Stewart and Cadet Take $276,920 3'/3'3" Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship
Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 15, 2025—The 3'/3'3" Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship saw over 165 combinations to the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, where they competed for a share of the $276,920 prize purse from Wednesday, August 13, through Friday, August 15. After three days of intense competition, Cadet, owned by Stephanie Danhakl, and ridden by Scott Stewart, took the championship honors on a 268. Just one point behind, Holly Shepherd earned the reserve championship aboard El Porvenir Zara, owned by EMO Stables. Rounding out the top three with a score of 255.5 was Game On, owned by R & R Hunter Horses, LLC, and ridden by Samantha Schaefer.
Wednesday’s competition began with a record-breaking 169 entries in the First Round taking on Ken Krome’s and Meghan Rawlins’ course. Judges Abby Blankenship, Jeanne Marie Dunford-Miller, Lynn Forgione, Tammy Provost, Mike Rosser, and Scott Williamson, scored Stewart and Cadet with a 278, placing them eighth in the First Round. The pair opted to use the bye system, securing their spot directly in Friday’s Final Round. Schaefer and Game On topped the First Round and also chose to advance via the bye. Shepherd and El Porvenir Zara earned their place in the Final with a strong second-place finish in Thursday’s Second Round.
“Fortunately, he did well enough the first day that he did not have to show yesterday,” Stewart commented on the bye system. “I like that change in the format. He was a little bit more interested in going early today and just very consistent.”
Krome and Rawlings set a beautiful final 10-fence course featuring bending lines and classic Hunter-style curves starting at the 3’ height before moving up to the 3’3” height. Stewart, of Flemington, New Jersey, rode in on Cadet, a 7-year-old Zangersheide, halfway through the Final Round to set the tone on an impressive 268. Shepherd of Grand Bay, Alabama, came closest to catching him with a 267 aboard El Porvenir Zara, a 6-year-old Silla Argentino. Consistently strong throughout both the First and Final Rounds, Schaefer of Westminster, Maryland, rode Game On, a 7-year-old KWPN, to a third-place finish.
“This is our fourth horse show that we have had,” Stewart reflected on his ride. “He is just perfect to ride and he is as easy as it looks. A good friend of mine called me and told me about a horse in Munich while he was over there on vacation and took an extra day to try him, and I am glad that he did.”
A longtime competitor in the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Program, Stewart has now claimed the Championship title a record seven times, more than any other rider in the program’s history. His victories include six titles in the 3’/3’3” section and one in the 3’6”/3’9” section. For his efforts this week, he won $20,769 and was awarded the Bye for Now Perpetual Trophy donated in honor of Joey Darby.
Each year, the Green Hunter Incentive Championships offer additional recognition to riders through the Rider Ranking System, which categorizes riders into tiers based on their prior competition year earnings within the program. New in 2025, the system expanded to include a third tier, creating even more opportunities for lower-earning riders. Tier I riders are those ranked 1-45 on the list, while Tier II riders are ranked 46-100, and the new Tier III riders are 100 and below.
“The committee works all year long [for this championship],” said Colleen McQuay, USHJA International Hunter Derby & Incentive Task Force co-chair. “There are a lot of moving parts behind the curtains for these events. I have to thank my committee because they are very committed and along with the staff, we have great days like today because of them.”
This year, 3'/3'3'' Tier II riders competed for an additional 20% of the total prize money, which totaled $55,384. Evan Coluccio, of Marshall, Virginia, took the top Tier II honor and $16,615.20 aboard Abigail Zuckerman’s MTM Carry On. The pair finished tenth overall on a score of 260.5. Based on scores from the First and Second Rounds, Tier III riders had a chance at an additional 10% of the total prize money, amounting to $27,692. Sara Taylor, of Sherborn, Massachusetts, and Danhakl’s To The Moon secured the top Tier III distinction and an extra $8,307.60.
Between rounds, additional awards were presented to 3’/3’3” competitors.
- Rider Style Award: Kelly Mullen
- $500 High Score Thoroughbred Award: Ifwhizkycouldtalk, owned by Catherine Brown and ridden by Susan Lyman
- $5,000 High Score American-Bred Award in remembrance of Candie Owens, presented by Oakwell Farms and DS Holdings, LLC: Freedom, owned by Rachel Miller and ridden by Jennifer Alfano
- $500 High Score 4- And 5-Year-Old: Hallmark, owned by Garland Alban and ridden by Katie Cooper
- $2,000 High Score Texas Super Series, presented by Colleen McQuay and Patrick Rodes: SWS Cheers, owned by Steve Weder and ridden by Jeff Gogul
- $500 High Score Mare Award: Kessina, owned by Marisa Metzger and ridden by Jacob Pope
- Top Amateur Owner rider: Josie Evans, with a score of 458.5 on her own Handcrafted
The USHJA thanks the sponsors who helped to make these championships possible, including Title Sponsor Platinum Performance and Official Sponsors Herm Sprenger, Nutrena, and Parlanti International. Thanks also go to Official Broadcast Provider ClipMyHorse.TV; Championship Official Sponsor Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and Pharmacy; Supporting Sponsors Essex Classics, RingSide Pro, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Human Touch, Horseflight, and Equidae Insurance; Award Sponsor Equine Equipment; Challenge Round Supporters Ken and Ceil Wheeler; Exhibitors’ Party Supporters John Ingram and Laura Karat; Rider Bonus Awards Supporters Ron Danta, Danny Robershaw, and Susan Schoellkopf/ SBS Farms; and Bonus Award Donors Oakwell Farms, DS Holdings, LLC, Colleen McQuay, and Patrick Rodes.
The USHJA also thanks Show Manager Hugh Kincannon and the entire Kentucky Horse Shows team for their assistance with the Platinum Performance/USHJA Hunter Championship Week.
Wall-to-wall live streaming coverage is available at no additional cost to members at ClipMyHorse.TV. Additional coverage will be available in the upcoming issue of In Stride.
For more information about the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships, visit ushja.org/GreenChampionship. For online results, visit ushja.org/competition/hunter-week-championships.
Photos: Winslow Photography
3'0"/3'3" Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship Results
Horse | Owner | Rider | Score
1. Scott Stewart | Cadet | Stephanie Danhakl | 268
2. Holly Shepherd | El Porviner | Zara | EMO Stables | 267
3. Samantha Shaefer | Game On | R & R Hunter Horses, LLC | 266.5
4. Samantha Schaefer | Likewise | R & R Hunter Horses, LLC | 266
5. Michael Britt-Leon | Private Party | Kelly Sims | 264.5
6. Nick Haness | Styled | CKF Equestrian, LLC | 263
7. Brady Mitchell | Carter | Rein Family, LLC | 262.5
8. Patricia Griffith | Darjeeling | Hallowell Lane Farm, LLC | 262
9. Scott Stewart | Encore | Stephanie Danhakl | 261
10. Evan Coluccio | MTM Carry On | Abigail Zuckerman | 260.5
10. John French | Encanto | Robinson Ridge, LLC | 260.5
12. Scott Stewart | Redford | Stephanie Danhakl | 260
