Nine horses will compete for a total purse of $38,687 this afternoon in the 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Hunter Under Saddle class at the Spring Breakout Circuit in Lexington, Virginia.

The class has $30,000 in added money and is the brainchild of Meghan Tierney who, along with Cameron VanSickle, has been helping to manage the Virginia Maiden 3-Year-Old & Over Western Pleasure and add new and innovative classes to the Spring Breakout Circuit since 2019.

“This class has been a goal of mine since we became involved in the Virginia Maiden,” she said. “It’s no secret I have a passion for the Hunter Under Saddle and I wanted to stress that the hunt seaters not only get equal opportunities for classes in which to show, but also get equal purses to what our showcase Western Pleasure classes get. Often times we see purses for Hunter Under Saddle classes receive only a fraction of what the Western Pleasure offers at the same show. They pay just as much to attend. They are just as important and deserve to be treated as such.”

The class, which is approved by the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA), is scheduled to get underway after Horsemanship competition today at approximately 5 p.m. It will be livestreamed on Facebook by InStride Edition so like the page to get notification when it goes live.

I think it’s a great offering,” said Tali Terlizzi, of Ocala, Florida, who has a horse entered in the class. “It gives trainers and us owners a little less stress about horses that didn’t necessarily get finished the year before.It’s more organized, in my opinion, to have that date set for the class and then the goal would be to have that horse prepared in time for that date. “I can especially appreciate the idea because now it has opened the door for the Hunter Under Saddle world to have these special classes since over the years it was always the Western Pleasure getting them and now it looks like this Maiden class is starting to trend with some of the other horse shows.”

The entry fee for the class is $750 and every exhibitor will earn a check. The winner will collect $10,000. There will be a $1,500 bonus for the highest placing Limited Rider in the class and the Reserve Limited Rider will get a $1,000 bonus, thanks to the generous support of sponsor Good Better Best.

“We are still the only futurity that pays all the placings and not just some random amount,” Tierney said. “I custom design the payout scale. The last place entry in this class will receive $1,6681.81 and I’m super happy with that.”

Entered in the 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Hunter Under Saddle class are:

#325 – Good Thing I’m Best (Good Better Best x Unbridled Contessa), owned and shown by Dr. Caroline Leeth, Blacksburg, Virginia.

#352 – Boy Oh Boy (Iron Enterprise x Blue Skys Movin In), owned by Joy Geallis, Frankfort, Illinois, shown by Keith Miller.

#368 – Shez A Sleepy Head (Too Sleepy To Zip x Pretty In Hot Pink), owned by Tony Bladen, Sunderland, Maryland, shown by Raina Parsons.

#376 – Itsa AfterHours Thing (It’s a Southern Thing x Good After Hours), owned by Erin Duquette, Glencoe, Ontario, Canada, shown by Amber Hanson Pickard.

#388 – Best Hidden Agenda (Good Better Best x Hidden Agenda), owned by Jerry and/or Vickie Strickland, Jonesboro, Arkansas, shown by Dawn Baker.

#389 – Straight Up Southern (It’s a Southern Thing x Sure Ama Hottie), owned by Beau Baird, Greencastle, Indiana, shown by Jamie English.

#439 – So Youre The One (Allocate Your Assets x Sienna Sky), owned by Tali Terlizzi, Ocala, Florida, shown by Kaitlin Hutchinson.

#446 – Take A Chance Onn Me (Good Better Best x Totally Innocent), owned and shown by Sheryl Chillson, Brockville, Ontario, Canada.

#444  –  Party Gurl (The Born Legacy x The Party Starts Now), owned by Capall Creek Farm, Hampstead, North Carolina, shown by Maryah Cugno.

Following the pinning of the 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Hunter Under Saddle class, the show will feature a brand new class, an industry first, when the 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Working Western Rail is presented in the Coliseum.  The new class boasts $12,500 in guaranteed money plus cash bonuses for the two highest placing Non-Pro competitors and is being sponsored by the Troutman Family and their stallion, A Wicked Shine.

Also new in the Ranch class lineup is a $5,000 added All-Age Non-Pro Ranch Rail Class, which will be held following the 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Western Pleasure on Saturday evening. It is sponsored by the Troutman family, Lake Point Farm and BMG Show Horses.

Judges for this year’s Spring Breakout are: April Devitt, Casey Devitt, Clay McCloud, Sandy Curl, Rick Christy and Dolly Chayer. Eddie Smith i Special Event Judge and additional judges include Shane Young and Steve Lackey.

For more information on the Spring Breakout visit www.myvqha.com