Upperville, Va.—June 4

The 172^nd edition of the Upperville Colt & Horse Show is under way this week in the picturesque Virginia countryside. Scott Stewart and Fidelio, an 8-year-old Holsteiner (Diamant De Semilly—Alcantara L) owned by Betsee Parker, were the big winners Wednesday, taking the grand green hunter and grand champion hunter honors and helping to boost Stewart to Leading Hunter Rider honors.

At the oldest horse show in the United States, established in 1853, the Chronicle was on hand to give a nod to the history of the sport. We asked top hunter riders which horse, past or present, they’d most like to take a spin on in the tree-lined Parker Ring, and about their favorite memories of the iconic show.

Brooke Kemper

Brooke Kemper, Keswick, Virginia, said her dream ride at Upperville would be Elizabeth Solter’s famous gray mare Rox Dene.

“She’s such a beautiful mare and went so well with Elizabeth, although I don’t know if I could do her the justice that Elizabeth did,” Kemper said. “There was something iconic about seeing Rox Dene jumping under the oaks here.”

Kemper has been coming to Upperville for many years and has appreciated watching the show evolve. 

“Over the years here at Upperville, I’ve watched it go from grass rings to the sand rings,” she said. “I can remember the years that it rained, and we had to do twice around the outside, once off the left and once off the right, for the hunter trips. I can remember that every tractor trailer and horse trailer was stuck and had to get pulled out. Maybe it wasn’t so fun in the moment, but looking back on the memories, that was an experience. It’s been really cool to watch this horse show grow and evolve and see all the changes and upgrades. The character of the show is a really special thing.”

Amanda Steege

Amanda Steege said she would love to take the Becky Gochman and Scott Stewart’s former partner—and Breyer model—Catch Me for a spin at Upperville. 

“I always loved that horse,” she said. “I think he has all the qualities that we look for in hunters—beauty, movement, jumping style—but also just the heart and braveness. I saw him have many amazing rounds here, and he always looked like he really loved it here.”

Believe it or not, Steege, of Califon, New Jersey, has only been coming to Upperville for the past eight years.

“My first year was Lafitte [De Muze’s] first-year year,” she said. “I have good memories. My best memory was last year’s [$25,000 USHJA] International Hunter Derby, which was the first year that they did the hunter derby in the Parker Ring. It was in memory of my good friend Bill Ellis. I was lucky enough to win, but even without winning, that class was so fun because there were so many spectators, and it felt so intimate. There were spectators four or five people deep all the way around on the rail.”

Scott Stewart

Scott Stewart jumped back to the 1970s for his choice of mount to ride under the oaks.

“Gozzi, who was ridden by Bucky Reynolds and Kenny Wheeler. He was famous,” he said. “He was a beautiful Thoroughbred-type that went around so nice. I’ve seen some videos of him, and he was a beautiful horse.”

Stewart, Flemington, New Jersey, has been coming to Upperville since the 1990s and loves the history and beauty of the show.

“I enjoy coming here. I have a lot of really great memories of horses that go well here,” he said. “I’ve had some of best rounds in this ring, especially when it was on the grass. But every year is a good memory!”

Kate Conover

Kate Conover also picked the iconic Rox Dene as her dream horse to ride around Upperville.

“My idol growing up was always Elizabeth Solter, and there’s actually a tree planted here for her. I always think of her here,” she said with a smile. “She was one of my biggest supporters, and I was her biggest fan as a kid, so Rox Dene. 

“I grew up with her posters on my wall,” she added. “Every jump was such a perfect technique. Every horse I want as a top hunter, I want my pictures to look like that. That’s my goal.”

Conover is based in Westminster, Maryland, but grew up in Pennsylvania and never showed at Upperville as a child.

“The first time I showed here was for Shadow Ridge,” she said. “I’ve worked there for 15 years, so probably somewhere around then. I realized that local hunters are very important here! It’s a very competitive Monday here at the show.”

Samantha Schaefer

Samantha Schaefer works alongside Kate Conover at Shadow Ridge in Maryland. She’d choose her former partner, Trademark, to ride in the big ring.

“He was one of my all-time favorite horses that I had, and I never got to show him in the main ring here because his 3’6” green year was 2020, and with COVID we didn’t have an Upperville!” she said.

She’s been coming to Upperville since she rode in the leadline class as a toddler. 

“This is probably one of the oldest horse shows for me that I have memories of—always on grass, showing ponies,” she said. “I remember years of showing in the schooling area when it rained, and we couldn’t show on the grass. It’s a staple on our calendar. The history is second to none. A couple years back I won the [international hunter derby] on In The Know. I did this kind of crazy turn, which he’s a little bit known for. That’s definitely [a favorite memory].”

Tara Metzner

Tara Metzner is based in Rancho Sante Fe, California, and this was her first year stepping foot on the historic Upperville show grounds.

Her dream was to ride Saint, the horse she’s been competing this week, in the big ring, and now that she’s done that, she said her former partner Come Monday would have been fun to compete here.

“We had a very famous horse for a while called Come Monday,” she said. “I would have loved to ride her here. She was big and scopey and brave. The ring with the up and down—you want one that’s surefooted and confident.”

Metzner describes herself as a horse and history junkie and has been enjoying her time at Upperville.

“That’s been the best part—knowing the history of the horse show and all the great riders and horses who have done it before me here,” she said. “It’s a cool feeling. It also has a real sense of what horse shows used to feel like. Today we have these giant blocks of horse shows [for many weeks and months], and this is still such a special standalone horse show, and we have so few of these left anymore. It feels special and different compared to the rest of our season.”

Scroll on for more images from Wednesday’s action at Upperville.