Hannah Isop and Red Ryder Ride for Blue in the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby During WCHR Week at HITS Hudson Valley
Top hunter riders and horses flocked to HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York, for HITS-on-the-Hudson VI, which is not only the final week of the action-packed Hudson Valley Jumping Tour®, but is also a designated World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) week. Athletes can earn valuable WCHR points toward year-end finals, enticing the best of the best to compete head-to-head. In the marquee event of the week, the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, it was Hannah Isop of Pawling, New York, and her longtime superstar partner Red Ryder that jumped to the top of the class.
Canadian course designer Danny Foster’s classic derby track saw 32 horse-and-rider combinations, where the top 12 then returned in reverse order of merit to contest the handy round. Both courses featured four high option fences, while the handy round included a trot fence and several opportunities for efficient turns. Two judges, Ontario, Canada, natives Ryan Roy and Randy Roy, positioned at different areas of the arena, oversaw the class such that each judge gave a base score and added on high option points as riders chose to jump those fences.
Isop and Red Ryder went straight to the top of the leaderboard after dazzling the judges in the classic round to earn two base scores of 88. Combined with the four high option points from each judge, their first-round score of 184 put them in pole position heading into the handy. In the handy round, Isop and “Ryder” were once again red-hot, earning the impressive high scores of 90 and 91 and jumping all four high option fences for a total of 189. Their overall mark of 373 gave them the convincing victory.
“I thought the course today was beautiful,” shared Isop, who trains out of her family’s Harkaway Farm in Brewster, New York. “It was a real course, which was great preparation to get us ready for the upcoming Derby Finals. I love the new Hunter Stadium. The footing feels great, and the horses jump great on it.
“I really enjoy the derby classes,” she continued. “For me, it’s just fun. It’s a cool mixture of hunters and jumpers, and I like to do both. I like to carry a little bit of pace and the turning part of it, so we really try to always have some derby horses in the barn, and I’m lucky enough right now to have a great string.”
Perhaps the king of that talented string of derby contenders for Isop is Red Ryder. Isop and the ever-young 20-year-old Selle Français gelding (Hurlevent de Breka x Umour du Fenaud) owned by Tracy Freels have been winning together for more than a decade, and that streak doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
“It’s always special when I get to go in the ring with Ryder,” expressed Isop. “There is nothing better than doing these classes with him. He loves this more than anyone else, so it’s always a lot of fun. To feel him feeling so good and continue to enjoy it, it’s just amazing. Sometimes I have to worry about some playfulness on the landing, but I never have to worry about the jump, and that’s so rare. He’s the horse of a lifetime in that way.”
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