Dustin Goodwin is Grand Again at Las Vegas National Horse Show
For the second year in a row, the Marshall + Sterling Insurance/USHJA National Championships’ Grand Champion Green Hunter title is going home with Dustin Goodwin.
On Wednesday, November 13, at the Las Vegas National Horse Show in Las Vegas, NV, Goodwin piloted Reputation to the USHJA 3’6”/3’9” Green Hunter Championship before also being presented with the grand championship award. In addition, Goodwin and Reputation, owned by Kalli Heffner Gay, earned wins in both the $2,500 3’6”/3’9” Green Hunter Classic and the $1,000 3’6”/3’9” Green Hunter Incentive Stake Class, as well as the High Score Green Hunter honor with a score of 90.
“I’m very, very lucky!” said Goodwin, who hails from Portland, OR. “Last year, we won all these same awards with my horse Out of the Blue who is another really, really wonderful horse. It feels pretty crazy and surreal to come back and do that again with [Reputation]. It’s honestly not surprising. When I don’t have good results with this horse, I know that it was my fault. She is just such beautiful quality, and she’s always right there. It’s more like, ‘I hope I don’t let her down.’”
Goodwin certainly did not let the 10-year-old Holsteiner mare down this week at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, as the pair swept all of their division’s over fences classes.
“She has her quirks; she’s not the easiest animal in the world, but she is just a perfect match for me,” said Goodwin of the mare that they imported to the U.S. in December of 2023. “She hasn’t even been here for a year yet. She was a grand prix horse in Europe. She’d usually have a couple rails, which is lucky for me! She is a horse of a lifetime. I love her so much. She’s super brave. She just needs someone to kind of hold her hand, and I’m happy to do that. I’m obsessed.”
Reserve champion honors in the 3’6”/3’9” Green Hunters went to Michael Dennehy of Littleton, CO, riding Major Contention, owned by Sylvie Haas.
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Dustin Goodwin is Grand Again at Las Vegas National Horse Show | Desert International Horse Park
