Josephine Paulson & Penumbra Prevail in $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Jr/Am, sponsored by Struck Apparel

Photo © ESI Photography

For Immediate Release:

THERMAL, Calif. – October 3-, 2020 – Josephine Paulson (Kingston, WA) and Penumbra prevailed in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Jr/Am, sponsored by Struck Apparel. The pair, trained by Morgan Thomas, navigated to scores of 89 and 89.5. Earning reserve honors was Paige Walkenbach (Paradise Valley, AZ) and Walkenbach Equestrian LLC’s Imagination with scores of 87 and 86. Cassie Minicucci (Sammamish, WA) and Epic, owned by Cassie Minicucci, received scores of 84 and 84 for an overall third-place finish. 

Paulson has been partnered with the gelding, owned by Leo Fries, for about a year now: “He’s just a fantastic horse, I love riding him. He’s fun and super handy and I just have so much fun in derbies with him,” shared Paulson. 

Photo © ESI Photography

The win this afternoon was a little extra special for Paulson as she moves to the amateur divisions next year. “Hopefully I can seamlessly move into [the Amateur divisions] and still be able to do the derbies,” noted Paulson. “This is the first derby I’ve won so it was really great to be able to do that my last junior show.”

About the Desert International Horse Park

With nearly 1.3 million square feet of competition and riding space, the Desert International Horse Park is one of the largest equestrian facilities in North America. Offering multiple weeks of world-class equestrian competition from October through March, the facility is a destination location for thousands of equestrians, their horses, family and friends for several months annually. Competitors from all over the world travel to Thermal, CA to not only compete but to enjoy everything the desert has to offer.