Lexington, Ky. – The 2025 Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships – East concluded four days of top-notch hunter competition on Sunday, June 22, with the final four national champions crowned. Additionally, the overall National Grand Champions for the 3’3” and 3’6” heights were recognized for earning the best scores across all sections.
3’6” Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under National Champion: Paisley Park and Faith Schuttemeyer
Paisley Park earned a decisive victory in the 3’6” large section adding a win in Sunday’s handy round to his blue ribbon from Saturday’s classic. The 2012 Dutch Warmblood gelding is owned by Andesite Equestrian and shown by Faith Schuttemeyer (Boynton Beach, Fla.)
“I just started riding him. I showed him at Old Salem Farm a few weeks ago,” said Schuttemeyer. “He’s Lily Sonneborn’s horse, and she let me ride him for Junior Hunter Finals. He’s really straightforward to ride. He’s so much fun and jumps so nice.”
Paisley Park is not a fan of other horses in his space, Schuttemeyer said, and so he requires some strategic riding in the under saddle to make sure he stays focused and perform his best. But the jumping phases are where he shines.
“[The handy course] had lots of different options, so you could kind of customize it to your horse,” said Schuttemeyer. “I thought it worked out well for him.”
Second place in the handy hunter phase went to Atlas, a 2015 KWPN gelding owned by Stephanie Ring and ridden by Ava Barnes (Liberty Township, Ohio). Third place was Gloèj, a 2015 KWPN gelding owned by Eleanor Rooney, leased by Valley Heart Ranch, LLC, and shown by Remy Becker (Wellington, Fla.)
The winner of the under saddle, Becoming, a 2012 Westphalian mare owned and shown by Wyatt Rofey (Brooklyn, N.Y.), earned the reserve national champion title in the division after three good phases. RSH Kallahan Z, a 2016 Zangersheide gelding owned and shown by Ellie Goodfriend (Wimberley, Texas) finished in third place overall.
3’6 Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under National Champion: High Society and Adelle Alletto
After winning the handy round, High Society, a 2009 Oldenburg gelding owned and shown by Adelle Alletto (Ocala, Fla.), secured the national champion title for the 3’6” small section. Alletto has had “Blue” for about two and a half years and has been working toward this success at the 3’6” height since the partnership began.
“He’s a little bit of a veteran. He’s been doing this a long time,” Alletto said. “I got him when I started doing 3’ in hopes of kind of bringing him back up to this level and growing again with him. He’s such a great teacher and such a kind horse. He’s so knowledgeable. He’s so smart, and I’ve had some rough patches, and he’s definitely helped me.”
Blue and Alletto taught a master class in their handy round, where their training shone through.
“The courses were definitely technical, and I feel like I just needed to trust my horse and trust the step he has,” said Alletto. “He really rises to the occasion when it comes to these big shows, so I just needed to be there with him and follow his lead. He showed me how to win today and how to get around these courses and excel.”
Mr. Perfectly Fine, a 2018 Westphalian gelding owned by Kyle Dewar and shown by Adele Dewar (Ocala, Fla.), earned second place in the handy while Disney, a 2017 Warmblood gelding owned by Alice Goodwin and shown by Baylee Rowan (Little Compton, R.I.) finished third.
Disney and Rowan finished as reserve national champions for the division. Rounding out the top three was Bond, a 2012 Warmblood gelding owned and ridden by Elizabeth Rinehart (Carmel, Ind.)
As the highest-scoring entry in all 3’6” sections, Verified and Parker Peacock, champions from the 3’6” Large Junior Hunter 16-17 were named Overall Grand Champions and presented with the Monarch International Perpetual Trophy. As the top-scoring mare, Becoming with Wyatt Rofey was recognized with the War Dress Memorial Trophy.
3’3” Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under National Champion: Charolette and Victoria Valiquette
The under-saddle portion of the $3,000 Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under division started the day, with 70 athlete and horse combinations making their way through the ring. Filou’s Lady, a 2012 Oldenburg mare owned by Rafferty Farm LLC, earned the win with rider Lauren Blu Zarnegin (Aspen, Colo.) on a score of 269.17. They were followed by second place finisher First And Goal, a 2014 Warmblood gelding owned and shown by Riley Dardis (Baltimore, Md.), with a score of 264.76. Me Too, a 2012 Hanoverian mare owned and shown by Lane Costa (Leesburg, Va.), placed third with a score of 263.92.
For earning the highest under-saddle score across all 3'3” sections, Filou’s Lady and Zarnegin received the Hannah Serfass Memorial Perpetual Trophy.
Alajolie, a 2014 Westphalian mare owned by Ansolabehere Equestrian LLC and ridden by Ella Ansolabehere (Dallas, Texas), secured her win in the handy with on a score of 261.84. That put them in the overall reserve national champion position for the section. Second place in the handy was Charolette, a 2015 Holsteiner mare owned by Lillian Valiquette and shown by Victoria Valiquette (New Canaan, Conn.), with a close 260.99, which was good enough to earn them the overall national champion title. Samantha Smith (Montvale, N.J.) and Cordoba 73, a 2014 Holsteiner mare owned by Dina Opici, placed third in the handy with a 256.29.
"My support team means everything to me,” said Valiquette. “Charolette is the most unimaginable horse, and we would not be here today if it wasn’t for the help and love of my parents, trainers, and grooms. It takes a village.”
3’3” Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under National Champion: Cassidy and Lily Herzog
The small under saddle followed immediately upon the conclusion of the large, with 58 combinations competing in the Rolex Stadium. Grace Littreal (Williamsburg, Va.) and Epic’s La Mia, her own 2017 Oldenburg mare, clinched the win on a score of 261.95, closely trailed by Charlotte Weber (Houston, Texas) and MTM Casallita, her own 2017 Holsteiner mare, on a score of 260.55. Caroline Freeman (Wellington, Fla.) and Emerald Isle, her own 2013 Irish sport horse mare, concluded the top three with a 260.35.
The combinations headed back into the Walnut Ring to end the day with the handy rounds. Cassidy, a 2018 mare owned by Wood View LLC and ridden by Lilly Herzog (Pepper Pike, Ohio), came on top with a score of 269.02, which secured their overall national championship win. Second place in the handy was Valor, a 2016 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by CBB Sports LLC and shown by Clara Burnham (Boulder, Colo.), with a 267.72. Chazeaux, a 2008 Warmblood gelding owned by Claire Parkinson and ridden by Serenity Wolk (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) finished the handy round in third place on a score of 266.02
"Winning this is a big milestone in both mine and Cassidy’s careers,” said Herzog. “She was just so perfect. We went into the ring hoping for consistency, and she totally delivered. It is super exciting.”
Sweet Caroline, a 2011 Warmblood mare owned by Kimberly McCaslin and shown by Ashley McCaslin (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), won the reserve national champion title. Chazeaux and Wolk finished in the third position overall.
MTM Enchanted and rider Madison Ramsey, winners of the 3’3” Large Junior Hunter 16-17 section were honored with the Montserrat Perpetual Trophy for earning the top overall score across all 3’3” sections.
Schedule and Results | See All JHNC Coverage
How to Watch
The 2025 Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East was streamed live on USEF Network. US Equestrian subscribers and members can access the replay on demand. Learn more here.
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