WIHS Regional and Zone 3 Finals — Fun, Learning & Champions in the Making!
From Director of Riding Kate Worsham
Although October in Virginia is the month for slightly crisp mornings and pleasant sunny afternoons that highlight the leaves changing color, this year, mother nature decided to throw the horses and riders attending the WIHS (Washington International Horse Show) Regional and USHJA (United States Hunter/Jumper Association) Zone 3 Finals show at the Morven Equestrian Center in Leesburg a curve ball, as temperatures plummeted and it felt like winter was in full force.
Bundled up for their sunrise flat sessions in the show rings, the riders braved the elements to ensure they were prepared to compete throughout the week despite the cold temps that threatened to make the horses a bit sassy! Their diligence paid off as they contested a variety of large classes against some stiff competition and came away with several ribbons to add to the Foxcroft banner.
Although October in Virginia is the month for slightly crisp mornings and pleasant sunny afternoons that highlight the leaves changing color, this year, mother nature decided to throw the horses and riders attending the WIHS (Washington International Horse Show) Regional and USHJA (United States Hunter/Jumper Association) Zone 3 Finals show at the Morven Equestrian Center in Leesburg a curve ball, as temperatures plummeted and it felt like winter was in full force.
Bundled up for their sunrise flat sessions in the show rings, the riders braved the elements to ensure they were prepared to compete throughout the week despite the cold temps that threatened to make the horses a bit sassy! Their diligence paid off as they contested a variety of large classes against some stiff competition and came away with several ribbons to add to the Foxcroft banner.
The jumpers stole the show this time out with ribbons won in classes ranging from the .75m to the 1.10m heights. In the .75m classes, Valeska F. ’26 piloted Foxcroft’s Cappuccino Ice to 6th out of 30 competitors in the speed class and 7th in the 2b format jump-off class, as Emerson S. ’26 and Foxcroft’s Pourdire earned 5th in the 2b round out of a field of 22 competitors. At the 1.0m height, Sage W. ’23 and Blue Star were solid in their practice class to finish 6th out of 16 horse and rider combinations. Cierra C. ’25 and her Generosa MK also made good use of the prep classes by earning 8th place in her class on the first day and then taking the win in the next day’s class. In the High Children’s Jumper Classic at 1.10m, Irene B. ’24 and her horse Pablo rode a beautiful round and brought home the 4th place ribbon.
The last day of the show was reserved for horses qualified to compete in the USHJA Zone 3 Finals classes. Representing the Foxcroft program were Sage and Cierra in the Zone Low Children’s Welcome, set as a speed track, and the Zone Low Children’s Classic, which ran in a 2a format. Both Cierra and Sage cruised around the speed track with ease and captured the 5th and 2nd place ribbons in the Welcome class. Later that afternoon, they returned to contest the Classic and once again proved themselves solid competitors in a group of nice riders and clever horses. Sage and Blue had a few unlucky rails in the jump-off and finished in 6th place. Cierra and Jenny came back for their jump-off round with a game plan in mind and a collective twinkle in their eyes and rode a tidy and efficient path between the jumps to take the win in the Classic, finishing a full 3 seconds faster than the second-place rider. An exciting finish to a great horse show!
The horse show crew is looking forward to their next adventure as they head to Swan Lake Stables in Gettysburg, PA, for the November Harvest Classic show in mid-November.
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.
