Wellington, Fla. – April 4, 2018 – After 12 competitive weeks of racking up accolades at the Winter Equestrian Festival, Victoria Colvin was awarded the coveted circuit championship award as the WEF Overall Hunter Rider. The young professional accrued 2,554 points over the course of the series to capture the title, one of only three riders to surpass the 2,000 point benchmark. Boasting division championships and stellar results during all 12 weeks of the series, Colvin bested her fellow hunter riders to add to her reputation as one of the best athletes in the business today. Adding to the celebration, John and Stephanie Ingram, the owners of many of Colvin’s rides, also took home the trophy for WEF Overall Hunter Owners, sponsored by Lugano Diamonds.
“I am so honored to receive the WEF Overall Hunter Rider award this year! I’ve been blessed to have the reins on a large number of talented horses, and I couldn’t have achieved this level of success without the owners and trainers who trusted me throughout the season,” said Colvin. “This was one of my best WEF circuits to date, and I am so happy to have helped bring success to the teams associated with each of the horses. My sponsors, my family and my staff equally deserve recognition for all of their support and hard work on my behalf for 12 weeks.”
Over the entirety of the series, Colvin navigated 18 horses to champion or reserve champion honors 29 times in a variety of hunter divisions. One of the busiest riders on the show grounds, she ultimately garnered top finishes aboard 35 different horses in classes ranging from 2’9″ fences for younger horses to 4′ performance classes for the elite and experienced mounts. Known for her quiet riding and precise eye, Colvin expertly guided each horse to a standout trip, many of which earned the horse a ribbon for his efforts.
“This is such an honor and we are so proud and thrilled to have won this award! On behalf of Stephanie, Martha [Ingram] and myself, we are really grateful for Tom Wright’s help in terms of helping us find very talented horses, Torrey Hardison for managing all of the horse operations, the grooms for their care and finally, obviously Tori Colvin who is such a wonderfully talented rider and a lovely young woman,” said John Ingram. “It certainly takes a village and I’m very pleased with the village we assembled. It was a terrific year on all levels.”
Though Derby classes did not contribute to the standings, Colvin’s accomplishments in that ring paralleled her division rankings. On the final day of WEF, she piloted each of her four mounts – Cuba, Private Practice, I Love Lucy and Gelato – to a top ten finish in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby out of a field of 37 entries. Cuba and I Love Lucy are both owned by John and Stephanie Ingram, while Private Practice is owned by Brad Wolf and Gelato is owned by Nicodemus Farms.
In the jumper ring, Colvin rode to victory in the Week 4 $25,000 Hermes Under 25 Team Event as the only double clear with I Love Lucy. To conclude Week 6, she navigated Neil Jones Equestrian’s Clochard to an easy win in the $25,000 CP National Grand Prix ahead of 25 other competitors to ride the fastest double clear by nearly two seconds, despite the pair only being together for a few weeks. Aboard George Morris’ Conpardie Z and Chagrand, the young phenom compiled a long list of clear rides and wins in the 1.30m and 1.40m classes over the course of the series, and in the Spy Coast 6 Year Old Young Jumpers, she navigated her own Always to fourth place overall in the circuit standings after reserve championships in Week 7 and 11.
With so many accomplishments stacking up, it is a sure bet that Colvin will continue to be a force on the show grounds for years to come.
For more information on Victoria Colvin, please click here.
