Brunello

Photo courtesy of Tricia Booker
(1998 – )
Owned by Elizabeth Towell Boyd & Janet Peterson
Inducted: 2014

Photos

Photo courtesy of Shawn McMillen Photography
Photo courtesy of Shawn McMillen Photography
Photo courtesy of Shawn McMillen Photography
Photo courtesy of Shawn McMillen Photography
Photo courtesy of Tricia Booker
Photo courtesy of Tricia Booker
Photo courtesy of Shawn McMillen Photography
Janet Peterson and Liza Boyd's Brunello has been turning heads in the hunter ring with his signature style and consistent top placings for years. With Boyd in the tack, the pair has been a fixture in USHJA International Hunter Derby competitions since the program's inception.

Brunello entered the 2013 season as one of the brightest stars in the hunter world. Janet Peterson and Liza Boyd's Hanoverian gelding had made a career of scoring top finishes in the sport's most coveted classes. However, not one to rest on his laurels, the fan favorite reached new heights of success utilizing his trademark style to capture tri-color ribbons throughout the year.

The rangey chestnut gelding kicked off 2013 in Florida, picking up second-place finishes in the Jacksonville Finale USHJA International Hunter Derby and the USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular with Boyd in the tack. The pair then took its talents on tour, earning further top placings and winning legions of new fans.

In April, Brunello and Boyd began an impressive streak which saw them win five USHJA International Hunter Derby in as many months. Their run began in their hometown of Camden, South Carolina, where they headed the field in the Camden Spring International Hunter Derby. Next they traveled to Georgia and took Atlanta by storm, winning the Atlanta Spring International Hunter Derby in May and repeating the feat in June at the Summer International Hunter Derby. Brunello again won in July at the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show in North Carolina, topping another Hunter Derby field.

The pair once again made the journey to the Kentucky Horse Park looking to continue their winning streak and claim their first USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship. Brunello had been a fixture at the annual championship and saw numerous top finishes, including a second-place result in 2012, and after a strong lead up he looked poised to go one better in 2013.

In their trademark laid-back style, Boyd and Brunello prepared for the spor's biggest weekend in a very different fashion than that of their competitors. As is customary, Brunello stretched his legs over a 1.30m open jumper class to keep his mind fresh. Then as the other horses and riders were trying to get in as much schooling time in the Rolex Arena as possible, Boyd and Brunello hacked around the Horse Park on a long rein, grabbing bites of grass as the gelding saw fit.

However, once derby competition got underway on Friday, the pair was all business. Producing an impressive trip in the Classic Round they headed into the Handy within striking distance in second place. Under the lights on Saturday, the pair proved why it is a perennial favorite. Boyd rode a masterful round, trusting her longtime time partner's ground-covering stride and scopey jump, as they easily cleared all four high options.

A score of 301.75 in the Handy Round paired with their Classic score of 276 was good enough to cement the Championship victory for Brunello by a six-point margin.

As Boyd guided him on the victory lap around the Rolex Arena, and the crowd rose to their feet, it was clear Brunello knew he stood at the pinnacle of the sport and ended 2013 earning the top United States Equestrian Federation honor of National Horse of the Year.

Throughout 2014 and 2015, Brunello earned victory and victory, scoring their biggest triumph in August 2015 when they won their third consecutive USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship in Lexington, Kentucky. In an unprecedented victory, they won both the Classic Hunter Round and the Section A Handy Hunter Round, securing the title of USEF National Horse of the Year for the second time.