Washington D.C.—Oct. 21 

Katy Hamilton found the perfect way to finish up her children’s jumper career with Sacha 12: winning the $10,000 Washington International Horse Show Children’s Jumper Championship.

“It was all really unreal, seeing the horses in the streets, schooling and everything,” said Hamilton. “I’ve been shaking the last couple days; I’ve been so scared. I’m confident in her, and I know she’s fast, but I’m against the fastest in the country.”

Twelve horses advanced to the jump-off after taking a turn over Anthony D’Ambrosio’s course. Mary Elizabeth Cordia and Zodiac set the pace over the short course, but Hamilton and Sacha 12 shaved half a second off their time to push Cordia into second. Grace Boston and Whisky Rox rounded out the top three.

“It’s been a crazy ride getting here,” said Hamilton. “Every time I pick the wrong distance she just takes over and definitely picks up the pace when I need it in the jump off.”

While Hamilton has been competing in the hunters for several years, she wanted to give the jumper divisions a try, and Sacha, owned by her trainer Amelia McArdle, stood out to her as a good prospect.

“I’ve always kind of wanted to do jumpers,” she said. “My trainer agreed, so I threw it out there, ‘What about Sacha?’ ‘No I don’t think so,’ they said. But I guess nagging works!”

Her lease on Sacha ends today, and Hamilton hopes to step up to the low junior jumpers next year. 

Treacy Takes A Risk To Win

With 17 pairs jumping off in tonight’s $10,000 Washington International Horse Show Adult Amateur Jumper Championship, there was plenty of competition for a serious check.

The riders in the jump-off came to win and didn’t hold anything back. Lindsey Tomeu parted ways with her horse Bonapart while trying to come out on top, although both walked away unharmed. Dean Dignelli lost his stirrups on course while trying to execute a complex inside turn, but managed to keep his balance and come in second. 

In the end, it was Tegan Elizabeth Treacy and her mount Catalyst who topped the leaderboard, followed by Dignelli and Redefin, with Sydney Crenshaw and Camera Ready rounding out the top three.

“This is my first time showing at Washington, so that was a lot of fun,” said Treacy. “I knew there were some tough times out there to beat, so I did want to put down the best round and I knew the inside would definitely help me.”

This fall, Treacy started school at Duke University (N.C.), so she has only been able to ride Catalyst a handful of times to prepare for indoors. Treacy’s round was definitely risky, and she almost had a fall herself when she made a sharp turn to the last oxer. But Treacy’s partnership with her mare helped boost her confidence in the jump-off.  

“I definitely trust [Catalyst] a lot,” said Treacy. “I made several mistakes in the jump off, but having such a loyal mare by my side definitely makes me comfortable and be able to kind of let go and let her take care of me.”

While she is excited for her win, Treacy doesn’t get much time to celebrate, as she is flying back to Duke first thing tomorrow morning.

To read in-depth coverage of the Washington International Horse Show, pick up the November 9th issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine. 

You can find full results here. Want more Washington? Catch up with the top hunter champions from the week.