​Wilmington, OH – Courtney Lenkart of Bartonville, TX, rode Glorieus to capture the top prize in the $25,000 World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Professional Challenge, sponsored by The Gochman Family, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show on Wednesday, September 30.
 
In the $5,000 WCHR Developing Pro Challenge, sponsored by the John R. Ingram Fund, Julia Rose Rossow piloted Chantilly to the win, while Daniel Geitner and Mr. Manhattan topped the $25,000 North American Green Hunter 3' and 3'3" Championship, sponsored by The Wheeler Family. The three classes marked a highlight day of Capital Challenge, which runs through Sunday, October 4, at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, OH.
 
Riders in the $25,000 WCHR Professional Challenge competed over two rounds, after having qualified from the professional hunter divisions at the show.
 
At the conclusion of the first round, Lenkart and Chantilly took the lead with an 87.16. Her second-round score of 89.00, resulting in a 176.16 total, sealed the deal for the championship.

​The Capital Challenge Horse Show for the first time welcomed the North American League (NAL) jumper year-end finals, and on Tuesday, September 29, three new NAL national jumper champions were named.
 
In the NAL Children’s Jumper Finals, presented by EquiFit, Leigh Nanda dominated the competition with her horse El Casper, accomplishing a perfect show after also taking the win in the Welcome the day prior.
 
The 15-year-old from Wilmette, IL, bested a 21-horse jump-off, crossing the timers in 31.488 seconds. Nanda was making her first Capital Challenge appearance and emerged victorious in every class, also earning the Leading Children’s Jumper Rider award.
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“I took a stride out in the first line and the last line, so I think that really did it for me,” said Nanda of her winning round. “Casper takes a lot of leg; he looks and feels deceptively slow, but he’s got a really big stride. He’s really smooth if you meet all the jumps in stride. My trainer, Lance Williamson, always says, ‘Smooth is fast!’”

​Wilmington, OH – Kendall Meijer of Grand Rapids, MI, rode Elliot to the win in the North American League (NAL) Adult Hunter Final, on Tuesday, September 29, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, held at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, OH.
 
A field of 28 pre-qualified entries contested the NAL Adult Hunter Final, sponsored by the Famulak Family and Monkey Business LLC, and the top 12 returned in reverse order of their standings to jump a second round, designed by Ken Krome.
 
A score of 87 in the first round put Meijer and Elliot at the top of the leaderboard, and a second-round score of 84.75 for a 171.75 total cemented the pair’s victory. Second place with scores of 85.00, 83.75, and a 169.25 total went to Kelly Bauernschmidt of Bratenahl, OH, and her own Mojito. Rachel Boggus of Indianapolis, IN, and Subject to Change rounded out the top three with an overall score of 168.00.

Wilmington, OH – Ten professional hunter champions were named on Tuesday, September 29, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Wilmington, OH, which continues through Sunday, October 4, at the World Equestrian Center.
 
Earning the first championship of the day, and his very first Capital Challenge professional championship title, was Evan Coluccio of Marshall, VA, riding Miller’s Cove.
 
Coluccio and the 11-year-old German Sporthorse gelding, owned by Balmoral, finished first, second, and third over fences and third under saddle to clinch the Green Conformation Hunter division championship, sponsored by Joie Gatlin – Morley Abey Show Jumping Inc.
 
Immediately after securing his first Capital Challenge professional hunter championship, Coluccio went on to repeat the feat. He secured his second tricolor of the day in the Green Hunter 3’9” aboard Philadelphia Story, also owned by Balmoral.

Wilmington, Ohio – Luke Rinehart of Westfield, IN, rode Cavalli to the win in the North American League (NAL) Children’s Hunter Final, on Monday, September 28, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, held at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, OH.
 
Rinehart was one of 29 young riders to contest the class after qualifying for the year-end final by accumulating points in NAL Children’s Hunter competition throughout the year. The 13-year-old led the class from beginning to end after earning a score of 86.50 in the first round and an 86.00 in the second round, for a 172.50 total.
 
Second place with scores of 80.00 and 82.50 for a 162.50 total went to Ava Tzioufas of Inverness, IL, riding Expecto Patronum. Olivia Galley of Barrington, IL, finished in third with scores of 80.50, 81.50, and a 162.00 total.

Wilmington, Ohio – Madison Rauschenbach of Newburgh, NY, and Schuyler Dayner of Odessa, FL, claimed national championship titles on Sunday, September 27, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show, held this year at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, OH.
 
Rauschenbach earned her victory in the Palm Beach International Academy (PBIA) North American Junior Equitation Championship, while Dayner topped the THIS National Children’s Medal Final.

​The Capital Challenge Horse Show continues through October 4, but Sunday’s championship finals marked the conclusion of the show’s Equitation Weekend, presented by BigEq.com. Throughout the three days of equitation competition, more than 250 riders contested the featured year-end finals and equitation divisions, including 100 entries in the PBIA North American Junior Equitation Championship. 
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Following the opening round of the PBIA Equitation Championship, that field of 100 junior riders was narrowed to the top 20 competitors, who then returned in reverse order of their standings for a second round, designed by Ken Krome.

Wilmington, Ohio – Eleven new equitation champions were crowned on Saturday, September 26, during BIGEQ.com Equitation Weekend at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Wilmington, OH.

Prominent among Saturday’s champions at the World Equestrian Center – Ohio was Campbell Hudkins of Farmington, CT, the winner of the fourth annual EMO Insurance/United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal Final – East. 

On her path to victory, Hudkins topped a field of 120 entries over three phases of competition, including flat and gymnastics phases held on Friday and a final jumping phase held on Saturday. 

Hudkins finished the flat phase in 75th place, but her score of 89.50 in the gymnastics phase launched her into third for the round and eighth overall on a score of 209.75. Her score of 89.50 in the final round, multiplied by a coefficient of two and combined with her score from Friday, gave Hudkins an overall score of 388.75, awarded by judges Keri Kampsen and Bill Ellis. 

Wilmington, OH – The first major championship title of the 2020 Capital Challenge Horse Show went to Jordan Allen on Friday, September 25, at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, OH. Riding Coltrane, Allen, of West Bloomfield, MI, topped the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championship to kick off Equitation Weekend, presented by BIGEQ.com.
 
From a field of 20 entries, a score of 86.66 over the Joseph Carnicom-designed first round course put Allen into third place, but a second-round score of 89.66 would shoot her to the top of the leaderboard with a winning, overall score of 176.32.
 
Second place with scores of 87.66 and 83.66 for a 171.32 total went to Ashton Alexander of Ocala, FL, riding Travis Scott, owned by Brookside Pine Farms, LLC. Grady Lyman of San Diego, CA, and Bellisima Z, owned by Ashland Farms, rounded out the top three with an overall score of 169.50.