Chestnut Hill completed two very successful weeks at Woodside, starting with the Spring Preview. Among the many highlights were Ashley Delgado and her new mount, Posh’s championships in the Pony Hunter and Pony Equitation divisions, along with a win in the USEF Pony Medal. Caroline Robbins and her new mount, Right on Time were reserve champions in the Children’s Pony division.  Gwen McLaughlin and Capito brought home two tri-color reserve championships in the Children’s Hunter 13 & Under and Equitation 11 & Under divisions.  Grace McLaughlin and Santo won the Carousel and Horse and Hound medals, as well as a reserve championship in the Equitation 15 – 17 division. The team also brought home championships in the Pre-Green, Children’s Hunter 14 – 17, Modified Open Hunter, Adult Amateur 36 – 40, and 50+ divisions.

The winning continued during the Spring Classic, with five medal wins: NorCal 3′, Pickwick, Taylor Harris and Ariat, and four championships: First Year Green, Children’s Hunter 14 – 17, Adult Amateur 36 – 49 and Pony Hunter.  Check out a complete listing by clicking on “Results” in the navigation bar!

Check out the new photos added to the Chestnut Hill “Gallery” page!  Look for terrific photos of Daphne James on “Helicon Fiesta” (above), Jaime Marsh on “Chicago” and Blaire Kingsley on “Grasshopper.”  Be sure to click on the photos for the full view.

A second week of showing at Pebble Beach brought continued success for Chestnut Hill. Championship tri-colors were brought home in Schooling Hunter, Adult Amateur Hunter 18+, Child/Adult Amateur Modified Hunter, and Children’s Hunter 14 – 17 divisions.  Reserve Championships were captured in Pre-Green Hunter, Amateur Equitation 18+, and Junior Equitation 14 & Under divisions.

Medal riders were awarded blue and red ribbons in the Pickwick Medal Junior/Amateur 3’6, Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Junior, CPHA Junior/Amateur, WCE Junior/Amateur, and NorCal 3′ Junior Amateur classes.  

Pictured above: Blaire Kingsley on Grasshopper in the $2,500 Junior/Amateur Derby Chase. Great job team!

Chestnut Hill kicked off the first Pebble Beach horse show of the season with lots of fun and ribbons. The ten championships included First Year Green, Schooling Hunter, Children’s Hunter 13 & Under and Children’s Hunter 14 – 17, Junior/Am Modified Hunter, Large Junior Hunter, Pony Equitation, Amateur Equitation 18+, Short Stirrup Equitation 17 & Under and Short Stirrup Hunter 17 & Under.  Reserve championships were brought home in the Children’s Modified Hunter, Small/Medium Children’s Pony Hunter, Small/Large Pony Hunter, and Pre-Green Hunter.  The show offered a fun new class, the Derby Hunter Chase, which included a course of natural obstacles, designed to simulate those found on a cross country hunt field- and Kat Taylor was second on Maximus (pictured above) in the adult division.  

Medal riders succeeded in winning the USEF Adult Equitation, Foxfield, Pickwick, Norcal 3′ Junior/Am, USEF Pony, and Horse & Hound Pony Medals.  Congratulations to all!  Click on “Results” in the navigation bar for a complete listing.

Fancy, the much-loved, 28 year-old Welsh cross who came to Chestnut Hill as Will Twomey’s first pony, died peacefully last Saturday.  During his long life he competed in the large pony division, taught numerous kids to ride, and more recently, spent his days freely roaming the farm and stealing lunches from the empty stalls with his partner in crime, Pacheco.  He will be missed.  

Chestnut Hill kicked-off the ’09 show season with a spectacular bang at Rancho Murietta’s Northern Winter Classic I.  Competitors brought home six championships, five reserve championships and six medal wins!

Chestnut Hill’s championships were in the First Year Green, Junior, Children’s Pony, and Pre-Adult Hunter divisions, as well as the Pony Equitation and Equitation 36+ divisions.  Reserve championships were captured in the Adult Amateur Modified, Low, and Short Stirrup Hunter divisions, as well as the Equitation 15 – 17 and Short Stirrup Equitation divisions.  Medal riders brought home blues in the Horse and Hound Junior/Amateur, USEF Pony, National Children’s, PCHA Adult Horsemanship, NorCal Pony and Horse & Hound Pony classes.  Red ribbons were awarded in the PCHA Horsemanship 14 & Under, WCE Junior/Amateur and Horse & Hound Pony Medals.  

A great start to the show season, and congratulations to all competitors, as well as their horses! For a more complete listing of awards, check out the “Results” button in the navigation bar.

Congratulations to Chestnut Hill on the recent acqusition of Bridgette, an aged 12.2 hand Welsh pony mare.  This very fancy lesson pony is eager to introduce little kids the joys of riding.  Trainer Beverly is accepting new lesson clients, and Bridgette will be their mount!  Thank you to Marnye Langer for this wonderful addition to the barn.

Chestnut Hill riders and their horses earned terrific ’08 year-end awards from USEF, PCHA and Nor Cal. At the recent NorCal banquet, riders (from left to right in photo above) Gwen McLaughlin brought home a Championship in the Small/Medium Pony hunter division with Mercury, pro Katharina Coleman collected a Reserve Championship in the Pre-Green division with Kat Taylor’s horse – Kingsford, Kelley LaFond hold a Championship ribbon for the Equitation 18 – 35 division with her horse Sporting United, and Grace McLaughlin displays her Reserve Championship in the Childrens Hunter division with Olympic. Check out all the year-end results by clicking on the “Results” button in the navigation bar above. Congratulations to all!

Cited by Victor Hugo-Vidal as “one of Littauer’s last well-known pupils,” Bernie Traurig returned to Chestnut Hill for a two-day clinic. Traurig – the only rider to have competed on all three United States Equestrian Team squads – challenged the small groups of riders to expand the limits of their knowledge and ability through work over a variety of flat and jumping exercises. Traurig continually sought to provide riders a “visual” of what he wanted done by offering ground as well as mounted demonstrations. His instruction was tough, technical and exacting as well as fun and encouraging.