July 13, 2025 
Harrie Smolders stepped into the ring at Valkenswaard on Friday puzzled. What do you mean, we don’t jump?
He trotted, cantered, changed direction, lather, rinse, repeat. He was then handed the blue ribbon.
Winning just got a lot easier! he must of have thought coming off day one of the Baran Global Hunter Classic.
But as the days went on, it became evident that some hunter experience was necessary in order to keep the blue ribbons coming. Once the horses started jumping, it was the hunter masters that showed the European jumpers how it’s done.
In the unique format brought forth by the inaugural Baran Global Hunter Classic, teams of three riders—one professional hunter, one junior or amateur rider, and one professional show jumper—went head to head at Longines Tops International Arena in Valkenswaard.
One team held the lead from wire to wire, through the under saddle, classic round, and handy round, which spanned three days of competition. Filled to the brim with talent, Team Hesslink Williams featured Geoffrey Hesslink, Faith Schuttemeyer, and Lillie Keenan, all of whom delivered top results over the three days of competition to take the win.
Schuttemeyer, just 15, may have been the MVP of the entire week. She produced second-place finishes in the under saddle and classic rounds, followed by the high score in the handy round. She piloted Juan Carlos, while Keenan was on Spoken and Hesslink brought forth Paisley Park.
“It’s amazing to ride with two of the top riders ever,” Schuttemeyer said after the team win. “I didn’t do anything too risky. I just stayed on the plan.”
While Schuttemeyer was named Top Junior Rider, Hesslink was awarded Top Professional Hunter Rider, an accolade he’s proud to take back home to the U.S.
“This is the first event [of its kind] in our sport,” Hesslink said of The Baran. “As someone who’s really passionate about hunters, this was the most exciting venue and sport I’ve seen in a long time. I had the most fun and felt the most exhilarated in years. Hunters can tend to be categorized as boring, but this felt the opposite of that. I cannot wait to come back.”
Keenan, a longtime friend of Hesslink’s and now a major team player for United States show jumping, was invited to dust off her shadbelly, and put in a winning effort.
“I think that the beauty of American show jumping and the American style of riding is rooted in hunters,” Keenan shared. “[It’s great] to be a part of a program that can showcase that to the world and make it clear that there are other jobs for some very special horses that otherwise might be lost along the way.”
For Keenan, who jumped double clear in the Mercedes Benz Nations Cup and the Grand Prix of Aachen just a few days prior, returning to her hunter roots for the weekend in Valkenswaard was a literal change of pace.
“My mindset getting ready for a hunter class is to really take my time and not get so deep at the jumps,” she explained. “I rode hunters as a kid so I’m comfortable with this format, but I’m always thinking about time allowed in the back of my head with my horses, so I have to remember to slow down and take my time.”
Smolders didn’t walk away empty handed; his team, Team French, were awarded second place and he was named Top International Jumper Rider. John French put in the winning classic round aboard Crystal Blue, with amateur rider Paige Walkenbach rounding out the team.
“This [event] is so great for the hunters,” French commented. “To have hunters be here [in Europe] and showcase them so that everyone knows what we’re talking about with quality hunters. The fact that it’s the first time makes it even more special. There’s a lot of interest in this. Hopefully this will start something new.”
In third place was Team California Rose, consisting of Halie Robinson, Caroline Ingalls, and Maikel Van Der Vleuten.
