I always breathe a sigh of relief once the AHJF Hunter Classic Spectacular is over. It’s not because I don’t enjoy the class but it is because it takes a lot of work from all of us to organize this very special event. Each year we wait in anticipation of who the winner will be and how that victory unfolded. This year only 3 ½ months after giving birth to her first child that victory went to 30-year-old Liza Boyd, Camden, SC, and Brunello over a Richard Jeffrey designed course.
In the press conference following the victory celebration Liza admitted that after Texan Peter Pletcher and Vibe negotiated 91 in their second round she realized she’d have to go for it. She knew that Brunello didn’t have the elegant stride that Vibe has but what he does have is a brilliance that shines if she rides for the gold. And ride she did to combine her first round score of 91 with a second round score of 91.83 which squeaked by Vibe’s 179.16 to her two-round score of 182.83.
Proving that motherhood wasn’t going to get in the way of her abilities (although these days she thinks being a mom is pretty grand) she went out there in the Internationale arena to prove to herself that she still has what it takes.
It is the staff behind the event and the Equestrian Sport Production incredible facility that helps to give Boyd and the other competitors the ability to be showcased. The staff behind the Hunter Classic spends all year and especially the last two months working diligently to organize the event. The week before is when the final riders qualify and the list to compete is named. This year there were 31 people on that list all primed to try to earn that coveted championship title.
I spent a lot of the week taking photos and watching both the veterans and up-and-coming horses and riders negotiate courses throughout the week in hopes of earning championship or reserve honors since that is what is needed to qualify.
At night I would view those photos and have a chance to notice how both the riders and horses get better and better. It wasn’t just the beauty of the horses that we now call hunters that inspires me but the whole atmosphere of these showgrounds and how the top hunter and jumper riders in the nation call this home for many of the winter months. What a great place to showcase our sport.
The day leading up to the final evening event is a bit stressful because the final horses don’t qualify until that day. And so there we are trying to organize the list of competitors in between all the other details required to organize an event of this magnitude.
The major players are Executive Director Michele Perla and her assistant Colleen Costich. President Keeley Gogul could be seen throughout the week helping out wherever she was needed. Kim Tudor and her Tudor & Company are the ones that organize the ever famous fundraising dinner, an event that has truly become the social event of the season for the hunter world. Family and friends have decided this is the place to be and they come in hoards to support this great organization.
While buying a table can be a bit pricey it is the AHJF’s major fundraiser for the year. Yet, the event isn’t limited to those that want to be in the main tent. In fact entry is free to the general public. So, it gives everyone a chance to mix and mingle, watch the show and enjoy some of the shopping and fast food provided on the grounds.
As the day progresses I feel like a clock is ticking in my mind. Since I write the story and take the photos I’m focused on where I have to be when. It was 6:00 p.m. when the riders walked the course and the grooms walked the horses around the arena. From 6:30 to 7:00 I was up in the tent capturing the first people to arrive at the elaborate dinner. By 7:00 it was back to the arena to capture a few awards presentations and the parade of the competitors. By 7:30 the first horse was on the course of the field of 31 who had qualified.
I didn’t look at my clock when the first of eight horses came back for the jump-off round and apparently neither did most of those who came to enjoy the evening. You could hear laughter and conversation happening everywhere but when a brilliant round was put in you could also hear the appreciation of the audience. It was inspiring to witness their admiration for these top hunter competitors.
Once the class was over the presentation of the awards is an event to behold because in addition to the $42,200 that is shared by the top 12 competitors with $12,000 going to the winner is a bounty of gifts for them to take away.
The ultimate moment of the evening is when the winner takes the victory gallop. I love getting those pictures because it gives me that chance to capture the winner in action but also marks the end of another successful event.
At the press conference that followed that success Boyd, Pletcher and Louise Serio (who finished third on Castle Rock) could not express enough how important this class is to them. In a word it’s not just a competition but it truly is the place to compete and/or attend for anyone who has an appreciation for hunter riders and hunter horses.
And so with that another AHJF Hunter Classic is over and is considered the kick-off of the season for many hunter riders. Yet, every one of those riders is thinking ahead to next February in hopes that will be their year for a victory in the 15th annual AHJF Hunter Classic Spectacular.