USHJA Young Jumper Championships - West Debuts in Woodside

Woodside, Calif.—Oct. 27, 2026—The first-ever USHJA Young Jumper Championships - West debuted October 21-24 during the Woodside International II in Woodside, California. Drawing over 25 entries, top jumper prospects vied for year-end titles across four divisions and celebrated young equine talent on the West Coast. The Championships were judged by Clint Sawyer and Camilo Rueda, with courses designed by Chris Jones.

4-Year-Old Championship

Kevin Lemke of Los Angeles, California, in Zone 10, won the first title of the week in the 4-Year-Old Final on Thursday, riding Wild Blue Jaguar (Jaguar van Paemel x Indy-Blue), owned and bred by Jane Healy. Lemke and the 2022 Belgian Warmblood stallion swept both days of competition for 4-year-old horses to take the title. 

Earning reserve honors, Jan Hanson rode Winsome PR (Cashpaid J&F x Tembla) for owner Pomponio Ranch LLC. Winsome PR, a 2022 Belgian Warmblood stallion, was bred in the U.S. by Signe Ostby. 

Ismael Melchor was presented with the Young Jumper Grooms Award for his care of Wild Blue Jaguar, who also earned both the Best U.S. Bred Horse and Overall Style Awards. 

5-Year-Old Championship

After jumping clear in two qualifying rounds, Vaccinated PR (Jonkheer Z x Fortuna Dia) added another perfect round with Jan Humphrey-Hanson of Wilton, California, in the irons to win the 5-Year-Old Final on Saturday.

“The Young Jumper Championships here at the Woodside Horse Park, run by West Palms and supported by USHJA, has been fantastic,” said Humphrey-Hanson, of Zone 10, who also collected Leading Young Jumper Rider and Trainer Awards at the conclusion of the Championships. “We've been coming here all year getting the young horses ready. It's a fabulous venue, and it was wonderful to showcase the young talent on the grand prix field.”

Vaccinated PR, a 2021 Belgian Warmblood stallion, was bred in the U.S. by Signe Ostby for her own California-based Pomponio Ranch LLC. She received the Best U.S. Bred Horse Award for 5-year-olds, and groom Candido Luna claimed the Young Jumper Grooms Award.

“I develop young horses for Pomponio Ranch, which was named leading owner and U.S. breeder this week, so it was fun to have a clean sweep—it was many, many years of a group effort to get the young horses to where they were this week,” continued Humphrey-Hanson. “Producing young horses is often known as something we do in Europe, so to be able to produce and showcase American-bred horses here in California is absolutely incredible. It's important to cultivate the future of our sport because without somebody producing young horses and venues and management supporting the young horses, we don't have a future for our older horses.”

Taking the reserve title, Jill Humphrey, of Zone 10's Sacramento, California, rode Emerelo BF (Emerald van he Ruytershof x Tendresse de la Vie Z), a 2021 Oldenburg stallion for owner and breeder Branscomb Farms.

6-Year-Old Championship

Naseweis 38 (Crack Z X Die Maggi), a 2020 Holsteiner mare ridden by Daniel Zilla, of Half Moon Bay, California, in Zone 10, for owner Oliwia Glowczynska, claimed the 6-Year-Old title on Saturday after jumping fault-free throughout the three days of competition. 

“I was lucky to get Naseweis at the beginning of the year to develop, and I'm fortunate to ride a horse with that much quality,” said Zilla. “She's sensitive, but always wants to please. Today, she saved me—I didn't ride as well under the pressure, so that shows how good she can be. This is a great way to promote the young horses—it's good for people to come and see what we are able to do here with support for breeders and people developing young horses.”

Groom Ever Rivas earned the Young Jumper Grooms Award for the care of Naseweis 38.

Finishing fourth, U-Turn PR—ridden by Hanson—pocketed another Best U.S. Bred Horse Award for Signe Ostby’s Pomponio Ranch LLC.

Simonne Berg of Santa Rosa, California, in Zone 10, was runner-up riding Amede Van't Glemhof Z (Amadeo Van't Vossenhof Z x Voodoo Lady V.V.Z), a 2020 Zangersheide gelding bred by Herman Beazar. They also jumped clear throughout three days of competition.

7- and 8-Year-Old Championship

With a fault-free week, Shawn Casady, of Harriman, Tennessee, in Zone 4, topped the combined 7- and 8-Year-Old Final on Saturday riding Asterix Z, a 2019 Zangersheide gelding (Aganix du Seigneur Z x Dress To Thrill) owned by Rabbit Root Stables and bred in Belgium by Dewa NV.

Groom Sergio Guandara collected the Young Jumper Grooms Award for his care of Asterix Z. The top three horses in the final jumped impressive clear rounds all week, with Matias Fernandez of Petaluma, California, in Zone 10, finishing as the reserve, riding LC Cizarro (Clarimo X La Caprichosa Kannan Blue), a 2019 gelding owned by Jaime Bodiford.

“Some people wonder why it's important to have a West Coast Young Jumper Championship, and I can tell you as a breeder and someone who has supported developing horses for the top of the sport for 25 years, asking these horses to truck 3,000 miles across the country for a one-week show is not realistic,” said K.C. Branscomb, an established California breeder and owner. “A lot of breeding is done on the West Coast, so we're very eager and excited that West Palms hosted a spectacular Championships this year. I was very impressed with the quality of the courses, and the best horses did win. There will not be a sport if there aren't good young horses, and we saw this week that in the United States we have the same or better quality horses than we have been importing from Europe.”

Additional special awards were presented at the conclusion of the Championships.

• Leading Owner – Pomponio Ranch LLC
• Leading U.S. Breeder – Signe Ostby
• Leading Young Jumper Rider – Jan Humphrey-Hanson
• Leading Young Jumper Trainer – Jan Humphrey-Hanson
• Breeder's Cup Perpetual Trophy – Signe Ostby

The USHJA Young Jumper Championships serve as the national championship
for young Jumpers in the United States, allowing talented prospects to be showcased by
Owners, breeders, and riders have shown their horses at the national level. The competition offers separate Championships for 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-year-olds. Four-year-olds compete in a Style and Jumping Championship, which includes a First Qualifier and Final set at .90-1.00m. Five- through 8-year-olds compete over a three-round format that features First and Second Qualifiers and a Final set from 1.20-1.45m based on each age section. New in 2026, the Championships expanded to include a West Coast iteration, held during the Woodside International II, October 21-25, 2026, in Woodside, California.

The USHJA extends special thanks to the West Palms Event Management team for hosting the Championships. The USHJA also thanks Official Sponsors Herm Sprenger, Nutrena, Stridefull, and Parlanti, and Supporting Sponsor Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

For more information about the USHJA Young Jumper Championships, visit ushja.org/YoungJumper.

Edited Release: Lindsay Brock/Gable and USHJA

Photos: High Desert Sport Photo