United States Eventing Association

Elkton, Md.—Oct. 17— It was a weekend to remember for Caroline Pamukcu at the 2026 USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships at Fair Hill, as she followed up Friday's victory in the 4-year-old division with another championship title on Saturday, this time aboard HSH Moves Like Jagger. The 5-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, owned by Pamukcu and bred by Mairead Gallagher, rose to the top of a competitive field with a final score of 88.41, narrowly edging out reserve champions Gianna Fernandez and Rockefeller by just 0.28 points.

The jumping phases account for 70% of the YEH competitors score, with dressage making up 20% and conformation the final 10%. Pamukcu and HSH Moves Like Jagger (Cookstown Royal Cavalier x Shakira K) entered the jumping and galloping phase in second place after earning a dressage score of 16.28 and a conformation score of 8.38. With the championship title on the line, the pair delivered a strong performance in the final phase, earning 13.50 in show jumping, 28.50 in cross-country, 12.75 in overall evaluation, and 9.00 in general impression. Their combined jumping and galloping score of 63.75 was enough to secure the victory.

For Pamukcu, the championship was particularly special given the story behind the young gelding.

"My business partner bought him and gave him to me as a wedding gift," Pamukcu shared. "Kelly Hutchison bought him as a yearling, and then she surprised Deniz and I at our wedding. She gave us a photograph of him and wrote us a card and said, 'Here's your wedding gift. Here you go.' So she picked out a really good one, obviously."

HSH Moves Like Jagger's early education took place in Ireland, where he also participated in several in-hand classes before making the trip across the Atlantic.

"Kelly's brother Tom and her broke him in for me as a 3-year-old. He actually did a bunch of in-hand classes for us in Ireland, which was great," Pamukcu explained. "Kelly said this winter it was time to bring him over, and that he's a real special one."

Hutchison piloted HSH Moves Like Jagger at his first competition in the United States before Pamukcu took over the reins for his most recent outings. The gelding is approximately 90% Thoroughbred, something Pamukcu noted makes his temperament and jumping ability all the more impressive.

"He's got a great brain for that, being that high blood percentage," she said.

With this championship win added to his resume, HSH Moves Like Jagger's future is looking bright. "I'd love to get some owners into him," Pamukcu said. "A couple of my owners were saying maybe it'd be fun to go back to Le Lion. We have a couple good young ones and I love Le Lion, so you never know. Maybe we'll head over there next year."

HSH Moves Like Jagger currently sits first in line to receive the 2028 USEA Holekamp/Turner Grant and Dutta Corp. Prize. which offers a full cash grant of $17,500 for American-bred horses and $8,000 for imported horses to the highest-scoring 5-year-old across both coasts who has qualified to compete in the 7-year-old CCI3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. In addition, Dutta Corp. offers a $10,000 flight credit from the Eastern United States to Europe to the grant recipient.

With championship titles in both the 4- and 5-year-old divisions this weekend, Pamukcu's results underscore her longstanding commitment to the USEA YEH program and her philosophy of developing horses from a young age.

"I'm a huge believer in the program, as everyone knows," she said. "I hope I have my next batch of superstars. I'm not saying Blake and Connor are old, but they're 11 and 10. That's the thing. I've got to keep producing horses. I would much rather get 4- and 5-year-olds and produce them up the levels with the help of Kelly and my team at home."

Finishing just behind Pamukcu as this year's reserve champion on a score of 88.13 was Gianna Fernandez's own 5-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Rockefeller (Manden I Sonderbygaard x Goxynula-N), bred by M.A. Becherer. Known around the barn as "Rocky," Rockefeller is a relatively new partner for Fernandez, who purchased the gelding in April.

"I was casually looking for a young horse," said Fernandez who rides with Phillip Dutton and Isabelle Bosley. "Izzy said to me, 'You should have a look at this horse,' so I took a trip down to Ocala from Wellington, and I fell in love with him immediately."

Despite their relatively short partnership, Fernandez has enjoyed every step of the young horse's development. "He's just been such a dream to bring along, and he has the biggest personality in the barn," she said. "He's a pretty cool horse. I got really lucky with the people I'm surrounded by who got him to me."

The pair's appearance at Fair Hill marked Fernandez's first opportunity to participate in the YEH program.

"I've always wanted to do it, but I haven't had the opportunity to," she said. "It's such an amazing experience and something that I can also learn from and get a new experience out of. It was the opportunity that I saw, and I was like, 'This would be awesome for both me and Rocky.' So we just went for it."

With the YEH Championships behind them, Fernandez has her sights set on continuing Rocky;s education through the fall and winter. The pair are entered at the Training level at the Virginia Horse Trials in October before heading south to Florida.

"I'm hoping by next year we can start doing some one-stars and FEIs, and eventually get him up the levels," she said. "I would just love to see where he would like to go as well."

Fernandez also hopes the pair's success at Fair Hill might be the beginning of a journey toward future young horse championships, including the USEA/USEF Developing Horse National Championships or potentially the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d'Angers in France.

"I would really love to, and it's another goal of mine, which honestly I never thought would be possible until I sat on Rockefeller," she said. "Hopefully in the future we'll be there. We'll see."

Rounding out the top three on a score of 87.33 was Fylicia Barr aboard her own American Warmblood gelding Zodak First Sunrise (Viscerado x Gallaway Sunrise), bred by Shannon Barr. Zodak First Sunrise was also awarded the Highest-Placed American-Bred Horse Award.

The Jockey Club's Thoroughbred Incentive Program (TIP) Award was presented to Lexi Scovil's own United Front (Unified x Hopeful Angel), bred by Sugarland LLC, who finished ninth overall on a score of 83.50. The award recognizes the highest-placing eligible Thoroughbred in the championship and encourages the development of Thoroughbreds for careers beyond racing.

Finishing 12th overall on a score of 80.53 was Tiffany Horton's Irish Sport Horse gelding Carrabeg Tabasco (Kroongraaf x Lislan Ruby), bred by Susan Malee and ridden by Leah Lang-Gluscic, was presented with the Safe Harbor Award. This award recognizes the young horse who consistently exhibits the most graceful and rider-friendly performance throughout the competition.

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About the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program

The Young Event Horse (YEH) Program was first established in 2004 as an eventing talent search. Much like similar programs in Europe, the YEH program was designed to identify young horses aged 4- and 5-years-old, that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. The ultimate goal of the program is to distinguish horses with the potential to compete at the four- and five-star levels, but many fine horses that excel at the lower levels are also showcased by the program.

The YEH program provides an opportunity for breeders and owners to exhibit the potential of their young horses while encouraging the breeding and development of top event horses for the future. The program rewards horses who are educated and prepared in a correct and progressive manner. At qualifying events, youngsters complete a dressage test and a jumping/galloping/general impression phase. At Championships, young horses are also evaluated on their conformation in addition to the dressage test and jumping/galloping/general impression phase. Click here to learn more about the Young Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank Platinum Sponsor, The Dutta Corp., as well as Contributing Sponsors ARMA, Bates Saddles, CrossCountry App, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Gallagher's Water, Gorsebridge Go For Gold, The Jockey Club, Kerrits, Marshall+Sterling, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartPak, WeRideTogether and Standlee, and Prize Sponsor 100xEquine for sponsoring the USEA Young Event Horse Program.

About The Holekamp/Turner Grant

Founded in 2015 by Timothy and Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm and Christine and T.J. Turner of Indian Creek Farm, the Holekamp/Turner Grant provides a USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championship competitor with the opportunity to represent the United States at the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. With the sole purpose of paving a clear pathway for U.S. team horses to progress in the sport of eventing, recipients who are North American bred will be awarded the full cash grant of $17,500, while imported horses are awarded $8,000. Additionally, The Dutta Corp. offers a prize to the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient, consisting of a $10,000 flight credit from the Eastern United States to Europe.