After 16 regional qualifying competitions, finalists from all over the country congregated in Leesburg, Va., on May 27 for the MFHA Centennial Field Hunter Championships Finals.

And topping them all was a junior rider from a hunt recognized in 2005. Stuart Sanders, 18, rode her Sputnik to victory, representing the Caroline Hunt (Va.).

Sputnik became the crowd favorite as he deliberately pushed the hand gate open using his nose and shut it the same way, which Sanders’ mother, Susan, said was nothing new, “as he always does that out hunting.”