Caroline Passarelli and Little Black Pearl (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Passarelli has had 21-year-old Little Black Pearl for four years. The pair also won the Small Pony Hunter championship in Harrisburg last week and this was the rider’s last show on her and a special win to cap off their partnership.
“It has definitely been a journey from the bottom to the top,” Passarelli acknowledged. “We got her as just my first pony, never knowing anything like this would happen. I always do the medal finals and pony finals at Washington and I never get called back, but this year I really felt like I wanted to win it. It is my last time in the smalls, and I felt like I really had something to do it for. I went in there kind of just thinking to ride my best and think through the course and by my last jump, I knew that Pearl was perfect.”
“I wasn’t as nervous as the actual pony division. It is a completely separate part to me,” Passarelli said of the final. “You go in thinking that this is a new thing and start with a clean slate. Pearl was so good. I knew that it was my last class on her and that she was going to be perfect no matter what. She always goes into the ring wanting to do her best.”
“She has taught me everything about anything,” Passarelli recalled. “She wants a soft ride. She doesn’t like when you try to get your way and tell her what to do. She just wants to be your teacher. She will never do anything bad. She just likes when you can leave her alone and let her do the job.”
“It is amazing to win this. I definitely wanted to go out on a good note,” the rider stated. “The pony division went really well, she was awesome, but I just wanted to do that much better. I realized that I had to do my best, and it was amazing.”
Concluding the week of competition at the 2014 Washington International Horse Show were the Regional Hunter Championships. The WIHS Regional Pony Hunter Champion was Polka Dot Pal ridden by Thea Bitar. Bitar (13), of McLain, VA, trains with Ian McCartney and this was her first time qualifying for the final at Verizon Center. Reserve champion was Blackberry and Grace Fulla.
To earn the championship, Bitar and Polka Dot Pal won the final class of the division on Sunday with the high score of 80 over fences. Kendall Youngblood and Pajama Party placed second with a score of 78. Sabrina Daniels and Stoneridge Show Stables’ Masquerade were third with a 76, and Olivia Carmouche and Mary Elizabeth Cordia’s Jumpin’ Jack Flash placed fourth with a score of 72.
Speaking about Polka Dot Pal, Bitar explained, “We went to try him on April 23, 2013, and when I first tried him I knew he would be perfect. He came home the next month, and I have been leasing him ever since. We renewed our lease last April, and we have him for two more months.”
“He is great. He is the sweetest little thing,” Bitar smiled. “You do need a lot of leg on him, but other than that, he is really easy. He goes in a D-ring bit most of the time. He is just a really happy pony. He never gets mad at the other horses, and he is just so much fun to ride.”
“Last weekend I was at Regionals, and I never thought we would qualify to show here,” Bitar admitted. “It is my first time and I guess it turned out pretty well. It is amazing to show here. I have always watched the show since I was little and thought how cool it would be to show here when I was so much older, and now I had this opportunity and I am so thankful.”
The WIHS Regional Hunter Horse Finals followed with a championship win for Inside Scoop and Allison Kilroy. They were awarded The Black, Starr and Frost Perpetual Trophy after winning the division’s final class at Verizon Center with a high score of 80. Hannah Showell and Unbelievable finished second with a score of 77, and Brittani Director placed third with a 73. Isabell Stettinius and Guest of Honor finished fourth and earned the division’s reserve championship overall.
Kilroy (17), of Severna Park, MD, trains with Amy and Streett Moore at McDonogh School. She leases Inside Scoop a.k.a ‘Tank’ from the school and has ridden the horse for two and a half years.
“He is awesome. He is great to ride, and I am so lucky to have him,” Kilroy stated after her win. “This is actually my last show on him, so it was really special. He is so responsive, and he has the biggest heart of any horse I have ever ridden. He will do anything you ask him to do, so basically you just have to be assertive.”
Sunday was Kilroy’s first time competing in the Regional Final and a wonderful conclusion to her partnership with Inside Scoop. “It is amazing. It is the only show I ever really, really wanted to do, so it was such a great experience,” she smiled. “My round was really fun. I walked in and I just looked around a little bit because it is so cool to be in Verizon Center. Then I got my canter and got a good pace, and we just clocked around. It was a lot of fun.”
Kilroy is captain of the varsity riding team at McDonogh School and plans to stay involved in different activities. “I will probably switch to a different horse and do some local shows,” she noted. “Now I need to focus more on going to college and what’s the next step, so this is a great finale really. It was awesome.”
Final Results: WIHS Regional Pony Hunter Finals
Place, Number, Horse, Rider, Owner, Score
1 921 POLKA DOT PAL Thea Bitar Thea Bitar 80.000
2 925 PAJAMA PARTY Kendall Youngblood Kendall Youngblood 78.000
3 917 MASQUERADE Sabrina Daniels Stoneridge Show Stables 76.000
4 919 JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH Olivia Carmouche Mary Elizabeth Cordia 72.000
5 916 BLACKBERRY Grace Frulla Grace Frulla 71.000
6 923 SAILORS TAKE WARNING Olivia Mc Carren Meadowbrook Stables 70.000
7 929 MADELINE Georgia Schmidt Garland Schmidt 69.000
8 918 TINSELTOWN Jianna Simcik Stacey Simcik 68.000
9 927 BROWNIE POINTS Lauren Katz Lauren Katz 67.000
10 926 SHAM’S LOGANBERRY Summerlynd Nelson Streett Moore 65.000
11 924 MONROYALE Haley Mansfield HEM Equine LLC 64.000
12 928 RODEO DRIVE Madelaine Black Madelaine Black 40.000
Final Results: WIHS Regional Hunter Finals
Place, Number, Horse, Rider, Owner, Score
1 932 INSIDE SCOOP Allison Kilroy Allison Kilroy 78.000
2 931 UNBELIEVEABLE Hannah Showell Cindy Wood 77.000
3 938 ROCOCO Brittani Director Brittani Director 73.000
4 937 GUEST OF HONOR Isabel Stettinius Isabel Stettinius 58.000
5 933 TOP SHELF Sarah Holladoes Cynthia Lytle 50.000
6 939 UNSCRIPTED Rachel Malatesta Lorraine Dirienzo 45.000
7 936 ON DEMAND Grace Wilbanks Grace Elowski 43.000
8 930 PARK AVENUE Lydia Davidson Nancy Davidson 41.000
9 934 JAMES Ainsley Cragin Nicole Cragin 20.000
10 935 THE LION KING Emily Gebhardt Cindy Newberry EL