The Yukon Horse and Rider Association (YHRA) took place last weekend with some stellar performances and learning opportunities.

In the Hunt Seat Equitation, junior champion was Paige Stockley, while reserve was Elizabeth Inglis. Youth champions were Laura Holmes and Ashley Borgel, while reserve was Celeste Findlay. The open champion was Terry Inglis and the reserve was Kathryn Morrison.

In the open Hunter Division, the 2’6 division champion was Lady Grey and the reserve was Harry. In the 2’9 division, champion was Hollywood. In the 3’ division, the champion was Moonlight’s Montage and the reserves were Highland’s McDuff and Moonshine.

In the Western Equitation, the adult champion was Janilyn Kooy with Heidi Miller as the reserve. Malorie Hanson was the youth champion and Leah Neyhart was the youth reserve. Kate DeBuse was junior champion and Presley Bjork was junior reserve.

In Halter, the grand champion was Maria Elena, owned by Leah Neyhart from Juneau. Reserve champion was Snow Elf, owned by Northern Tempo Equestrian Centre in Whitehorse. The Yukon-bred champion was Mandolin HBR, owned by Janilyn Kooy and bred by Gail Reiderer, Heart Bar Ranch.

The sportsmanship award went to Angelique and Howard Bjork, who scratched their own show plans to help a family take care of a horse after it was injured while being put away. The injuries were severe enough that the horse had to be brought to a veterinarian in Calgary. Reports are positive that the horse will make a strong recovery.