Sarah Ward laughed when she remembered the first time she tried Onassis. “He’s really springy. When I picked up the trot, I almost fell off!” she said. She’s come a long way since then, riding the flashy bay to the grand junior and large junior, 16-17 hunter championships at the Pennsylvania National on Oct. 9-10 in Harrisburg, Pa.
Ward and Onassis won both over-fences classes on the first day of competition and then placed second in the under-saddle. They’d be champion no matter what happened in the stake class the second day, but they joined forces for fifth place in that class. “I was super nervous, but I knew he’d take care of me,” Ward said. “He really loves the hand-gallops and showing off. He just went and did his thing—I mostly just have to keep up with him!”
Ward, 17, has taken this year off from school and will start college at Oxford College of Emory University (Ga.) next fall. She’s spent the summer and fall concentrating on riding, training with the Towell family. “It’s been lots of practice and riding without stirrups,” she said.
Onassis, 12, has been with Ward for three years. She moved up from the children’s hunters to the junior division on him. “He’s really taught me how to ride at 3’6”. I had some trouble making the transition from three-foot to 3’6”, especially because he’s so springy and jumps so hard,” she said. “But he taught me how to keep my calm and stay with him. All you have to do is point him at the jumps.”
Alise Oken, who won the large junior, 16-17 stake class, was reserve champion.
There wasn’t room for anyone but Samantha Schaefer in the large junior, 15 & under awards ceremony. She took the championship on Jackson and the reserve aboard Perfectionist. “My horses were so perfect here; they came in and wanted to win,” Schaefer said.
Jackson, 7, is a bit special for Schaefer. He belongs to her mother, Stacy. “He’s spoiled—he’s my baby. Because he’s mine, I can take chances on him. If I make a mistake, it’s no big deal,” she said. Schaefer went all out in the handy class and shaved all the turns on Jackson and won the class. Winning the stake class clinched the tricolor. Perfectionist was third in all three over-fences classes for the reserve.
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Just getting to ride the legendary Lyle is a joy for Catie Hope—winning the small junior, 16-17 tricolor on him was the icing on the cake. “He’s really special because he’s got such a resume. It’s nice to be added to it as one of his riders,” Hope said. Lyle won thhe grand junior and small junior, 15 & under championships last year with Taylor Ann Adams.
Hope, of Chicago, Ill., rides with Diane Carney and meets Lyle, who’s in Don Stewart’s barn in Ocala, Fla., at shows. “He’s so easy; I don’t jump him before the classes,” she said. She and the gray gelding were also champion at the Capital Challenge (Md.), where Lyle also topped the WCHR emerging pro class with Megan Edrick.
“Lyle’s a beautiful horse and Catie’s a very forward rider and finds the jumps,” Carney said. “The two are just a match. It’s a privilege for Catie to get to ride him.”
Katie Dinan had a dilemma; she couldn’t show the first day of the junior hunters at Harrisburg because of the Yom Kippur holiday. So, catch rider Lucy Davis stepped in and rode Angelo to first and fourth in the first two over-fences classes of the small junior hunter, 15 & under division on Oct. 9, then added the blue in the under saddle. Dinan, 14, took back over the reins on Oct. 10 and clinched the championship with a fifth place in the stake class.
“We were champion last week at Capital Challenge, so I knew I could do it,” Dinan, of New York, N.Y., said. “I was a little upset that I wasn’t able to show on the first day, but Lucy did such a wonderful job [Angelo and Allejandro].”
Dinan trains with Tim and Kelly Goguen as well as Steve Weiss. She’s had Angelo, a 9-year-old warmblood, for a year, buying him after the indoor shows last year. “He’s a lot of fun. He makes a big effort. Once I figured out how to ride him, he’s been great. He’s made me much more confident.”
