Trainers John Brennan and Missy Clark were watching Cuba jump around the equitation ring when they both came to the same conclusion: the gelding jumped far too nicely not to compete as a hunter. Soon after, they made the decision to transition him to the hunter ring - a decision that they are now glad they made. On Saturday afternoon, Cuba was named the 2015 Devon Horse Show Grand Junior Hunter Champion.

"Both myself and Missy stood at the equitation ring two or three days in a row and watched him do the equitation," said Brennan of North Run. "We said he's brave, and he's good. So we decided to do the hunters."

Brennan and Clark then made another smart decision: they gave the ride on Cuba to 15-year-old McKayla Langmeier.

"We worked a lot with McKayla and her family, and she's such a natural," Clark said. "She has a great ability to catch ride anything. It was just an easy choice."  

McKayla Langmeier and Cuba

Langmeier piloted the 8-year-old Warmblood gelding, owned by Missy Clark and North Run, to a clean sweep of all three of the Large Junior 15 and Under Hunter Over Fences classes, earning them the Large Junior 15 and Under Hunter Championship. As the only pair to earn victories in three classes and top the point standings, Langmeier and Cuba went on to be named the Overall Large Junior Hunter Champions and the Grand Junior Hunter Champions.

"He's an incredible horse. He really loved this event here; he was a blast to ride here," Langmeier said.

Brennan added, "We kind of knew he'd be good here with the new ring and the new

Tori Colvin and Canadian Blue

Colvin was named champion of both of the Junior 16 & 17 Hunter divisions, taking the tricolor in the Large Junior 16 & 17 Hunters with Way Cool and in the Small Junior 16 & 17 Hunters with Canadian Blue.

"I've been riding these horses for a long time, and I love them all. I just get on them and try to make them love me as much as they will," Colvin said. "It's just been an amazing time to be able to ride all of these great horses."

Colvin's 2015 Devon Horse Show accolades did not stop there. The Best Child Rider on a Horse award is presented each year to the junior exhibitor competing in the hunter seat equitation and/or junior hunter sections who, in the opinion of the judges, is the best rider. For the fifth time that honor was presented to Colvin - an accomplishment that is sure to go down in the Devon history books, as Colvin's consistent success in Devon's junior divisions is nearly unmatched.     

Tori Colvin and Way Cool

The fifth win marks a fitting close to a well-decorated Devon junior career for Colvin, as the next time she returns to the Dixon Oval she will have aged out of the junior division. And for Colvin, after numerous trips over the course during the past three days, the one that stands out the most was her final hunter course as a junior at Devon.

"My last round was probably the best. It was an amazing end," Colvin said of her final class on Way Cool. "It was great for him. His last trip at Devon to be able to just go around with a happy face, and then I was just patting him like 'Okay, now you're done.' He's my Pumpkin. He's the cutest."

In addition to the Best Child Rider title and both the Small and Large Junior 16 & 17 Hunter Championships, Colvin also claimed the reserve championships in each division with Ovation, in the Small Junior Hunters, and Small Affair, in the Large Junior Hunters.

The championship in the Small Junior 15 & Under Hunter division went to Akinda and Coco Fath, with the reserve championship going to Castelli and McKayla Langmeier. The Large Junior 15 & Under reserve championship went to Cassanto and Emily Perez.  

Sophie Gochman and the small pony Bit Of Love stood out from the rest in the pony hunter divisions, claiming the Wizard of Oz Challenge Trophy as the Grand Pony Hunter champions. Bit Of Love, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker, earned two wins, two second places and a third over the two days of competition. Gochman is a Devon Horse Show veteran: she made her debut by winning the leadline class as a young child, and since then, she has returned for four editions of the historic show.

"He's a really great pony," Gochman said of Bit Of Love. "I've been riding him for six months, and we've really started clicking together. He is sassy and adorable."

Sophie Gochman and Bit of Love

En route to their Grand Pony Hunter title, Gochman and Bit Of Love captured the Small Pony Hunter Championship. Reserve champions were Saylor Shea and Lands End Eros, owned by Natalie Jayne. Augusta Iwasaki and Grand All Over, owned by Iwasaki & Reilly, were the champions in the Medium Pony Hunters, with Emma Callanan and her own Northwinds Lost Boy finishing with the reserve championship. In the Large Pony Hunters, Emma Kurtz rode Dr. Betsee Parker's Enjoy The Laughter to the championship, with Taylor St. Jacques and Jill Shulman's Love And Logic claiming the reserve.

St. Jacques, who also competed Storyteller in the Large Pony Hunters, was named Best Child Rider on a Pony for her standout performances. She received the Dresden Challenge Trophy. St. Jacques has had a great deal of success as a catch rider, and she was grateful for the chance to return to the Devon Horse Show for the first time since 2011.

"It's a very exciting moment for me," she said. "It's an amazing show, and I've wanted to come back for a long time. It's so much fun here, especially the fair!"

Competition at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair continues on Sunday with the Carriage Pleasure Drive beginning at 12 p.m.