Tricia Booker

The odds were stacked against Clara Lindner. No amateur rider had ever won the $48,500 AHJF Hunter Classic Spectacular in its eight-year history.

To add to the pressure on Lindner's shoulders, she'd won the classic six years earlier on High Hearts, at the tender age of 12. And for the past three years her mount, Strapless, had won the classic with professional rider Emily Williams.  Could she put it all together again, now that she understood how prestigious the class was?

In 2001, Megan Udelson faced a hard decision. Should she continue on with her family's Blue Magic Inc., a company that specialized in cleaning products, or pursue her dream of becoming a professional rider and trainer?

At 25, she was a young, ambitious jumper rider. She'd graduated from Skidmore College (N.Y.), ridden on one of their IHSA National Cham-
pionship teams and was looking toward a future of success in the amateur-owner ranks.

After two consecutive blue ribbons and numerous other placings in the country's richest hunter event, the $100,000 Queen City Classic, Hunt Tosh has banked an impressive chunk of change from his travels to the Cabarrus Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

In fact, he's now up to more than $82,000. "Yeah, that's a lot of money," said Tosh, laughing. "I wish I owned these horses!"

Tosh took the top two spots last year aboard the regular working hunters Storm Of Angels and Take Away, but this year he captured the class on April 9 aboard Southern Style, a first year green mount.

USEF Green Pony Hunter Finals

With Tricia Booker on location

It's An Absolut Snap For Campbell

Kaitlin Campbell and Absolut Snap were absolutely brilliant during the first day of the 37th annual Wild Horsefeathers/USEF Pony Hunter Finals on Wednesday August 4th.

Campbell, 12, of Doylestown, Pa., rode Karen Lutz's chestnut gelding to victories under saddle and over fences to take the medium green pony title and grand green championship with 1022.5 points.

USEF Pony Hunter Championships

With Tricia Booker on location

Samantha Schaefer and Sham's Loganberry dazzled the judges in the medium pony over fences phase today, scoring a 90, 87.5 and 95 from judges Scott Fitton, Kim Dorfman and Joe Darby to vault to the top of the overall standings and earn the grand pony championship with 1,056.5 points.

USEF Pony Medal Finals

With Tricia Booker on location

A few weeks ago I received an entertaining e-mail titled “My First Year Anniversary Keeping Horses At Home,” which was a forwarded message written by an unknown author who compiled a list of the 70 most important things she learned in that 12-month period.

I don’t often send forwarded e-mails, but I thought that this list just might hit home with a close friend. It did.   

I must admit that I’m one of a fortunate few whose commute to work each morning is devoid of traffic and full of beauty. I travel 18 miles from my home in Clarke County, Virginia, to Middleburg in western Loudoun County, the home of the Chronicle.

Unless I have the unfortunate timing to come upon a tractor moving a round bale or a wayward tourist enjoying the views of Ashby Gap on a sunny weekday morning, I generally cruise to work each day with nary a tap on the brake pedal.
   

Professional rider and trainer Shelley Campf and her husband Jeff operate Oz Inc., in Canby, Oregon. Shelley, a native of Calgary, loves living in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two children, Chad, 10 and Blake, 4. Shelley’s known as a dedicated volunteer and currently sits on the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Board of Directors, is chairman of the USHJA Trainer Certification Committee, is a sub-chairman of the USHJA Hunter Restructure Committee, and is an avid advocate for Zone 9 and similar regions.

Name: Shelley Campf

Looking back at our equestrian world in 2008, I realize there were some incredibly high highs and some downright subterranean lows.
   
Despite dire predictions, the summer Olympic Games in Hong Kong were a success. The forecasted heat and humidity and threat of typhoons didn’t adversely affect humans and horses, and the fear of equestrian sport’s isolation in Hong Kong didn’t leave us feeling as complete outcasts in the mainstream media Olympic coverage.