 Ellen Toon and Gabriel wrapped up an unbelievable indoor show season with the Reserve Championship in the 3’3" Amateur-Owner, 36 and over, Hunter section at the National Horse Show in Kentucky!
This pair won two out of three over fence classes and earned second in the third over fences class! Congratulations on an incredible show season! Special thanks to Jimmy Toon and Rodney Bross for all of your training help, Adonis for making Gabriel alway look so stunning, and Megan Young for giving Gabriel great rides in the Conformation Hunters this week! It truly takes a village!  Gabriel and Ellen Toon jumped to two scores of 90 at the Pennsylvania National. Gabriel and Ellen Toon continued their top performances this fall by clinching the 3'3" Amateur-Owner Hunter, 36 and over, Reserve Championship at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, October 18 in Harrisburg. The pair scored a winning 90 in the first over fences class for a fantastic start and then placed fourth in the competitive handy with an 86. It was a repeat performance on the second day, with another score of 90 and the blue ribbon in the first over fences class and a third in the formal attire class to clinch the reserve championship.  Gabriel with Ellen and Jimmy Toon  Gabriel and Tori Colvin By the conclusion of the Capital Challenge Horse Show on October 6 in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, the JT Farm banner was loaded with ribbons. Earning the show's first championship inside the Show Place Arena were Victoria Colvin, of Loxahatchee, Florida, and Gabriel, owned by JT Farm. Colvin, 22, and the 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding won two Green Conformation Hunter over fences classes and finished second in the handy before ultimately claiming the Green Conformation Hunter division championship, sponsored by Joie Gatlin – Morley Abey Show Jumping Inc. “All of his rounds were very consistent; he didn’t get anything lower than an 84 or 85,” said Colvin, who first rode the gelding a year ago at the Capital Challenge. “It’s neat to see how he’s come along since last year. This is like a one-year anniversary.” Throughout much of the summer, Gabriel shows with owner Ellen Toon in the Amateur-Owner Hunters – which Toon will contest with the gelding at Capital Challenge as well – but Colvin enjoys the opportunity to compete Gabriel at Capital Challenge. “It’s a nice show, and everybody – East Coast, West Coast – comes together to compete here,” said Colvin, who noted that she has been competing at the horse show for more than 12 years. “I was here in the ponies; I showed here in the junior hunters when I was nine.”  Gabriel and Tori Colvin Conformation Hunter Champions  Playmaker and Ellen Toon Grand Adult Amateur Hunter Champions Then, on Thursday, Playmaker and Ellen Toon captured the co-Grand Championship in the Adult Amateur Hunters after claiming the tricolor in the Adult Amateur, 51 and over, section. They won both over fences classes and placed seventh under saddle for the overall title.
Ellen and Playmaker shared the Grand Championship title with Vivian Yowan and Calou, which was sponsored by Steve Martines, and both of their names will be engraved on the Equus Entries Challenge Trophy, donated by Equus Entries and Sue and Ralph Caggiano. Each earned 20 points in the Adult Amateur Hunters, 51 and Over and the Adult Amateur Hunters, 18-35, respectively. “The first round was our best trip ever with me,” said Ellen, of South Salem, New York, who earned a score of 90.50 for both the win in the class and the Adult Amateur Hunter EMO Trip of the Show. “The second round, I didn’t feel was as good on my part. I got a little deep, but he still jumped really well. He still got an 89, so that was nice.” That score was enough to secure a second over fences victory for Ellen and the 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by JT Farm, giving them the division championship. “I’ve been coming here since the beginning, and I think it’s the hardest of all of the indoor horse shows,” said Ellen. “Because it isn’t a qualifying hose show, you get such a variety [of riders] from all over the country. The competition is really great. The horse show does a beautiful job of making the hunters special. The footing’s fantastic; the indoor is fantastic. Everything is really great. It’s really rewarding when you do well here. I love this horse show.” Special thanks to Jump Media for sharing excerpts from their Capital Challenge press releases. Photos by Shawn McMillen Photography |