Devon, Pa.—May 28  

Nine years ago, grand prix rider Jimmy Torano lit a competitive fire in Katherine Dade. And at her very first Devon Horse Show, Dade showed that that spark is still burning bright.

In 2008, Dade was a leadline rider, showing at the Vermont Summer Festival. She got to watch Torano win the $30,000 Mount Equinox Grand Prix on Caldam D’Or, and then Torano threw his blue ribbon to her in the victory gallop, saying “Some day you’ll get one of your own.”

Later that day, Dade’s trainer, Gretchen Anderson of Apple Knoll Farm in New Boston, N.H., got Torano to sign the ribbon. In a Chronicle article from 2104 about grand prix stars inspiring younger riders, Dade recalled the incident and said, “It was incredibly exciting. I have that ribbon up on my bedroom wall with all my ribbons from the current season. That really inspired me to practice hard and become a better rider.”

All that practicing and inspiration paid off at Devon, where Dade rode National treasure to the pony jumper championship after winning two classes in the division. “I definitely wasn’t expecting to do very well—I was expecting to get some experience. But it was a great week!” she said.

Katherine Dade and National Treasure. Photo by Kimberly Loushin

Dade, 15, was ecstatic walking out of the ring, with a huge smile, lots of pats for National Treasure, and a big thumbs up for Anderson at the in-gate. This is just her first year in the jumpers—she used to compete in the medium pony hunters but left the hunter ring behind in January when National Treasure came into her life. The 16-year-old Welsh cross has had lots of mileage in the pony jumper ring since 2011.

Anderson won the first two classes in Devon’s pony jumpers, but the third didn’t go as well, with National Treasure stopping at the first jump. Alice Nolen-Walston won the final class on Proven Theory, but Dade’s 20 points for her two previous wins earned the tricolor. “Even with the class this afternoon, it was still a successful day. Everyone has their ups and downs and you just have to roll with it. She’s such a good girl,” said Dade, who hails from Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.

Watch one of Dade and National Treasure’s winning jump-off rounds…

To see all of the Chronicle’s coverage from the Devon Horse Show, click here. And make sure to read the June 19 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse for more in-depth coverage from Devon.