USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships - West, Presented by Frank & Eileen, Names 2026 Champions

Thermal, Calif.—Oct. 30, 2026—The USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships - West, presented by Frank & Eileen, crowned their 2026 champions on October 29 and 30 at the USHJA Amateur Festival – West during National Sunshine Series 1 at Desert International Horse Park. Taking home the first of two overall titles were Melissa Sklenar and Poptart in the Amateur Owner Hunter 3’6”​ Championship and Maya Varga and Watermark in the Adult Amateur Hunter 3’​ Championship, who collected their tricolors on Thursday. On Friday, Ashley Miller and Ivanhoe de Frevent claimed the Low Adult Amateur Hunter 2’6” Championship title, while Kaitlin Perry and Dream Boy M earned the Amateur Owner Hunter 3’3" Championship. At the conclusion of competition, Varga and Watermark also captured the coveted overall Grand Champion title.

Low Adult Amateur Hunter 2’6” Championship

Miller, who calls Carmichael, California, home in Zone 10, and her own Ivanhoe de Frevent earned the Low Adult Amateur Hunter 2’6” Championship title after finishing second overall in the Handy Round.

"This is my first time doing anything like this. I'm just amazed that I'm even here. My rounds were so good today. Ivan did everything I wanted him to," said Miller. "We won a championship back in February and then reserve champion in July, so I just thought, ‘I qualified, I should go!’ So I took some days off work, and here I am!"

The reserve spot went to Zone 10's Kendahl Awni, of Los Angeles, California, and her own Cornet de Prinz. The Manhattan Club, owned and ridden by Angela Caldwell, of Queen Creek, Arizona, in Zone 8, was awarded the American Quarter Horse High Score Award, presented by AQHA with Judy Canfield Power and Rick and Lori Bucholz, after finishing the Handy Round in third place and seventh in the overall standings.

Adult Amateur Hunter 3’​ Championship

Varga, of Pacific Palisades, California, and Watermark picked up the Adult Amateur Hunter 3’​ Championship and the 36–49 age group title after taking second overall in the Classic and Handy Rounds. For the duo from Zone 10, the win was extra special. 

"I'm going to cry. [Watermark] came in January of last year, and my dad was the one who named him Watermark," said Varga of the 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding known as “Special” in the barn. "My dad passed away in June of last year. So, for me, he really is my dad watching over me, and I've been able to form an unbelievable relationship with him. I'm so lucky to be supported by the team at Storia Staples with him."

"I thought that [USHJA and Desert International Horse Park] did a really good job making this feel special for us Amateurs," concluded Varga. "As a working amateur, I think this was a really special day, and I loved the format. It felt very special for every round."
Also earning championships in the 3' were Zone 10's Lakshmi Jeyanandarajan, of Irvine, California, and her own Dauphin in the 18–35 age group and reserve overall. Amy Brubaker, of Santa Ynez, California, also in Zone 10, rode Millennium Farm Inc.'s Tahoe to the top of the 50 and Over section.

Amateur Owner Hunter 3’3”​ Championship

Aboard Dream Boy M, owned by Kassy Perry, Sacramento, California’s Perry claimed the Amateur Owner Hunter 3'3" Championship and 18-35 title after taking top honors in both the Classic and Handy Rounds.

"I'm so happy! I'm 32, I've been an amateur for quite some time, and it's just so fun over the years how much more attention USHJA is putting on the Amateurs with the Gladstone, with the Hunter Championships, how much swag, and how many ribbons we got today. It's really, really special," said Kaitlin, of Zone 10. "It's really, really special to be able to have a little bit more pressure and be able to go out there and compete and be rewarded with the swag that we were rewarded with today."

For Kaitlin, Dream Boy M was a new mount for her, but the gelding has a special place in the Perry family. 

"He's my mom's horse; I actually never really ride him. She unfortunately got hurt a couple of weeks ago, and we weren't sure if we were going to have him do it or not, but I'm really, really happy that I had the opportunity to show him today," she explained. "He really is perfect; I think we kind of all say that. He's 19 this year; he did a lot of 1.60m when he was young, and then we just kind of took all the pressure off when [my mom, Kassy Perry] got him, and they have the most special relationship. He takes such good care of her, so I'm just so lucky I got to ride him.

After finishing all three phases in second place, Soleil Teubner Boughton, of Lafayette, California, in Zone 10, and her own Copper Canyon were named the reserve overall champion, as well as the 36+ age group champion.

Amateur Owner Hunter 3’6”​ Championship

Sklenar, who hails from Stevenson Ranch, California, in Zone 10, piloted her own Poptart to two third-place overall finishes in the Classic and Handy Rounds, ultimately taking the overall Amateur Owner Hunter 3’6” Championship title, as well as the division's 36 and Over section. 

"This went way better than I thought it was going to, to be honest with you! This I could not have imagined in a million years," said Sklenar. "I did my handy round and got some of the best scores I’ve ever had and literally burst into tears. That was super, super exciting. He was perfect for the Under Saddle, and when I heard that I'd won the overall 36 and over, I was floored. Then, for the overall, again, the tears started streaming. I am over the moon now, and it was so unexpected."

Sklenar, who trains with Michelle Morris, just purchased Poptart earlier this year, but she and the 8-year-old Selle Français gelding meshed quickly, moving up to the 3’6” just a few months ago. 

"Michelle Morris has just been such a fantastic support for me over the last five years," said Sklenar, who is the director of sales for an event management company. "I had a really wonderful horse that I lost unexpectedly. I then went and bought another horse that didn't quite work out. So, when I got Poptart—from the very get-go, she was super supportive about it. We worked really hard over the last six months that I've had him to try to bring him along because he hadn't done a whole lot before I got him. I'm just super, super grateful for everything that she’s done."

Taking reserve overall and in the 36 and Over section was Zone 10's Jacqueline Attwood-Dupont, of Toluca Lake, California, with her own Calidrio. Earning the championship in the 18-35 section was Pearl Theodosakis, of Rancho Santa Fe, California, in Zone 10, and her own Comtess.

The USHJA Amateur Festival - West, hosted by Desert International Horse Park, continues through the week with the 2026 USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic for Amateurs - West on Sunday, November 1.

Held bicoastally, the USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships provide Amateur Hunter riders with a national championship experience across four divisions: 2’6” Low Adult Amateur, 3’ Adult Amateur, 3’3” Amateur Owner, and 3’6” Amateur Owner Hunters. Each Championship includes three phases—Under Saddle, a Classic Round, and a Handy Hunter Round—and riders qualify by earning champion or reserve at a USEF-licensed Channel I or Channel II competition. 

The USHJA extends its thanks to the host, Desert International Horse Park; Official Sponsors Herm Sprenger, Nutrena, Parlanti, and StrideFull; Presenting Sponsor Frank & Eileen; and Supporting Sponsors Essex Classics, RingSide Pro, GumBits, and SmartEquine.

For more information about the USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships, visit ushja.org/AmateurChampionships.

Edited Release: Desert International Horse Park and USHJA
Photos: High Desert Sport Photo