Lexington, Ky. – Day one of the Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East (JHNC) kicked off on Thursday, June 19, with the 16-17 age groups completing their first phases. The Skip Bailey-designed jump courses are set in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Walnut Ring while the under saddle classes run in the iconic Rolex Stadium. Exhibitors enjoyed an afternoon ice cream hour on Thursday thanks to generous support from Markel.
3’6” Large Junior Hunter 16-17
A deep class for the older larges in the 3’6” height set the stage as the first section to complete their classic rounds and under saddle phases. San Pedro 15, a 2014 Hanoverian gelding owned by Walkenbach Equestrian LLC with rider Paige Walkenbach (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) impressed the judges on the flat, taking the top score for their performance in the under saddle. Verified, a 2013 Westphalian gelding owned by Emma Vandenhouten and ridden by Parker Peacock (Pfafftown, N.C.) finished in second place, with MTM Pocket Listing, a 2015 Westphalian gelding owned by Megan Odozynski and ridden by Rose Donato (Rumson, N.J.) less than a point behind in third.
Verified and Peacock had the winning classic round, putting them into the top position overall heading into tomorrow’s handy rounds. Spoken, a 2015 Brandenburg gelding owned by Andesite Equestrian, with rider Lily Sonneborn (Washington, D.C.) clinched second place in the classic and sit in second place in the standings. Amour, a 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding owned and shown by Iris Perlioni (Lake Bluff, Ill.), finished third in the classic and stand in third place overall.
The 3’6” Large Junior Hunter 16-17 National Championship gets back underway on Friday, June 20, at 7:30 a.m. ET with the handy hunter rounds.
3’6 Small Junior Hunter 16-17
Cesandro, a 2012 Holsteiner gelding owned by BH Sporthorses, LLC, and ridden by Julia Babington (Oak Hill, Va.), had a decisive win in the under saddle for the older group of small 3’6” hunters. Day Won, a 2017 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Balmoral and shown by Katharine Reuter (Mill Valley, Calif.) earned the second-place score while Corneil, a 2014 Hanoverian gelding owned by David Raposa Sales LLC and ridden by Phoebe Scott finished in third.
The veteran team of Babylon, a 2015 Oldenburg gelding owned by Marnell Sport Horses, leased by Walkenbach Equestrian LLC, and ridden by Paige Walkenbach, turned in an impressive classic round to secure the blue ribbon for the first jumping phase. Meaningful, a 2013 Oldenburg gelding owned by Emma Vandenhouten and shown by Parker Peacock, placed second. Incognito, a 2013 Anglo European Sporthorse owned and ridden by Ellie Sadrian (Palm Beach, Fla.) earned third place.
The 3’6” Small Junior Hunter 16-17 division will conclude Friday with the handy hunter rounds scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. ET.
3’3” Large Junior Hunter 16-17
The biggest class of this year’s JHNC – East saw 94 entries come through the ingate on Thursday to complete their classic rounds. MTM Enchanted, a 2016 Warmblood mare owned by Kevin Eufemia and shown by Madison Ramsey (Palm Harbor, Fla.) earned the impressive win in the first phase of the championship. Rex Regnat Van’t Huka, a 2017 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by New England Equestrian LLC, leased by Matalon Equestrian LLC, and shown by Taylor Matalon (Roswell, Ga.) earned second place, while Ciao, a 2016 Warmblood gelding owned by PEC LLC and ridden by Payton Flanders (Lothian, Md.) rounded out the top three.
The 3’3” Large Junior Hunter 16-17 section continues on Friday with the under saddle beginning at 8:00 a.m. ET, and the handy rounds set to begin at 12:10 p.m.
3’3” Small Junior Hunter 16-17
A quality class of 57 small hunters for the 16-17 age group closed out the first day of competition with their classic rounds. All I Want, a 2017 Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Counting Strides, LLC, and ridden by Jillian Fratkin (Richmond, Va.) came out at the top of the phase with their excellent round. Chaperone, a 2017 Warmblood gelding owned by Jenna George and ridden by Makayla Frederick (Jupiter, Fla.) finished with the second-place score. Nieto, a 2018 KWPN gelding owned by Laurie Jueneman and Stephanie Lightner and shown by Avery Faye Smith (Molalla, Ore.) took third.
Competition in the 3’3” Small Junior Hunter 16-17 concludes Friday with the under saddle phase beginning at 11:00 a.m. and the handy rounds set for 4:50 p.m.
Schedule and Results | See All JHNC Coverage
How to Watch
The 2025 Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East is streaming live on USEF Network. US Equestrian fans, subscribers, and members can access the live stream, and subscribers and members will be able to watch replays on demand. Learn more here.
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