New York, NY – November 5, 2004 – The two sections of the Amateur Owner Hunters division wrapped up on Friday morning, November 5, and for Leah Schwendeman and La Cara, it was another week and another sweep.

In the 18-35 Year Old Amateur Owner Hunters, Leah Schwendeman of Belleville, Illinois, won all three classes, picking up her third championship ribbon in four weeks on the fall tour. Riding her mare La Cara, Schwendeman, the 2004 WCHR Amateur Owner Hunter Rider of the Year, was also named Grand Amateur Owner Hunter Champion.

Picking up tri-colors at all four fall shows is pretty remarkable and the extent of her domination was impressive to say the least.

“The Fall Tour has pretty much been something out of a dream,” Schwendeman said. “We were Grand Champion at the Capital Challenge and then we won all four classes and we were Grand Champion at Harrisburg. She was a little fresh, so we only won one at Washington but we managed to pick up the Reserve Championship. Here at the Metropolitan, she won all four again so it’s been an amazing run. I’m thrilled.”

The partnership of trainer, Heidi Austin Fish and student, Leah Schwendeman is about two years old. “Leah’s a success story,” Fish said. “I saw her riding about two years ago and I watched her making these not-so-nice horses really look a lot better than they were and I kept my eye on her. I told my husband that I thought that this was a girl who should be famous. I wanted an opportunity to see what I could do with her.”

Cool under pressure is the way Heidi Fish describes her star student. “Leah thrives under pressure and that mare is just so good that Leah doesn’t ever think that she can’t do it and that mare doesn’t ever think that she can’t do it. Leah’s got a great eye and sees her distance really early the mare needs to left alone so Leah sees her spot, drops the rein and lets her gallop.”

Schwendeman said La Cara has been consistent all year long. “She’s been great from the beginning of the year. We started out at Indio, we were Circuit Champion there, we won the Grand Championship at Devon and you know the thing is, I can always count on her to be close to perfect, every time.”

Gray Slipper and Bridget Hallman of Oyster Bay, New York, were Reserve in the Younger section.

In the 36 & Over section of the Amateur Owner Hunters, it was veteran competitors San Siro and Tracy Weinberg of Lovettsville, Virginia, winning in a hack off for Champion. They edged Kimberley Quinn, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Gershwin for the title.

For Tracy Weinberg, a past National Horse Show Champion, this was a very special year for her and her favorite mount. “San Siro has been my greatest horse of a lifetime. He’s been champion everywhere. He’s going to be 13 next year, and I decided that he’s done just about everything there is to do, and won everything there is to win so I turned him out for about eight or nine months last year,” Tracy explained. “I brought him back and we’ve only done six or seven horse shows this year. In terms of indoors, I decided to do Capital Challenge and The Metropolitan. He was Reserve in Maryland and for some reason; he just loves New York and was Champion here again. He was Champion the last year we were in the Garden and was Reserve the year before that. He loves New York City.”

Weinberg was quick to credit an Olympic Gold Medallist for San Siro’s return. “It’s a special championship because he’s a special horse to me. I was told that maybe he was bored and it was time to give it up with him, but sometimes you have to make some changes. Joe Fargis has been conditioning him in a jumper program and getting him back into shape. Sometimes you just have to reinvent them. Joe has been instrumental in reinventing San Siro.”

Although not at the Garden, Weinberg said she was happy to win in New York City. “We strive all year long to get to New York City. This facility is fabulous and I think it’s wonderful that they are trying so hard to keep the National alive.”

The Adult Amateur Hunter sections also wrapped up on Friday.

The 18-35 year old Champion was Piano Man, owned and ridden by Carolyn Becker of Encino, California. Kimberley Gumble of Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, rode her Just Push Play to Reserve.

In the 36 & Over portion of the Adults, Holly Caristo of Hauppauge, New York, piloted Indian Summer to the Championship. The Reserve went to First Date and rider Sarah Tredennick of Littleton, Colorado.

Holly Caristo had a great time in New York. “It’s fun riding the winner. It was really exciting riding my horse, Indian Summer. I’ve only ridden him a few times and I’m looking forward to showing him regularly next year. This was such a great way to end up this season. He’s a wonderful horse and I’m so lucky to have him. He went great.”

Caristo talked about her new mount. “Indian Summer is a six-year-old from Switzerland. My daughter Heather found him and she told me that this was the one for me. He’s quiet, with a good mind and he’s the one I’ve waited for my whole life.”

Holly’s husband Ralph explained that Indian Summer has been a rising star. “We knew he might be a little special when he was champion for Sandy Ferrell down in Florida at the Winter Equestrian Festival and then he really came into his own when he swept the First Year Green division at Devon. He was fantastic at Harrisburg and Holly was great with him at the Capital Challenge for the Championship there, too.”

Ralph has been attending horse shows in the city for years and talked about this year’s effort at the Metropolitan. “A tremendous difference between last year here and this year. The ring is bigger; the schooling area is laid out better, in fact, the entire layout is easier for us, as horsemen, to deal with. They’ve done a tremendous job and hopefully it will be even better next year.”

More than 80 hunter and jumper events will be contested and $310,000 in prize money is at stake. The Metropolitan National Horse Show features five days and five nights of action, November 3-7, 2004, at Pier 94 and the Show Piers on the Hudson in New York City. Tickets and passes are available in a variety of packages and can be reserved by calling 866-NHS-SHOW or on the web at www.nhs.org