Upper Marlboro, Md.—Oct. 25

Exactly one year ago, on the second day of junior hunter competition of the 2023 Washington International Horse Show, Paige Walkenbach first threw a leg over Babylon. That would kick off a fantastic 2024 season for the two of them that included tricolors at major shows all over the East Coast. Their latest win came at the Washington International Horse Show, where they won three classes to capture the small junior hunter, 16-17, championship, the grand junior hunter championship and the overall grand junior hunter championship, awarded to the grand champion with the most points between the 3’3” and 3’6” divisions.

On top of that Walkenbach’s second mount, San Pedro 15, claimed the tricolor in the large junior hunter, 16-17, division. The judges honored her with the co-Best Child Rider on a Horse award, an honor she shared with Elizabeth Rinehart.

“Babylon won both classes yesterday and he was also great today so that was really cool,” said Walkenbach, Paradise Valley, Arizona. “[San Pedro 15] stayed consistent and won the hack and he’s perfect.”

With Babylon’s stellar record, Walkenbach knew she had a chance at a good indoor season.

“I knew it was definitely possible, but I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be,” she said. “He’s such a successful horse. A lot of people don’t realize the amount of pressure to not only be on him but also to ride him because you can’t just sit there and look pretty. I definitely knew I was capable.”

Walkenbach, 17, described Babylon, a 9-year-old Oldenburg (Crumbie—Die Cera), as a big pony.

“He loves his ribbons,” she said. “He eats every ribbon. If he doesn’t chew it up or bite it in some way it’s not a ‘Crumbles’ ribbon.

“Crumbles is very lazy so you kind of have to have your leg on him the whole time,” she said. “One funny thing about him, he has to go poop in the warm-up. If he doesn’t you have to keep kicking because he might break in the ring.”

Walkenbach has worked with Jim Hagman in Moorpark, California, for seven years, and this year when she started riding Crumbles she added John French, Wellington, Florida, to the training team.

“[Hagman’s] great,” she said. “He knows me so well at this point. He knows mentally what I need so he’s always been great with me. John I just started working with with Crumbles and he’s also great. It’s cool to have so many different perspectives and tell me what I need on each horse. John’s helped me with my other horses too sometimes if Jim couldn’t come back east.”  

Gfroerer Gets It Done With Liberty Road

Molly Gfroerer had never been to the Washington International before, but she wasted no time getting comfortable. She piloted Liberty Road to the 3’3” large junior hunter championship and the grand 3’3” junior hunter championship for the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center. Lily Sonneborn rode Andesite Equestrian’s Spencer to the reserve 3’3” large junior hunter title.

“I just came to all these horse shows wanting to leave with a ribbon, so leaving with champion and grand champion is a dream come true,” said Gfroerer, 16. “I can’t thank my horse enough and I can’t thank [trainers Susie Schoellkopf, Emma Walters and Archie Cox] enough.”

Gfroerer paired up with “Poppy,” a 14-year-old Holsteiner by Casall, this January after her trainers at SBS Farms, Schoellkopf and Walters, suggested she give him a try.

“He just has such a funny personality and I think he’s my type of ride,” said Gfoerer, Wheatfield, New York. “We get along so well. He likes to be ridden on a long rein and loose. He has a huge stride so we just gallop down the lines.”

When Schoellkopf and Walters couldn’t make it to the Pennsylvania National—where Gfroerer and Poppy earned several ribbons—and Washington they recruited Cox to step in and train them at the show. Gfroerer said getting Poppy show ready isn’t hard.

“Honestly he’s been really easy so far,” she said. “He likes to get to see the ring in the morning. He looks at some things so getting to see the ring in the morning is a really good thing for him. If he doesn’t get to see the jumps he just jumps them cuter.”

A New Partnership Doesn’t Stop Rinehart

Elizabeth Rinehart just started riding No Secret about two months ago, taking over the ride from her brother Luke Rinehart. But a short tenure together wasn’t a detriment to them at Washington, where Elizabeth rode No Secret to the large junior hunter, 15 and under, championship for Don Stewart. The judges also selected her for co-Best Child Rider honors.

Rinehart couldn’t stop smiling as she talked about No Secret.

“He really likes a laid-back ride,” said Elizabeth, Carmel, Indiana. “He can be a little slow in the beginning but he usually gets going by the end, so kind of just starting getting him in front of my leg and make sure by the end of the course he’s not building too much.

“He’s really sweet in the barn,” she added. “Whatever you’re doing he wants to be involved. He’s super kind and curious.”

Elizabeth started her indoors season with “Pom Pom,” an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood (RMF Cadeau De Muze—Geneve De Muze) at the Pennsylvania National where they worked out a few kinks at their first championship show together.

The daughter of professionals Richard and Catherine Rinehart, Elizabeth has been riding for as long as she can remember. They mostly train her, with an occasional hand from Stewart in the equitation. She said training with her parents usually works out well.

“It kind of depends,” she said. “In some instances I think it’s better and it’s really helpful, but definitely sometimes it can be a lot of being together.”

Stewart wasn’t surprised the judges chose her as one of the Best Child Riders.

“She rode three different horses and was deadly accurate in beautiful style on all three,” he said. “I think they had to notice. She is polite, gracious, has a good work ethic and I haven’t seen her act like a teenage girl yet.”

Tatum Rides A Hot Streak

Violet Tatum followed up her win in the junior hunters at the Pennsylvania National with another one this week at Washington, riding Jagerbomb to his second consecutive small junior hunter, 15 and under, title, while Eva Mackenzie and Iladin Du Rouet claimed the reserve division title.

“He was a really good boy,” she said of the 11-year-old Oldenburg (Diarado—Chaccalou). “He’s very lazy, so he needs a lot of leg, and he’s very horse shy so we try to warm up in the most quiet area. But he’s only scared in the warm-up ring, then he goes in the [show] ring and he’s perfectly fine. He doesn’t carry it with him.”

She said it doesn’t take much to get him show ready.

“He’s pretty easy going, he doesn’t have too much energy so we don’t need to do much,” said Tatum. “I just hack him for 20 minutes in the morning and make sure he feels good.”

This was Tatum’s third trip to the Washington International, but her first with Jagerbomb, whom she paired up with in September. It’s also her first time winning a championship at the show.

After winning in Harrisburg, Tatum went home to Pacific Palisades, California, for a week where she celebrated her 16^th birthday and rode some horses who didn’t come east. Tatum rides with Cox, and they started together right before the pandemic. She credited him with helping her progress quickly.

“I’ve been riding with Archie since 2020, so five years in March,” she said. “I’ve been riding with him for so long, so we know each other so well so it’s comfortable. When I came to him I was doing 2’6” … then in June the first show after COVID I was doing 3’3”. I progressed 9 inches in three months.”

Esperanza Cleans Up

Madison Licata may have only been to Washington once before this year, but that didn’t slow her down. She rode Esperanza to the 3’3” small junior hunter championship over Sonneborn and Andesite Equestrian’s Juan Carlos.

“This is only my second year here and my first year in the horses—I had a large pony here last year,” said Licata, 14. “Last year it was very competitive and it was just my first time and there were definitely nerves.  This year I felt like it was a lot easier coming in because it was my second year here. It was a lot more fun because I had two in it and they went great. I won a class yesterday [on Central Park] and one today on two separate horses.”

She said the two horses are different rides.

“ ‘Park’ has a little bit more go to him and ‘Perry’ definitely is a lot slower so I definitely have one I can settle in the lines and one I can get up and go forward to the jumps.

Licata lives near Newtown, Pennsylvania, and travels an hour to ride her horses with Jonathan Martin at Hunt Hill near Devon, Pennsylvania. She said she appreciates that Perry, a 15-year-old Dutch warmblood by Verdi, is very experienced.

“Typically I work on straightness and distances because there’s not much else to work on with him,” she said. “He definitely knows how to do everything but his rider doesn’t always know for sure.

“I’ve been his partner for about 7 months now,” she said. “He’s a really good boy. I only lease him so our time will be cut short eventually but he’s been perfect and I always trust him going into the ring. He’s definitely a quieter horse so he likes a very soft rider. But he’s very trustworthy so you know you can move up to any jump you want.”

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