WELLINGTON, Fla.--For more years than she could count, Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, N.J., was the Winter Equestrian Festival leading Overall Jumper Rider, but this year she has dropped to fifth Overall Jumper Rider list of 758 riders about halfway through the 12 show season.
The reason she has dropped from the lead is not because she is winning less with the horses she has but that she had many fewer horses competing.
Chapot leads the 1.40m Open Jumpers with Gideon and also is seventh in that section on Kanjer P.
In the Seven-Year-Old Young Jumper, she is leading on Tyson Fury.
She won a two-star grand prix on Chandon Blue, who is very lightly shown due to his age.
According to her mother Mary, who is sixth Leading Open Jumper Trainer, a few of Laura's horses are out with minor injuries, a few are old and only show very occasionally, and others are young and up-and-coming.
THE CIRCUIT standings do not include the results in FEI rated classes, only in the national classes, which is why top riders like McLain Ward, Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington are not on the leading rider list.
Chapot has also been winning ribbons on Willow in FEI classes.
Barbara Ulrichson, who trains with Chapot, won a Masters Classic last week and has numerous ribbons in that section.
Andrew Philbrick of Princeton, N.J., has numerous students that have won top ribbons.
His professional stable rider Sarah Wayda has won ribbons in the Seven-Year-Old Young Jumpers and was reserve champion in that section last week on Dewey Beach DW..
Debbie Purowitz is 13th on Reminiscent and 21st on Super G. in the Don Little Masters, for riders 50 and over, section.
Karra Cici has won three classes, including a Classic, and was reserve champion in 1m Junior Jumpers on Marco.
Roxy Leyshon has won good ribbons in 1.25m Amateur/Owner Jumpers on Jillz and in 1.40m Amateur/Owner Jumpers on Leroy Blue.
Phillp Steinkraus, son of Olympic individual silver medalist Bill Steinkraus, is third in the Don Little Masters section on Paul Deluxe and is 27th on the Overall Jumper Rider list of 758 riders.
In Hunters sections, Scott Stewart of Flemington, N.J., is Leading Hunter Rider, and his partner Ken Berkley is Leading Hunter Rider Trainer.
Stewart leads on Cotter in Green Hunter, 3'9" and is also fifth on Daydream.
He also leads in High Performance Conformation on California Love and is third on Nottingham.
In the Green Conformation section, Stewart is second on Styles and fifth on Cerulean Blue, who is also third in Green Hunter, 3'6".
Tina Brown of Kennett Square, Pa., is fifth in Adult Hunter, section A, on Monarch, and is also 11th on Monarch in section B.
Riding Hyacinth, Brown has won a number of good ribbons in Amateur/Owner Hunter, 3'6".