A Million Reasons

Grand Hunter Champion, Leading Mare, High Performance Hunter Champion.
Scott Stewart: Leading Rider

A Million Reasons and Scott Stewart. Photo by Molly Sorge

Stewart recalled that A Million Reasons didn’t have the best Devon in 2015, so he had a plan for how to prepare her for this year. “I usually don’t jump her much at home, but for two weeks before coming here I actually set up a four-foot course at home and practiced with her a few times,” Stewart said.

“She’s not spooky—she just kind of wanders in the ring. She never looks where she’s going and she’d get a bit lost in the lines. It seems to have helped her. She’s a little more in the groove and looking for the next jump,” he said.

Stewart and A Million Reasons, an 11-year-old Holsteiner mare, won the first two over-fences classes in the high performance division with scores of 92 and 94, won the under saddle class, and then were second in both the handy and the stake classes with scores of 88 and 90.

A Million Reasons has an unusual style in that she drops her head and neck quite dramatically before a jump, then has a very round bascule. “She’s actually the hardest horse for me to stay with over the jump. I really have to think about staying over her in midair,” Stewart said. 

“She’s not the most broke. She likes to go with her head and neck out; you can’t hold her together,” he continued. “”You can’t be tough with her at all. She’s a mare but she almost acts like a stallion. She’s a little lazy off your leg. The hardest part is getting her to focus on the job. The jumping part is easy for her, and she may be 15.3 hands, but she rides like she’s 18 hands. She feels huge and she goes like a big horse,” Stewart said.

Scott Stewart (left) showing off his Leading Hunter Rider trophy with A Million Reasons’ owner, Betsee Parker. Stewart has won the Leading Hunter Rider title 12 times now. Photo by Molly Sorge

Cold Harbor

Regular Conformation Champion

Cold Harbor and Hunt Tosh. Photo by Molly Sorge

Hunt Tosh describes Cold Harbor, who is also owned by Betsee Parker, as a horse that comes along only every so often. “Every year, that horse has been a horse of a lifetime. He’s been so good for so many years. He’s such a classic hunter,” Tosh said.

The 11-year-old Holsteiner started Devon with a bang, scoring a 95 to win the first regular conformation class. Then he placed third in the second class with a 93. On Day 2 of the division, he won the handy with a 92, was fifth in the stake with an 83, and then placed second in the under saddle.

“Riding him around in that first class, when he got a 95, I was thinking about how far he’s come along. Now he just gives you even more. It’s such a great feeling the way he jumps. He’s truly what you look for in a hunter, all around,” Tosh said.  

“He’s proven to us that when it counts, he shows up and tries to win on the right day. That’s a hard quality to find in a horse. He makes less mistakes on important days. On days that really matter, he tries that much harder for you. A heart that big is a really important quality.”

Cold Harbor, or “Larson,” is admittedly Tosh’s barn favorite, and he’s also the favorite of Tosh’s 9-year-old daughter, Maddie. Maddie actually hacks Larson at home and might start her junior hunter career on him in a few years.

Technicolor

First Year Green Hunter Champion

Nick Haness and Technicolor. Photo by Molly Sorge

Nick Haness bought Technicolor last summer as a green 5-year-old (Sandro Boy—Cartellona) as an investment prospect. The Oldenburg gelding did a few shows in the pre-green division in 2015, then stepped up to the first years during the HITS Thermal Desert Circuit (Calif.). Midway through HITS Thermal, Lindsay Maxwell bought him.

Haness has kept the ride, however. “It’s rewarding and exciting that he got sold and then that I’m able to keep showing him this year. It’s been a great double-whammy,” Haness said.

“Technicolor was in the 90s almost every round he did. We had a little hiccup in the handy, which he sometimes does, and then in the last round he came out with a 95,” Haness said.

Technicolor won three of the first year green over-fences classes for the division title. And Haness claimed some top ribbons with the other four horses he brought from California to show. “To come to Devon and be able to do well is one thing—to have all the horses go so well and to have that amazing of a show is a complete dream come true,” he said.

Patriot

Green Conformation Hunter Champion

Patriot and Hunt Tosh. Photo by Molly Sorge

This was just the third venue at which Patriot has showed—the 9-year-old Oldenburg was imported last fall. “We showed him [at HITS Ocala (Fla.)], one week in Aiken [S.C.}, and then here. He’s been champion every time out, so he’s been fabulous,” said Tosh, who rode him to the Devon first year green title for owners the Wheeler family.

“You never know, with this atmosphere here. Being that green, I wasn’t sure how he’d be, but he walked right in there and was right on the money,” Tosh said. 

“Cold Harbor started a little bit the same way—he skipped the pre-greens and won here as a green conformation horse. If we can recreate that story, it’d be a little bit of a fairytale.”

At Devon, Patriot, whose breeding is unrecorded, won the handy class with a 93 and another over-fences class with an 89. He was also third and sixth over fences, third in the under saddle and fourth in the model. 

Truman

Second Year Green Hunter Champion

Truman with rider Chris Payne (left) and owner Debbie Bass. Photo by Molly Sorge

Truman, 9, and Chris Payne won both over-fences classes on Day 1 of the second year green division, then won the under saddle. But they didn’t place on Day 2 of the division. Their points were good enough to clinch the championship, though. 

“Yesterday he was amazing—he was relaxed and confident and rode beautifully. Today he was a little worried about something in that corner. Something unsettled him,” Payne said. “He can have moments when he’s a little unsure, but he always tries to be a good horse and do the right thing.”

“I’m so fortunate to have such an amazing horse and Debbie Bass is such an amazing owner to allow him the time to come into his own and be successful. We imported him as a baby a few years ago. We developed him through the pre-greens and the first years, then last year I had to take some time off so he didn’t do much. Then this year he came back to showing in Florida.

Payne took much of last year off to work through some health issues. “Truman just hung out at home and flatted. When I was feeling well I’d go out and ride him—he’s the only one I’d ride. I was so lucky that Debbie allowed me to do that. He’s a nice horse and he was having a good career. I got under the weather, and she just told me, ‘He waits for you. When you feel well again, we can start again.’ I’m so appreciative of that,” Payne said. 

“It means everything to have an owner stand by you and spend the time to let the horse become the quality horse you know they can be. If you’d pushed him, it could have gone the other way. But he lets you know the path.”