Dorothy Lee Receives the Presidents’ Trophy at the 172nd Upperville Colt & Horse Show Presented by MARS Equestrian™

UPPERVILLE, VA — The 2025 Upperville Colt & Horse Show presented by MARS Equestrian™ has named Dorothy “Punkin” Lee of Middleburg, Virginia, as the 2025 recipient of the Presidents’ Trophy. The award was presented to Lee by Joe Fargis, president of the Upperville Colt & Horse Show board of directors.

The trophy is awarded annually by the current president of the Upperville Colt & Horse Show to the individual who, by his or her determination, exemplifies singular dedication to the community and to the preservation of the show.

Lee was selected due to her hard work, which has been essential to the show’s success. Lee has been involved with UCHS her entire life, in part because her mother, Nancy Lee, helped run the show for many years. “We suspect Punkin first came to the show when she was barely a month old,” Fargis said. “We know she rode in lead-line classes, and we have evidence that, as a teenager, she was part of the jump crew.”

As the owner of Middleburg’s Journeymen Saddlers, Lee has been one of the show’s most faithful vendors for many years. Today, she serves as the show’s vice president for community liaison. She manages the show’s swag sales, gets the champion coolers, oversees the Welcome Wagon, adds new name plates to the Wall of Honor, and does anything and everything asked of her. There isn’t a day during the show when you don’t see Lee driving around in her golf cart, taking care of loose ends and helping keep the show on track.

“Punkin, people like you are the lifeblood of the show and the reason the show will survive well into the future,” Fargis said in the award presentation, which took place just prior to the Jumper Classic. “We are delighted to add you to the list of recipients of the Presidents’ Trophy.”

UCHS is the oldest horse show in the U.S. Founded in 1853 as a one-day show to encourage better breeding and care of horses, the show has grown to a weeklong tradition with more than 2,000 equestrian and equine pairs competing in a variety of competitive disciplines. Many of the continent’s top professional riders as well as amateurs compete under the spectacular setting featuring the famous oaks at Grafton Farm. The weeklong show culminated on June 8 with the excitement of the $200,000 Upperville Jumper Classic CSI 4*.

Sponsors of the 2025 Upperville Colt & Horse Show include presenting sponsor MARS Equestrian™, Ethel M. Chocolates®, Koons Motors, Michael and Wendy Smith, Lugano Diamonds, The Salamander Collection, B&D Builders, Markel Insurance, and Delta Air Lines.

For more information on the show, visit upperville.com.

Photo courtesy of Erin Gilmore Photography.

Posted on: June 11, 2025