It was Megan Massaro’s last ride in the junior hunters, and she was going to make it count.  She guided Lyle to yet another spectacular trip, clinching the National Horse Show Junior & Amateur-Owner Hunter Championship today, Dec. 2 in Wellington, Fla.

“This was just the best,” said an emotional Massaro.  “He was so fabulous all week.”  Massaro and Lyle won all four over fences classes in the small junior hunter, 16-17 division to come into the Championship with the leading score average.  And then they posted even more top rounds in Rounds 4 and 5 today, finishing the five total scored rounds of the championship with an average score of 88.4.

“This was my last round as a junior, so I just wanted to go in and have fun, but this is just wonderful,” Massaro said.  The talented rider catch-rides for trainers Don Stewart and Bibby Farmer Hill.  She got the ride on Lyle earlier this year.  “I’m not going to lie—I was really excited,” she said of the opportunity. 

“If I could describe my perfect ride, it would be him,” Massaro said of Lyle.  “He’s soft and sensitive, and an amazing jumper. And he always tries so hard.”  Owner Mrs. Randolph Rinehart and her daughter, Stephanie, used to show Lyle in the adult amateur divisions.  They knew Lyle, now 13, wasn’t quite ready to retire, so they agreed to let Massaro show him.   “We just kind of clicked and kept going,” she said.

Massaro is now a freshman at the University of South Carolina, where she earned a riding scholarship.  She spent the fall flying back and forth to show, but will now concentrate on her college career.

In the National Horse Show Open Hunter Championships, Scott Stewart completed his domination of the divisions.  Earlier in the week, Stewart had ridden to four championships and two reserve championships in the professional hunter divisions, as well as the grand hunter championship on Good Life and the leading hunter rider title.  So, claiming the win in the Championship today aboard Beyond, his regular working hunter champion, was the icing on the cake.

Stewart also claimed third on Good Life, while Ken Berkley rode Cosmo into second, and Sandy Ferrell guided Madison into fourth. 

Stewart has been riding Beyond for three years, having imported him from Germany.  “He did the jumpers over there, and he used to really overjump, but now he’s settled into it and figured it out,” he said of the striking black gelding.  “He did this class last year and was a little wild out in the [big Internationale ring], but this year he was great out there.  It was funny—my quiet ones were really fresh today, and the ones who are usually a bit up were great.”

Stewart—who had six of the nine rides in the Championship—doesn’t worry about the National Horse Show losing prestige in its move from Madison Square Garden (N.Y.) to Florida.  “I think it’s still pretty special.  The night classes [like last night’s grand prix] are really great and draw a crowd,” he said.  But there wasn’t much participation in the professional divisions.  Only five horses showed in the green conformation division, six in the second years, three in the regular conformation, and four in the regular working.  The first years greens had healthy numbers with 23 horses showing.

“There weren’t the numbers here, but there were still some really good rounds, with lots of scores in the 80s,” Stewart said.  “I hope in the future more professionals will come and support it and it can get back to being what it once was.”