Kate Conover Captures Her First $25,000 USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Professional Finals Victory

Upper Marlboro, Md.—Oct. 10, 2023—In early 2023, Kate Conover set her sights on qualifying for and competing in the $25,000 USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Professional Finals at the Capital Challenge Horse Show for the first time. On Friday night, October 6, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Conover not only realized that dream, she made her Professional Finals debut a winning one. 

“I made this a focus, and I wanted it,” said Conover, whose brother passed away unexpectedly in January 2023. Following his passing, Conover doubled down on going after her show ring goals, largely for her family. “I wanted it for not just me but for my family, and I couldn't be more ecstatic that it actually happened. I go through phases where I show a lot, but this year's been a little different. I kind of changed my focus to riding for my family. My mom really loves it, so I know she's watching. I can't call her yet because I'll cry, but I know I made her really proud. I know my brother's watching.”

Conover was one of six top professional hunter riders who took on the opening Playoff Round of the WCHR Professional Finals, with Shelley Campf, Nick Haness, Geoffrey Hesslink, Brady Mitchell and Leslie Steele each also qualifying based on their WCHR national standings. 

Each rider jumped a Ken Krome-designed handy round on the horse of their choosing before the field was narrowed to the top four for the final phase. Conover left no question that she would be returning for the Final Four as she piloted Small Friendship, owned by R&R Sport Horses LLC, to an average score of 93 from the three judging panels. 

That score from judges Chris Wynne and Virginia Edwards, Brian Lenehan and Scott Fitton and Mark Jungherr and Eric Dirks, clinched Conover and Small Friendship the win in the Playoff Round. 

“The horse I brought in the first round is one that I show in the first years, and I thought that I should go with one that I really know in that class because that track you had to be handy,” said Conover of the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “I made the right decision going with him, and he rose to the occasion. From there it was pretty amazing, the whole experience.”

With Hesslink, Mitchell and Campf taking second, third and fourth, respectively, in the Playoff Round, they each advanced to the Final Four on a clean slate. One by one they returned to jump four courses, rotating turns on borrowed horses, generously donated for use in the class by their owners. 

For Conover, quickly trying to learn and connect with a horse is something that she has had practice with since her days in the pony ring, and it paid off. 

“When I was a kid, and my whole life, I never really had the same horse or pony all the time, so it’s a lot of experience of just trying to make a relationship very fast,” explained Conover. “Every horse you don’t ride the same. Riding a lot of different horses my whole life really set me up well for this class here today.”

Aboard Totoka Fuji, Conover took the lead right out of the gate with a score of 88 in the first rotation, and she never let up. She earned her highest score of the Final Four, a 92, aboard Actionable, owned by LG Sport Horses, ultimately finishing with an overall winning total score of 355.33. 

For her win, Conover was presented with the All The Way Perpetual Trophy, donated by Elizabeth Busch Burke and Lisa Burke Horkan.

Finishing in a close second place with a total score of 352.99 was Mitchell, of Wellington, Florida. Mitchell’s best round, with a score of 91.66, came aboard Conover’s first mount, Totoka Fuji, a horse Mitchell had been looking forward to riding. 

“From the first second this morning [when we saw the horses school], I have to say, I wanted to make the second round so I could ride the paint horse [Totoka Fuji],” said Mitchell of the Belgian Sport Horse, owned by Ingenium Farm. “I knew I was going to like the way that horse felt. I'm really glad that I had a chance to ride all of the horses, but he gave this wonderful feeling and that ended up being my best round.” 

Totoka Fuji’s consistently impressive performances in the Final Four earned him the Far West Farms Perpetual Trophy, donated by the Karazissis Family as the horse with the highest cumulative point total in the four rounds of the Final Four. 

Third place in the class, with a score of 341.15, went to Campf, who, like Conover, was also making her WCHR Professional Finals debut. 
“When I come here [to Capital Challenge], I'm always very focused on delivering for my customers in their classes,” explained Campf, who hails from Portland, Oregon. “I got invited into this class. I haven’t been showing much this summer because I ripped my abductor muscle in my thigh, so it was kind of exciting. I didn’t know how it was going to go. It was really fun to be riding with these riders, and we were all really helping each other. I thought it was a fun environment.”

Rounding out the top four was Hesslink, who, following his second-place finish in the Playoff Round had an unfortunate start to the Final Four. A refusal from his first mount resulted in a re-ride, but after a rail down on the same horse in the re-ride, Hesslink elected to retire from that round. The Wellington, Florida, rider returned to deliver strong scores in the next three rounds, including a 91.33, finishing on a 259.32 total. 
“It wasn’t my night tonight, and that’s okay,” said Hesslink. “I find it an honor to be in this class, and I think Kate is one of the most beautiful and most amazing riders so I could not be happier for her.”

The horses generously donated for use in the Final Four included Totoka Fuji, A Little Less Conversation, owned by ElvisTer Putte; Quebeck VD Withoever, owned by Redfield Farm; and Actionable, owned by LG Sport Horses.

Also held throughout the week were eight WCHR Challenge classes. Congratulations to the following winners:

  • $25,000 WCHR Professional Challenge and Little Brook Perpetual Trophy donated by Gary Duffy - John French and Babylon, owned by Marnell Sport Horses
  • $10,000 WCHR Developing Professional Challenge and Bittersweet Perpetual Trophy donated by Rachel Kennedy - Halie Robinson and Leisure, owned by Stable Assets
  • $5,000 WCHR Amateur Owner 3’6” Challenge and Amateur Owner Challenge Perpetual Trophy donated by the Texas Hunter Jumper Association - Caroline Ingalls and her own Concerto
  • $2,500 WCHR Amateur Owner 3’3” Challenge - Martha Ingram and Private Practice, owned by John and Stephanie Ingram, LLC
  • $2,500 WCHR Adult Amateur Challenge and Pat Thompson Memorial Perpetual Trophy donated by Page Tredennick in memory of her mother - Rindy Dominguez and her own Frosted
  • $5,000 WCHR Junior 3’6” Challenge - Ariana Marnell and Babylon, owned by Marnell Sport Horses
  • $2,500 WCHR Junior 3’3” Challenge - Katherine Simonds and Crowd Pleaser, owned by West Coast Equine Partners LLC
  • $1,500 WCHR Children's Challenge and WCHR Children’s Challenge Perpetual Trophy donated by the Applegate Family and Arwen Stables -  Harley Hott and his own Con Figaro
  • $2,500 WCHR Pony Challenge and Foxlair’s Poker Perpetual Trophy donated by Cindy and Nancy Amling - Emi Richard and Prestige, owned by Swede Ventures LLC

Numerous WCHR awards and trophies were also presented throughout the week. Congratulations to the style award winners:

  • Professional American Style of Riding Award - Jacob Pope
  • Developing Professional American Style of Riding Award - Hunter Kay
  • Stewart Warner Perpetual Trophy donated by Don Stewart and Louise Serio in memory of Laurie Gilbert Stewart and Mary Warner Brown and presented to the Pony, Junior and Children’s riders who, in the opinion of the judging panel, exhibit the best Hunter style and show potential as a Hunter-style rider
    • Junior 3'3"/3'6" - Christopher Dominguez
    • Children's - Wyatt Rofey
    • Pony - Colin Shippman

Congratulations to the winners of the following awards based on scores or points:

  • Derbydown Trophy donated by Louise Serio of Derbydown and awarded to the highest scoring Hunter round by a Professional in the Pro Sections at the Capital Challenge Horse Show - Vivian Yowan and Knowingly, owned by Partridge Hill Equestrian LLC, with a score of 92
  • Urlala Perpetual Trophy donated by Kimberly Maloomian and presented to the Adult Amateur horse-and-rider combination earning the most points in the Adult Amateur sections using their top four WCHR Member Events plus the Capital Challenge Horse Show - Frosted, owned and ridden by Rindy Dominguez
  • Rox Dene Perpetual Trophy donated by Elaine and Chanda Boylen and presented to the owner of the horse ridden by a Professional or Developing Professional earning the most points in the High Performance Working Hunter, First Year Green, Second Year Green, Green Conformation, Regular Conformation or Performance Working Hunter 3’6” sections using the horse’s top four WCHR Member Events plus the Capital Challenge Horse Show - Pavlova, ridden by Nick Haness and Kate Conover and owned by John and Stephanie Ingram LLC
  • Jeffrey Katz Trophy donated by Lisa Cudahy in memory of Jeffrey Katz and presented to the Professional or Developing Professional horse-and-rider combination earning the most points in the First Year Green, Second Year Green or Green Conformation sections using their top four WCHR Member Events plus Capital Challenge Horse Show - McQueen, ridden by Nick Haness and owned by Walkenbach Equestrian LLC
  • Alabama Clay Conformation Hunter Perpetual Trophy donated by the Weisman Family and presented to the owner of the horse earning the most points in the Green or Regular Conformation sections using the horse's top four WCHR Member Events plus Capital Challenge Horse Show - California Love, ridden by Scott Stewart and owned by Rivers Edge
  • Small Town Perpetual Trophy donated by Iwasaki and Reilly and presented to the owner of the horse ridden by a Junior rider earning the most points in the Junior Hunter 3’6” sections using the horse's top four WCHR Member Events plus Capital Challenge Horse Show - Babylon, ridden by Ariana Marnell and owned by Marnell Sport Horses
  • Charles Johnson Perpetual Trophy in memory of Charles Johnson and presented to the high-point rider from the Midwest region - Christopher Payne

Congratulations to those honored by the WCHR Committee:

  • Winter’s Run Sportsmanship Award donated by Patricia Bosley in memory of her mother and presented by WCHR membership vote to a person who best exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship - Mary Gatti
  • Daniel P. Lenehan Perpetual Trophy in memory of Daniel P. Lenehan and presented by the WCHR Committee to a person who exemplifies dedication and lifetime commitment to judging show hunters - Bill Ellis
  • David Peterson Perpetual Trophy donated by Kavar Kerr and Jim Anderson and presented by the WCHR Committee to a person who exemplifies dedication and commitment to the care and well-being of horses - DJ Johnson
  • Old Springhouse Perpetual Trophy donated by the Old Springhouse Corporation and presented by WCHR membership vote to the winner of the WCHR Lifetime Achievement Award - Hap Hansen
  • USHJA/WCHR Course Designer Perpetual Trophy presented by USHJA to the Course Designer of the Year - Meghan Rawlins

The year's National Champions were also recognized:

  • Professional - Nick Haness
  • Professional Owner - John and Stephanie Ingram LLC
  • Developing Professional - Halie Robinson
  • Developing Professional Owner - Stable Assets
  • Amateur Owner 3'6" and Spiff ‘N Polish Perpetual Trophy donated by Elizabeth Busch Burke and Lysa Burke - Caroline Ingalls
    • In Disguise Perpetual Trophy donated by Ellen and Jim Toon and presented to the trainer of the WCHR Amateur Owner 3’6” National Champion - Hap Hansen
  • Amateur Owner 3'3" - Stephanie Bulger
  • Adult Amateur - Rindy Dominguez
  • Junior 3'6" and There’ll Be Times Perpetual Trophy donated by Elizabeth Busch Burke and Lysa Burke Horkan - Ariana Marnell
  • Junior 3'3" - Katherine Simonds
  • Children's - Madison Wu
  • Pony and $50 Fine For Loose Dogs Perpetual Trophy donated by The Paxton Corporation - Emi Richard

The World Championship Hunter Rider Program was founded in 1992 to recognize and celebrate the Hunter rider. Since the inaugural WCHR Professional Finals in 1992, the program has expanded to include coveted year-end awards for Professionals, Developing Professionals, Amateur Owners, Adult Amateurs, Juniors, Children's and Pony riders. WCHR Program Participants qualify for National and Regional Awards by earning points at WCHR Events held across the country throughout the qualifying year. Points from a rider's top four WCHR Events will be used to determine the National and Regional standings. Each year the top ten nationally ranked riders and top six regionally ranked riders in each category come together to compete in the WCHR Finals at the Capital Challenge Horse Show.

The USHJA extends special thanks to the Capital Challenge Horse Show team for hosting the Finals; Official Sponsors CWD, Nutrena and Parlanti; and Awards Sponsor Essex Classics.

For more information about the USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Program, visit ushja.org/WCHR

$25,000 USHJA WCHR Professional Finals Results

Rider | Playoff 

Final 1 | Final 2 | Final 3 | Final 4 | Final Total

1. Kate Conover | 93
88 | 92 | 89 | 86.33 | 355.33

2. Brady Mitchell | 86.66
86 | 86 | 91.66 | 89.33 | 352.99

3. Shelley Campf | 86.66
83.33 | 85.83 | 88.66 | 83.33 | 341.15

4. Geoffrey Hesslink | 88.33
0 | 84.33 | 83.66 | 91.33 | 259.32

5. Nick Haness | 71.66

6. Leslie Steele | 66.33

Release: RandolphPR and USHJA
Photos: Shawn McMillen Photography and Tricia Booker/USHJA