JUNIOR WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

May 28, 2025

To quote Peter Doubleday, one of Devon’s two Horse Show Managers “We’ve had two beautiful days here with nine to go and I know I’m going to sleep well each night knowing that everything is going along so well.”

Doubleday goes on to share his thoughts on the key to Devon’s longevity (this is the 115th anniversary). “There’s no other event that I know of, and I live and breathe the horse show world in North America and partially in Europe, that has this history and charm. We try to keep up with the trends of the modern horse show scene while maintaining the traditions: the trophies, the special presenters and the box seats that are handed down from generation to generation. Here at Devon, we really try to continue those traditions.”

Some upcoming highlights over the next week include: “The beautiful Four-in-Hand’s pulling the old antique coaches, to me is very special and very exciting,” says Doubleday. “There are six of them that will compete all together, and they represent the old coaches of early England. They’ve all been restored and are driven by very proud owners. Another favorite is the American Saddlebreds, which are very high-spirited and fun to watch, so the crowd can really get into it. They will be part of our mix for the last four days. Our main event is the Thursday night showcase which includes the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon.”

One might think that in the days of Facebook, Twitter, iChat and Skype, tradition and a bit of pomp and circumstance might be lost on the Juniors showing at Devon, not so. For two days we have had the privilege to interview many of the top teenagers in the country, and without fail, they have each said that what they experience when they step into the ring at Devon is like no other horse show in the world.

LILLIE KEENAN

Winner of the A.S.P.C.A. Maclay Horsemanship Class Section B

This fourteen-year-old resident of New York City is the second generation of her family to show at Devon, following in the footsteps of her mother, who to this day never misses one of Lillie’s shows.

Trained by Andre Dignelli and Patricia Griffith, Lillie says even after showing at Devon for the last seven years, she still gets nervous riding in the Dixon Oval. “I started watching Section A of the Maclay, then after watching about fifteen rounds, I decided to go back, kind of step away from it, kind of not think about it for a bit which really helped. I had to remind myself to stay calm. In between the fences and on the turns, I had to remember to take a minute and not get ahead of myself.”

What is it about the Dixon Oval that has this effect on this wise-beyond-her-years veteran? “I really feel that when you walk in there you’re all alone and you know there are people all around you throughout the stadium watching you. It’s a feeling, the horse senses it, and knows you’re aware of it. You really have to be confident enough in yourself, and also the horse, to be comfortable enough to go in there and execute the course and do everything as planned.”

Lillie says her mom is the one who calms her down when she shows here. “She did this for a while, she did it as a Junior just like I do and even though it was very different, it was still Devon. ”

An eighth grader, Keenan balances showing and school though here commitment to both. “This takes a lot of commitment to be able to practice enough to come here and feel confident and execute the course. But my grades are really important to me, all my academics are. It’s tough but it’s worth it. If I just rode and did school half-heartedly, I wouldn’t be as good at riding. I feel like the more you do, the better you’re going to be at what you do.”

CHARLOTTE JACOBS

Winner of the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship

Just when it looked like her barn mate Michael Hughes had the R.W. “Ronnie” Mutch Equitation Championship title in the bag, having won virtually every class he had competed in, Charlotte Jacobs came from behind to claim the title. “Today I knew I was tied with him, which would have been fun because we are best friends, but I would have to be fourth or above in the Maclay today to win, so I went in and did my best and my horse was absolutely great.” Her horse was so good that Jacobs ended up third in the B section, securing the Championship.

“Michael was great the entire way and he rode amazingly well, and he’s a year younger than me so…. He’s just such a good rider.”

About the Maclay, “It was a very technical course with a lot of going, bending and steadying. My horse (Stallone VDL) has a huge stride so the steadying is a little bit harder for him, but he’s very adjustable which is great. He did the Junior Hunters in Saratoga. He’s a good horse. I’ve had him for three years. I showed him, leased him out for a year, and got him back during Florida this year.”

Jacobs also talks about the difference of winning at Devon. “It’s such an important show. After WEF everyone takes a break and then you come back, and Devon’s the next really big show. When you come to Devon, all the top of the top of the Juniors are back. It’s a really difficult show because there are so many people in the Equitation classes. Whoever wants to come, comes. There’s no qualifying or anything. It’s a hard show, and there’s so much history. You walk in (to the Dixon Oval) and your heart is beating so fast. It’s really special because my dad competed here, and my uncle did the Junior Jumpers here. To win this is a huge deal for me and I’m extremely excited.”

CHRISTINA KELLEY

Winner of the Junior Jumpers - Time First Jump-Off

Eighteen-year-old British born Christina Kelly and HH Narcos Du Marais blazed by the other competitors to secure the win in the first Junior Jumper Class of 2011. A second-generation horsewoman, she owns five horses at the moment and concentrates on the High Junior Jumpers and has just stepped up to the Grand Prix.

Christina started riding HH Narcos Du Marais at WEF this year “We started in the medium Junior Jumpers and worked our way up. He’s really, really a super star. I love him. He’s really cool to ride. He’s got his quirks, he loves to have you holding him the whole time to feel that your there. Every time he goes into the ring he just tries his heart out. If he were a celebrity he would be James Bond.”

School for Christina takes place at home. “I’ve finished high school now, so I’m going to take a gap year and then start college after that. I would like to turn professional. It would be hard for me to stay an amateur because I have such nice horses, and I like to ride other peoples horses like this horse, and if I stayed an amateur I wouldn’t be able to do that, so I think turning professional would be the best option.”

Christina commented on today’s Junior Jumper course, “I thought it was a nice height and the time allowed was tight which I thought was good, because it made people have to try a little bit to go clear. The jump-off was good. I thought all the rollbacks we had to do tested my horse and he handled it really well. I liked that the plank jump at the end because you had to go for it, but be careful too.”

Having shown in the U.S. now for seven years, Christina prefers showing on this side of the pond, “I feel like I’m really at home here. I love going to show in Europe, but I feel like this is really home. I love this horse show. I came here three years ago and I just loved it. There are so many people, it’s in the middle of the town, I love the stands, it’s so cool.”

Maria Van Buskirk of Chester, N.J., rode her VDL Tjheresa’s Lady to win the evening Gambler’s Choice Junior Jumper class with 1010 over Chloe Reid on Toulon, who accumulated 890 points.

Written by Sara Cavanagh · Filed Under Devon, Featured, Sara Cavanagh, USA
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