Horse Illustrated Magazine

In the arena, riders went for top honors in the second competition for the Under 25 National Championship and the $35,000 Open Jumper Accumulator Class. Outside the arena, spectators from area barns donned costumes and showed their most enthusiastic support in hopes of winning one of the coveted Barn Night prizes at the 2016 CP National Horse Show.

Under 25 National Championship

As the name implies, the Under 25 classes are restricted to riders younger than 25 years old. After the first round of competition on Thursday afternoon, riders returned in reverse order of ranking for the second class of the division on Friday evening. Hilary McNerney and Z Acodate DDL were ranked first after Thursday’s class, and they defended their ranking on Friday with another win. The Under 25 National Champion will be crowned after the final competition on Sunday morning.

Open Jumper Accumulator Class

The Accumulator Class is like any other jumper class in that getting around clear is the primary goal. The scoring is different, however; instead of rails down or refusals incurring penalty points, each jump is assigned a point value, and riders add those points to their score as they clear each jump. Refusals result in a four-point deduction. If a rider has a rail down, they don’t get the points for that fence, but they don’t have any points deducted. That rule holds until the very last fence, where riders have a choice. They can go for a relatively inviting 10-point fence, or they can risk the joker fence. The joker is a bit narrower and more challenging than the alternative, but clearing it adds 20 points to the score. The twist is that if riders attempt the joker and knock a rail, they have 10 points deducted.

Several riders earned the 65-point maximum score for the course, so the final placings came down to the fastest perfect round. Leslie Howard riding Donna Speciale had the fastest round and took home the top prize.

Barn Night Awards

The 2016 Collegiate Saddles Barn Night gives local barns an extra incentive to come out in force and cheer on the riders on Friday night at the CP NHS. Barns are encouraged to wear themed costumes and show their spirit throughout the night.

Murphy Manor of Lexington, Kentucky, won an electric RXZ golf cart full of McCauley’s Feed for being the largest participating group. Ballyhigh Show Stable of nearby Versailles, Kentucky, won a job box of goodies from Suncast Commercial and The Tack Shop of Lexington for the winning costume: a cat lady and her cats. River Mountain Farm, also of Versailles, won the spirit award and took home a wheelbarrow full of barn supplies from The Tack Shop of Lexington.

Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com.