Devon, Pa. - June 5, 2022 - Concluding another successful year of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair was the presentation of the coveted Best Young Horse and Leading Handler awards in the historic Dixon Oval. The prestigious award for Best Young Horse was selected from the ribbon winners of the in-hand classes throughout the day. This year, it was Kimberly Sweeny’s Pangaea (Uno Don Diego-Willow) and handler 19-year-old Hailey Raach who took home the top prize.
Pangaea earned the Devon blue in the 2-Year-Old Pennsylvania Bred-Fillies class with handler Jay Raach, and also won the 2-Year-Old Other Than Thoroughbred-Filles class with Hailey as the handler earlier in the day. Pangaea was also awarded the Best Pennsylvania Bred Horse, leaving a lasting impression on the judges to ultimately earn the Best Young Horse of the 2022 Devon Horse Show. Pangaea was also the recipient of the Kenneth Wheeler Perpetual Trophy, donated by B.J. Meeks, and the championship cooler, sponsored by Saratoga Horseworks Ltd. Reserve Best Young Horse was awarded to Susan Tice-Grossmann’s Rougemont (Ribaldi-Lady Calvert), handled by Drew Taylor.
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FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Hailey Raach - Best Young Horse Winner
On receiving the Best Young Horse award:
“This is my first ever Best Young Horse at Devon. Normally I don’t get them, my dad Jay Raach does. I had her today and it was great. This is only her second horse show this year. It’s been a lot for her and she’s been really good today.”
On Pangaea:
“Pangaea is by Uno Don Diego, who is a very big dressage stallion. Her mother is by Consul... She’s supposed to be 17+ hands, she’s only two years old so it makes it special that a two-year-old won today. She’s really easy to work with, the sweetest horse in the barn, she can be a little big for her size but she’s figuring out how to grow into herself. Hopefully a big hunter career ahead of her.”
On The Devon Horse Show:
“I’ve been coming to the Devon Horse Show since I was two years old so it’s been great to come back and see everyone, watch and be able to have great horses to show. It’s been fun.”
On her family’s breeding history:
“My dad is Jay Raach and my mom is Karen Raach. My dad was the USEF Leading Hunter Breeder Handler of the Year last year. We had the USEF Yearling High Score Hunter Champion Hunter Breeding Horse last year and the USEF High Score Hunter Breeding Horse last year. We show all the time, not just breeding but hunters, jumpers, equitation. I have done hunter breeding here and there, and when we need an extra handler I’ll do it. I don’t do it as often as my parents because they are professionals. I’ve been holding since I was 10 years old in amateur handler classes, but I’ve been working with horses and been around horses since I was two years old. We lived on a farm so I was around horses starting at two weeks old. I am 19 years old and I graduated from high school last year and this is what I do full time. I love it. I would love, in 10 years, to take over the family business and have my parents retire so when I’m 30 I’ll hopefully be in charge of everything and show all of the horses and ponies.”
Best Young Horse, sponsored by Renaissance Farm:
Place / Handler / Owner
1. Pangaea / Hailey Raach / Kimberly Sweeney
2. Rougemont / Drew Taylor / Susan Tice-Grossman
3. Rhapsody / Jay Raach / Linda Uphold
Excerpt of Press Release & Images Credited to the The Devon Horse Show and Phelps Media Group, Inc.
About the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair:
The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair is the longest running and largest outdoor multi-breed competition in North America. With the grandeur of Philadelphia's prestigious Main Line setting the stage, the event features a world-class field that annually ranks among the most prominent internationally. The event also includes the country fair, which offers world-class shopping, rides, games, multiple dining options and special entertainment events.
