Rachel Kennedy On Board to Judge the Baran Global Hunter Classic Debut
Wellington, Fla. – March 18, 2025 – The leadership of the Baran Global Hunter Classic is pleased to welcome Rachel Kennedy as a judge for the debut of their landmark event. Co-founded by Kristen Baran and Andrew Lustig, the Baran Global Hunter Classic will bring show hunters into the global spotlight for the first time. Offering €300,000 in prize money, three days of team hunter competition will unfold July 10-13, 2025 at Longines Tops International Arena in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands. The competition teams will feature a hunter professional, a junior or amateur and an FEI show jumping athlete.
“It is an honor that [the leadership] asked me to judge this exciting new event,” said Kennedy.
For 30 years, Kennedy has been a USEF Licensed hunter and equitation Judge at competitions across the U.S., including prestigious championships like the ASPCA Maclay National Championship, the USEF Medal Final, USEF Junior Hunter National Championships, USHJA Hunterdon Cup and NHS 3'3" Equitation Championship to USEF Pony Finals, the USEF Pony Medal Final and the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Hunt Seat National Finals. She serves as co-chair of the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals and Green Hunter Incentive Task Forces.
“It will probably be one of the tightest competitions for hunters we’ve ever seen. I’m hoping this will bring some excitement to the show hunters. I think it’s going to be the most exciting competition to judge, and also, maybe the most difficult.”
“It will probably be one of the tightest competitions for hunters we’ve ever seen. I'm hoping this will bring some excitement to the show hunters,” Kennedy said. “I think it's going to be the most exciting competition to judge, and also, maybe the most difficult.”
In addition to judging, Kennedy, whose ESP Farm is located in Brookeville, Maryland, is a notable rider and trainer. She has ridden horses like Ebony to top finishes in USHJA International Hunter Derby finals and derby championships at notable competitions. As a coach, her students have won major championships in the junior and amateur-owner divisions and in the jumper arena to grand prix. In 2017, the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) presented Kennedy with the President’s Distinguished Service Award
“Most of these horses will have come from Europe initially,” explained Kennedy. “And because the riders have to be at the top of USHJA Hunter Derby Finals and WCHR, or top 50 in FEI–and get to choose their horses, we will also see the top horses in hunter competition. It will mean the [European] breeders will get a chance to see their horses come back, finished, as the best in North America, and with the best [rider as part of the team].”
ABOUT THE BARAN GLOBAL HUNTER CLASSIC
Co-founded by Kristen Baran and Andrew Lustig, and supported by an experienced team of industry leaders, the inaugural Baran Global Hunter Classic will take place July 11-13, 2025 in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands. The mission of this unrivaled event is to showcase show hunters-until now primarily a discipline in North America—on a global stage. The one-of-a-kind competition will feature 10 teams made up of three elite riders-one hunter professional as the team captain, one amateur or junior and one FEl show jumping rider—competing over a hunter-style course, but in Nations Cup format. The 2025 Baran Global Hunter Classic is the debut for an unparalleled series of hunter competitions in North America in 2026 and beyond.
For media inquiries, sponsorship opportunities and further information, please contact: thebaranevent@gmail.com
Join us as we make history in Valkenswaard.