USHJA Hunter Team Challenge Wrap-Up Across the Central, Northeast, West and Southeast Regions

Lexington, Ky.—Dec. 7, 2023—In its third year, the USHJA Hunter Team Challenge concluded after more than 100 riders spanning across 32 teams vied for medals across the Central, Northeast, West and Southeast regions of the country. 

The Central Challenge saw nine teams compete and was held July 19-23 at Lamplight Summertime III in Wayne, Illinois. 

Gold Medal Team

• Devan Matuschka, of Northfield, Illinois, and her own Aramba Jolie Versace
• Kendall George, of Hampshire, Illinois, riding her own Reveren Sargoun
• Brenton Oates, of Lake Forest, Illinois, with Arison Oates' Bastian K
• Mackenzy Guptil, of Clinton, Missouri, with her own Poetic Justice   

Silver Medal Team

• Alison Roper, of Hobart, Indiana, and Vadim, owned by Samantha Roper
• Samantha Gruen, of St. Paul, Minnesota, riding her own Cabaret LS
• Eva Paskewich, of Ostego,  Minnesota, owner and rider of Space Jam VL

Bronze Medal Team

• Jaclyn Alberti, of Wadsworth, Illinois, riding her own Q'Cille
• Ava Tzioufas, of Inverness, Illinois, and Monica Possekel's Jetalon
• Ivy Lampert, of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, riding Alyssa Buckler's Cassaway
• Jordan Kuszynski, of Marengo, Illinois, with Boca's Lucky Charm, owned by Emily Elek-Burtard

The Northeast competition saw nine teams compete and was held August 2-6 at New York Horse & Pony in Saugerties, New York. 

Gold Medal Team

• Wilma Riordan, of Deerfield, New Hampshire, with Premier Ponies LLC's Bridlewood Signature
• Hanna Simcsuk, of Nutley, New Jersey, riding her own Mr. Worldwide
• Lily Capone, of Sea Isle City, New Jersey, and Liz Porter's Devito
• Kathleen DeGenova, of Cape May Court House, New Jersey, and her own Pizzazz 

Silver Medal Team

• Gianna Carducci, of Farmington, Connecticut, riding her own Favorit Privateer
• Candance Houston, of Hampstead, New Hampshire, piloting her own Tanzanite 
• Scarlett Von Zelowitz, of Skillman, New Jersey, and Linden, owned by Alicia Davidson
• Camille Borres, of Lambertville, New Jersey, Suzanne Streeter's Kassara

Bronze Medal Team

• Sarah McCombe, of Riverhead, New York, and Delmar, owned by First Blue, LLC
• Madeline Ahern, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, and her own Clees
•  Lexi Reininger, of Webster, New York, riding her own Flirt
• Maren McLaughlin, of Farmington, Connecticut, with Yukon Gold, owned by Go Buck Yourself LLC
• Jessica Romano, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, and Chevron MCF, owned by Jennifer Kane Paterson
• Julia Buonanno, of New York, New York, riding Boomerang, owned by Renee Snyder

The West Challenge saw five teams compete during National Sunshine Series II in Thermal, California, over November 8-12. 

Gold Medal Team

• Lucy Anderson, of Rancho Santa Fe, California, with her own Airmani
• India Kulkin, of Montecito, California, riding Piper Kulkin's Big Business
• Lisa Pleasance, of Bend Oregon, riding her own Record Year
• Elizabeth Abbe, of San Francisco, California, and Charles Abbe's Speakeasy

Silver Medal Team

• Kathryn Fritz, of Encinitas, California, with Wilton's Eclips, owned by Lexie Looker
• Caylin Garnett, of Incline Village, Nevada, riding Marvel, owned by Leslie Pinkerton Nelson
• Leila Palestrant, of Scottsdale, Arizona, and her own Elevation
• Abigail Steller, of Santa Monica, California, aboard Mercurius II S, owned by Summerhouse Farm LLC

Bronze Medal Team

• Emily Guerard, of Reno, Nevada, riding her own Concord
• Sadie McLaughlin, of Renton, Washington, piloting her own Cool Papaya
• Addison Cheetham, of El Dorado, California, with her own Cruisin'

The Southeast competition saw nine teams compete during Jump For The Children II in Raleigh, North Carolina, over November 15-19. 

Gold Medal Team

• Tessa Quarles, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Zimba, owned by Lauren Hill
• Laila Theurer, of Darnestown, Maryland, Star Attraction, owned by Courtney Morton
• Krista Jones, of Raleigh, North Carolina, riding her own Janita

Silver Medal Team

• Eden Sharp, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and her own Dumbledore
• Joni Shrimp, of Willard, North Carolina, riding her own Verdi 2
• Emily Futti, of Crozet, Virginia, and Alibi, owned by Britni Cash
• Lucy Wallace, of Lexington, Virginia, with her own Encore

Bronze Medal Team

• Kayden Rose, of Willow Spring, North Carolina, riding Cindy Laskow's Denizen
• Esther Lander, of Vienna, Virginia, with her own Deputy Balou
• Allie Robards, of Pittsboro, North Carolina, piloting her own Gayfields Great Scot
• Zoey Riechman, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, and her own Euphoria 

This unique format allows for Hunter riders competing in the 2’-2’6” Children’s Pony Hunters, 2’6” Low Child/Adult Hunters and 3’ Children’s/Adult Amateur Hunter divisions to experience what it is like to ride on a team by random draw. An additional bonus is that riders who participate in the Hunter Team Challenge can earn extra Zone Horse of the Year Points in their respective divisions. 

For 2024, the USHJA Hunter Team Challenge will offer four Challenges: 

• Central Challenge - Summertime III in Wayne, Illinois, July 19-23, 2024
• Northeast Challenge - New York Horse & Pony in Saugerties, New York, August 2-6, 2024
• West Challenge - National Sunshine Series II in Thermal, California, November 6-10, 2024
• Southeast Challenge - Jump For The Children II in Raleigh, North Carolina, November 13-17, 2024

The USHJA would like to thank Official Sponsors CWD, Parlanti and Nutrena. A special thank you also goes to the teams at HITS and Desert International Horse Park for hosting the Challenges. 

Learn more about the USHJA Hunter Team Challenge at ushja.org/HTC.

Photos: Alison Hartwell Photography, ESI Photography, Megan Giese Media, HITS Chicago