Brubaker Takes Second WCHR Adult Finals, Cash Wins Ariat Adult Medal Finals, Hooker Retains Lead in NA Junior/A-O Challenge Cup 

The highlight event of the Capital Challenge Horse Show was held this evening to a solid crowd of fans in the stands. In the WCHR Professional Finals, the top six qualified hunter riders in the nation went head-to-head in a four-round class to determine the 2009 Professional World Champion Hunter Rider. Hunt Tosh of Milton, GA, led the class from the beginning to win in his debut in the prestigious event. 

Tosh started out the night with a bang when he scored a 93 in the first round on the horse he brought to the competition, Lone Star, who is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Wheeler. In the second round, he rode Camira, owned by Melanie Barnes, brought to the competition by Peter Pletcher. They scored a 90.16 to raise Tosh’s total to 183.16.  

In the third round, Tosh and Lindsay Wolf’s Lazy Sunday had a score of 89.33 for a total of 272.49. Tosh qualified as one of the top three riders to return for the final handy round. He piloted Fine Kiss, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ernest M. Oare. They scored the highest round of the night with a 94.33 to give Tosh a total of 366.82 points for the win. 

Tosh was thrilled to win his first WCHR Professional Finals. “When you win in a class like this, it’s an especially big victory, and it is fun to do. I’ve watched it in the past, and it’s something that you always want to win and hope you can come back. I hope to do it again like these guys.” 

Tosh was speaking of his fellow competitors, like three-time winners Peter Pletcher and Scott Stewart, two-time winner John French, newcomer Ken Berkley, and Kelley Farmer. 

“I was lucky to have a high score on my horse to begin with,” Tosh pointed out. “So once you start thinking about the third and fourth horse, you’re basically hoping you don’t mess up. Everything happens so fast down there, and you just get caught up in it. It was nice that way for me because you don’t have time to slow down and think about where you are and where everyone else is.” 

The top six professional hunter riders in the country - based on WCHR points - faced off on Friday night to vie for the World Champion Professional Hunter Rider title.  The results were as follows: 

1. Hunt Tosh

2. Scott Stewart

3. Kelley Farmer

4. Peter Pletcher

5. John French

6. Ken Berkley 

In August, Jeanine Cash set her sights on the Ariat National Adult Medal Finals and never backed down.  Navigating the course aboard Calinka, the talented rider dominated the two-round class, posting top scores for both rounds and winning the National Adult Medal Finals hands down.  Her final score of 173.8 was nearly six points higher than second-place finisher Brian Feigus on Winston.  Cash was lucky to get the ride on Calinka, a horse owned by Laura Gamino who was loaned to Cash just days prior to the class. Cash hails from Winthrup, MA, and trains with Geoff Teal.

To read more about Jeanine’s win be sure to read the Saturday edition of the Daily Update.


ARIAT National Adult Medal Finals

1. Jeanine Cash, Calinka 87.20+86.60=173.80

2. Brian Feigus, Winston 85.00+82.95=167.95

3. Amy Brubaker, War Eagle 83.70+84.20=167.90

4. Emma Mann-Meginniss, Temptation 82.05+81.10=163.15

5. Kristina Lyons, Cocoa Chelsea Keyes 78.05 84.00 162.05 5

6. Melissa Feller Commander Tom 79.00+82.00=161.00

7. Amy Cooper, Spy Glass 78.05+79.00=157.05

8. Elise Cook, Lion King 80.50+76.00=156.50

9. Elysse Ruschmeyer, Arkits 79.20+77.00=156.20

10. Caroline Hughes, Prince Ferdinand 78.50+75.60=154.10