6 Photos
[caption id="attachment_55051" align="alignnone" width="800"] Phoebe Topping clears a jump at The Hampton Classic on Sunday. Lori Hawkins photo[/caption]
By Gavin Menu
With the start of high school less than a week away, there are still some minor engagements for Phoebe Topping to attend to, namely a little horse show called the Hampton Classic.
For Topping, a soon-to-be freshman at Pierson High School whose family owns and operates Swan Creek Farms in Bridgehampton, riding on the East End is as natural and routine as the start of a new school year. And the Classic, in particular, has deep roots with her family.
“The Hampton Classic has always been a really special show,” Phoebe said on Monday, the one day aside Grand Prix Sunday she was not scheduled to compete. “The first time I showed there was in the leadline class when I was 2 or 3.”
Topping competed in a number of classes on opening day on Sunday, when traditionally one of the biggest horse shows in the country allows riders from Long Island to shine. Riding on Epic, Topping finished fifth in two equestrian classes and was first and seventh in two hunter classes aboard another horse, Perfectionist.
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Sag Harbor's Isabel Culver takes her mount Cabaret over a jump during a Local Junior Hunter Class competition on Sunday. Michael Heller photo[/caption]
Two other riders who attend Pierson also had success on Sunday. Katie Kneeland, a rising sophomore, finished seventh in the Children’s High Equitation flat class, and was third in the same class with fences. Isabel Culver finished first, third and was reserve champion in her junior hunter classed and won $250 in prize money.
This summer has been particularly successful for the 14-year-old Topping. She qualified for the National Junior Hunter Finals in Pennsylvania earlier this summer, and finished 10th overall in her division. She also qualified for the large pony hunter national finals in Lexington, Kentucky, where her pony, Rumple Minz, finished 21st overall out of 140 ponies. Riding in the equestrian class, which judges the performance of riders rather than their horses, Topping finished fourth out of 185 competitors from across the country.
“We didn’t really expect it,” said Amanda Topping, Phoebe’s mom who works as a trainer at the family farm. “Our expectations were more along the lines of showing the pony in the hunter division. The result was tremendously rewarding, but also a little surprising.”
Phoebe’s father, Jagger, rides in the professional ranks at the classic, as does her aunt, Gretchen. The Topping name is synonymous with horse riding in Bridgehampton and at the Hampton Classic, so it should come as little surprise that the next generation of the family has begun to blossom.
“Her schedule is very much a grind, but we’re lucky on two fronts,” Amanda Topping said about her daughter. “Phoebe is a bright kid, she’s a good student. The other thing is she likes to ride and she happens to be pretty good at it. There’s no question this is a sport for privileged kids, but she works very hard and does everything herself. Probably because she’s been exposed to the business her whole life, she seems to have a good handle on her emotions and her own expectations that drive her to want to succeed, to be a rider, to be a horseman. I think she recognizes that and she balances her emotions really well.”
Phoebe, whose favorite Grand Prix riders are McLain Ward and Victoria Colvin, was scheduled in more classes this week, but also has big expectations for the fall, with hopes of qualifying for the Pennsylvania Horse Show in Harrisburg as well as the Washington International Horse Show, both of which invite only the top 20 or 30 riders from across the country for each individual class.
Still, with all of that ahead, this week is all about the Hampton Classic, a show the Topping family has been a part of since its beginnings more than 40 years ago.
“I think it’s a little more personal for us, obviously for the Topping family in particular,” said Amanda. “My in-laws go back to the early ’70s. They didn’t create the classic, but they were a big part of it.”
And now, with Phoebe, they should be for many more years to come.
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Phoebe Topping at The Hampton Classic in Bridgehampton. Lori Hawkins photo[/caption]
Fresh Off Silver Medal, McLain Ward Wins at Classic
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McLain Ward at the Hampton Classic on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Hampton Classic.[/caption]
McLain Ward is no stranger to winning at the Hampton Classic. Fresh off winning a silver medal for the United States Olympic team in Brazil, Ward returned stateside and jumped right into the Hampton Classic, where more success awaited in the $30,000 Boar’s Head Open Jumper Challenge held on opening day on Sunday. Riding Tina La Boheme, Ward bested a field of 39 riders by going clear in the fastest time of 59.048 seconds on the Michel Vaillancourt designed course in the Grand Prix ring.
"It was a lovely class, a great welcome for the horses with nice prize money," said Ward. "This is a mare who's had a great year but hasn't shown for a while because I have been away. It is a great comeback for her here. It was a nice smooth course, but competitive enough. The field was phenomenal. It was a great introduction for the horses."
The classic on Monday hosted the Championship Finals for the Long Island Horse Show Series for Riders with Disabilities (LIHSSRD), with Lauren Reischer of New York winning the grand championship. The LIHSSRD was created by Katie McGowan of Camp HorseAbility, Inc., in 2005 to provide riders with disabilities the same competitive experience that other equestrians enjoy. Riders are judged on equitation, as well as demonstration and knowledge of riding skills.
"I can't believe this is our 11th year here at the Hampton Classic," said McGowan. "I am forever grateful to [Executive Director] Shanette Cohen and the Hampton Classic for giving our riders this opportunity to compete here."
gavinmenu on Aug 30, 2016