Lexingon, Ky. – The first national champions emerged on the second day of competition at the 2025 Adequan^®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East. All four of the sections for the 16-17 age group tackled a challenging test on Skip Bailey’s handy course in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Walnut Ring on Friday leading into the overall awards presentations. 

3’6” Large Junior Hunter 16-17 National Champion: Verified and Parker Peacock

Overnight leaders Verified and Parker Peacock (Pfafftown, N.C.) reaffirmed their dominance in the older section for the 3’6” larges, turning in the top handy round of the day and securing the national championship. Verified is a 2013 Westphalian (Verdi x Quick Lady) gelding owned by Emma Vandenhouten and trained by Kelly Farmer.  

“My first show with him was about a month ago. This is my second show ever on him,” said Peacock. “I was lucky enough to get the ride from Kelly Farmer and his owner, Emma Vandenhouten, and ever since then, I’ve absolutely adored him. He’s been incredible for me, and I’m so lucky.”

Peacock, who trains with Ken and Emily Smith at Ashland Farms, had high praise for Verified.

“He’s easy. He’s so smart. He knows everything I’m thinking and he always tries 100%,” she said. “He’s really sweet. He’s a trier. He always wants to go out there and give his best, and I really appreciate that.”

Course designer Skip Bailey created a handy course that offered several options for riders to be strategic and choose how best to show off their horses’ abilities.

“I thought it rode very nice,” Peacock said. “A lot of questions were asked. You could do three different numbers [of strides] in each of the lines, and it worked out for me that all my lines matched. I think that’s what the judges were looking for.”

With three consistently good phases, Davinci, a 2014 Holsteiner gelding owned by Laura-Lee Purnell and ridden by Sophia Tabasso (Newton Square, Pa.) secured the reserve national champion title. Amour, a 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding owned and shown by Iris Perlioni (Lake Bluff, Ill.) rounded out the top three.

3’6” Small Junior Hunter 16-17 National Champions: Babylon and Paige Walkenbach

Last year’s national champions, Babylon, a 2015 Oldenburg (Crumbie x Die Cera) gelding owned by Marnell Sport Horses, leased by Walkenbach Equestrian LLC, and ridden by Paige Walkenbach (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) successfully defended their title in the small 16-17 section. After their win in the classic on Thursday, they came back to place second in the handy and held on to the overall lead. Walkenbach has had a successful partnership with Babylon since she started showing him in early 2024, and they continue to live up to the standard they’ve set for themselves.

“I think there’s always pressure with Babylon, but this week, I was feeling it a little bit more considering how well I’ve done in past years at Junior Hunter Finals. So I was a little bit nervous,” said Walkenbach. “With this class, you have to be consistent in all rounds, but he was super good. I was really proud of him in the handy. It was definitely a hard course, but I think Skip does a really good job with all the courses. They’re challenging and super fun.”

Walkenbach said that trainer John French has her work on flatwork when she schools Babylon ahead of competition.

“I’ll work on flatting, and he doesn’t love that, but it’s really important for him,” she said. “We do a lot of pole work and a lot of equitation work, honestly. Like we’ll do some bounces on a curve. It’s always fun; John thinks of really cool things to do.”

Following her win in the large section, Parker Peacock came back to win the handy and overall reserve champion title in the smalls with Meaningful, a 2013 Oldenburg gelding owned by Emma Vandenhouten. Day Won, a 2017 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Balmoral and shown by Katharine Reuter (Mill Valley, Calif.) finished in third place in the overall standings.

3’3 Large Junior Hunter 16-17 National Champion: MTM Enchanted and Madison Ramsey

The 3’3 Large Junior Hunter 16-17 under saddle section of JHNC-East kicked off the second day of competition in the Rolex Stadium bright and early Friday morning. Payton Flanders (Lothian, Md.) and Ciao, a 2016 Warmblood Gelding owned by PEC LLC, came out top of the class with a score of 268.75. Caroline Oliver (Houston, Texas) and Penelope OPL, her own 2012 Oldenburg mare, came in close second with a score of 266.45. Que Sera, a 2016 Belgian warmblood owned by River Run Farm, LLC, came in third on a score of 264.45 with athlete, Morgan Powell (Norwalk, Conn.).

In the Walnut ring, Madison Ramsey (Palm Harbor, Fla.) celebrated her championship title and win in the handy with 2016 warmblood mare, MTM Enchanted, owned by Kevin Eufemia. “She’s like an old pair of jeans,” said Ramsey about their multi-year partnership. “I love that I can go out there knowing who she is and can relax and just have a good time. This is just as much a win for her and the team as it is for me, so many people love her and want her to succeed.”

Morgan McCarthy (Grafton, Mass.) and MTM All In, a 2016 Westphalian gelding owned by Samantha McCarthy, placed second with 265.4, earning her the reserve championship title with a 265.58. Clayton Farrell (Venice, Fla.) and Sugar Sugar, a 2013 Canadian Sport Horse/Holsteiner gelding owned by Lisa Rose, sweetened the day with a third-place score of 264.1.

3’3 Small Junior Hunter 16-17 National Champion: All Too Well and Mary Kate George

The Small Junior Hunter Under Saddle followed the large in the stadium, with Taylor Matalon (Roswell, Ga.) and Remember Romance, a 2015 Oldenburg gelding owned by Matalon Equestrian LLC, taking the lead with a score of 264.81. The duo was followed by Lyndsey Keen (Ocala, Fla.) and Prado, a 2014 Hanoverian gelding owned by Stephanie Keen, on a score of 263.75. Finishing third by just 0.2 points, Lydia Callard (Marietta, Ga.) and Souvenir, her own 2017 warmblood gelding, put in a strong performance.

In the Handy, Anna Klee (Beverly, Mass.) and Lucky Luuk, her own 2016 Dutch warmblood, secured a win, contributing to their reserve championship title. Mary Kate George (Hickory, N.C.) and All Too Well, her own 2016 Dutch Warmblood gelding, earned a second-place finish, leading to their claiming of the championship title in the Small Junior Huner 3’3” 16-17 division with a score of 258.12. 

“I am the first junior that has competed with him,” said George. “It’s really special to share this moment with him and see how far we both have come.”

Luke Rinehart (Carmel, Ind.) and MTM Swerte, a 2015 warmblood gelding owned by Priya Alvarez, placed third with a score of 257.05. 

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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