Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, won the $7,500 Randolph College/USEF Junior Jumper Championship Welcome Individual Phase One class riding Monsieur Du Reverdy at the Opening Day of the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Thursday evening. The 15-year-old rider was much happier with this year’s performance. Last year she did not even complete the course.
“I feel great,” beamed Colvin. “Last year I fell off, so it was a bit of a step up.”
Colvin was the fastest of the eight clear rounds, finishing in a time of 61.778 seconds. A total of 31 riders competed in the class with Abigail McArdle of Barrington Hills, IL, and Cosma 20 finishing second in a time of 62.335 and Meg O’Mara of Rumson, NJ, coming in third on Sinatra IV in 64.840 seconds.
Colvin, who is renowned for her talent in the hunter ring, also won two classes in the Small Junior Hunter, 15 & Under Division earlier in the day on Ovation, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA. She credits her winning round in the Jumper Championship to the style of the Alan Wade designed course.
(Victoria Colvin won the Large Junior Hunter Championships at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show last year)
“It was nice; it was like a hunter course,” said Colvin. “I think that is why I did so well.”
She also gave some of the accolades to her horse. “He’s the best, he is the sweetest horse. He’s perfect. I got him a couple of years ago and he is just so sweet.”
Scores from the Welcome class carry over into Friday’s $15,000 Randolph College/USEF Prix de States Team Championship/Phase Two of the Individual Championship. The Championship culminates on Saturday evening with the top 60% from Phases I and II.
The Pennsylvania National Horse Show is one of the largest indoor horse shows in the U.S., hosting horses and competitors from across the country with 20,000 spectators attending from the Mid-Atlantic region. With over 1,400 qualified horses competing for $420,000 in prize money, the show features Hunter and Jumper competition and is the site of the Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Finals, the Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships and the $85,000 Grand Prix de Penn National.