Christopher Webb Earns Top Honors in Hunter Breeding at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show Presented by MARS Equestrian™
On Saturday, June 8, Christopher Webb earned the Champion and Reserve Champion Best Young Horse awards at the 171st Upperville Colt & Horse Show presented by MARS Equestrian™. He handled Harbor Square RWC to the Championship and Chardoneigh RWC to the Reserve Championship for owners Jane and Bob Clark and trainer Emily Belin-McDonnell. Webb was also named Leading Handler for the second year in a row.
Harbor Square RWC won the Non-Thoroughbred Colts Two-Year-Old class and the Non-Thoroughbred Breeding Championship, while Chardoneigh RWC received the top call in the Non-Thoroughbred Two-Year-Old Fillies Class and the Reserve award for the Non-Thoroughbred Hunter Breeding Championship.
This is Harbor Square’s second championship in two weeks, as Webb handled the bay Dutch Warmblood to the Best Young Horse title at the Devon Horse Show on June 2.
“I’m simply grateful for this opportunity, great friends, great owners and beautiful horses,” said Webb of Middleburg, Va.
“Oscar is a lovely type and has a star quality about him,” explained trainer Emily Belin- McDonnell of Honey Brook, Pa.in referring to Harbor Square’s barn name. “While he’s a real professional in the ring, at home we are working on emotional maturity and learn more every day so that we can develop he and Chardoneigh into performance horses in time.”
The pair of newly minted champions will head home for some time off before preparing for the Sallie B. Wheeler Hunter Breeding National Championship in Lexington, Va.
UCHS is the oldest horse show in the U.S. Founded in 1853 as a one-day show to encourage better breeding and care of horses, the show has grown to a weeklong tradition with more than 2000 equestrian and equine pairs competing in a variety of competitive disciplines. Many of the continent’s top professional riders as well as amateurs compete under the spectacular setting featuring the famous oaks at Grafton Farm.
In addition to presenting sponsor MARS EQUESTRIAN, UCHS is sponsored by The Ethel M® Chocolate Brand and Lugano Diamonds (Co-Presenting Sponsors of the 2024 FEI CSI4* Jumper Classic.) Other sponsors include Buckeye Nutrition, Nutro Pet Food, The Salamander Collection, B&D Builders, Delta Air Lines, Markel and Piedmont Equine Practice.
For more information on the show, visit www.upperville.com.
About the Upperville Colt & Horse Show
The Upperville Colt & Horse Show, also known as the Upperville Horse Show and UCHS, is the oldest horse show in the U.S. Founded in 1853 as a one-day show to encourage better breeding and care of horses, the show has grown to a weeklong tradition with thousands of equestrian and equine pairs competing in a variety of competitive disciplines. Many of the continent’s top professional riders as well as amateurs compete under the spectacular setting featuring the famous oaks at Grafton Farm—the same location as 1853. UCHS is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that raises funds for The Churches of Upperville Outreach Program and supports other area charities. For complete schedules and up-to-the-minute results, visit the website at www.upperville.com.
