Initially, Michael Baum was not sure whether he would show Hoopla at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. As a new dad to a 4-month-old, it would be Baum’s first time spending two nights away from his kid, and he was debating whether he should take the time away.

Ultimatel,y he decided to, and it paid off with the Adult Amateur Hunter 36-49 Championship, presented by Marshall+Sterling Insurance, on Friday, October 17. Baum and Hoopla were also awarded the Grand Adult Amateur Hunter Championship, presented by Marshall+Sterling Insurance, and they received the A Bit Of Thom Memorial Perpetual Trophy, thanks to three wins over fences. Lisa Arena Davis and Wish were reserve champions in the 36-49 division.

“‘Cosmo’ is a veteran,” said Baum. “He knows his job inside and out. He’s perfect. I come here, and he just takes care of me. He makes everything so easy.”

Baum started leasing Cosmo from Louisa Attenborough two years ago when he moved to ride with Jennifer Hannan. Initially they thought Cosmo would be a temporary ride while Baum found a horse of his own, but their partnership ended up being something special.

“I kind of fell in love with him, so when my lease was up, I bought him,” he said. “I was like, ‘I can’t imagine him going to someone else!’”

Baum described Cosmo as being a great personality who will jump from anywhere and really takes care of you in the tack, but on the ground he’s a big personality.

“Every jump, every day I get with him, I’m just grateful to have a horse like that,” Baum said. “I say it about all of them – and I love all of them – but he really is probably my favorite horse I’ve ever had, because he’s just so smart. You feel like he’s thinking for you and with you. He makes everything a game.”

Between a new child, recently getting his masters degree in interior design and transitioning to a new career, Baum has not gotten as much saddle time as he would like, but he was quick to thank Cosmo, Hannan and the team at Ocean Echo for their success in the show ring.

“It means a lot, partially because I feel like Cosmo is always ready,” he said. “He could probably do it without anybody, just on his own. You do not want to let him down when you have a horse like that.”

Lauren Reid’s Catch-Riding Prowess Brings Her an Adult Amateur Championship

Before coming to the Pennsylvania National Horse Show this year, Lauren Reid had never sat on Casalluno, but her catch-riding experience paid off when she rode the gelding to the Adult Amateur Hunter 18-35 Championship, presented by Marshall+Sterling Insurance.

“He was a very easy horse to get to know,” said Reid. “He’s super straightforward, a very fun ride, so I feel like I clicked with him right from the start, so it was very nice. He’s a very nice horse, and I’m very grateful to Michael Britt-Leon for letting me ride him.”

Reid rides with Trevor Hawthorne, and when Britt-Leon needed someone to ride “Dylan,” he reached out to Hawthorne about having Reid show the gelding owned by Karle Dickerson. The pair won two classes and were second and third in the remaining ones to take the division championship. Lakshmi Jeyanandarajan and Dauphin were reserve champions.

“He’s super fun,” said Reid. “You can get on a nice gallop and gallop him around. The jumps come out of stride with him. He has a beautiful jump, flashy. He trots in, and the first thing the judges notice is his expression. He’s a great mover, so he has all the pieces for sure.”

Reid is a senior studying business and communications at Baylor University in Texas, and she rides on the equestrian team there. She has been coming to Harrisburg to compete since she was riding ponies and doing junior hunters, but this is the first time she has been back to the show since aging out of the juniors – and it marks her first championship. Though she is well-acquainted with the ins and outs of catch riding, she said she still feels pressure at big shows.

“My goal today was to just be consistent,” she said. “Yesterday went really well. Casalluno, he’s a great horse; he’s a super fun horse. My goal was just to stay out of his way and give him a good ride.”

Chilled Follows in His Father’s Footsteps

On Thursday, Rindy Dominguez rode her stallion Frosted to the 3’3″ Amateur Owner Hunter 36 and Over Championship at the Pennsylvania National, and on Friday, she repeated the feat with his son, Chilled, to win the Adult Amateur Hunter 50 and Over Championship, presented by Marshall+Sterling Insurance and sponsored by Fayetteville Farm.

“He’s like his dad,” Dominguez said of ‘Chilly.’ “He has all of the amazing skills that ‘Frosty’ has. He’s not a stallion, so he’s a little more chilled. He’s kind of a chilled Frosty, which makes him amazing. They both have amazing canters, amazing form in the air, and great movement, so they’re both very similar, kind, amazing horses.”

While the horses have similar talent, Dominguez said they do not require the same ride in the ring.

“Frosty is very, very super careful, so he definitely has a lot of buttons, where Chilled is a little more straightforward and just looking to the next jump, where Frosty has that big, explosive jump which is a little bit of a different ride,” said Dominguez.

Dominguez and her trainer Jennifer Hannan purchased Chilly from the same owner that had Frosty about a year ago, and they were pleased to see how much carried over from father to son.

“You think, ‘How much is going to carry over?’” she said. “But it’s certainly a lot. His mentality, his canter, the shape of his jump, all those things. They’re great learners. I think because they’re very competent and calm.”

Lori Sawyer-Lyons rode Moonlight to the reserve championship in the division. 

Earning the finale win of the Adult Amateur Hunters was Samantha Takacs. She piloted Starboy to victory in the $10,000 Penn National Adult Amateur Hunter Finals.

To view full results from all of the Adult Hunter Championships, presented by Marshall+Sterling, click here.