air) mare owned by Betty and Ernie Oare of EMO Stables, in her first classes at 2’6″ in March, she was quick to thank everyone else who had a hand in the mare’s development.

“Unfortunately I don’t have the pleasure of riding that horse every day, but I usually help the Oares bring these young horses along, and then I see them maybe once or twice more a year,” she said. “So Liza Towell [Boyd]  and a few other people fill in the gaps and are doing a great job.”

Filling out the top three was Schaefer, who said she was kicking herself a little for a couple of small mistakes with Game On, because she thought without those, the 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Grandorado TN—Honey-Paola) owned by R & R Hunter Horses LLC, could’ve been in the top spot. In April she didn’t think she’d enter him in the championship, but he kept steadily improving.

“I did not love my ride to the two-stride. I thought he covered it up better than he could have. I think he really helped me there, and maybe I could have gotten a little closer into the second diagonal line,” she said. “So I definitely thought I had a couple places I could have been better. But he was just spectacular.”

Results

Be sure you’re following along with the Chronicle on Facebook and Instagram @Chronofhorse. You can also read full analysis of hunter championship week in the Sept. 26 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine.