Julie Curtin (Woodstock, GA) bookended the podium in Friday’s $5,000 USHJA National Pro Hunter Derby at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) at Tryon Resort, earning 177 points after two rounds aboard Point Being, and receiving a total score of 171 with Amy Squier Perez’s Commentary (Cooliage x Stutbuch I Quinni). Second place went to Megan Rosenthal (Charlotte, NC), who piloted Ledger, a 2002 Warmblood gelding owned by Five Henry Stables, to a score of 176.

There were 18 entries on hand to test the Joe Carnicom course in the first round, with Curtin earning appearance in the handy aboard four different mounts. “The course rode really nicely!” Curtin emphasized. “There was a lot to look at with the sunlight, shadows, and glares, but the course itself rode very nicely. There were really pretty jumps, and this ring [International Stadium] is great. The footing is really nice. It’s always a lot of fun to ride here.

“He’s an overachiever,” Curtin said of her own 2007 Warmblood gelding (Aachen x Unknown), “but he gets a little nervous sometimes, because he wants to do a good job. The hardest part is keeping him calm and collected so he knows he can do his job. He’s great, and he’s got the best jump in the world! He was so much fun today, and such a good boy.

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