Upperville made history again in 2025 when the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame (NSHHF) gave it both the Horse Show of the Year and the Hunter Derby of the Year awards for the 2024 competition year. No other horse show has ever received both of these awards in the same year.
The National Show Hunter Hall of Fame was founded in 1995 to educate the equestrian public and spectators on the standards of judging both the horse and rider in hunter competition and to foster appreciation of the sport of hunter horse showing. Each year, NSHHF members, which include horse show exhibitors and spectators, are invited to nominate a Horse Show of the Year and a Hunter Derby of the Year. The top ten nominees are then placed on a ballot and members cast their vote for the winner in each category.
The awards were conferred at the May 28, 2025, NSHHF Awards Banquet, which coincided with the Devon Horse Show. Long-time Upperville board member and National Show Hunter Hall of Fame member Betty Oare accepted the Horse Show of the Year Award on Upperville’s behalf. The Hunter Derby of the Year award was accepted on behalf of the Show by Paul Jewell and Mary Wallis, who designed the course, and Amanda Steege, who piloted 2024 winner, Laffite De Muze.
“(It was) such a special evening and it was my honor to accept for Upperville,” said Oare. A self-proclaimed “hunter lover,” Oare felt strongly that bringing the Hunter Derby back to the Main (Parker) Ring added to the specialness of the event and the show. She and husband, Ernie, hosted a reception for all who came to watch the Derby, which was packed in addition to standing room-only attendance in the grandstand. “Personally, I love it,” she said, “seeing the grandstand full and everyone watching.”
NSHHF President, Walter “Jimmy” Lee, said, “it is quite an honor to be chosen as winner, since it is the exhibitors and horse show enthusiasts who vote for your event.” He added that there are no specific criteria for being nominated and that members simply vote based on their experiences at, and impression of the shows they attended that year. When asked why he felt Upperville was the popular choice in both categories, Lee replied that it was a combination of the venue, the courses, and the quality of entries. Upperville has won each honor multiple times before, but this is the first year the show captured dual honors. Lee said it is very rare for one show to win both and to do so is “a big feather in y’all’s cap.”
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