HARRISBURG, Pa.--Mr.Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds team of seven riders accumulated points throughout the evening to win overall Hunt Night Reserve Championship.

Hunt night hunt team of Skylar McKenna on Sovereign Fund, left, Erika Nesler on Field Agent, center, and Tanya Emslie on Havanna, rightIt was a fierce night of competition in the Harrisburg Colosseum, and Keswick Hunt finally emerged as champion over Cheshire.

Cheshire placed first place in the coveted Hunt teams class over 18 teams, which contributed the most points to Cheshire's total..

Skylar McKenna riding Daphe Jonas' Sovereign Fund, Erika Nesler riding Doug and Cindy Howe's Field Agent, and Tanya Emslie riding her Havanna rode on the winning team.

"Field Agent is a horse that Doug and Cindy's son Blake competed through training in eventing," said Nesler. "Both Blake and I hunt him, and Cindy also rides him. He's a real family horse."

Sovereign Fund raced on the flat from 2008 to 2011, winning an allowance race, and then was converted to steeplechasing, trained by Todd McKenna, where he competed in the Maryland Hunt Cup twice without finishing and in the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup twice, placing fourth both times, while his best placement was winning an allowance race.

Now 17, Sovereign Fund is hunted with Cheshire.

Havanna also hunts with Cheshire.

 

"IT WAS A fabulous evening," said Nesler. "Harrisburg has an expanded warm-up area, and the footing was great, so It was all really user friendly. Everything ran very smoothly. It was a fun evening."

Hunt night hunt team of Skylar McKenna on Sovereign Fund, left, Erika Nesler on Field Agent, center, and Tanya Emslie on Havanna, rightCheshire 's second Hunt team consisted of Remi Winants riding Betsy Barr's Where's Oliver, Lisa Fimiani riding Christa Schmidt's Forthcommons Cool Boy, and Nina Davidowski riding her Hennessy, and it was unplaced.

Stiff competition in the Field Hunter 36 years and under class resulted in a seventh place for Skylar on Sovereign Fund.

Tanya Emslie riding her Qiwi placed third in the over 36 years Field Hunter class and second in the Ladies Hunter Hack consisting of nearly 50 entries.

Conrad Somers was sixth in the Gentlemen's Hack riding Tanya's Right on Que.

Cheshire members Missy Shaffer, Cindy Buchanan, Kathy Neilson, Muffin Somers, Brian and Norma Murray, Mary Ellen DeRuschi, and Kathy Malm contributed great support through the night.

After earning the championship last year, returning to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex to do so again in 2023 had special meaning to the Keswick Hunt Club riders.

“Unfortunately, we had some really significant members pass away recently,” said Sandy Rives of the Keswick Hunt Club. “Meredith McLaughlin, who was a very well-known show judge, and a longtime member by the name of Peggy Augustus. Both of them had shown at Harrisburg for Keswick in the Hunt Teams. After being champions last year, we said, ‘Look, we just really ought to make a great effort to honor them by being champion again!”

“I’ve been going to Harrisburg for 40 years, and it’s tough to repeat the championship because every year, you’ve got different horses, different riders and different combinations of things," said Rives. "We worked very hard this year to put together a really special team. We probably got somewhere around 35 points. Last year, we were champions with 22. So, we put together a team that was pretty hard to beat. We’re very proud of our effort. We really enjoyed coming to Harrisburg, and we enjoyed winning!”

Representing the Keswick Hunt Club were riders Darlene Murphy, Carly Meyer, Matt Savier, Sandy Rives, Joel and Nicolette Merle-Smith, Allison Smith, Shannon McGowan, Jill Wilson Anderson and Catherine Wheeler.

In addition to helping her team clinch the championship, Wheeler was named the Hunt Night Leading Lady Rider after winning the Field Hunters, Riders 35 and Under and the Ladies Hunter Under Saddle.

The win in the Field Hunters, Riders 36 and Over, and the Chairmans Perpetual Trophy, went to Laura Godsoe of the River Hill Foxhounds riding Casco Junior.

In the Gentlemen’s Hunter Under Saddle, the win was back to the Keswick Hunt Club, with Joel Merle-Smith and Hermione taking the top honor and the Rose Tree Perpetual Trophy.

Topping the Hunt Team competition was Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds Team 2.

Hunt Night also featured the Ladies Side Saddle Championship won by Becca Pelet and Galon Hapus.