Kids & Family

Kings Park Teen Rides Away with Championship Title from Hamptons Classic

Tricia Gargiulo wins Children's Large Pony Hunter division at Long Island horse show.

A Kings Park High School student is proving that she can ride alongside the best winning her division at the 38th annual Hamptons Classic horse show. 

Tricia Gargiulo, 15, and her horse, Autumn Frost, brought home first place in the Children's Large Pony Hunter division at the Hamptons Classic on Monday. 

Gargiulo, a junior at Kings Park High School, has been riding horses now for 7 years. Two years ago, when she first acquired Autumn Frost, nicknamed "Mak," the nine-year-old roan welsh-thoroughbred cross was still a very inexperienced green pony with less than two years jumping obstacles more than 3-feet, 6 inches tall. 

Gargiulo has spent hours working with her trainer, Heather Acker of Brightwaters, NY, to teach the horse how to compete at United States Hunter Jumper Association sanctioned horse shows.

In the Children's Large Pony Division, Gargiulo competed against other riders age 18 or under, and the grouping is then determined by the horse's height. 

The pair's win on Monday gives Gargiulo points to qualify for the upcoming USHJA Zone 2 finals and keeps both in the running for the United States Equestrian Federation's prestigious Horse of the Year award. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here