Pin Oak Charity Horse Show Celebrates 75 Years

Running March 24 – April 11, the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show features three weeks of top hunter, jumper and American Saddlebred competition while benefitting the Texas Children’s Hospital.

The 75th anniversary edition of the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show kicked off on Wednesday, March 24, attracting top hunter and jumper riders from across the country to the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas.

“We’re really happy with the turnout, and we’re looking forward to three great weeks,” said hunter/jumper competition manager Oliver Kennedy. “Last year, we were ready to roll and have a great 75th anniversary edition, but COVID forced the last-minute cancellation. Now, we’re celebrating the 75th edition a year later with increased prize money for the jumpers, great hunter derby money and really good competition.”

Kennedy continued, “It’s fun to come back to Texas and see all of the friendly faces of people that I know that have come from both coasts to be here to have a great horse show.”

Pin Oak Charity Horse Show partnered with The Plaid Horse to bring highlights from the three weeks of shows. SouthWest Horse Trader has picked out some local winners to share. To read these stories in their entirety, visit www.ThePlaidHorse.com. To learn more about the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show including results visit www.PinOak.org.🎠

Jacqueline Ward

Jacqueline Ward & San Chano

Andrew Ryback Photography

Jacqueline Ward clinched the Welcome Stake win while Avery Erickson earned victory in the U25 Welcome class held concurrently with the Welcome Stake.

Ward and her own San Chano were one of 10 entries to navigate the first-round Manuel Esparza-designed course to advance to the jump-off, where they tripped timers in a winning 33.385 seconds.

“This is my first really big win ever outside of amateur classes, so it’s really exciting,” said Ward, a 27-year-old Houston, TX, native who has been showing at Pin Oak since her early teen years. “The fact that the win is at Pin Oak is pretty big because I remember, as a kid, always watching the Pin Oak grand prix and welcome classes and thinking that they were impossible. The best of the best riders rode in them. To win that finally is huge for me.”

As the second-fastest jump-off pair with a time of 34.134 seconds, Erickson and her longtime partner, Chacco Lait, would finish in second in the Welcome Stake in addition earning the win in the U25 Welcome. w 🎠

Carlee McCutcheon

Carlee McCutceon & MTM Unexpected

Andrew Ryback Photography

Carlee McCutcheon won the $30,000 Pin Oak Charity Grand Prix on Saturday night, March 27, at the 75th annual Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, marking the 15-year-old’s first grand prix victory.

“I’m so excited!” said a smiling and tearful McCutcheon, who won the class aboard MTM Unexpected. “I’m lucky to have these horses and a great team behind me.”

A field of 32 entries contested the first-round track set by course designer Manuel Esparza, with six advancing to jump-off in front of the socially distanced crowd.

When McCutcheon and MTM Unexpected enter the ring, the time to beat had been set at 43.302 seconds by Martien van der Hoeven and Morris Horta. With the track well-suiting MTM Unexpected, McCutcheon made catching van der Hoeven’s time look easy, and she stopped the clock nearly two and a half seconds faster to finish on 40.831 seconds. 🎠

Peter Petschenig

Peter Petschenig and Senator 111

Andrew Ryback Photography

Peter Petschenig and It’s the Senator 111 claimed victory in the $50,000 Hildebrand Fund Pin Oak Grand Prix on Friday, April 2. A field of 22 horses contested the Week II featured event, with 10 entries advancing.

The second pair to return, Martien van der Hoeven and Morris Horta, set the early time to beat at 36.316 seconds, which would ultimately hold up for second place. Only Petschenig and It’s the Senator 111 delivered a faster clear round, stopping the clock at 35.925 seconds.

“[Getting this win] is actually kind of surprising!” said Petschenig, who has had the ride on It’s the Senator 111 for the past eight months. “Usually, he can’t go fast because he’s a little bananas! He jumped fantastic. He can jump anything there is. He’s just super difficult. He needs way more work than anyone else. He’s just different, but he’s fun too.”

While Petschening is continuing to get to know the 13-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood gelding, everything came together on Friday night. 🎠

Mackenzie Hudson

Mackenzie Hudson and Ekyra Fortuna

Andrew Ryback Photography

Mackenzie Hudson rode her own Ekyra Fortuna to victory in the $5,000 1.30 m/ 1.40 m Amateur-Owner (AO)/Amateur (Am.) Jumper Classic on Saturday, April 3, to conclude Week II of the 75th Pin Oak Charity Horse Show.

Hudson was one of 19 entries to contest the first-round track set by course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral. Of the 19 entries, four produced clear efforts to advance to the jump-off and three jumped double clear. The fastest of those three, Hudson stopped the jump-off timers in 26.519 seconds.

With a time of 27.309 seconds, second place went to Jacqueline Ruyle and her own Lucille.

Hudson, who currently trains with her mother Lacy Hudson at Manor Equestrian in Austin, TX, has been attending the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show since she was six years old and looks forward to it each year. 🎠

Jef Lauwers

Jef Lauwers and Calipso

Andrew Ryback Photography

Jef Lauwers and Calipso earned a commanding victory in the $30,000 La Primera Hacienda USHJA International Hunter Derby on Friday, April 9.

From a field of 23 entries, Lauwers and Calipso led from beginning to end of the two-round class, marking both a winning debut for Calipso in the horse’s first Derby and Lauwers’ first International Derby win.

“It’s amazing. Pin Oak is one of the most special shows that we go to, so it’s always exciting to be here,” said Lauwers, who is based out of PJP Farm in Magnolia, TX. “It’s such a gratification to do well at this horse show.” Lauwers and Calipso concluded the first round on a total score of 181. Going into the second round, Nada Wise and Vendetta Semilly sat in second with a 172 total. While Wise’s handiness would be rewarded, earning her a total second-round score of 185.5 for a 357.5 overall total, it wouldn’t be enough to catch Lauwers and Calipso whose second-round score of 193 and a total of 374 took the win. 🎠

Klas Kudlinski

Klas Kudlinski & NKH Cento Blue

Andrew Ryback Photography

Klas Kudlinski has already made his inaugural trip to Texas a winning one. In Kudlinski’s Pin Oak Charity Horse Show debut on Wednesday, April 7, the 26-year-old German rider claimed both first and second place in the $20,000 Welcome Stake.

Kudlinski earned the top call aboard NKH Cento Blue and finished in a close second with NKH Darco Son, both owned by NKH LLC. Both horses are regularly ridden by Christian Heineking, but when the accomplished, fellow German rider broke his foot this winter, he called upon Kudlinski.

“He offered for me to come to his barn in Texas to show his horses a little bit as long as he’s out,” explained Kudlinski, who arrived in Texas last week, just in time to prepare for the third and final week of the Show. 🎠