DEVON, Pa.--Isabelle Ehman, 17 of Milton, Ga., on Magnolia won one junior jumper class and finished third in the $20,000,1.46m Junior Jumper Classic Saturday evening at the Devon Horse Show to win the Devon Junior Jumper Championship.
Ava Barnes and Atlas (Photo by Nemzoff Fine Art Photography)Earlier in the afternoon, Ava Barnes won the Devon Grand Junior Hunter Championship and was the Best Child Rider on a Horse.
Elise Stephens on O'Mega H&DB, who won the Junior Jumper Classic, was Reserve Junior Jumper Champion.
Stephens won the Classic in a four horse jump-off, the only one of the four to go clean, finishing in 36.234.
Clara Propp on Cocolina was second, four faults in 36.578, with Ehman third, four faults in 37.195, and also fourth on Aston des Erisse, with eight faults in 34.881.
"I've had Magnolia since the beginning of the year," said Ehman, who trains with Katie Prudent and Don Stewart. "It's a very fresh partnership, but she's fantastic. She's very firey, but her heart is bigger than she is."
"I just try to keep her calm and stay out of her way," said Ehman.
"I travel with the Prudents," said Ehman. "I go to Upper Echelon on-line school. When I'm not riding, I can talk to a tutor and keep my grades up. I think I might go to on-line college. I want to turn pro and see how far I can go."
"This is my third year at Devon, but it was my first year in junior jumpers here," she said. "I love riding in the jumpers. I never expected this. I'd never ridden in a night class at Devon before. It's a memory I'll have forever."
BARNES ON ATLAS, with 38 points, was Overall Large Junior Hunter Champion and the Devon Grand Junior Hunter Champion, and Grace Stenbeck-Werner on Cleverist was Grand Pony Hunter Champion.
Just two riders won all the junior hunter awards, and one rider won all the pony awards but one.
Barnes dominated the Younger Junior Hunter divisions, riding Atlas to the championship in the Younger Large section and Showman to the championship in the Younger Small section.
To continue her domination, Barnes was also named Best Child Rider on a Horse.
“A big improvement from last year,” she said. “I didn’t get any ribbons here last year other than the under saddle, so this was quite the improvement.”
Barnes rides with trainers Dave Belford and Chris Payne of New Hope, LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Belford credited Barnes with dedication and an impressive work ethic and more.
“She has compassion for the horses," he said. "Ava will be in their stalls, laying down with them, loving on them, and that is close to my heart, that is why we do this, we love the horses, we love the kids, and yes, we also like blue ribbons.”
Paige Walkenbach dominated the Older divisions, riding Balylon to win the Older Small Junior Hunter Championship and Overall Small Junior Hunter Championship and also riding San Pedro 15 to win the Older Large Junior Hunter Championship.
Grace Stenbeck-Werner, another Belford and Payne pupil, rode Farmore State of the Art, and Ellie Sadrian’s Cleverist to the Small Pony Hunter and Medium Pony Hunter Championship titles, respectively.
Stenbeck-Werner on Cleverist won the Grand Pony Hunter Championship, and she was also awarded the Best Child Rider on a Pony.
The only pony championship that did not go to Stenbeck-Werner was the Large Pony Hunter Championship, which went to Ella Tarumianz on Hey Scooby.
