It was a Schaefer kind of day today in Harrisburg, Pa., at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Two young riders—Schaefer Raposa and Samantha Schaefer—dominated the pony hunter divisions. Raposa rode Super Trooper to the grand pony and small pony championships, and Triple Threat to the medium pony reserve title. Schaefer claimed the medium and large pony tricolors, with Rockport and Winston, respectively. Schaefer also picked up the Best Child Rider on a Pony title, with Raposa in second in that judging.
Raposa rode Super Trooper, a flashy chestnut gelding, to two blues and a fourth over fences and a second in the under saddle on the way to their tricolors. “He’s just so much fun to ride,” Raposa said. “The best part about him is that he tries so hard. He never lets you down. The first class, he was a little nervous, but by the second class, he chilled out and was so good.”
Raposa, 12, took over the ride on Super Trooper in May of 2005 for owner Robin Greenwood of Grand Central Show Stables. The pair won the small pony title at the Wild Horsefeathers/USEF Pony Hunter Finals (Ky.) in August. The Raposa family is based out of Grand Central, in North Salem, N.Y., for the summers. Greenwood bought Super Trooper two years ago, from Allyson Coluccio, who had imported him from England.
“For me, he’s as good as they get,” Greenwood said. “He’s really easy to ride—he didn’t lunge here once. It’s really exciting to own one like that.” Super Trooper (Lechlade Quince—Culross First Love), is an 8-year-old Welsh pony. Greenwood took time out after the awards ceremony to call Super Trooper’s breeder, Dorothy Cope, in England, to report on his success. And she recently bought Super Trooper’s 2-year-old full sister.
Funnily enough, Samantha Schaefer was Super Trooper’s first rider last year, but she quickly outgrew him. Fortunately, she’s still a good fit on the medium and large ponies, as she showed in Harrisburg. Not only did she take home the two tricolors, but she also placed first and second in the pony hunters winners stake with Winston and Rockport, respectively.
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When Schaefer first met Rockport, 8, she wasn’t sure he’d eventually end up such a winner. Imported from Europe, in June of last year, he was a little bit of a project. “When he first arrived, he was a little bit difficult, especially on the ground. He was good to ride, but he was very afraid of people,” she said. “He was very green, he’s grown up a lot.”
Schaefer, 13, rode Rockport to the win in the USEF Pony Medal Finals at Pony Finals in August. “This is actually his green year, but he goes really slow and he’s just easy. He just walked into the ring and went around. I really trusted him.”
Winston won the under saddle and one of the over fences classes on his way to the large pony tricolor. “He’s a really good jumper. He’s got a really big stride, and you can get him anywhere and he still jumps great,” Schaefer said. She bought Winston, 7, in January. A green pony last year, he’d been owned by Rachel Koggan and shown under the name Bon Shonce. But when Schaefer bought him, she saw the name Winston on his passport and renamed him. Winston was imported from Europe.
Check back in later tonight for coverage of the individual junior jumper championships, and tomorrow for ongoing coverage of the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals.
