May 29, 2014–The 2014 Devon Horse Show & Country Fair hosted its final day of professional hunter divisions on Wednesday and awarded Grand Hunter and Leading Rider awards for its 2014 competition. For the second year in a row, Kelley Farmer of Keswick, VA, was Devon’s Leading Hunter Rider as well as the Leading Lady Rider in the High Performance division. She guided Glefke & Kensel LLC’s Scripted to the Devon Grand Hunter Championship after taking top honors in the Green Conformation Hunter division.
Scripted, an eight-year-old Warmblood gelding by Sandro Hit, earned the most points out of all of the divisions with first, second, second, and third place ribbons in the four classes of Green Conformation Hunters over fences as well as a win under saddle. He was also the division’s model winner. For the Grand Hunter Championship, Scripted was presented The Fourth Sally Deaver Murray Memorial Challenge Trophy donated by Mrs. Ernest Scott and Mr. & Mrs. Stillman F. Kelley II.
Along with Scripted’s division championship, Farmer topped three divisions this week to earn the Leading Hunter Rider title. She also guided Glefke & Kensel LLC’s So To Speak to the First Year Green Hunter championship and won the High Performance Working Hunter championship with Glefke and Kensel LLC’s Mindful.
Scott Stewart won the other two divisions, taking the Regular Conformation Hunter Championship with Krista and Alexa Weisman’s Showman and the Second Year Green Hunter Championship with David Gochman’s Mythical. He dominated Devon’s Leading Hunter Rider title from 2009-2012, but Farmer has edged him out the last two years.
As Leading Hunter Rider, Farmer was awarded The Hope Montgomery Scott Perpetual Trophy presented in her honor by the 1985 Devon Horse Show Committee. For the Leading Lady Rider award in the High Performance division, she was presented The Tarad Hill Perpetual Trophy presented by Mr. & Mrs. Leonard A. King in memory of Betty Jane Baldwin Meister.
“Last year was the first year I dethroned Scott,” Farmer said of taking over the title. “It has been close for the last few years. The rivalry definitely makes me sharper; any good competition does when you show against the best.”
Farmer was Best Child Rider at Devon when she was young and has continued to excel. The Devon Leading Hunter Rider title was always something she hoped to achieve. “It has been a goal since I started,” she stated. “I have always thought about it, but until you are here and have the horses, until you find that it is within your grasp – it doesn’t matter what we know and what we learn unless you have the animals to do it. I am very fortunate that I have great horses and very fortunate that the people around me have supported that.”
Farmer’s top mount Scripted is a special horse for Larry Glefke. He was originally intended to do dressage, but found his way to Lane Change Farm instead and is what Glefke describes as the perfect picture of conformation.
“I have never had a horse with as beautiful a hind leg,” Glefke noted. “If you were to write a book on how a conformation horse is supposed to be built that would be it. He is beautiful. He came with an immense attitude, but he is a quiet, kind horse. He is a great horse; one of my favorite horses. You can do anything in the world with him and once you turn to the jump, I would very seldom say this, but that horse has as good a timing as Kelley Farmer does.”
Farmer commented on Scripted, explaining, “The ride is to do nothing. He wants you to leave him alone. He is a very quiet horse, and he has so much ability, but he wants it to be his opinion. He wants you not to get in his way. He is so talented. He is an amazing horse to ride and you feel like you could jump this building, he has so much ability.”
