Final Titles Awarded at 2025 Marshall+Sterling/USHJA National Championships

Las Vegas, Nev.—Nov. 17, 2025—The final day of the 2025 Marshall+Sterling/USHJA National Championships in Las Vegas brought an exciting close to a week of competition. The concluding schedule featured the final rounds of the Adult Amateur, Children’s, and Pony Hunter Championships; the USEF/USHJA Jumper Championships; and the Affiliate Jumper Championships.

USHJA Adult Amateur Hunter 18-35 Championship

Riding in from Phoenix, Arizona, Sybil Rose and HLF Equestrian, LLC’s Cardentos rose to the occasion, delivering standout performances across the division. The pair claimed first or second place in the Over Fences, Classic, Handy, and Welcome classes to secure the USHJA Adult Amateur Hunter 18-35 Championship title.

Claiming reserve honors was Ratatat, piloted by owner Lakshmi Jeyanandarajan, of Irvine, California, after taking blue in the $500 Adult Amateur Hunter 18-35 Over Fences and $500 Adult Amateur Hunter 18-35 Under Saddle classes.

USHJA Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 Championship

After securing first place in the $1,000 Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 Stake and second in the $500 Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 Over Fences, Wroyal Jester, ridden by Glenda Monkarsh, of Las Vegas, Nevada, and owned by Tom Rattigan, claimed the USHJA Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 Championship title. The pair also earned High Score Adult Amateur Hunter Rider​ after securing a score of 91 in the Stake.

Azucar, owned and ridden by Erin Boatwright of Newport Beach, California, earned reserve honors after topping the $500 Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 Over Fences and finishing second in both the $500 Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 Under Saddle and the $1,000 Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 Stake.

USHJA Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over​ Championship

After taking blue in the Under Saddle, Over Fences, and Under Saddle, Forsure, owned by Millennium Farm Inc., and ridden by Amy Brubaker, of Santa Ynez, California, took the USHJA Adult Amateur Hunter 51 and Over​ Championship title. For their efforts, the pair received the Grand Champion Adult Amateur Hunter​ award and the Grand Adult Amateur Hunter Riesling Perpetual Trophy donated by Cheryl and Michael Rubenstein​​.
“He’s the best,” exclaimed Brubaker. “Forsure is a new ride for me, and it's really quite a thrill to be grand champion, I have never gotten that before.”
Ridden and owned by Cynthia Hyde, of Toluca Lake, California, Hey Handsome! took home reserve honors after topping the Stake. 

USHJA Children's Hunter 14 & Under Championship

Topping her second division of the week, Kathryn Padilla, of Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, collected the USHJA Children’s Hunter 14 & Under Championship aboard Way Maker, owned by Highland Farm LLC. The pair also claimed victories in the $1,000 Children’s Hunter 14 & Under Stake—earning the High Score Children’s Hunter Award with a score of 88—and the $2,500 Children’s Hunter 14 & Under Classic.

Reserve went to Inga Adelberger, of Bozeman, Montana, riding her own Goldeneye, after topping the $500 Children's Hunter 14 & Under Under Saddle.

USHJA Children's Hunter 15-17 Championship

After taking second in Thursday’s $25,000 USHJA Junior/Amateur National Hunter Derby, Evie Becky, of Los Angeles, California, rode Twain, owned by Becky Equestrian LLC, to the USHJA Children’s Hunter 15-17 Champioship. The pair claimed victories in the $500 Children’s Hunter 15-17 Over Fences, $500 Children’s Hunter 15-17 Handy, and $500 Children’s Hunter 15-17 Under Saddle, also earning the Grand Children’s Hunter title.

“I’ve been to Vegas, but not to the horse show," Becky said. "This means a lot, to come here and come out on top. This is my first Grand Championship ever, and to do it in such a special place is really fun. I have never gotten a score of 90 before, so that's a big deal. I took two months off after an injury, so coming back was really important. I just wanted to come to Vegas and have one last go-round, ending the year on a high note. We definitely did that and closed the year out in this division on a high.”

Reserve honors went to Sally Mulroney, of Sherman Oaks, California, aboard her own Franklin.

USHJA Small Pony Hunter Championship

Las Vegas, Nevada, local Margaux Winchell piloted her own Hondo the Magnificent to the tricolor in the USHJA Small Pony Hunter Championship. On their way to the overall win, the duo topped both $500 Small Pony Hunter Over Fences classes and took second in the $1,000 Small Pony Hunter Stake.

Elisabeth Sickel, of Atherton, California, collected reserve aboard Cowtown Barn, LLC’s Westley.

USHJA Medium Pony Hunter Championship

Eva Lipman, of Redwood City, California, rode Powerstroke to the championship in the USHJA Medium Pony Hunter division, claiming victories in the $500 Medium Pony Hunter Handy, $1,000 Medium Pony Hunter Stake, and the $2,500 Medium Pony Hunter Classic. For their consistent performances, Lipman and Powerstroke were also awarded The Oaks Medium Pony Champion Perpetual Trophy, sponsored by the Meadows/Smith Family, as well as the Grand Pony Hunter​ honor and the Grand Champion Pony Unforgettable Perpetual Trophy, sponsored by The Oaks.

“This is both of our first time at Vegas, let alone an indoor show,” said Lipman. “Our goal was to get qualified for Pony Finals this weekend, and I'm really glad that that happened. I was also really happy today with my rounds. I feel like there were three solid and consistent runs and that was what I was really going for.”

She continued about Powerstroke, also known as Bingo. “He's super playful, cuddly. He definitely has quite a personality, but I really love him and he's going to be forever my heart pony. It's been so fun here, and I'm looking forward to coming back next year.”

Reserve honors went to Maxim Graff, of Lincoln, California, aboard Rollingwoods L Yeah, following strong performances throughout the division.

USHJA Large Pony Hunter Championship

Lee Sickel, of Atherton, California, rode Cowtown Barn, LLC’s Touch The Sun to the top of the $500 Large Pony Hunter Over Fences and second in the $500 Large Pony Hunter Handy to claim the USHJA Large Pony Hunter Championship title. Sickel also earned the Among the Stars Perpetual Trophy donated by Knightsbridge Farm for her efforts, and the High Score Pony after scoring an 88 in the Over Fences. 

Reserve honors went to Meant To Be, ridden by Payson Maxwell, of Scottsdale, Arizona, and owned by Kristen Hillenbrand. The pair topped the $500 Large Pony Hunter Under Saddle, the $1000 Large Pony Hunter Stake, and the $2500 Large Pony Hunter Classic. 

Rome Rehme, of Spicewood, Texas, rode September Starlight, owned by Melissa Jo Hollingsworth, to a score of 88 in the $500 Large Pony Hunter Handy, also earning the High Score Pony award alongside Sickel.

USEF/USHJA 1.00m Junior Jumper Championship

Chloe Foor, of Loomis, California, rode her own Oops I Did It Again to top honors in the USEF/USHJA 1.00m Junior Jumper Championship. The pair delivered a top performance in the $5,000 1.00m Junior Jumper Grand Prix, while also placing second in both the $1,000 1.00m Junior Jumper Speed and $1,000 1.00m Junior Jumper Welcome.

Reserve honors were shared in a tie between Brianna Shannon, of Valencia, California, aboard her own River Liffey, and Cleo McIntosh, of Los Angeles, California, riding Kleiner Clooney, owned by Ava Uhrig.

USEF/USHJA 1.00m Amateur Jumper Championship

Mellisa Parnia, of Woodland Hills, California, rode Egine de Sully, owned by Kristen Alire, to the title of USEF/USHJA 1.00m Amateur Jumper National Champion. The pair claimed top honors in the $1,000 1.00m Amateur Jumper Speed and the $5,000 1.00m Amateur Jumper Grand Prix, earning the championship tricolor and the Konnichiwa Perpetual Trophy, sponsored by Kym K. Smith.

Reserve champion honors went to Jennifer Craigmyle, of Oak Hills, California, aboard her own Kiss Me in Paris.

USHJA Affiliate .90m Children’s Jumper Championship

Riding her own Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Audrey Hieb, of Littleton, Colorado, won the $500 .90m Junior Affiliate Jumper Grand Prix and came second in the $500 .90m Junior Affiliate Jumper Welcome. For their efforts, the pair, nominated by Colorado Hunter Jumper Association, claimed the USHJA Affiliate .90m Junior Jumper Championship title. 

Collecting reserve champion and nominated by the Kentucky Hunter Jumper Association, was Louisa Rehme, of Spicewood, Texas, and Melissa Jo Hollingsworth’s Rising Star SL after topping the $500 .90m Junior Affiliate Jumper Welcome.

USHJA Affiliate .90m Adult Jumper Championship

Nominated by the Battle Born Hunter Jumper Association, Cadence Lacroix, of Reno, Nevada, rode Elizabeth Lacroix’s Twist of Faete to the top of the $500 .90m Amateur Affiliate Jumper Welcome and the $500 .90m Amateur Affiliate Jumper Speed. This resulted in them bringing home the USHJA Affiliate .90m Amateur Jumper Championship title.

Riding in from Littleton, Colorado, Sarah Patz rode her own Untouched Z to the only fault-free $500 .90m Amateur Affiliate Jumper Grand Prix round to earn herself the overall reserve champion honors. Patz was nominated by the Colorado Show Circuit. 

USHJA Affiliate 1.00m Children’s Jumper Championship

Riding for the Pacific Coast Horse Show Association, Addy Goshay, of Kentfield, California, rode Madison Wu’s Cupido to the top of the $500 1.00m Junior Affiliate Jumper Grand Prix, earning themselves the USHJA Affiliate 1.00m Junior Jumper Championship title. 

“I’m kind of just like, ‘Wow, that 30-second round just won me the Championship,’” exclaimed Goshay. “I’m so proud of Cupido. I haven’t ridden him for very long, and I feel really lucky [to have the ride on him]. He’s very springy, really fun to ride, and you’re just along for the ride. He knows what he’s doing, and he loves his job.”

Taking reserve honors was Zoey Snyder, of Huntington Beach, California, and Eavantus C, owned by David Bustillos. The pair was also nominated by the Pacific Coast Horse Show Association and placed first in the $500 1.00m Junior Affiliate Jumper Speed.

USHJA Affiliate 1.00m Adult Jumper Championship

Nominated by the Pacific Coast Horse Show Association, Lauren Wilson, of Huntington Beach, California, piloted Christoph Schroeder’s Tarzan D’Ivraie to a decisive victory, stopping the clock up to four seconds faster than her competitors to earn the USHJA Affiliate 1.00m Amateur Jumper Championship. The pair also topped both the $500 1.00m Adult Affiliate Jumper Welcome and the $500 1.0m Adult Affiliate Jumper Speed.

Reserve honors went to Cru Andrus of Tooele, Utah, and his own Xena, who secured the win in the $500 1.00m Adult Affiliate Jumper Grand Prix as the only fault-free ride in the class. Andrus was nominated by Creekside Equestrian.

For her standout Equitation performances in Thursday's competition aboard Kruz, owned by Bridgeport Farms, LLC, Violet Tatum of Pacific Palisades, California, was named Leading Equitation Rider and received the Showplace Productions Overall Top Equitation Rider Perpetual Trophy, sponsored by Pat & Nicole Boyle.

The USHJA extends its thanks to the Desert International Horse Park team for hosting the Championships and to longtime Title Sponsor Marshall+Sterling. Special thanks also go to Official Sponsors Herm Sprenger, Nutrena, Parlanti, and Exhibitor’s; and Championship Sponsors Essex Classics, Human Touch, Prize Possessions, RingSide Pro, SmartEquine, Stridefull, and the US Equestrian.

For more information about the Marshall+Sterling/USHJA National Championships, visit ushja.org/NationalChampionships.

Release: USHJA and Desert International Horse Park

Photos: Andrew Ryback Photography and Terisé Cole/USHJA