2026 USHJA Hunter Championship Week: Tradition and Triumph

2026 USHJA Hunter Championship Week

Each August, the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, welcomes the hunter community for Platinum Performance®/USHJA Hunter Championship Week. Held alongside the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, the week brings together some of the country’s finest hunter horses and riders, as well as the trainers, owners, breeders and grooms behind them. In 2026, the championships took place August 11–15, unfolding in Rolex Stadium. Competitors arrived ready to showcase the hard work, dedication and partnership that brought them here, all with the hope of earning a championship title.

Two Championships, Two Formats

Platinum Performance®/USHJA Hunter Championship Week features two premier championships: the Platinum Performance®/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship and the Platinum Performance®/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships. While both take place during the same week and share a commitment to celebrating exceptional hunter horses and riders, the two programs have very different histories, purposes and formats.

International Hunter Derby

The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby Program was established in 2007 to showcase hunter riding at its highest level. The Derby combines the traditional qualities of hunter competition, style, movement, manners, jumping form and way of going, with elements of athleticism, bravery and strategy.

The program also uses a tier system to create opportunities for riders at different stages of their careers. Tier I includes the top 40 riders from the previous year’s money-won standings, along with previous International Hunter Derby champions. All other riders compete as Tier II, giving riders who are still building their careers the opportunity to earn their own championship title and prize money while competing alongside the sport’s leading professionals.

Every horse begins in the Classic Round, where judges evaluate the overall quality and brilliance of the performance. Riders can choose higher-option fences for bonus points, adding another level of challenge and strategy. The leading horse-and-rider combinations then return for the Handy Hunter Round, where tighter turns, varied tracks, technical questions and higher options test handiness, precision and the partnership between horse and rider.

The Classic and Handy scores are combined to determine the overall champion, while the top Tier II horse-and-rider combinations compete for their own prize-money opportunities. Horses that do not advance to the Handy Round can also compete in the Derby Challenge, providing another opportunity to earn prize money and finish the week on a high note. Together, the format rewards both the established leaders of the sport and riders on their way up, making the Derby as much about opportunity as it is about competition.

Green Hunter Incentive

The USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Program came later, beginning in 2012 with a very different mission: to encourage the development of Green Hunters competing at 3’0” and 3’3”. The program expanded in 2018 to include the 3’6” and 3’9” levels. The lower-height championship follows a more involved championship format. Horses compete in preliminary rounds, with the top 10 from the First Preliminary earning an automatic place in the Championship Round. Additional horses qualify through the Second Preliminary and cumulative preliminary scores, ultimately producing a field of 30 finalists. Those finalists then begin the Championship Round with a clean slate.

The 3’6”/3’9” championship follows a simpler format. All horses compete in a preliminary round, with the top 30 advancing to the Championship Round, where scores once again start from zero.

Like the Derby, the scores are based on the overall quality of the performance, not simply whether a horse jumps every fence. Movement, jumping style, manners and pace all contribute to the final impression. The Green Hunter program also uses a three-tier rider system based on the previous competition year’s money-won standings. Tier I includes riders ranked 1–45, plus previous Green Hunter Incentive champions. Tier II includes riders ranked 46–100, and Tier III includes riders ranked 101 and below. These tiers provide additional prize-money opportunities while still allowing riders to compete for the overall champion.

“The Platinum Performance®/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship is such an important event to showcase the young horses and their development. I love to bring our green horses here to gain this experience and highlight their potential in the hunter ring.”
— Victoria Colvin
4-Time Winner USHJA International Hunter Derby Champion

2026 Green Hunter Championship Results

This year’s Green Hunter Championships produced some of the week’s biggest stories. Victoria Colvin and Odette, owned by John and Stephanie Ingram, LLC, made history in the 3’6”/3’9” Championship, winning with a score of 279, where a record-breaking $111,265 in total prize money was awarded. Odette also became the first horse to win the 3’0”/3’3” in 2024 before returning to claim the 3’6”/3’9” Championship title in 2025 and now again this year.

The 3’0”/3’3” Championship brought its own share of excitement, beginning with an unexpected weather challenge. Extreme weather forced the cancellation of the planned First Preliminary round, requiring the USHJA to quickly adjust the competition format. All entries scheduled to compete were moved to the following day’s Second Preliminary round, regardless of tier, and the prize money from the two preliminary rounds was combined. As a result, 60 places were paid instead of the usual 30, giving more competitors an opportunity to earn prize money.

When the Championship Round finally arrived, John French and O’Rockstar, owned by Maddock Horses, LLC, delivered a record-setting score of 280.5 to claim the $251,105 championship. Quinn Larimer and Religiously, owned by Nestledown Equine Services, LLC, a Tier III combination, finished reserve champion, becoming the first Tier III rider to finish as reserve champion, a remarkable result that demonstrated the value of the tier system.

2026 International Hunter Derby Results

The individual Classic Round was also a highlight, with a record-breaking 97 horse-and-rider combinations. It ended with Jennifer Hannan and Cellestino, owned by Stephanie Bulger, taking the lead with a score of 293.5. Hannan and other leading combinations returned to the Rolex Stadium the following day for the Handy Round. Weather delays brought more suspense to the evening event as the championship came down to a thrilling showdown among Hannan and Cellestino; Victoria Colvin (last year’s victor) and Golden Road, owned by John and Stephanie Ingram, LLC; and Greg Crolick and Chappy, owned by Carole Chase.

Colvin moved into the lead with a combined score of 594.5, but Hannan was the final rider to enter the ring. She delivered a 308.5 Handy score, finishing on 602 to capture the $268,830 Platinum Performance®/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship. Colvin finished reserve champion, with Crolick third. For Hannan and Cellestino, the victory was particularly significant after finishing reserve champion in 2025. For Tier II, it was Eleanor Rudnicki and Vex Freedom, owned by Vex Sporthorses, LLC, who rode the winning round with a score of 573.5.

The First International Hunter Derby Team Competition

One of the biggest changes this year was the introduction of the International Hunter Derby Team Competition. Each team consisted of three horse-and-rider combinations: one Tier I rider, one Tier II rider and one Junior, Amateur or lower-ranked Tier II rider. Their Classic Round scores were combined, with every score counting toward the team’s final total.

This year’s first-ever team title went to Makoto Magic, made up of Jennifer Jones and Levi VDL, owned by John Kimmel; Augusta Iwasaki and Small Fortune, owned by Iwasaki and Reilly; and Jacob Pope and Malito owned by Mia Holstead. The team earned a $22,800 purse, giving the Derby a new element of teamwork and camaraderie in what has traditionally been an individual sport.

A Week Worth Celebrating

As another Hunter Championship Week comes to a close, 2026 leaves us with plenty to celebrate, from outstanding performances and dramatic finishes to the exciting introduction of the Team Competition.

This year also brought significant weather challenges, and the USHJA deserves special recognition for adapting quickly and keeping the competition moving while creating opportunities for its competitors. Congratulations to all of this year’s champions, riders, owners, trainers and grooms. After seven years as the title sponsor, Platinum Performance® is proud to continue to partner with the USHJA and to be part of this exceptional event.