Murray Kessler and All That left their competition in the dust as they raced to the top of the class in the $10,000 North American League (NAL) Adult Jumper Finals on the final day of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, Pa. 

         Six riders qualified for the jump off from a field of 27 and Kessler had the advantage riding last in the jump-off.  Four of the jump-off contenders attempted the course and had the speed, but dropped rails to the ground. 

         Elizabeth Pandich and Kaiser were the only pair to keep the rails in the cups.  They posted a time of 36.882 which put them in the lead... that is, until Kessler and All That, a 9-year-old Oldenburg gelding, flew through the course clean and stopped the timers more than three full seconds faster than Pandich.

         "I watched the first ride.  She was clean but slow. She took a big loop between the third and fourth fences. When I went in, I asked the gatekeeper how many were clear; he said, "One." I knew what I had to do," Kessler said.

         "I was very fast over the first part of the course, left out strides.  I purposely slowed and was very careful over the final three fences.  I knew All That would be fast enough to win. He just had to go clean."

         This was Kessler's second year qualifying for the NAL Adult Jumper Finals and he was pleased to best his third-place finish from last year.  Kessler's wife, Teri, showed All That as an Amateur Owner Hunter until about three years ago.

         "Our trainer, Andre Dignelli figured All That was bred to jump.  He was getting bored in the Hunters-- getting too fresh, so I inherited him for Adult Jumpers," Kessler explained.   

         Kessler rode jumpers when he was younger, but, as president of the US Smokeless Tobacco Company, he doesn't find much time to show.  And as husband and father, he often spends more time getting horses for his wife and their 11-year-old daughter, Reed. 

         The North American League (NAL) runs season-long series in six hunter-jumper divisions – Children’s Hunter, Children’s Jumper, Adult Hunter, Adult Jumper, Pony Jumper and Open Jumper Speed.  Each series culminates with a championship final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA in October.  Riders need not be members of the NAL to compete in any qualifying classes, but only current members earn points toward year-end finals. 

Place/rider/horse/faults r1/r2/time

1 Murray Kessler/ALL THAT   0/0/ 33.614

2 Elizabeth Pandich/KAISER 0/0/ 36.882

3 Patty Van Housen/IMA GOOD 1-2   0/4/32.413

4 Ericka Schaefer/MAIZY TOLTIEN  0/4/32.520

5 Jarell Ward/XS 0/4/33.916

6 Wendy Libert/GALIA ROUGE 0/4/ 34.218