Tampa, FL – March 29, 2025 – The first hunter championships of the final two weeks of the Winter Equestrian Festival were pinned today in Tampa, and Sandy Ferrell and Scott Stewart swept the three Pre-Green Hunter divisions.
Aboard Emerson, Ferrell earned the championship in the Pre-Green Hunter 3’3” division, while reserve champion was Molly Sewell riding Monaco.
Ferrell described Emerson as “just a good guy.” The young gelding is trained by Lisa Jacquin, and Ferrell picked up the ride earlier this season in Wellington.
“He is a very brave horse. He’s that type of horse who lives at home with his owner in Maryland and has a little bit of a simplistic life when he’s not on the show circuit,” Ferrell laughed. “He’s a bit of a wind-up toy: You wind him up and go in the ring and go – he’s very scopey, very simple.”
She continued, “It’s so easy for him, and he’s so brave that I think some of the other horses were taken off guard in coming to a new place. Emerson doesn’t look at the jumps, so I think we had that to our advantage the first day, and that carried through to today.”
In the Pre-Green 3 & 4 Year Old division, Ferrell was again triumphant in bringing home the tricolor, this time on It’s A Wrap, owned by Sloan Brown and the Infinity Group. The pair won all four classes over the two-day period for a total of 40 points. The reserve championship went to Avery Dimmig riding Up North.
Ferrell also began riding It’s A Wrap in Wellington this year for owner Sloan Brown and trainer Rodney Bross and commented that what makes the four-year-old chestnut such a standout is his sound mind.
“He is a quiet, beautiful-minded horse. He has a brain that is very exceptional and you kind of tend to forget how young he is because he’s so brave and it’s so easy for him,” Ferrell described. “I think his intent every time he goes into the ring is to do well, and he may make a green mistake once in a while, which he should at his age, but he’s wonderful to ride.”
And, noting his progress since the beginning of the Winter Equestrian Festival, she said he has only gotten better. “Comparing now with when we started in Wellington, all he’s ever done is improve, the entire time. And, I believe the hopes of everyone involved is that he’ll just continue to get better and better.”
Stewart took both the championship and reserve championship in the Pre-Green 3’ division with Unwritten and Sambalino, owned by Marilou Case and Gina Day, respectively.
Unwritten was first purchased by Stewart last summer and has come into his own as a five year old. “This is only the second time I’ve ridden him because Ken (Berkley) usually rides him, but he got hurt yesterday,” Stewart explained. “He’s been champion a few times in Wellington, and he’s an easy, easy horse to ride – very laid back.”
Stewart noted that the young gelding performed well today and rode consistently throughout the four classes. Unwritten earned first over fences yesterday, a third place in the under saddle, and first and second over fences today for the championship.
Hunter competition will resume tomorrow morning, and the next set of championships will be pinned on Saturday in the Over 35 Amateur-Owner Hunters and in both the 18-35 and 36-50 Adult Amateur Hunter divisions.
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