Lexington, Ky. – July 30, 2022 – Hunter competition returned to the StoneLea ring Saturday morning, welcoming the amateur-owner hunter competitors and their respective mounts to work to accumulate enough points to take home the Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Championship, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. After several classes of stiff competition, it was Ellie Ferrigno and her own, Luxador, who took home the coveted honor after putting up several successful rides throughout Friday and Saturday’s competition.
Luxador, the 9-year-old German Sport Horse gelding, put his best foot forward to ultimately grant him and Ferrigno the championship title. Luxador took to the ring in championship form to impress the judges with his charismatic demeanor, taking each obstacle as a chance to show his style and grace. The pair boasted several blue ribbon performances over the two day span in the A-O Hunter 3’3 18-35 division, and also took third in Saturday’s handy round, which propelled them to accumulate the most points amongst their competitors to take home the Grand Champion honor.
As a newer partnership, Ferrigno and Luxador have proven they are a force to be reckoned with. The horse-and-rider duo put together multiple leaderboard finishes at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in the AO 3’3 18-35 division before taking their talents to the Kentucky Summer horse show. With their solid partnership and precise form both under saddle and over fences, the duo’s future looks very bright.
The final day of hunter competition for Kentucky Summer is slated to start Sunday morning in the StoneLea Ring at 8:00 AM EST, where junior competitors will battle it out for the Grand Junior Hunter championship.
