Anna Kubiak and Memorable. PC: Shawn McMillen Photography
WASHINGTON – October 24, 2017 – The 2017 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) kicked off on Tuesday, October 24, at the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. and continues through Sunday, October 29. The opening day of competition featured the start of professional and amateur hunter divisions, as well as year-end championships for child and adult hunter riders.
Earning a win in the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Hunter Championships was WIHS first-timer Anna Kubiak of Kildeer, IL. Kubiak and her horse Memorable, owned by Over Fences Farm LLC, were one of 32 entries in the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Hunter Championships, and they shot straight to the top of the leaderboard with a first round score of 86. The top 12 riders returned in reverse order of their standings for a second round, and Kubiak and Memorable cemented their win with a second-round score of 76.5 for a 162.5 total.
Kubiak, 16, was presented with the H. Fenwick Kollock Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by Friends of Fen, for her win.
Finishing in second were Annalise Manoog of Centerville, MA, and Boccaccio, owned by Nicole Manoog, with a 161 total score. Angelina Dileo of Milltown, NJ, and her own As Good As It’s Get, rounded out the top three on a score of 160.
“Honestly, it’s little bit surreal [to win here],” said Kubiak, whose appearance at the 2017 horse show marks her first time competing at WIHS. “I’ve been here before with my sister to watch, but it’s amazing to finally be able to ride here and be out in the ring. It’s awesome.”
Kubiak has had her winning mount, a nine-year-old warmblood gelding, for five years, and she has brought him up the ranks alongside her trainers Maria Rasmussen and Jeff Wirthman.
Anna Kubiak rode Memorable to the win in the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Hunter Championship. PC: Shawn McMillen Photography
“It’s amazing to finally be at this point with him and really succeeding because I’ve been working really hard since he was a baby,” said Kubiak. “I have a hard time being nervous with ‘Mo’ because he’s such a good boy. Going into it, I just was a little bit anxious because I wanted to do well, but he always takes care of me. I just had to remember to trust my horse, and ride my plan that I made with my trainers.”
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