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Chovnick Fine-Tunes Her Performance At Commonwealth National

April 28, 2025

Sarah Chovnick and Piano Man were in perfect harmony at the HITS Commonwealth National in Culpeper, Va., where they earned the small junior, 15 and under, championship.

Chovnick, 15, of Middleburg, Va., guided Prime Time Show Stables’ 13-year-old chestnut to three blue ribbons and topped a competitive field of juniors for the tricolor honors at the first installment on the 2006 HITS Culpeper circuit, April 18-23.

Trainer Ginny Edwards, of Hidden Hollow in Upperville, Va., was thrilled with Chovnick’s performances over the rainy weekend aboard Piano Man and her other small junior, Late Entry, with whom she also won a class in the same division.

Sarah rode beautifully. With a month off from showing, I thought they might be rusty starting back but not at all. They were fresh, and the vacation was good for them,? said Edwards.

Chovnick admitted to being nervous going back into the ring after the long break, but she was confident Piano Man, nicknamed “Boscoe”, would be his usual trustworthy self. He was Chovnick’s first junior hunter and has carried her from the children’s hunters at 3′ to the juniors at 3′6.

“I know him the best of all my horses”, she said. “He got right back into the groove. He was jumping out of his skin on Sunday. I think the vacation got him a little more crisp.”

Chovnick has owned Boscoe for five years and credited him with much of her success in the juniors. “He really taught me how to do this level and brought me to where I am today,” she said. “He really taught me how to ride [Late Entry] and the jumpers. We really bonded. He’s a great horse and a great teacher.”

This was Hidden Hollow’s first outing since returning from the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida where Late Entry won the $45,200 AHJF Hunter Classic Spectacular of Palm Beach, the most prestigious hunter title on circuit in Wellington, Fla. Piloted by professional Sandy Ferrell, the bay, Holsteiner gelding earned the winner’s share of $12,000 for his connections.

Sarah and her mother Kathy Chovnick purchased Late Entry (Coriano-Esmeralda) from Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Oare of Warrenton, Va., last fall as a first year green hunter. He has since joined Piano Man in the small junior ranks with Sarah.

Chovnick and Edwards will soon celebrate their first anniversary at their farm in Virginia. Hidden Hollow specializes in developing horses and riders for the show ring, from short stirrup to the grand prix jumper ranks. Improvements to the farm include a state-of-the-art outdoor ring and renovations to the barn and main house are continuing.

Edwards, who relocated from Maryland where she was based for 17 years, trains horses and riders who have earned tricolors at the country’s best shows, including the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania and the fall indoor horse shows such as the Pennsylvania National, the Washington International and the National horse shows.

“I’m looking forward to staying here this year and showing on the Virginia circuit,” said Edwards, whose schedule includes shows such as HITS Culpeper, Upperville, Lexington and The Middleburg Classic. “We’re thrilled to be here. Virginia has a rich history of horses, and it really feels like we’ve come home.”

Written by Ginny Edwards · Filed Under Culpeper, HJN Member, Hidden Hollow Farm, Press Releases 
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