The amateur-owner hunter divisions today, June 4, at the Devon Horse Show were almost an exact repeat of last year’s results—Leah Schwendeman and her phenomenal jumper La Cara repeated their amateur-owner, 18-35 and grand amateur-owner championships. And Caroline Moran completed her fourth consecutive amateur-owner Devon championship in the 36 & over division—but this time with a new mount, Pave.
Moran was the amateur-owner, 18-35 champion in 2002 and ’03 with the crowd-pleasing gray stallion St. Nick, and debuted in the older amateur division last year with a tricolor on In Return. This year, with St. Nick retired and In Return on the injured list, she has to turn to Pave for Devon.
“He certainly had big shoes to fill here,” Moran said. “I really wasn’t expecting all this. I didn’t think I’d come here loaded for bear, for sure.” She bought Pave in 2003 as a first-year horse, but the diminutive bay gelding had all of last year off with a niggling minor lameness. He just came back to the show ring in Florida this year, and only showed four times before Devon. Pave was actually on the wait list to get into Devon, and Moran had to wait until Wednsday to find out he was in.
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Just as they did last year, Moran and Schwendeman tied for the grand and leading amateur rider titles. But all of Schwendeman and La Cara’s points came over fences, so they ended up with the grand championship honors.
The amateur divisions were very spread out point-wise. Due North and Avery Dimmig, with two seconds and a third over fences, collected 16 points for the reserve title in the amateur-owner, 18-35 section. And Jamie Planck-Martin rode Cayman to a win and a third over fences for the reserve in the amateur-owner, 36 & over classes.
In the amateur-owner jumper classic, Darby Toben and Colgate’s Option prevailed with the only clear round out of 24 starters. Course builder Olaf Petersen Jr. built a very technical track, and only Toben and her bay gelding answered all the questions. Toben, 23, has been competing in the amateur-owner jumpers at Devon for five year, and this was definitely her biggest win. From Princeton, N.J., she rides with Emil Spadone and is a working student at his Redfield Farm.
