Devon, Pa. – June 3, 2018 – The final day of the Devon Horse Show saw the award for Best Young Horse being given to Richard Taylor and Renoir in the Dixon Oval. Taylor and Renoir are no strangers to this prestigious award, as this is his fourth year in a row taking home the title and Renoir’s second year in a row with top honors.
Sponsored by Renaissance Farm, the award and the Kenneth Wheeler Perpetual Trophy was awarded to Taylor and Renoir, a 3-year-old Oldenburg colt that impressed judges for two years in a row throughout the duration of the class. The colt is by Rosenthal out of Furstine and was bred by John Barilar. Taylor, who has been in attendance at Devon for 53 years, continually praised Renoir for his impeccable behavior and will to win as soon as he steps foot in the Dixon Oval. Additionally, Taylor described that Renoir is broken to walk, trot, canter, and trail ride and shows every indication of being a very successful show hunter in his future.
Following the award for Best Young Horse at the Devon Horse Show, the Leading Handler Award and the Michael E. Grady Memorial Perpetual Trophy was presented to Emily Anne Belin.
While Sunday marked the conclusion of the 2017 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, the always highly anticipated event looks forward to returning in 2019.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Richard Taylor
On Renoir:
“This horse has been incredibly healthy and he has a wonderful temperament. He’s a horse that everyone finds appealing. He’s big, he’s beautiful, and he exudes class. The spectators will come over and say that he is a beautiful horse. This woman stopped me and said, it was a joy to watch you show that horse. That credit goes to the horse. It’s a joy for the owners to win here, joy for the people for the people that work on the farm, and it’s a joy for me to bring him in the ring. He has always stood there well. I don’t know how he’d know that sign says ‘Where Champions Meet’, but when you start down the ring he’s not going to buck, jump, shake his head. He says to me, I’m on a mission can you keep up. It’s all of that rolled together. It’s a privilege to have one like him.”
On Renoir’s life at home:
“He lives at the Grossman’s farm. This spring, this horse has lived out in a field with a run-in shed and his blankets because the barn is being completely renovated. He gets the best care. They made an outdoor grooming stall with extension cords, vacuum, clippers, brooder lights, whatever it took. Even without a five million dollar barn, he still got fabulous care. It’s great story to me because it proves if you want to do something badly enough, you can do it.”