Wilmington, Ohio – The Standlee Sanctuary at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington hosted top jumper athletes and promising young mounts all week during Fall Classic III for the Young Jumper Championship. Riders nominated their five, six, and seven-year-old’s into the Young Horse Incentive Program at WEC – Wilmington for the opportunity to compete for a total of $45,000 worth of prize money.
Faults carried over three classes throughout the week, with all tied fault-free riders returning for a jump-off phase Saturday afternoon to crown each respective winner. Prize money was divided amongst each age group; the $5,000 Five-Year-Old Jumper Championship, $15,000 Six-Year-Old Jumper Championship, and $25,000 Seven-Year-Old Jumper Championship.
FEI Level IV course designer, Guilherme Jorge (BRA), brought his skills to WEC to craft the proper tracks for each division, setting the young horses up for promising futures.
The $25,000 Seven-Year-Old Jumper Championship saw impressive talent, resulting in a four-horse jump-off for the tie breaker. Canada’s Paul Halpern was dominant in the field, riding two of the four qualified horses from the three days to claim first and third place with Humble Vm and M, respectively.
Aboard Kylie Tapson’s seven-year-old Selle Francias mare, Humble Vm (Diamant De Semilly x Sjolle Van De Polderheide), Halpern captured the lion’s share of prize money leading the jump-off by nearly two full seconds.
Halpern shared his thoughts on the Young Horse Incentive Program, “I think the program is fantastic. I can’t thank WEC enough for doing it. We can’t have grand prix horses if we can’t develop them. Especially in North America, it can be quite costly, so offering the affordable way to do it and great prize money is not only rewarding, but it gives owners an incentive to want to do this.”
“The format was perfect. I think the championship is the way to go. Consistency is what we strive for to train these horses. To jump three clean rounds in a row means a lot,” Halpern shared. “Gui [Guilherme Jorge] is arguably one of the best course designers in the world and we are lucky that we got to jump our horses around a course by an Olympic designer.”
“I only had seven-year-olds this week and I thought he tested us in three different ways. The first day was nice and welcoming and yesterday was more technical right off the bat. Today was maybe a touch simpler, but it tested their scope. You can’t get better than that,” said Halpern.
David Cameron emerged victorious amongst a four-horse jump-off in the $15,000 Six-Year-Old Championship. Aboard Kristian Watkins’ six-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Counterattack (Casall x Eye Caramba), Cameron produced a clear round each day and a quick jump-off time of 41.133 seconds to earn the victory.
Cameron spoke on the program, “Any young horse programs I think are fantastic. It is great that we got to do it here indoors, in a great arena and at a facility like WEC. It was great prize money too. It is a great thing to encourage young horse development.”
“I like the idea of the championship format. I think it is nice to occasionally put a little bit of pressure on them like they will have later in their career. Not for every week, but it is great to do and I think my horse really thrived on that today. At the end of the day, we are trying to produce sport horses to compete at the top level and I think this really reflected that,” said Cameron.
In the $5,000 Five-Year-Old Jumper Championship, Canada’s Shawn Butler piloted BSH Prime Time to three clear rounds. As the only duo to produce clear efforts all week, Butler stood atop the podium to claim the win, paving a bright future ahead for the five-year-old Warmblood stallion.
$25,000 Seven-Year-Old Jumper Championship Results:
1 Humble Vm, Paul Halpern, Kylie Tapson
2 Montevideo VDL, Kady Abrahamson, Abrahamson Equestrian LLC
3 M, Paul Halpern, Rowen Hahn
4 Moncia B, Sandra Dalman, Dalman Show Jumping
5 Spicebomb, Sarah Meier, Sarah Meier
6 Minerva Wb, Erika Thornell, Loveland Equine Investments
7 FF Mister Gold, Kevin Gallagher, Freestyling Farms LLC
8 Clarity, Laura Douglas, Wendy Janesky
9 Cornet’s Lover, Ty Simpson, Kormendy Farms LLC
10 Louisiana Chavannaise, Tiffany Hammack, Bsc Jumpers LLC
$15,000 Six-Year-Old Jumper Championship Results:
1 Counterattack, David Cameron, Kristina Watkins
2 Stella Gold, Kelly Arani, Marigot Bay Farm
3 Athena Du Mury Marais Z, Kady Abrahamson, Steve Stewart
4 Zara Hbz Z, Kalli Core, Kalli Core
5 King Edmond, Kevin Gallagher, Esme Olsen
$5,000 Five-Year-Old Jumper Championship Results:
1 BSH Prime Time, Shawn Butler, Shawn Butler
2 Dia Diabolo De Spalbex Z, Sam Pegg, Donna Leetz
3 Bit O’ Luck, Kelly Soleau-Millar, Bridge Brook Arms
4 Starlord, Sam Pegg, Janine Weatherby
The Young Jumper Incentive Program will continue through the 2025 show season and we look forward to welcoming exhibitors back to host and encourage the best experience and development for young horses.
To learn more about the program, view the prize list or visit Julie Agar in the show office for more information.
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes!
Results can be found at horseshowing.com.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.