June Show Report from the Riding Program: Starting Summer on the Right Hoof

The Foxcroft trainers took advantage of the unrated Upperville Jump 4 Fun show on Sunday, June 2, to solidify new horse and rider partnerships and prepare some duos for the two rated weeks of showing at the same venue. Six riders and nine horses attended this show and made great use of their time in the ring. The jumper riders brought home 14 clear round blues and the hunters earned a 5th and an 8th place in huge classes. As always, we appreciate Foxcroft’s staff member, Casey Vidalon, piloting the horses around in both the jumper and the hunter rings to prepare them for the students to have great trips. Rider and horse details are listed below.

After a productive day at the unrated show on Sunday, a group of Foxcroft riders were excited to compete in the rated week of the historic Upperville Colt and Horse Show. From June 3-9, Foxcroft sent six horses to the jumper rings with three student riders and one outside professional rider. Special thanks to Caroline Adams who showed Hrabia, the freshly imported jumper of Michelle L. ’27, in his first stateside classes — he was a star and we are so excited to see Michelle build a partnership with him this fall. Caroline also helped do some training classes to set up the 1.0m jumpers for their riders throughout the week. Between her pro rides and the student riders, these horses earned a total of 9 clear round blues in the prep classes. With well-prepared horses and ready-to-go riders, the Foxcroft group had a very successful week in classes ranging from the 1.0m to the 1.25m heights. Penelope M. ’27 rode her two horses, MTM Fashionista and DC, to four strong finishes in the 1.0m Junior Jumpers and an 8th place finish in the 1.05m Junior Jumper Classic. Cierra C. ’25 and her partner, Generosa MK, earned a 3rd and a 6th place in the 1.20m Junior Jumper classes. The most exciting highlight from Upperville this year was watching Valeska F. ’26 smile from ear to ear as she led the victory galloping after jumping double clear and fast to earn the blue in the 1.15 Junior Jumper Classic. This was especially thrilling since this was Valeska’s first time competing at this height and her first rated show riding Ferrari. 

Following a great week at Upperville, the Foxcroft team was excited to welcome more riders to compete at the same venue for the week of the Loudoun Benefit Horse Show. The six riders and eight horses participating in this show contested classes ranging from the Opportunity Short/Long Stirrup Equitation to the USHJA 2’3” hunters to the 1.25 jumpers. Madison B. ’24 kindly shared the riding duties for her horse Moonwalk with Anneliese C. ’26 and they each piloted him to solid ribbons. Hayley B. ’25 riding Cooley Grand Finale started the week in the hunters, then decided to try her hand in the jumpers over the weekend. “Finnious,” on loan to Foxcroft from a local friend, is a jack of all trades and was happy to accommodate the change of scenery from flower boxes to striped rails and show Hayley the ropes in the jumper ring. Penelope M. ’27 helped her sister and incoming freshman Isla M. ’28 get to know the rhythm of showing with the Foxcroft team as Isla rode her new mare, Jetske VDP, to 3rd place in the .90m Jumpers. We look forward to helping this new partnership develop this coming year.

While cheering for her sister, Penelope was able to add color to the banner by riding to top ribbons in the 1.0m Junior Jumpers with her two horses and ultimately claiming the 8th place ribbon in the 1.05m Junior Jumper Classic with MTM Fashionista. Special congratulations to Penelope on the purchase of this special mare. We are over the moon to know that “Fancy” is now a permanent member of the McConnell family! After a fantastic week at Upperville with her temporary lease horse Ferrari, Valeska F. ’26 and “Vroom Vroom” as we affectionately call her in the barn stayed clean and fast to earn a 2nd and an 8th in the 1.10m Junior Jumper division this second week. Valeska also rode Send It, a new horse that she is developing, to ribbons in some other jumper divisions. Rounding out the pretty ribbons on the banner from Loudoun Benefit was a beautiful 10th-place rosette earned by Cierra C. ’25 and her mare, Generosa MK, in the 1.25 Jr/Am Jumper Classic.

Read below to celebrate the complete results from these two weeks of showing at Upperville and then at Loudoun Benefit.

Full Results

Upperville Jump 4 Fun 

• A total of 14 clear round blue ribbons were earned by jumper riders Maddie K. ’26, Valeska F. ’26, and Penelope M. ’27 in their classes.

• Casey Vidalon (Foxcroft staff) & Handsome - 5th: 2’ Hunter

• Sammie M. ’27 & Handsome - 8th: 2’3” Hunter

Upperville Colt & Horse Show

• A total of 9 clear round blue ribbons were earned by the jumper riders Cierra C. ’25, Valeska F. ’26, Penelope M. ’27, Caroline Adams (pro rider) on Hrabia owned by Michelle L. ’27 in their 1.0m prep classes.

• Valeska F. ’26 & Ferrari - 1.10/1.15m Jr Jumper: 7th, 7th, 1st in the Classic 1.10/1.15M JR JUMPER RESERVE CHAMPION

• Penelope M. ’27 & MTM Fashionista - 1.0m Jr Jumper: 2nd, 5th, 8th in the 1.05m Classic 

• Penelope M. ’27 & DC - 1.0m Jr Jumper: 6th, 7th 

• Cierra C. ’25 & Generosa MK - 1.20/1.25m Jr/Am Jumper: 3rd, 6th

Loudoun Benefit

• Casey Vidalon (Foxcroft staff) & Anneliese C. ’26 & Moonwalk - USHJA 2’3” Hunter: 5th, 8th

• Madison B. ’24 & Moonwalk - Opp Short/Long Stirrup Eq - walk: 2nd

• Valeska F. ’26 & Send It - .95m Jr/Am Jumper: 4th

• Valeska F. ’26 & Ferrari - 1.10m Jumper: 8th; 1.10/1.15m Jr Jumper: 2nd, 8th

• Penelope M. ’27 & MTM Fashionista - 1.0m Jr/Am Jumper: 8th, 6th in the Classic 

• Isla M. ’28 & Jetske VDP - .90m Jumper: 3rd & 2 clear round blues

• Cierra C. ’25 & Generosa MK - 1.20/1.25m Jr/Am Jumper: 10th in the Classic 

• Caroline Adams (pro rider) & Wasabi - 1.15m Jumper: 2nd