News

Sandra Ruiz was awarded the USEF Sportsmanship Award at the USEF Convention.  

  Congratulations to one of the best - Sandra Ruiz!  

The votes have been counted and we are pleased to announce the following winners of the 2019 Special Awards:

Horseperson of the Year:   Sally Lamb

Amateur Sportsmanship Award:   Marion Cosby-Kastenbaum

The Barry A. Jackson Memorial Award:   Georgine Winslett

Junior Exhibitor of the Year:  Jordan Toering

Horse Show of the Year:   Deep Run Horse Show

Andrew Montgomery Award:   Warrenton Pony Show

Elizabeth Nelms Owner of the Year Award:  Stacey McFadden

The Susan Hagan Award:   Wayne Eubank

The Frances Rowe Junior Exhibitor of the Year Award:   Beverly Alcock

The Mary Drury Award:   Hobby Creeks Grey Goose, owned and ridden by Olivia Dougherty

The Joan Cozart Perfect Parent Award:   Mr. & Mrs. Wayne VanBrocklin

The L.M. Sandy Riding Scholarship:   Victoria DeFeo

The Michael Lenehan Memorial College Scholarship:  Macey Berg

The Double R Partners Perpetual Trophy - In Memory of Amy Reistrup:  Shelby Bonnie



Congratulations to the winners!   

 2019 VHSA/EMO Medal Finals Festival

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 VHSA/EMO Medal Finals held August 8th ~ 9th at the Lexington National Horse Show.  We would like to thank our sponsors:

The EMO Agency, Inc.
Champion Saddlery
Equip Equine 

Also, a big thank you to the 2018 Medal Final Winners who graciously helped with presenting the awards to the 2019 Medal Final Winners:

Jacqueline Needle
Jordan Toering
Haley Redifer

Congratulations to the 2019 VHSA/EMO Medal Final Winners

Children's Medal
1st  - Emily Longest
2nd - Shannon Maguire
3rd  - Avery Valentine
4th  - Victoria Gustafson
5th  - Mary Ellen Keating
6th  - Daisy Bishop
7th  - Agnes Hahn
8th  - Annabele Whitehead

Championship on the Flat
1st  - Emily Longest
2nd - Clare O'Brien
3rd  - Annabele Whitehead
4th  - Mahalia Alascio
5th  - Victoria Gustafson
6th  - Charleez Simcik
7th  - Madison Smyth
8th  - Alexis Seiden

Hunter Seat Medal
1st  - Addison Reed
2nd - Clare O'Brien
3rd  - Katie Triantos
4th  - Emma Pell
5th  - Hugh Turner
6th  - Helen Marie Lohr
7th  - Riley King
8th  - Anna Ordonio

Junior Horsemanship
1st  - Clare O'Brien
2nd - Helen Marie Lohr
3rd  - Addison Reed
4th  - Riley Hogan
5th  - Hugh Turner
6th  - Emma Pell
7th  - Riley King
8th  - Kayla Wolfe

Amateur on the Flat Champion
1st  - Bobbie Jo Adsit
2nd - Holly Longest
3rd  - Lindsay Milligan
4th  - Melissa Kirkpatrick
5th  - Gillian Aiken
6th  - Madison Busey
7th  - Karly Clayton
8th  - Lily Peterson

Adult Medal
1st  - Lindsay Milligan
2nd - Bobbie Jo Adsit
3rd  - Bridgett McIntosh
4th  - Gillian Aiken
5th  - Holly Longest
6th  - Jessica Ropelewski
7th  - Martine Hartogensis
8th  - Stephanie Guerlain

Congratulations to all of the winners!

 
2019 VHSA/LMCF PONY MEDAL FINALS
Thank you to the Warrenton Pony Show, The Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund, and Champion Saddlery for making the 2019 VHSA/LMCF Pony Medal, Pony Equitation on the Flat and the Children's Pony Medal Finals such a wonderful success this past Friday, June 28th.

A special thank you to all of the volunteers and especially the Junior Committee who did a fantastic job with the presentations.

Congratulations to the 2019 Winners!

Pony Equitation on the Flat Winners
1st  - Skylar Boehm
2nd - Kacy Baumgart
3rd  - Rylan VanCourt
4th  - Isabella Jaovsky
5th  - Skyler Ward
6th  - Lexi van der Woude
7th  - Sage Wolf
8th  - Sabrina Daniels

Children's Pony Medal Winners
1st  - Isabella Janovsky
2nd - Kelly Kiser
3rd  - Scarlett Mortenson
4th  - Caroline Zandler
5th  - Byrdie Paisley
6th  - Catherine Cary
7th  - Kendall Deagle
8th  - Beatrice VanSant

Pony Medal Winners
1st  - Skylar Boehm
2nd - Addy Wingate
3rd  - Sarah Semko
4th  - McKenna Gregorio
5th  - Caroline Pennington
6th  - Kenidee McCormick
7th  - Kacy Baumgart
8th  - Vivienne Noel

2019 New Recognized Divisions

The VHSA is pleased to announce that we are now recognizing the Pre-Adult Hunter and the Pre-Children's Hunter Divisions as part of our year-end awards program.  We will go back through rated horse shows that have been held thus far this year and add those division points into our system.  We will get these points updated as soon as possible.  The Specifications for these two new VHSA recognized divisions are:

Pre-Adult Hunter. Open to horses only. To be shown by an amateur. A rider in the Pre-Adult Hunter Division is not eligible to cross enter in any other division where the fences exceed 2'6" at the same show except VHSA Medal classes. Course shall not consist of no less than eight fences. Fence height shall be 2'6", spreads not to exceed height of fence. No combinations allowed. To be judged on manners, performance, soundness and suitability as an Adult Hunter. A minimum of three (3) classes shall be held in any section in which a championship is offered. In the event there are less than three entries in either of the Pre-Children’s Division or the Pre-Adult Division, these divisions may be combined at management’s discretion.

Pre-Children’s Hunter. Open to horses only. To be shown by a junior exhibitor. A rider in the Pre-Children’s Hunter Division is not eligible to cross enter in any other division where the fences exceed 2'6" at the same show except VHSA Medal classes. Course shall not consist of no less than eight fences. Fence height shall be 2'6", spreads not to exceed height of fence. No combinations allowed. To be judged on manners, performance, soundness and suitability as a Children’s Hunter. A minimum of three (3) classes shall be held in any section in which a championship is offered. In the event there are less than three entries in either of the Pre-Children’s Division or the Pre-Adult Division, these divisions may be combined at management’s discretion.

At the Lexington Spring Welcome Horse Show at the Virginia Horse Center, the VHSA’s Special Events Committee presented a lecture led by Emory and Henry’s Jessica Denniston on Equine Nutrition Basics. Highlights of the lesson included the functions of the foregut and hindgut, essential nutrients, and how to choose a diet for a specific horse. The equine has one stomach that is composed of a foregut and hindgut. The foregut of the horse digests fats, proteins, and sugars through enzymes while the hindgut breaks down fiber. Horses need certain nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fat to fulfill their diet. Water, being the most vital nutrient for the horse, is used for transportation of nutrients and between eight to twelve gallons of it is consumed each day. When deciding on a diet for a horse, the age, workload, weight, and ability to consume grass should be evaluated. A horse that is doing a lot of exercise may need higher quantities of a certain nutrient to maintain a good balance. The weight, or body condition score should be considered when deciding both the type and quantity of food given to the horse. Access to hay or grass is necessary and must be recognized while choosing a diet for a horse. Roughage should be the primary source of food for the equine, followed by grain to assure that all the nutrients are given. Jessica Denniston explained and showed us the affects of a bad diet on a horse. 

For further information, please see the Equine Nutrition Basics Handbook which can be downloaded HERE!