LEXINGTON, KY.--Scott Stewart of Flemngton, N.J., on Cadet won the final championship round of the 3’/3’3″ USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship on Friday,Aug. 15.
Scott Steward on CadetThe top 30 horses from the first two rounds of competition returned for the final round, where they started with a clean slate.
Stewart scored 88, 88, 90 for a total of 268, and just one point behind him was Holly Shepherd on El Porvenir Zara to place second, while the winner from the first round, Samantha Schaefer on Game On, was third.
“This is our fourth horse show that we have had,” Stewart said. “He is just perfect to ride and he is as easy as it looks. A good friend of mine called me and told me about a horse in Munich while he was over there on vacation and took an extra day to try him, and I am glad that he did.”
The 3’/3’3″ Green Hunter Incentive Championship had 165 competing for $193,844 in the Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Wednesday’s competition began with a record-breaking 169 entries in the First Round over Ken Krome’s and Meghan Rawlins’ course.
STEWART scored 278, placing him eighth in the First Round., and he opted to use the bye system, securing his spot directly in Friday’s Final Round.
Schaefer won the First Round and also chose to advance via the bye, and Shepherd earned her place in the Final with a strong second-place finish in Thursday’s Second Round.
“Fortunately, he did well enough the first day that he did not have to show yesterday,” Stewart said. “I like that change in the format. He was a little bit more interested in going early today and just very consistent.”
A longtime competitor in the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Program, Stewart has now claimed the Championship title a record seven times, more than any other rider in the program’s history.
His victories include six titles in the 3’/3’3” section and one in the 3’6”/3’9” section.
Shepherd was the first person to show El Porvenir Zara in the hunters and has been thrilled with the talented mare’s performance.
“She did her first show this winter in March, and she really didn’t know how to canter, so she’s come a very long way,” said Shepherd. “I don’t have the pleasure of riding that horse every day, but other people have been filling in the gaps and doing a great job, so I am super excited to be here.”
“We acquired Game On at the end of last year from Jonathan Cohen and Alex Jayne,” Schaefer said. “He’s come so far this year. In April, I didn’t expect to even be entering the championships and then he won the opening day! I was able to get him the day off yesterday, and I thought he was excellent again today.”
