October 20, 2026 – Upper Marlboro, MD
The 68th Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) presented by MARS Equestrian™ continued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and awarded the winners of the WIHS 1.15m Junior and Amateur Jumper Championships as well as professional hunter champions. Robert Mercer and Colina SN won the $12,500 WIHS 1.15m Junior Jumper Championship presented by MARS Equestrian™, while Elizabeth Craddock and Muchachomalo vd Knuffel were fastest in the $12,500 WIHS 1.15m Amateur Jumper Championship presented by MARS Equestrian™. Scott Stewart recorded his 16th Leading Hunter Rider title after taking the Grand Hunter Championship with California Love, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker.
Robert Mercer and Colina SN were lightning fast to win in the 1.15m jumpers.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Colina SN Strikes Again to Win with Robert Mercer
Amateur and junior jumper riders took center stage in The Show Place Arena on Tuesday afternoon as the flowing hunter course was replaced with the first technical show jumping course of the week. Debuting a spectacular start to the evening,13-year-old Robert Mercer landed the victory in the $12,500 WIHS 1.15m Junior Jumper Championship presented by MARS Equestrian™ with Colina SN.
Trusting the incredibly fast 16-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare (Colman x Quinar), owned by Taylor Landstrom, Mercer left nothing to chance and effectively shut the door on the remaining competition as he clocked in at 29.794 seconds.
“She has a really fast foot speed, so she’s good at making the tight turns and getting there quickly and deep,” he explained. “If you get there deep, she can just pop over it; she’s a tiny little girl, but, obviously, she knows how to get around.”
Out of a starting field of 22 horse-and-rider pairings, only nine entries managed to produce a clear effort over the opening track, designed by FEI level 3 level course designer Colm Quinn (IRL). Mercer returned halfway in the order for the jump-off and clipped almost three seconds from previous leading rider Ellie Goodfriend’s time of 32.041 seconds.
“At the end of my round, I started crying when they told me my time and that I was winning,” admitted Mercer. “I’ve kind of felt like I had some pressure to win this class because my sister also won it two years ago.”
While it was Mercer’s first year competing at WIHS with horses, Colina’s winning experience in the division dates back several years. The 2026 class win was the third of her career, having taken Robert’s older sister, Katherine Mercer, to the win in 2024 and Landstrom to the top of the podium in 2021.
“She knows what she’s doing, and she never likes to lose. She always wants to win,” added Mercer. “She’s been in our barn for three years, but I’ve been riding her for a little under a year. This is only my third jumper final with her, and we were fourth in the final at Devon and won the speed class at Capital Challenge.”
Goodfriend finished in third place on Claudia’s K, her own nine-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare. Brooklyn Webb split the difference for second place with Indigo Equine, LLC’s 12-year-old Westphalian gelding, Limerick Kws, just falling short of Mercer’s time in 30.829 seconds.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Craddock Saves the Best for Last
Heading in the ring as the final combination in the jump-off, Elizabeth Craddock and Muchachomalo vd Knuffel found the key to a winning ride, taking victory by two seconds in the $12,500 1.15m Amateur Jumper Championship presented by MARS Equestrian™. They stopped the timers in 32.577 seconds. Craddock’s barnmate, Samantha Hill, and Hematite, owned by Lion Hill LLC, finished second in 34.585 seconds. Laura Scalzi and her own Kaj were third in a time of 37.678 seconds.
“I really tried to focus on the plan we had talked about but with a little added competitiveness,” said Craddock. “Overall, the course rode pretty well. It was pretty technical, but it’s fun when it’s technical like that. In the first line, we did seven strides in the first round so stepping up and getting it done in six strides and keeping her super straight was our main goal. In both rounds she did it great and was so responsive to everything I was asking.”
Elizabeth Craddock and Muchachomalo vd Knuffel made their final indoor appearance a memorable one.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Elizabeth Craddock and barnmate Samantha Hill finished first and second.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Craddock, who is a senior at University of Kentucky, trains with Summer Justus and Andrea Simpson but is originally from Jackson, MS. She and “Mila,” her own 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Skippy II, have been together for three years and this is their first indoor season.
Although they competed at Capital Challenge Horse Show in the same arena two weeks ago, it was a “fun atmosphere” at WIHS. “This is our first big win, and ending on such a high note is really special,” she remarked.
California Love Can’t Be Beat
In a perfect performance, California Love swept the High Performance Hunter division with five blue ribbons, leading to the division championship as well as Grand Hunter Championship. With Scott Stewart in the irons, the pair were presented with the Mary Farren Perpetual Trophy for the division and the Rave Review Challenge Trophy for the grand presentation.
Stewart found California Love in Germany as a four-year-old, and people still ask Stewart if he came with his name, which is from his dam, Daytona Love, and sire, Clarimo.
He has always been really laid back,” said Stewart of the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “I showed him a little bit as a five-year-old, then brought him out as a Green Conformation Hunter when he was six. He has been great ever since.”
When the first day at Capital Challenge Horse Show didn’t go their way, Stewart scratched from day two and saved “Love” for WIHS. Although WIHS is at the same venue, there is enough change to make a difference for Love.
“The ring is quite different from Capital Challenge,” he explained. “There is more for horses to look at, so I think it actually perked his interest a little. The spookier the ring, the better. He’s almost too laid back sometimes, so I think in an environment like this he really excels.”
For the 16th time at WIHS, Stewart was named the Leading Hunter Rider, for which he was presented with the trophy that was named in his honor, the Scott Stewart Leading Hunter Rider Perpetual Trophy, donated by Dr. Betsee Parker.
“I’m honored that Betsee put the trophy in my name,” expressed Stewart. “It’s a beautiful trophy. I’ve been lucky enough to win it a bunch of times, but sooner than later, someone else will win it.”
Scott Stewart and California Love won all five classes in their division.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Green Hunter 3’3” Champion: Cardiff Castle, Scott Stewart, Rivers Edge Reserve Champion: O’Rockstar, John French, Maddock Horses LLC
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
High Performance Working Hunter Champion: Navigator, Hunt Tosh, Ceil Wheeler Reserve Champion: Encore, Scott Stewart, Rivers Edge
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Green Hunter 3’6” Champion: First Edition, Hunt Tosh, Douglas Wheeler Reserve Champion: A Lister, Scott Stewart, Kulkin Equestrian Inc.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Dr. Betsee Parker, WIHS Executive Director Sue Harada, and Scott Stewart with California Love in their Grand Hunter Champion presentation.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Scott Stewart won his 16th Leading Hunter Rider title, and Dr. Betsee Parker was named Leading Hunter Owner.
Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography
Competition at the 2026 WIHS continues on Wednesday, October 21, with grand championships for the amateur-owner hunter divisions as well as the start of the junior hunters and the first class in the international jumper two-star division. The five-star jumpers arrive on the showgrounds and will have their 90-second training rounds in The Show Place Arena to close out the day.
