Harrisburg, Pa. - The USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal Final-East concluded two weeks of showing at the historic Pennsylvania National Horse Show, with Paige Buzby finishing victorious aboard Kathmandu WV.
Buzby (Chester Springs, Pa.) started the three-phase competition strong with a top finish out of 71 competitors in the jumping phase with Kathmandu WV, a 2015 KWPN mare (Denzel v’t Meulenhof x Grande Dame WV) owned by Liston Johnson, earning an 89. Competitors navigated a course of 10 fences set to 3’3” in height and designed by Skip Bailey.
Following the completion of the jumping phase, Judges Britt McCormick and Lyman Whitehead, selected the top 15 combinations to return for the flat phase. Per the 2026 USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal Final Specifications, the flat phase must include two of the following: shoulder in, haunches in, or leg yield both directions of the ring.
After the flat phase, the top four were asked to return for the bracket phase where athletes ride unfamiliar horses, modeled after a traditional NCEA competition. These athletes were Hadley Hoeft (Anthem, Ariz.), Paige Buzby, Stella Cross (Malvern, Pa.), and Kinsley Nolte (Downingtown, Pa.).
“I was so nervous going into the first round,” said Buzby. “Knowing that I came out on top meant that I could have a breath of relief, but at the same time, not. I know my flat isn’t my strongest suit, so I had to make sure I worked very hard at that. I thought it went very well.”
The bracket consisted of the first and fourth place athletes competing against each other on the same horse, while the second and third place athletes did the same on another. Athletes competed over a shortened course of eight fences set to 2’9”-3’0” in height.
Buzby earned a score of 87 to advance her to a final round against Cross to determine the champion, where she secured an 84 to claim the title.
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