Lexington, Ky.—Nov. 4

Most horses in the junior hunter ring have spent years competing in the professional hunter classes before stepping out with a young rider, but not Emperador. The 7-year-old gelding’s 13-year-old rider Mackenzie Altheimer has been riding the horse since he was 5 years old, and on Thursday afternoon the young teen piloted him to a championship finish in the low junior hunter division at the CP National Horse Show.  

“It’s really cool, because I worked with him from when he was green to now, and we went through ups and downs together,” Altheimer said. “It’s just really cool.”

Mackenzie Altheimer and Emperador. Photo by Ann Glavan

Altheimer hails from Defiance, Mo., training with Sarah Mechlin in Wright City, Mo. Emperador, better known as “Benji”, was Altheimer’s first horse. “My trainer went to a horse show and saw him, and she called my dad and said you have to buy this horse,” Altheimer said.

Altheimer also has an equitation horse, a 6-year-old who was also 5 when purchased by her family’s ABA Hunter Ponies.

“My dad likes to buy them green and then work with them, and Benji was supposed to be a sale horse but he’s just going to stay with us,” Altheimer said with a smile.

Altheimer pulled two blues and one red ribbon over fences before winning the hack to secure her championship title.

“He’s really straightforward, you just need to get a gallop and turn and all the jumps come up,” Altheimer said. “And the handy was really good for me because I can show off the turns. He can turn really well it worked really well for us.”

Altheimer has already started competing in the 3’6″ junior hunter divisions with Benji, but decided to compete in the 3’3″ division this year to gain some confidence. Now that she’s secured the tricolor at the National Horse Show, Altheimer needs to sit down and set some new goals!  

“I don’t really like the jumpers that much, I like going slow, but I really want to go to Devon on him, and I really want to do indoors again next year and do well, but I don’t know yet, because I haven’t really thought about it yet,” Altheimer said.  “This was my last goal, coming to the National and doing well, and I have a little sheet in my trunk and I crossed it off, so I need to make new goals now!”

Want to know what happens when at the National Horse Show, and how you can watch from home? Click here! See full results and check back with the Chronicle later in the week for more from the National Horse Show, and don’t forget to check out the Nov. 24 issue of the magazine for more in-depth coverage.