​Continuing a year of great success, Amanda Steege of Ocala, FL, and Lafitte de Muze captured the top prize in the $50,000 WCHR Professional Challenge, sponsored by The Gochman Family and Radwanski Enterprises, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show (CCHS) on Wednesday, October 3.
 
In the $5,000 World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Developing Pro Challenge, sponsored by The John R. Ingram Fund, Karli Postel piloted Banksy to the win. Laena Romond and Traveller 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 CCHS, which runs through Sunday, October 8, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD.

With the biggest prize money of the week, the $50,000 WCHR Professional Challenge brought out 26 of the best horses and riders in the country to compete over two rounds. The Capital Challenge Horse Show doubled the prize money in this class from 2017, honoring the 25th anniversary of the show by adding another $25,000 to the total.
 
Steege piloted Lafitte de Muze to a score of 88.33 in the first round, which put them in fourth place. They returned in the second round to a score of 90.33 for a total of 178.66 and the win.

​Twelve new hunter champions were named on Tuesday, October 2, during the 25th anniversary edition of the Capital Challenge Horse Show at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD.
 
Christopher Payne of Pleasant Plain, OH, kicked off the day’s 3’6”-4’ professional hunter divisions by sweeping the Green Conformation Hunters aboard Fibonacci, an eight-year-old warmblood gelding owned by Still Water Farm LLC.
 
“It was a good day – a good two days!” said Payne, who won all three of the division’s jumping classes, the model, and the under saddle.
 
“He’s an amazing horse,” continued Payne in speaking of the gelding that was only imported to the U.S. in January. “He didn’t get a pre-green year like a lot of these horses. He just came over, got gelded, and started doing this. He’s such a natural athlete and has such an amazing fantastic jump. He has the most amazing, natural jump that I’ve ridden.” 

​The Capital Challenge Horse Show named two new equitation championship winners on Sunday, September 30, to conclude the show’s Equitation Weekend, presented by BigEq.com, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The 25th anniversary edition of the horse show continues with hunter, jumper, and equitation competition through Sunday, October 7.
 
Sunday’s victors were Grady Lyman of San Diego, CA, who won the Palm Beach International Academy (PBIA) North American Junior Equitation Championships, and Avery Glynn of Petaluma, CA, who topped the Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) National Children’s Medal Finals. 
 
From a field of 138 entries, Lyman was one of the top 20 to return to the ring for a second jumping round in the North American Junior Equitation Championships. When she returned, she executed the highest scoring round of the weekend – earning a 96 from one of the three panels of judges and an average score for the round of 94.66. 

​Upper Marlboro, Maryland – Eleven new champions were crowned on Saturday, September 29, at the 25th anniversary Capital Challenge Horse Show, at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD.
 
Among the winners on the second day of the BigEq.com Equitation Weekend was Jessica Stone of West Bloomfield, MI, who clinched victory in the second annual United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal Final – East.
 
In order to secure the win, Stone had to top 121 entries over three phases of competition, including flat and gymnastics phases held on Friday and a final, jumping phase held on Saturday.
 
Coming into Saturday, Stone sat in third on a score of 216.80, while Breanna Bunevacz of Calabasas, CA, held the lead with a score of 220.12. However, Stone soon shot to the top of the leaderboard after earning a score of 89 from judges Mark Jungherr and Sissy Wickes. That score, multiplied by a coefficient of two and combined with her score from Friday, gave Stone a 394.80 total that would prove to be untouchable by the final two riders to return. Bunevacz, 15, finished the round with a score of 84.50 in the jumping phase for a 389.12 total. 

​The 25th anniversary edition of the Capital Challenge Horse Show began on Friday, September 28, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, with the start of Equitation Weekend, presented by BigEq.com, and the naming of the show’s first three 2018 champions.
 
Adam Edgar of Leesburg, VA, riding Magnolia, and Lily Walton of Shelbyville, KY, aboard Callahan, claimed championships in the Adult Amateur Equitation Section A and Section B, respectively, and the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championship title was awarded to Martha Ingram of Nashville, TN.
 
Ingram, 21, of Nashville, TN, made the trip from Furman University in South Carolina to Capital Challenge, just long enough to top the 26 total entries in the championship class.

“I actually skipped school today to be here, but I fly back tomorrow!” said Ingram, who is currently in her junior year. “This is my first time doing the amateur equitation here. I did the juniors; I did the Taylor Harris [National Children’s Medal Final]; I didn’t even make it to the second round in the Taylor Harris, so really coming here I just wanted to have a good time.”

​Since its inception 25 years ago, the Capital Challenge Horse Show has been home to prestigious year-end finals showcasing the best in the sport. For the past decade, Capital Challenge has also shined a spotlight on the up-and-coming professionals in the hunter industry. This year’s event will be no different, as the Capital Challenge Horse Show returns to Prince George’s Equestrian Center on September 28-October 7, 2018, in Upper Marlboro, MD.
 
Each year, the top developing professionals who meet certain criteria are invited to contest the World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Developing Pro Challenge, to be held this year on Wednesday, October 3, and offering $5,000 in prize money, presented by The John R. Ingram Fund.
 
The class gives less experienced professional riders a chance to compete against their peers on center stage for a coveted title. For many of the past WCHR Developing Pro Challenge winners, the class has served as a valuable springboard for their professional careers. 
 
“It put me onto the hunter stage a little bit; it got my name out there,” said Tara Metzner, of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, who won the class in 2011 and went on to win the WCHR Professional Challenge in 2014. 
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​“Capital Challenge is one of the biggest stages for the hunters,” continued Metzner. “For a young, developing rider to go in the ring there following a Scott Stewart or a Liza [Boyd] can be super intimidating. To be able to have a class where you’re still on a national stage, but that is specifically for developing pro riders where you’re competing against your peers instead of those really seasoned riders, gives a nice opportunity for developing pros to really shine on that bigger stage.”

On September 28, 2018, the 25th anniversary edition of the Capital Challenge Horse Show (CCHS) will kick off at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center located in Upper Marlboro, MD. 
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In the last two and a half decades, Capital Challenge has grown exponentially, largely due to the generous and continued support of its esteemed roster of sponsors. Since its inception in 1994, CCHS has established itself as a premier year-end horse show destination for competitors throughout North America. 
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​“It’s quite incredible to look back on the first year of the Capital Challenge Horse Show in 1994, and then witness the magnitude and relevance of the show today,” said CCHS Manager, Oliver Kennedy. “Thanks to all of our sponsors and loyal exhibitors, we’ve been able to really expand what we offer in terms of classes, prize money, and hospitality.”

​Atop the list of Capital Challenge’s 25th anniversary sponsors is the World Equestrian Center (WEC), which returns in support of the show for its third consecutive year. This year, in addition to the organization’s generous sponsorship support, WEC will offer on-site shopping through the World Equestrian Center/Chagrin Saddlery Mobile Boutique.

​The Capital Challenge Horse Show has become known as a showcase for top hunter horses and riders. This year, in honor of celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Capital Challenge Horse Show, to be held September 28 – October 7 at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, has doubled the prize money for the World Championship Hunter Rider Pro Challenge.

In a nod to the show’s 25th anniversary, Capital Challenge is adding $1,000 for each of the show’s 25 years to the prize money for the WCHR Pro Challenge class to bring the total from $25,000 to $50,000. The Gochman Family and Radwanski Enterprises are generously helping to make the increase possible.

“We’re thrilled that the Gochman Family and Radwanski Enterprises are helping us recognize not only the achievements of competitors in the WCHR Pro Challenge, but also the legacy of 25 years of the Capital Challenge Horse Show,” said Capital Challenge Horse Show manager Oliver Kennedy. “The Capital Challenge Horse Show makes it a priority to put the spotlight on hunters and this increase in prize money will help reward the stars of the sport for their excellent performances.”

The Capital Challenge Horse Show management team is proud to announce World Equestrian Center as the returning, presenting sponsor of the Capital Challenge Horse Show at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The 2018 show, to be held September 28 – October 7, marks the 25th anniversary of Capital Challenge and the World Equestrian Center’s third year as the presenting sponsor of the event.  

“We’re very excited to welcome World Equestrian Center back as our presenting sponsor for the third consecutive year,” said Capital Challenge Horse Show manager Oliver Kennedy.
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“We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, and none of those 25 years would have been possible without the support of sponsors like the World Equestrian Center. They’ve been a great partner in helping to make the Capital Challenge Horse Show the best that it can be.”

​The prize list for the 25th anniversary edition of the Capital Challenge Horse Show, presented by World Equestrian Center, will be available here beginning at 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday, August 1.
 
Entries for the 2018 horse show, to be held September 28 – October 7 at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD, will open simultaneously, and will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis until September 1. To submit entries or to learn more about the electronic entry process, please visit https://entries.showmanagementsystem.com.
 
“It’s hard to believe it’s already been 25 years since we first started Capital Challenge,” said Oliver Kennedy, the show manager and co-founder. “It’s really grown into something special, and we’re proud to now host so many year-end finals and championships along with what have become highly competitive hunter, jumper, and equitation divisions.” 
 
Competition at Capital Challenge will get underway on Friday, September 28, with BigEq.com Equitation Weekend and the return of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) 3’3” Jumping Seat Medal Final – East, newly launched in 2017 and held for the second consecutive year at Capital Challenge.