Upper Marlboro, Maryland – The final national championships of the BIGEQ.com Equitation Weekend at the Capital Challenge Horse Show were awarded to Dominic Gibbs and Eleanor Rudnicki on Sunday, September 29, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD.
 
From September 27-29, more than 450 riders contested the three days of equitation competition that mark the start of the Capital Challenge Horse Show, which runs through October 6, and on Sunday, Gibbs bested a field of 116 of those riders to win the Palm Beach International Academy (PBIA) North American Junior Equitation Championships. 
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“It’s really just an unbelievable feeling,” said Gibbs, 15, of Colorado Springs, CO, following his win. “I can’t thank my trainers and horse enough. It’s just incredible to be here.”
 
Following an opening jumping round, the top 20 riders in the PBIA North American Junior Equitation Championship were invited back to jump a second round in reverse order of their standings.

​Upper Marlboro, Maryland – The 2019 Capital Challenge Horse Show kicked off on Friday, September 27, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, with the start of BIGEQ.com Equitation Weekend and a win for Jacqueline Attwood-Dupont in the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championships.
 
Hailing from Los Angeles, CA, Attwood-Dupont, 32, made the cross-country trip to contest the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championships for the third year in a row, this time besting 22 entries to clinch the victory aboard Black Label, owned by Dorothy Attwood.  
 
“I loved every minute of it,” said Attwood-Dupont, who finished second in the class in 2018 and this year led the class from beginning to end after an initial score of 88.33 shot her to the top of the leaderboard. She then replicated her performance when the top 10 returned in reverse order of their standings for a second round, this time scoring an 88.00 to secure the win with 176.33 total score. 

Upper Marlboro, MD – The Capital Challenge Horse Show will kick off in a big way on September 27 with three days of equitation competition during BIGEQ.com Equitation Weekend at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD.

​This year, more than 425 entries have registered to compete in the popular equitation classes to be held from Friday, September 27, through Sunday, September 29, including the:
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-  Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) National Children’s Medal Finals
- EMO Insurance/United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) 3'3" Jumping Seat Medal Final – East
- Palm Beach International Academy (PBIA) North American Junior Equitation Championship
- North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championship
- Age-group equitation divisions

​“Equitation provides a wonderful foundation for riders of all ages to develop horsemanship skills through years of training and hard work,” said Caraneen Smith of BIGEQ.com. “Many young riders who compete in equitation go on to support the industry as professional trainers, barn managers and grooms, and breeders, or as amateur competitors at all levels."​

​Upper Marlboro, MD – Before Declaration, Dream Date, Gray Slipper, and Popeye K were winning grand hunter championships at major horse shows across the country and before their names were well-known in the hunter rings, the famous hunters were earning victories in the Green Hunter 3' and 3'3" division at the Capital Challenge Horse Show.
 
Created in 2001, the Green Hunter 3' and 3'3" division (previously known as the Future Hunters) at the Capital Challenge Horse Show included some of the first classes of their kind, spotlighting the future stars of the sport and providing an avenue for many of the best young horses in the nation to compete against their peers. 
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This year, the Capital Challenge Horse Show will again welcome many of the nation’s top, up-and-coming hunters for the $45,000 Green Hunter 3' and 3'3" division, to be held Monday, September 30, through Wednesday, October 2, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. 
 
Green Hunter competition will culminate on Wednesday afternoon as the top six entries in each of the six Green Hunter 3' and 3'3" sections return to contest the $25,000 Green Hunter 3' and 3'3" North American Championship, sponsored by the Wheeler Family.
 
“It’s an awesome showcase for the young horses,” said Laena Romond, who topped the 2018 championship aboard Traveller, owned by Catherine Cowie. “It’s a great chance to let the young horses shine in a nice ring and against the best competition.”