Lexington, Ky.—Oct. 30
Scott Stewart is no stranger to winning the Rock Star Leading Hunter Award at the National Horse Show—he’s won it 10 of the last 11 years, only missing it in 2020 because he didn’t attend the show. He added another to the tally this year, making his total 17 leading hunter rider awards at the historic show.
Stewart won a pair of championships, with California Love (high performance conformation) and Colter (3’9″ green), along with a grand championship for California Love, to boost him to the title.
“It always feels great to win at the National Horse Show,” Stewart said. “Going back to when we used to do [it at Madison Square Garden], just the tradition of it, focusing on this to be the end of the year, and trying to peak for it.”
This is the second consecutive championship for California Love, a 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Clarimo—Daytona Love) owned by Betsee Parker. The gelding won the green conformation last year.
“I think he’s only getting better,” said Stewart. “He was really good here last year. I think he even jumps better this year. I think the 3’9”, he has to try a little harder, so it gets a better jumping effort.”
“Love” won both over fences classes and the model on Tuesday, then was second in the under saddle and third in today’s stake to take the championship over Maria Rasmussen and Sunset View Farm LLC’s Worthy.
“He’s been great,” Stewart said. “I think yesterday he jumped fantastic, had two big scores, and today he was really good.”
Stewart has been riding his second champion Colter, a 10-year-old Hanoverian (Franziscus—Sophie), for two years for owner Sophie Gochman, so the gelding does double duty in the open divisions and in the amateur-owners. He won the handy and the under saddle and picked up a third and a fifth to earn the 3’9″ green championship. Michael Britt-Leon and Mark Dorfman’s Can’t Touch This HS were reserve.
“He started off his career being a little bit quirky and tough,” Stewart said. “He’s bad with traffic, and he can be a little bit spooky. He’s very, very sensitive. He doesn’t do anything at home except go out in the field and ride. Clementine Talmage, who rides him every day at home, jumps the pony course, but that’s all he does at home. I don’t even ride him at home.”
Stewart credited Talmage’s relationship with the gelding for helping settle him.
“She really knows him the best and takes care of him,” he said. “I think that’s the key element. … I think you could give that horse to a different situation, and he would be not the same horse.”
Callie Seaman’s Dynamic Duo Sweep The Amateur-Owners
Callie Seaman admits she was a bit surprised to walk away with champion and reserve honors in the amateur-owner hunters, 18-35, division with her horses Silver Lining and Diamante. Silver Lining also took the grand amateur-owner hunter title.
“Usually those two, one goes well and the other one is a little less so, and they tend to trade off, so to have them both go so perfectly, I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” said Seaman.
She’s had Silver Lining, a 10-year-old Westphalian (Los Angeles—Coronia), since the gelding was 4.
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“I bought him a couple weeks before I broke my leg really badly, which is why I named him Silver Lining. … I got to watch Patricia [Griffith] develop him that first whole year, because I wasn’t riding myself because the leg was shattered, and so she knows him like the back of her hand, and now that I’ve had him for years, I know him like the back of mine, so it’s been really cool just to see him win so much over these years, and he just gets better and better.
“But he’s not that different than he was as 4-year-old,” she continued. “He’s one of those unique ones. He’s kind of always been the same guy.”
Diamante, a 14-year-old Oldenburg (Diarado—Kampari W) has largely been Seaman’s derby mount, and she usually competes him in the high performance division, but because he’s getting older and had surgery to put a pin in his leg a few years back, she’s lightened his workload.
“All week he’s just been jumping amazing,” she said. “He actually beat the other one yesterday, and then to get a 90 today felt amazing. He just feels really, really good and really happy, so I think he’s adjusting to a little bit of a smaller jump better.”
Fresh Air And Plenty Of Grass
Greg Crolick’s preparation for the National with Chappy was quite simple. After showing at Capital Challenge (Maryland) and Pennsylvania National, the pair skipped Washington International (Maryland) in favor of some turnout and a couple flat schools before heading to Kentucky.
“He had a week at home, and I only brought two down for this, so I really had time to focus on Chappy,” Crolick said. “His prep yesterday as going out for a trail ride and eating grass off the field. That was his prep for the jumping: trying to make him happy and keep everything fresh for him.”
The pair have been reserve champion at the National before, but thanks to a pair of wins Tuesday and a third and a fifth-placed ribbon today, they earned their first championship here. Hunt Tosh and the Wheeler family’s Cannon Creek took reserve honors.
“I’m sure everybody here wants to win, so you know, honestly [I] just try to ride him the best I can and try to meet the jumps the way they should jump, and hopefully our program worked and the prep worked to do it also,” Crock said.
Crolick prioritizes a light schedule with the 13-year-old Mecklenburg gelding (Chacco Blue—Chakira Z) owned by Carole Chase.
“He’s a horse of a lifetime; he truly is,” Crolick said. “And every part of him is so—his character, his sharpness in his jumping, and his demeanor—everything is easier for him, so we don’t have to work hard; we don’t have to longe hard, we don’t have to much hard work besides make him become more excited for the big classes.”
Heir Apparent
When Lynn Seithel purchased Walk The Tides, the bay gelding had some big shoes to fill. He was set to replace her top horse Walk The Line, and so far, the 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Brantzau—Asquetta) is showing potential to follow in the Walk The Line’s footsteps by winning the green conformation championship with trainer Daniel Geitner. Geoffrey Hesslink and Monarchy, owned by Shadowfax Equestrian LLC, were reserve.
“We’re hoping he can do half of what that horse did,” Geitner said. “They’re both sensitive. They’re Thoroughbred types. They’re really light, and you know, you don’t train on them a lot. They live at home with Lynn, and she does everything.”
Seithel purchased “Johnny” from John French and Kent Farrington in mid-2022 and has been showing him in the 3’3″ amateur-owner hunters since then. Geitner showed him just enough in the green conformation this year to qualify for the major indoor horse shows. He then rode Johnny to reserve at Washington, and thanks to a pair of second-place finishes and a third, they won the division championship in Kentucky.
“It’s pretty neat: This is his fourth indoors, so he’s just gotten better every one, which is unusual,” Geitner said.
Schaefer Makes The Most Of Her Show
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Last December Sam Schaefer and Kate Conover got a call from Lainie De Boer asking if they’d take on her horse Remedy. De Boer, who is primarily a Quarter Horse trainer in Minnesota, had imported “Pete” as a 4-year-old and brought the now 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood (Thunder Van De Zuuthoeve—Vitesse Greenfield) along in the hunters.
“The horse is an amazing personality,” said Schaefer. “He’s so smart, and she really took the time to develop him the right way. He’s so confident and sure of himself.”
Schaefer agreed to take him on, and after a couple of shows, Pete had a few interested buyers, and Schaefer had a moment where she asked Conover, “Should we not be buying this horse to keep in the barn? He’s just such a great horse.”
One of their clients, junior rider Ella Tarumianz, tried Pete, and her family’s Deer Creek Farm LLC ultimately purchased him. Initially the team wasn’t sure how quickly Pete would be ready to step into the junior ring with Tarumianz, but it proved sooner than they expected. As a result, Schaefer doesn’t show him too frequently, but she had the opportunity at the National, and she came home with the 3’6″ green title over John French and Incognito.
“This is his first year jumping 3’6″, obviously, so he’s still green to some degree,” Schaefer said, “but what he does with her is amazing as well, so I try to really take the opportunity, when I do get the chance to show him … to make the most of it.”
It was Schaefer’s first time showing at the National since she was leading hunter rider and won grand with Trademark in 2020.
“I was a little mad at myself for Capital Challenge; I just didn’t have my best performance, and I knew the horse was very much capable, so I think I came here yesterday really determined, and I thought obviously he put in two amazing rounds, and today we had a little bit of bad luck [with a rail], but he’s just a very special horse, and I feel very lucky to be able to ride him.”
Enjoying The Ride
Since she began riding with John French, Katie Robinson has been working on getting her canter right in the ring and staying out of the way so that her horse, MTM Plus One, can do his job.
“[French is] so good at that, so I just try to copy him, although that’s pretty much impossible,” Robinson said.
Her practice paid off when she and the 11-year-old Westphalian (Captain Jack—Cantonia) won the amateur-owner, 36 and over, championship over Stephanie Danhakl and Bright Side.
“It was really great,” Robinson said. “I was so very happy with him. He’s been with John, and I just flew in, so John had him all ready for me, and so I just hopped on and had a great time.”
Robinson purchased “Jordan” from Mike McCormick three years ago, after French went on a shopping trip for several of his clients. Though green, Jordan showed potential as a great amateur horse. He lives with Robinson during the winter months in Florida and stays with French over the summer.
“He’s kind and sweet and funny, and a little bit lazy, and then a little bit of a stinker, all that the same time,” she said. “He’s just a treat. I love being able to ride him every day. I’m just so fortunate.”
The Chronicle will be on site, bringing you gorgeous photos, interviews and more, so check back during the week. Make sure to follow along at www.coth.com and on Facebook and Instagram @Chronofhorse. For full analysis and coverage from the horse show be sure to check out the Nov. 18 issue of the magazine.