Special Ed wins again

Ron Counts, Staff Writer
Published: September 28, 2008

CULPEPER — Women ruled Commonwealth Park Sunday, where campers, tents and, of course, horse trailers packed the 60-acre venue for the final Horseshows in the Sun (HITS) event of the season, the $100,000 USPGL Invitational Grand Prix.

“We love coming to Virginia,” said Anothony Hitchcock, vice president of HITS. “There are a few states around the country that really support horse shows, but this is the heart of horse country.”

Commonwealth Park has played host to around 800 competitors from all over the U.S. and Canada since competition began Friday, and watched as the weekend’s top five finishers all turned out to be of the female variety.

After winning last year’s Grand Prix, Jill Henselwood — one of Canada’s top riders — and her horse, Special Ed, made it two in a row with a top finish and a time of 74.7 seconds in the 470-meter course.

“Special Ed loves Culpeper,” said Henselwood, who earned 30-percent of the $100,000 dollar purse. “I brought him here this week to show him it’s still fun to jump. It’s like putting some pennies in his bank account. It’s a real privilege to come here.”

Henselwood was part of the silver medal-winning Canadian show-jumping team that took part in the Beijing Olympics, and last year she became the first woman in 24 years to win an individual gold medal at the Pan American Games.

“HITS has played a big part in Special Ed’s preparation and the building of his confidence,” Henselwood said. “He’s has an incredible career with learning curves all along the way.”

Tracy Magness — of Baltimore — and her trusty steed Tarco Van Ter Moude finished second, followed by Michelle Spadone riding Melisimo.

The USPGL’s top money winner of the season, Patty Stoval, earned a fourth-place finish on the back of Shandor 41, while Madison resident Robin Sweely, riding Discovery, rounded out the top five with a time of 75.8 seconds.

“This is in my backyard,” Sweely said. “So I love qualifying and coming out here every year.”

The 26 riders that competed in the final round were allowed 78 seconds to clear the 18 grueling jumps that measured around 1.5 meters high.

“I thought the course rode really well,” Sweely said. “I had to make some adjustments before my run, but I feel like Discovery gave it a great effort.”

This year marked the 10th that Commonwealth Park has hosted the Grand Prix, according to Hitchcock, and Sweely is already looking forward to next year.

“This is a really big deal,” she said. “HITS does a great job of hosting all these riders and making it worth our while to come.”

Ron Counts can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or

Grand Prix’s Top 5
1. Special Ed  
2. Tarco Van Ter Moude
3. Melisimo
4. Shandor 41
5. Discovery