Equestrian

If you follow the hunter ring, you’ve certainly heard of Paradigm. Shown by the legendary John French, you can’t tear your eyes away from the pair when they’re in the ring. Paradigm, or “Mikey” as he’s known outside of the show ring, was originally intended as an amateur horse for owner Meredith Lipke. In spring of 2022, John French says, “I was looking for a horse for Meredith and I rode him and he was scopey, comfortable, and would make a great mount for her. He was very brave and had done the jumpers up to 1.40M in Europe. I knew it was one she needed to come try.” Lipke purchased the horse in the Spring of 2022. Shortly thereafter, French suffered an injury that broke his leg and required a hip replacement. “Paradigm was the one horse I wanted to ride when I came back. I knew he was brave.” Staying in Florida for the summer while French recovered, the pair showed in Ocala and stayed locally and began to realize that this partnership was more than anybody could have anticipated. “We showed in a couple of national derbies at the end of 2022,” says French, after which the pair continued at WEF for the 2023 season. French recounts that the first big class they did was the Hunter Spectacular, which he won on Milagro, owned by Kent Farrington, LLC. The pair finished 5th overall and the success on the horse that had recently arrived from Europe to start a new career in the hunter ring inspired both French and Lipke to set their sights on Derby Finals. The next opportunity presented itself at the USHJA International Derby just a few weeks later where they earned a blue ribbon and the dream of winning Derby Finals was beginning to fall into place. Paradigm continued on to win the Overall Hunter Style Award in 2023 at WEF and went on to success at Devon before winning the International Derby in Saratoga in June of 2023. The goal of winning derby finals would soon become a reality when the won both rounds of the International Hunter Derby Finals in Lexington, Kentucky out of 83 entries. This success helped John French achieve Rider of the Year and helped Paradigm secure Horse of the Year. Last week here at WEF, they were 3rd in the Hunter Spectacular, so it’s safe to say they’ve only begun their journey together. “My goal is to always help them go they best they can,” says French, “he came around so quickly and won so many accolades while still a green horse and winning so many awards, it’s just very special.” Look for the full article and more about this dynamic team in the next issue of LUX Wellington Magazine.