Catching Up in Wellington

Story by Caroline Jean Gray

While on location in Wellington, Florida, Middleburg Life had the opportunity to catch up with several Foxcroft School students and Middleburg-based show jumper Trish Hurter.

During the winter months, the horse show in Wellington sets the rhythm of daily life and draws riders from across the country, including many from Middleburg and the surrounding areas. This season, that includes Foxcroft students navigating the balance of school and showing, as well as riders like Hurter, whose ties to Middleburg make Wellington feel, in many ways, like an extension of home.

For Foxcroft students Harper Padgett, Michelle Lin, and Ella Harrity, Wellington represents a unique balance of academics and high-level competition. While none of them call Middleburg home, Foxcroft gives them a shared connection to Virginia horse country and a school community that supports serious riding alongside the demands of the classroom.

Harper Padgett, who is competing in the Medium Junior Jumpers with Cocolina V.V., has found a strong rhythm between school and showing. Foxcroft’s structure allows students to continue their coursework while away, making it possible to stay on track academically while competing in one of the sport’s biggest winter circuits. She is training with Foxcroft alumna and U.S. professional show jumper Sloane Coles, whose program has helped her feel focused and prepared throughout the season. One of her favorite memories came during a Medium Junior Classic, when the details she had been working on finally started to come together. Walking out of the ring to see her trainer smiling and giving her a thumbs-up was a simple but meaningful reminder that the work was paying off.

Michelle Lin, who competes in both the Low and Medium Junior Jumpers, is showing three horses this season: Mars, Woody, and Lina. For her, the balancing act of Foxcroft and competition has become an exercise in discipline and time management. Because she typically shows later in the week, she front-loads her schoolwork earlier on, staying organized so she can focus once the show week gets underway. Since she lives in Wellington year-round, the end of the circuit does not bring much of a seasonal shift, but her goals remain the same: building consistency, especially in the Medium Junior Jumpers, and continuing to improve step by step. She relies on routine to stay mentally prepared, including daily work from her sports psychologist, and she brings a little personality into the ring as well, with each of her horses wearing a custom bonnet with a character that matches its personality.

Ella Harrity’s experience this season has been somewhat quieter and more reflective. After nine months with her horse Sadie, she is focused less on immediate results and more on building a solid partnership. Her perspective is grounded in patience, something she has learned through years of riding and the daily responsibilities at her family’s farm, where barn chores and horse care are part of everyday life.

“Horses have taught me that improvement isn’t a straight line,” she says. “Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward.”

Even when she is not competing herself, she remains deeply engaged in the atmosphere of the show. One of her favorite memories from Wellington this season came from watching a rider she works with reach an important goal on a horse they had spent years developing. In a sport where so much happens behind the scenes, those moments of long-awaited success can feel just as rewarding to witness as they do to achieve.

Then there is Trish Hurter, whose relationship with Wellington has unfolded over decades and whose life in Middleburg gives her a unique perspective.

What started as a short trip in 2004 eventually turned into owning a farm in Wellington and structuring winters around the circuit. Now retired, she spends the full season there, riding several horses and building her days around a routine that includes early rides, dressage lessons, and time outside the barn for things like Pilates and Spanish lessons. Hurter’s program is also shaped by her longstanding relationship with her trainer, legendary Olympian Joe Fargis, whom she first trained with nearly two decades ago. Since moving to Stoneleigh Farm in Middleburg, where Fargis is based, she has been able to work with him throughout the year, something that has brought both continuity and depth to her riding.

Her approach to competition is thoughtful and measured. She spaces out her horses’ schedules, focuses on their longevity, and takes real pleasure in the gradual progress that comes with building partnership over time.

For Hurter, Wellington is also about community. After moving to Stoneleigh Farm in 2021 and becoming part of that close-knit horse world, she has found that seeing familiar Middleburg faces in Florida makes the circuit feel even more connected. What might seem like a world away from Hunt Country often feels surprisingly close.

That contrast is part of what makes Wellington so interesting. For students, it can be a period of intense growth, learning how to juggle school, competition, and the emotional highs and lows of the sport. For someone like Hurter, it’s a return to a routine shaped by years of experience and a deep appreciation for both the competition and the lifestyle around it.

What they share, despite being in different stages of life, is the same daily rhythm: early mornings, long days, and the understanding that progress with horses takes time. Whether they are building confidence, developing a partnership, or continuing to refine their riding, each of them is doing the same steady work.

And while Wellington is the focus in winter, it is only one part of the season. For the Foxcroft students, it represents a chance to keep learning and growing. For Hurter, it’s also a season that leads back to the Virginia shows she looks forward to most each summer, including the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, Loudoun Benefit Horse Show, and Piedmont Jumper Classic. ML

Find more of Caroline Gray’s Wellington coverage here.

Published in the April 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.