What do riders Samantha Schaefer and Scott Stewart have in common? Well, in addition to the same initials, after this year’s Upperville Colt & Horse Show, held June 6-12 in Upperville, Va., they’ve got lots of blue ribbons.

Schaefer, 11, swept the regular pony hunter divisions, earning championships in each of the three sections and the best child rider on a pony award. She won all but two over fences classes and also earned the grand pony hunter title with her large pony, Who’s Kidding Who.

Stewart dominated the regular hunter divisions early in the week, earning two championships and two reserves, more than a dozen blue ribbons and the leading hunter rider award with 120 points more than his nearest rival.

“He’s an amazing rider,” said Schaefer of Stewart. “I always like to watch him and take pictures of his horses.”

Stewart, who returned to Upperville after laying claim to top honors at the Devon Horse Show the previous week (see June 17, p.8 ), topped the first and second year green divisions with Molly Ohrstrom’s Fellini and Carolyn Kelly’s Cool Blue, who was also named the grand green and grand hunter champion.

“I had another good week,” Stewart said with a grin.

Stewart’s students also made him proud, as Ohrstrom won two sections of the adult amateur, 36-45, division and Alex Arute earned accolades in the juniors, ponies and jumpers. Alex Stathis also piloted Ohrstrom’s Truly to the large junior, 15 and under, tricolor.

Rainy weather had kept the ponies in the all-weather schooling ring the past few years, so Schaefer was excited to have the oppor-
tunity to show under the trees in Ring 2. “This was pretty cool,” said Schaefer. “I’ve always liked this horse show because it’s fun to ride on the big grass ring. “

Under the direction of trainer Kim Stewart, Schaefer’s small ponies Yes I Am and Icicle Falls took the tricolors. Yes I Am (Carolina’s Red Fox–Yes I Will), owned by Grand Central Show Stables, is owner Robin Greenwood’s first homebred.

“I was really happy with [Yes I Am],” said Schaefer. “He always gives 100 percent.”

Icicle Falls, 7, (by Liseter Brilliant Comedian) is a small green pony the Schaefers purchased in Ocala, Fla., last winter as a pro-ject. “He’s a real boy’s pony. He’s like a dirt bike. You just dig in and go,” said Sam’s mother, Stacey Schaefer.

Sam rode William Sullivan’s medium pony champion Kenworth, 14, a warmblood, after William broke his arm for the second consecutive year and missed Upperville.

Stacey, who’s retired from riding and showing, said if she were to return to the sport it would be aboard Kenworth. “That’s my favorite animal to ride,” she said. “If I had to pick one horse to ride for the rest of my life, it would be him. If you can’t find the jumps on that pony, you have to find a piano. We’ve had him for seven years, in and out of the barn, and he always finds his way back.”

And after owner Melissa Gartland outgrew Pocket Change, 6, (by Mynd Nysto-rious) Sam became the new pilot, and they took the me-dium pony reserve championship.

Sam also competed a new pony named Peter Pan, 7, an imported warmblood contesting his second show. Peter Pan topped the local medium pony hunter division, and Sam was named best child rider on a local pony on Thursday.

“I think he’s going to be a great project for Sam next year,” said Stacey.

Jumping On Both Sides

The one pony hunter tricolor that eluded Schaefer went home with Alex Arute, aboard Stewart’s After The Laughter, the reserve champion large pony.

Arute, 13, Avon, Conn., had a banner weekend in the junior divisions with victories in the junior hunters, ponies and, across Route 50, in the jumpers under the watchful eyes of trainers Stewart and Ken Berkley.

In between her hunter rides, Arute took the top two spots in the WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic Saturday morning, her first jumper classic victory. After setting the pace in the 10-horse jump-off aboard October Farm’s Wissezsset, with a clear ride in 31.94 seconds, she returned last with Pala Mostoller’s veteran BraveHeart, having only her own time to beat.

With even tighter turns and a speedy pace, she and Braveheart, nicknamed “Irish,” crossed the timers in 29.29 seconds, taking the blue ribbon.

“I think what I did [was], instead of jumping the first jump straight, I went on the rail and jumped it on the diagonal, and that gave me an extra second,” she said. “And Irish is so used to doing jump-offs that he just knows where he’s going.”

Arute’s goal wasn’t necessarily to win the classic with Wissezsset. Instead, she wanted to practice the type of ride she’ll need to move up to the low junior jumpers with her newest mount. But aboard Irish, she reconsidered her strategy.

“I knew I wanted to win that time and could do it. So I really rode him hard, and he went great,” she said. “But he really doesn’t need that–he’s point and shoot.”

Arute also garnered her first grand junior hunter championship at Upperville aboard Folklore, a 6-year-old warmblood she began riding over the winter. This was also their first 3’6″ championship together as they earned the small junior, 15 and under, division title.

Arute broke her arm in Florida and had only shown the flashy chestnut a handful of times before Upperville. She started back with him at Old Salem (N.Y.) and at Garden State (N.J.) in May, where they were reserve champions.

“He was great here, and he’s got such a nice canter that I think he just looked nice in that hunter field,” said Arute.

Arute actually didn’t think she was meant to be with Folklore. After she tried him at the National Horse Show (Fla.) last December, her parents said she wasn’t going to get him. But Santa Claus had other ideas.

“Then on Christmas morning they gave me a picture frame with his picture in it. So, I named him Nick, after St. Nick,” she said with a smile.

It might have seemed a bit like Christmas for junior Kacy Jenkins as she left the ring with a huge silver bowl she earned for being named the best child rider on a horse.

Jenkins, 16, Potomac Falls, Va., won ribbons on four junior hunters–Signature, Chanteuse, Regalo and Bissinger–and the judges rewarded her consistent performances.

Jenkins trains with Pam Baker at Hillcrest Farms Ltd. “I’ve been with her two years in July, and I’ve just come such a long way in my riding,” she said.

“This is definitely one of the highlights of my career,” she added.

Too Cute Too

Nellie Ann Foosaner also considered this Upperville one of her most successful to date. Aboard her Lights Out, Foosaner won both over fences classes in the children’s, 14 and under, division, placed third under saddle and earned the championship.

Foosaner, 13, of Middleburg, Va., has owned Lights Out, 8, a Dutch Warmblood, for 11³2 years. Her father, Bob Foosaner, said he knew this mare was something special right from the beginning.

“Nellie had tried 30 to 40 other horses and ponies, and this was the first time she’d ever gotten off one and called me right away,” he recalled, laughing.

In one round, Nellie scored an 86. “I hadn’t done very well with my other horse, so I really wanted to do well with her. My rides were really smooth, and everything came up well,” she said.

Nellie credited trainer Jane Gaston for helping her fine-tune their partnership over the winter. “We’ve done a lot of flatwork with her, worked on turning and responsiveness,” said Nellie.

After an eight-month break from showing, Nellie was pleased that her fourth show back in action went so well.

With two sections of children’s, 15-17, on Saturday afternoon, Haley Schaufeld rose to the top of section A with Ed Lane’s Q.T. and Marissa Duda rode Stoneridge Stables’ Timeless to top honors in section B.

Schaufeld, 16, of Lovettsville, Va., picked up the ride on the fancy chestnut, English Thoroughbred this spring, and this was their first championship, after placing first and second over fences and second in the under saddle.

“Our first trip was really good,” she said. “I went into the ring thinking he might look around, but I rode him forward and he was a good boy. By the second trip, I just floated the reins, and he was awesome. I had to whoa down the lines.”

Schaufeld has ridden with trainers Lane and Sandy Ferrell for just over a year, and she was grateful to have the ride on Q.T., especially for Upperville.

“Upperville was one of my first A-rated shows when I was on my small gray pony,” recalled Schaufeld. “My first time here on my children’s pony I got a fifth, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing! I got a fifth at Upperville!’ So to be champion is a big deal. There are so many amazing riders who show here.”

In addition to her ribbons, Schaufeld also received some precious feedback from trainer Lane, a man of few words. “When I went into the ring, they said, ‘Go in and ride like a champion.’ So I tried to follow their advice,” said Schaufeld. “And when I came out, Mr. Lane said, and I quote, ‘Good job.’ And that meant a lot to me.”

Reigning In The Rain

One of the few downpours at Upperville this year soaked the hunter riders on Thursday afternoon vying for the blue ribbon in the Woodslane Farm Adult Amateur Hunter Classic. But poor weather didn’t deter Elizabeth Sponseller, a show rider and foxhunter, who scoffs at such a thought.

“I’m used to riding out there [in the rain and slippery footing] with a bunch of people trying to T-bone me at the same time!” said Sponseller, laughing.

Sponseller, 53, Newmarket, Md., is a long-time member of New Market-Middletown Valley Hounds. While her winning mount, Dubya, hasn’t seen the hunting field yet, there’s no doubt he could do well if sent to follow hounds.

“I believe in him so much,” said Sponseller. “Everything I ask of him, he does.”

Sponseller found Dubya, a 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood (named after George W. Bush), from a videotape. “There were 30 to 40 horses on this tape, and I asked my husband Michael–who is not a horseperson–to watch it. So, when something like the 28th horse comes on, he sits up and says, ‘I like that one!’ So, that was the horse.

“He’s not really my type, either,” she added. “I usually have the elegant ones, and he looks like a Budweiser Clydesdale.”

She began riding Dubya (by Calvados) last summer after trainer Sandy Ferrell had given him some mileage in the green division. Since then they’ve clicked and currently have a commanding lead in U.S. Equestrian Federation Zone 3 in the adult amateur, 36 and over, division standings.

Sponseller and Dubya earned scores of 79 and 83 for the classic victory, and, despite the rain, she and the flashy bay gelding produced a confident and steady performance. After jumping an Aiken that snaked through the trees, some riders added strides on the downhill bending line to an oxer. But Sponseller didn’t take a pull on the reins.

“I told Sandy, ‘I’m lovin’ that Aiken,’ ” said Sponseller, grinning. “I told her I wanted to gallop it!”

The amateur-owners also enjoyed jumping the Aiken in the main hunter ring. Tracey Weinberg guided her San Siro to the amateur-owner, 36 and over, championship and grand amateur-owner tricolor, while Sheila Motley made her Upperville debut in the amateurs and took the younger division championship with Social Secretary.

Motley, 26, Keswick, Va., was a prominent junior rider who turned professional. But after a few years of trying her hand with the pros, she disappeared to establish herself in the corporate world. She now works for The Event Company in Charlottesville, Va., and this is her first year riding as an amateur.

She met Social Secretary, 11, a Michigan-bred Thoroughbred, when trainers Larry Glefke and Kelley Farmer allowed her to catch-ride him in the adult amateur division at the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.) last winter.

“I took a week off from work and went down to Florida to ride. He had just returned to [Glefke’s barn] to be sold, so I rode him a little and showed him. He was still for sale, and we were in the position where we could purchase something. So, I guess it was all about the timing,” she explained.

Motley said she clicked with the big bay right away, but there were still a few kinks to work out. “I literally hadn’t ridden in two years,” she said, laughing. “I grew up riding, so not riding for two years was different. It took me awhile to get back into it.”

Glefke had no doubt the partnership would work. He considers Social Secretary one of his favorite horses of all time.

“He’s one of the few horses in my life that I’ve bought back. I’ve probably had 5,000 horses that I’ve owned myself, and he’s one of maybe 10 that I’ve bought back. That’s how much I love him,” said Glefke.

Motley’s career in event management includes everything from weddings to private parties. “I’m so lucky–I have a job that I love, and I have a great team here at the barn,” she said. “I don’t ride at all at home, so it’s nice that I can come to the horse shows and have it be the same.”

At first, Motley said making the transition between horse shows and the corporate life was difficult. But now she’s looking forward to horses as her hobby instead of her career.

“I have my work, and that’s where my focus is,” she said. “And the horses are fun for me. I go when I can, and it’s just a different outlook,” she said. “I’m glad I rode professionally, but it was time to move on and do some other stuff. It’s nice that the amateurs are there for the people who do work.”

Take Away Takes The Regular Working Championship

The list of previous regular working hunter champions at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show includes such famous horses as Gozzi, Ruxton, Rox Dene and Osczar. This year rider Havens Schatt added Take Away to that impressive list for owner Cortie Wetherill.

“They were two of the best rounds I’ve ever had,” said Schatt of her tricolor-clinching rides on the second day. Take Away scored a 94 in his second round on Tuesday and won the handy hunter class with an equally impressive performance.

The handy course wasn’t posted first thing in the morning with the other courses, giving Schatt time to ponder what the course designer, Glenn Moody, might require.

“It’s funny, I remembered the handy hunter at the National Horse Show in New York, where we had to trot into an in-and-out and canter out over a four-foot oxer. Then, when I looked at the course here, I started to laugh,” said Schatt. “It was the same!”

The competitors cantered over a single vertical, then went to a bending seven strides, cantered a two-stride, jumped a single and then trotted into a one-stride and cantered out over a four-foot oxer to end the course. Fortunately, Schatt never questions her mount because he’s so scopey.

Take Away, 9, is an Oldenburg who started showing in the hunters in January. Previously, Take Away was a jumper in Europe.

“He’s an easy horse and has learned his job quickly,” said Schatt. She and Jeff Wirthman, Take Away’s trainer, anticipate that he’ll begin to show in the junior hunters this summer with Wetherill.

Popeye K and Tommy Serio took charge in the conformation division, winning three of the five classes.

“He fires off the ground every time. It’s hard for me to sit on him sometimes,” said a modest Serio.

“The ground was a little tricky [on the first day]. He put in smooth hunter rounds, but I had to be more mechanical to keep from slipping and sliding,” said Serio. “The footing made him a little uneasy. It scared him to jump so hard and land and slip on the ground.”

Regardless, Popeye K, 8, won both classes.

On the second day, the footing improved and Popeye K finished first and second over fences and second under saddle.

Serio began riding the flashy bay stallion as a pre-green 5-year-old for owner Elizabeth Spencer. “He’s matured over the years. He’s better broke, but even as a young horse, he was very well balanced and well started,” said Serio.

Popeye K is a Dutch Warmblood by Voltaire who’s sired about 200 foals. He’s collected three times a year: once after the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.), once during the summer, and once in the fall.

“There’s no misunderstanding on his part about where it happens and where it doesn’t. That’s why he acts the way he does around the horse shows. There’s too much room for liability for everyone concerned,” said Serio.

Dave Morris, who works for Serio, along with his wife, Suzy, takes care of Popeye K. “He’s the greatest-natured stallion I’ve ever been around in my life,” Dave said.

According to Dave and Suzy, Popeye has a turnout ritual he performs every time he goes out. First, he marks his territory, then runs to the far corner of the paddock, lies down, rolls over three or four times, then canters to the diagonal corner and watches the people and other horses.

Before he shows, Dave usually takes Popeye up to the ring to give him a chance to look around because “Popeye likes to be familiar with his surroundings.”

“Popeye is just one of those horses you consider yourself lucky to be around,” said Dave.

Elizabeth Shoudy