A Busy Spring for Riders with More to Come!

Swan Lake April National Horse Show
The fun started with six riders attending the Swan Lake April National Horse Show, April 13-16. These riders primarily contested the jumper classes, with one rider focusing her attention on the equitation ring. Irene B. ’24 and her Pablo earned solid ribbons at their second show, where Pablo was asked to shift gears from the jumper ring and play equitation horse instead. As she prepared for her Medal classes, Irene took home some blue ribbons in her equitation division to start the show. She then went on to win the USHJA 3’3” Hunt Seat Medal, earn 5th place in the NHS Medal, and 4th place in the USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal. 

In the jumper arena, five riders participated in classes ranging from the .80m to the 1.10m height. They each rode well and were able to ride their courses, analyze their track and pace from each and adjust things as needed to make each round smoother and more competitive. Highlights included Chiara D. ’25 and her Chellimo earning the Championship honors in the Low Children’s Jumper division and Sage W. ’23 doing her first show at 1.10m and loving every minute of her time jumping bigger jumps and earning ribbons on her Ferrari, aka “Vroom Vroom.” Also moving up at this show were London H. ’23 jumping her first tracks at .90m, and Valeska F. ’26 into the Low Children’s division at the 1.0m height. A successful season at WEF in the .80m and the .90m left Valeska and Foxcroft’s Cappuccino Ice well-prepared to make this move up.  

Results for the jumpers were as follows:
London H. ’23 - Blue Star - .80m 4th, 4th, 4th; .90m 5th
Valeska F. ’26 - Cappuccino Ice - .90m 3rd; 1.0m Low Ch/Ad 4th, 6th
Chiara D. ’25 - Chellimo - .90m 2nd; 1.0m Low Ch/Ad 1st, 6th, 7th in Classic & Champion
Sage W. ’23 - Ferrari - 1.0m Low Ch/Ad 6th, 2nd; 1.10m High Ch/Ad 2nd, 4th in Classic
Cierra C. ’25 - Generosa MK - 1.10m High Ch/Ad 6th, 5th, 3rd, 8th in Classic

Commonwealth National Horse Show
Once the riders returned from Swan Lake, it was right back on the bus for Sage and Ferrari as they headed to Culpeper with Ms. Allie to compete at the Commonwealth National Horse Show, April 20-23. Once again, Sage and Ferrari competed in the 1.10m classes in the High Children’s Jumper division, where they confidently navigated the courses throughout the weekend. It was smooth sailing for this duo as they earned a 3rd, 4th, and 6th place finish in the Classic. After enjoying themselves at these back-to-back shows, it was time for Sage to hit the books and prep for her AP exams while Ferrari had some time to hack out on Big Track.

Foxcroft Reunion Weekend
While Ms. Allie was training at the show, Ms. Kendall and I hosted a group of alumnae for the Reunion Weekend trail rides, which took the riders on a scenic tour through campus. Four riders were accompanied by two current students and Ms. Kendall as they meandered through the fields and trails reminiscing about their time at Foxcroft and enjoying the company of this current generation of Foxcroft riders. This group was truly delightful, and we were glad to help add a special moment to their reunion experience. Special thanks to the following students who helped us prepare the horses, ride with the alumnae, and then tuck everyone in when the activity was finished: Valeska F. ’26, Anneliese C. ’26, Ellet S. ’26, Irene B. ’24, and London H. ’23.

Lexington Spring Premiere Horse Show and Lexington Spring Encore Horse Show
After a day or two to reorganize, the crew was on the road again with Ms. Kate and Ms. Allie taking seven students to the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA, for the Lexington Spring Premiere Horse Show, April 25-26, and then four students attending the following week at the same venue at the Lexington Spring Encore Horse Show, May 2-7. 

Spring Premiere consisted of the riders showing in a blend of hunters, jumpers, and equitation classes at a variety of heights. In the equitation ring, Irene B. ’24 and Pablo rode some nice rounds in the Children’s Hunters to prepare for their Medal classes, and we were all tickled to see her jumper-turned-equitation horse bring home prizes in both the over fences classes and the under saddle class. In the actual qualifying classes for the Medals, Irene rode really well and earned a 3rd in the VHSA/EMO Children’s Medal and a 4th in the THIS Medal. 

In the hunter and equitation ring, Maddie K. ’26 rode Foxcroft’s Caspian 4 to many great ribbons in the 2’6” classes, including the win in the Special Children’s Equitation over fences. Competing alongside Maddie was Anneliese C. ’26 on Chiara D.’s Brunello di Montalcino, aka Bee, who also earned several solid prizes in the 2’6” classes and took the blue in the Special Children’s Equitation on the flat. 

On the other side of the show grounds in the jumper arena, Sofia K. ’26 and Foxcroft’s Luck of the Draw (graciously donated by Molly C. ’23) showed in the .85m Pre-Child/Adult Jumper division. Having just ridden Benny for a couple of weeks before the show, Sofia did a fabulous job learning from this seasoned veteran and gaining some valuable show mileage to help her continue to work with her green horse at home. Her week culminated with a 4th place finish in the Classic on Sunday. Continuing to build on her momentum in the 1.0m classes at Swan Lake, Valeska F. ’26 once again piloted Chino in the Low Child/Adult Jumper division, where she put in multiple solid rounds and earned 15th place in the Classic.

Also in the Low Child/Adult classes was Chiara D. ’25 and her Chilli, who were testing out a new bit, or lack thereof, since we transitioned her to a hackamore after WEF. While we will make a few more tweaks to her show equipment, this pair is building a solid foundation, and we are so proud of Chiara for taking the time to patiently create a clear line of communication with her new horse to help build on her success from this show where she was 13th in the Low Child/Adult Classic. 

Rounding out the show group this first week in Lexington was Cierra C. ’25 and her Generosa MK, Jenny, who competed in the High Children’s Jumpers. This horse and rider combination really came into its own over some extremely challenging courses in Wellington this winter, and Cierra used what she learned from her winter circuit and the subsequent follow-up exercises to fine-tune her consistency over fences. This was evidenced as she won two of the three classes in her division, including the NAL/WIHS Classic qualifier, and finished by adding the Championship tri-color to the Foxcroft banner. 

Complete results from Spring Premiere are as follows:
Irene B. ’24 - Pablo - Children’s Htr 4th, 5th, 8th u/s; VHSA/EMO Medal 3rd; THIS Children’s Medal 4th
Maddie K. ’26 - Caspian 4 - Low Children’s Htr 2nd, 7th, 5th in Classic; Special Children’s Htr 6th, 6th; Special Children’s Equitation 1st; Low Children’s Equitation 2nd, 4th
Anneliese C. ’26 - Brunello di Montalcino -  Low Children’s Htr 6th, 2nd, 7th, 6th, 4th in Classic; Special Children’s Htr 3rd, 5th, 7th u/s; Special Children’s Equitation 1st flat, 3rd; Low Children’s Equitation 3rd
Sofia K. ’26 - Luck of the Draw - Pre-Child/Ad Jpr 4th in Classic
Valeska F. ’26 - Cappuccino Ice - Low Child/Adult Jpr 15th in Classic
Chiara D. ’25 - Chellimo - Low Child/Adult Jpr 13th in Classic
Cierra C. ’25 - Generosa MK - High Children’s Jpr 2nd, 1st, 1st in Classic & Champion 

During the second week at the beautiful mountain view venue at the Virginia Horse Center, the four riders competing with Foxcroft once again represented their school and the Riding Program well as they focused their energy on the jumper ring. Sarah B. ’25 and her leased horse, The Dude Abides, as well as Emerson S. ’26 and Foxcroft’s Pourdire, showed in the .85m Pre-Child/Adult Jumper division. They both did an excellent job navigating some long and technical courses in the DeeDee Arena and, despite a sudden downpour and last-minute course change by management to accommodate the weather, each ribboned in the Classic on Sunday. 

Valeska rode Chino again during the week of Spring Encore and really dialed in her sense of pace and leg-to-hand connection to produce consistently accurate and clear rounds in the Low Child/Adult division and earned 8th place in the 2b class on Saturday with just a single rail down in the jump-off. Not willing to rest on her laurels after a stellar first week of showing at this venue, Cierra and Jenny upped their game for a clean sweep of blue ribbons in the High Children’s Jumper division, the Championship title for the second week in a row, and the title of Leading “Junior Jumper” Rider, which came with a snazzy backpack! With more points added to her NAL/WIHS totals, Cierra and her quick-footed and careful mare are well-positioned to be invited to compete at those finals in the fall. 

Complete results from Spring Encore are as follows:
Emerson S. ’26 - Pourdire - Pre-Child/Ad Jpr 6th, 6th in Classic
Sarah B. ’25 - The Dude Abides - Pre-Child/Ad Jpr 5th in Classic
Valeska F. ’26 - Cappuccino Ice - Low Child/Adult Jpr 8th 
Cierra C. ’25 - Generosa MK - High Children’s Jpr 1st, 1st, 1st in Classic & Champion & Leading “Junior Jumper” Rider (leading point total for jumper classes out of all junior riders at the show)

All said and done, the two weeks in Lexington were a productive venture with many successes and learning moments that will serve those riders well as they move into the summer show schedule. 

Foxcroft Riding Photoshoot
Right on the heels of the spring shows, some of the freshmen and sophomores were kind enough to lend us their time, smiles, and riding skills to participate in a photo shoot. This activity was designed to capture images that will give visiting students and families a sense of what riding at Foxcroft is all about. From students grooming their horses in preparation to ride them and hanging out in the tack room after their lessons to relaxing trail strolls behind Covert and exhilarating jump sessions on Big Track, these riders helped us create a pictorial story around the offerings that the program provides to students who wish to ride for pleasure as well as those who have serious competitive aspirations. It was fun to showcase some of our beautiful horses, the wonderful facility we are lucky enough to have, and some of the fantastic girls who make up our riding roster.

To finish out the spring season, it will be all hands on deck as we take 12 riders and 14 horses to Leesburg to participate in the first of two unrated shows held this year at the Morven Park facility. This group will include newbies trying out showing for the first time and seasoned competitors test riding different horses or preparing for the Upperville and Loudoun Benefit shows in June. It should be a fun adventure, and we will be sure to report back as we wrap up the school year and provide more information about the summer offerings.