For one week each October, the Penn Quarter neighborhood around Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. is transformed into a festival of horses. Streets are closed for stabling and community events, and pedestrians and vehicles make way for the arrival of hundreds of horses – some of the finest in the world – to compete at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), the country’s most prestigious metropolitan indoor horse show and a D.C. tradition since 1958. WIHS wrapped up its 56th year, one of the most exciting and successful events in its history, finding new relevance with businesses and the local community, reinforcing its position in equestrian sport worldwide and delighting horse lovers of all ages. “Everything came together this year. On the sport side, we had the best of the best qualifying and competing, from Olympic gold medalists and international riders from the European Union and Latin America to top national hunter riders. We had hugely entertaining exhibitions, wonderful partnerships with local and military charities, the support of forward-thinking sponsors, and popular parties and community events,” said Bridget Love Meehan, the show’s executive director since 2011. The highlight event of the week brought out a star-studded lineup of top international show jumpers for Saturday night’s $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI 4*-W presented by Events DC. Spectators filled the arena and the elegant ringside dining platforms to watch riders from around the world take on the biggest jumps, up to 1.60m in height, for the biggest purse of the show. Only four riders cleared the first round to advance to round two. Following a thrilling jump-off, McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y., riding HH Carlos Z, won by a fraction of a second, just beating rising star Jessica Springsteen. Ward, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will have his name etched for an unprecedented fourth time on the base of the President of the United States Perpetual Cup donated to the show in 1961 by First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy and which bears the seal of the president of the U.S. Finishing third was Beezie Madden, also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the top-ranked women show jumpers in the world. In a moving moment, Ward pulled up during his victory gallop to present his winning sash to an eager young fan in the stands. “This event has great history. It has always been a marquee event on the show jumping calendar as a world cup qualifier. With the horse show in the heart of D.C. — such a beautiful city and area — it’s really something special for our sport,” said Ward. Earlier in the evening, up-and-coming rider Michael Hughes, 18, of Allendale, N.J., won the three-phase WIHS Equitation Finals, consisting of riding tests over hunter and jumper courses followed by a difficult final test as the top four riders swapped horses to jump another course. Riders compete throughout the year to earn an invitation to the finals at Verizon Center. This prestigious year-end championship for junior riders is a touchstone for future international equestrian success, as evidenced by Ward, who won the finals in 1993 as well as top international riders Kent Farrington (1999), Brianne Goutal (2004) and Lillie Keenan (2010).
