The Arion Sellier Equitation Championship brought an exhilarating finale to the 2025 HITS Hudson Valley Summer Series during Championship Week on Sunday, September 7. This prestigious event challenged junior riders to showcase their independence, preparation, and ability to perform under pressure — and in the end, it was Lillian Valiquette who rose to the occasion and claimed the top honor.
Course designer Doug Russell of Ocala, Florida, set the stage with a demanding yet fair track that rewarded precision and horsemanship. Riders qualified for the championship by placing in the top three of any 3’6” Equitation class over the previous seven weeks, and a panel of esteemed judges — Richard Slocum, Rob Bielefeld, Tucker Ericson, Don Stewart, Robert Crandall, and Susie Schoellkopf — carefully evaluated each round. With equitation season heating up as indoor finals approach, some of the country’s top junior athletes and their superstar partners made up the stacked starting lineup for the exciting and unique class.
After a competitive first round, the field advanced to a second trip in reverse order of merit before the top four returned for a final test. Valiquette piloted her own 15-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Game-Boy D’10 x Sandro), Kingston, to a smooth and confident opening round, earning scores of 81 and 85 for a total of 165. She carried that momentum into round two with marks of 88 and 86, bringing her total to 174 and securing her place in the test. Another polished performance sealed the deal, bringing her three-round total to 422 and the overall victory.
“Kingston has been such an amazing partner for me,” said Valiquette, a junior rider from New Canaan, Connecticut, who trains with Heritage Farm in Katonah, New York, and Wellington, Florida. “He’s super reliable and so fun in the ring — just the sweetest horse all around.
“Going into the test, I wanted a smooth round, but I also wanted to lay it down a bit,” she continued of her competition strategy. “With all the counter-canter options, there was room to move up or down, and luckily, I was able to move up. The course was great. It gave you opportunities to show off your canter and really highlight your horse. I also loved the gymnastics elements; it’s not something you see in every equitation class.”
For her win, Valliquette was awarded a custom saddle from Arion Sellier, while the top three finishers were also presented with Veltri x Arion backpacks. The win was especially meaningful for Heritage Farm, who not only coached the champion, but also earned a $25,000 trainer bonus as part of the Arion Equitation Championship.
“I’m really grateful to Arion for sponsoring this class,” expressed Valliquette. “It’s such a great way to prepare for finals. The course was beautiful, the venue here at HITS is amazing, and the class was just so well done.”
Rounding out the podium, Faith Schuttemeyer took the runner-up spot aboard Quinten VD Rollebeek, First Blue LLC’s nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Vagabond de la Pomme x Toulon), finishing with a total score of 419. Emi Richard and Kingsroad, Heritage Farm Inc.’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Kannan, secured third with a total of 407.50.
Closing out an enormous day of competition in the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium, Michael Duffy (IRL) captured his first win at the HITS Hudson Valley venue in the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Real Estate National Grand Prix. The finale event boasted a starting field of 21 horse-and-rider combinations against Alan Wade’s concluding track of the week, but it was Duffy’s double-clear effort with RMF Clinton’s Son that ultimately stole the show.
Following a fierce first round of competition, Duffy joined eight additional pairings that produced a clear performance to advance on to the jump-off track. While Duffy debuted with two entries, it was his ride aboard the Rushy Marsh Farm’s 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Clinton H x Acorado) that earned him a spot as the second-to-last to vie for the prize.
In the jump-off, the pressure intensified as poles dropped in a variety of places over the entirety of the short course, leaving only four of the challengers to battle the clock. As the penultimate combination, Duffy used his well-established partnership with RMF Clinton’s Son to expertly pilot into the top spot with a time of 33.844 seconds.
“I’ve had him a good few years,” explained Duffy. “He’s super fast and his character is just like a big pony. He’s a pretty easy guy to get the job done with; I didn’t want to rush him to the first couple of fences, but then he was super good with the turn back to the double combination and the rest of the course.”
For Duffy, the venture is his first to the world-class HITS Hudson Valley venue, but the overall experience has made a notable impression.
“This is my first time here and it’s absolutely beautiful,” he said. “The landscape is one of the places I’ve been in the Northeast that most reminds me of Ireland. The main arena is lovely with great fences, there’s loads of space and a big warm up, and the ground is fantastic. I’ve got no complaints from my end. We’ll definitely be back!”
Sarah Segal and Horatio Street Ventures LLC’s 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding Tom Hanks (Bisquet Balou C x Helios de la Cour II) jumped into the runner-up position, missing the mark by slightly less than a second with a time of 34.768 seconds. Tranquillity Farm’s Michael Desiderio rounded out the top three in a time of 35.474 seconds with Le Muguet, Back Country Farm and Tranquillity Farm’s 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Ugano Sitte x Ohio van de Padenborre D’02).
That’s a wrap for the HITS Hudson Valley Summer Series, which delivered weeks of thrilling competition, top performances, and unforgettable moments in the ring. As the summer season comes to a close, riders, trainers, and spectators now turn their focus to the next chapter on the calendar: the Hudson Valley Fall Classic I, set to begin October 1.
