Lexington, KY – May 17, 2015 – For 17-year-old Vivian Yowan, Kentucky is home. The local resident of the Bluegrass State has captured multiple wins over the years, from the ponies to the Junior Hunters, as well as even riding to the top of the Junior Jumper leader board. Today, in the Stonelea Arena on the final day of the Kentucky Spring Classic, Yowan once again impressed the judges to capture three tricolors in the Large and Small 16-17 Junior Hunter divisions, as well as the Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Grand Championship, sponsored by Visse Wedell of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
Yowan showed Ransom to two blue ribbons on Saturday during the Small 16-17 Junior Hunter division, and duplicated her efforts today to take the first place finish in the handy and the under saddle with her talented mount.
“Ransom is really special to me, especially because I own him,” Yowan said of the bay gelding. “I love him, he is awesome. He has really come into his own this year - he is a horse you can rely on. When we go in the ring, I know I can depend on him. He is so much more confident, and I think that shows through in the ring.”
Ransom was not the only horse that impressed the judges over the two days of Junior Hunter competition. Yowan also rode a new horse, Rookie, owned by Belhaven Stables LLC of Wellington, FL, to the reserve championship behind Ransom. Although the pair is a relatively new partnership, they claimed two second place ribbons on Saturday and returned on the final day of competition to close out the show with the first place over fences and the second in the handy round.
“This is the first show I have ever done with him,” Yowan explained. “His name is appropriate, as he is a little green, just a little bit of a Rookie [laughs]. Tim [Goguen] has been doing him in the 3’3” Performance and the First Years, and then we decided I would show him in the Junior Hunters. He is a little green, but he really has all of the talent.”
During the Large 16-17 Junior Hunters, Yowan rode Character, owned by Belhaven Stables LLC, to the reserve championship with the first and two third place finished over fences, as well as the first place finish in the handy. It was 16-year-old Tyler Petrie of Moreland Hills, OH, who rode to the division’s top honors to secure the championship tricolor with Quite Ruffy 840.
Petrie said, “He actually used to be a grand prix horse, and only a year and a half ago he was still competing in the jumpers. My father and trainer, Scott Petrie, found him in Gulport, Mississippi, and we wanted him really badly, so we went to go try him and ended up turning him into a hunter.”
The championship win marks a milestone in the junior rider’s career. “It means the world to win champion for the division. I used to have a few horses and ponies that were a little naughty, so for me to be able to know that I can win and I can do this, makes me have a lot of self-confidence. This is even more special because it is with with Quite Ruffy 840, who just started the hunters. It makes me feel like I can do it, and he can do it, too.”
Earlier in the day it was Annabel Revers and Kingpin who took the Small 15 and Under Junior Hunter Championship, while Emma Wujek and Chabilano Z finished out the week with the reserve championship. In the Large 15 and Under Junior Hunters Emma Kurtz and Fredrick were awarded the champion rosette, while Revers and Diplomat finished as the reserve champions of the division.
The final day of the Kentucky Spring Classic concluded the two-week spring series with the Pony Hunter Grand Championship, sponsored by Visse Wedell of Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Emma Seving was awarded the Pony Hunter Grand Championship for her efforts in the Medium Pony Hunter division with her own Sassafras Creek.
Today marked the end of the Kentucky Spring Classic, but the hunter and jumper competitions at the Kentucky Horse Park continue this summer with the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, kicking off on July 22, 2015.
To learn more about the Kentucky Spring Horse Show please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.