Napa’s Meghan McIver, Calistoga’s Macella O’Neill and St. Helena’s Jean Edwards, Lily Oliver and Claire Beckstoffer recently performed in a three-week horse show, The Woodside Classic, near Palo Alto.

The riders train at Calistoga’s Diamond Mountain Stables, owned by O’Neill and Charlie White.

Trailers loaded with 21 horses, tack trunks, hay and bedding went to the competition on June 16 and 17, and DMS head trainer Janna Farren-Kresse, head groom Gelasio Arriaga and three other grooms go the horses acquainted with their new surroundings.

The DMS contingent consisted of riders from Napa, St. Helena, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Fremont, Alamo, three teenagers from Reno, Nevada, and one all the way from Indianapolis.  The barn was represented well at all levels of classes at the show.

McIver and her horse, Who Goes There, won a blue ribbon every day in the .75 meter division. On the Saturday and Sunday of the second week, McIver — who celebrated her 11th birthday during the show — won a blue in each of her classes.

During the first week, O’Neill started DMS off winning the $1,000 Welcome Stake on Carol Green’s horse, Traveler, and taking second on another of Green’s horses, Destini. Green is the owner of Sundance Ranch in Calistoga.

In a field of 20 horses, O’Neill continued to place well as she rode Melanie Rapp’s Incandescent to a third-place finish in the Saturday night Grand Prix, and landed a fifth-place finish with Rockstar, owned by Jim and Kimberly Butts of Alamo.

Continuing her winning ways, O’Neill rode Rockstar to a blue ribbon the following Thursday of the $1,000 Welcome Stake. Traveler and Destini were also in the money and brought home top ribbons.

During the second Grand Prix, the horses continued to shine under O’Neill’s guidance. With one rail down or four faults, on each of the three horses, Rockstar was by far the fastest of the four faulters and finished sixth. Destini brought home a seventh place.

During the final week of the show, Rockstar placed third and Incandescent sixth in the Welcome Stake. O’Neill and Rockstar then took second place in the Grand Prix missing first by two-tenths of a second. On her other mounts, O’Neill finished sixth on Incadescent and 10th on Traveler.

Edwards competed in the first and second weeks aboard her hunter horse, Merlin. They combined to win many ribbons in the Adult/Owner Hunter division, Equitation and Medal classes.

Oliver, fresh from a recent vacation in Tahiti, went down to win the Junior/Adult Owner jumpers on her long time partner, Dumbledore, during the second week. They returned to capture top honors during the third week in the Adult/Owner classes, followed by a sixth-place finish in the Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic.

Beckstoffer, 9, competed on the Great Rupini in her second show. She showed true grit as she had to manage a slightly mischievous pony in the competitive hunter equitation and short stirrup divisions.

Farren-Kresse, when not busy coaching and training horse and riders,  could be found in the jumper arena each morning aboard Kathy Hall’s, mare, Estival from Hillsboro, OR in the 1.10 and 1.15 meter divisions.

Santa Rosa’s Amy de Kock, aboard Helio Paws, gave it her all in her last show before she leaves for college. The two cleaned up with lots of blue ribbons and clear rounds.

Grace Hafner, of Healdsburg, picked up the reins on Riptide Ross and competed in the Hunter and Medal classes during week three.

Fremont’s Melanie Rapp had many successful rounds and picked up several ribbons aboard mares Felicity and Cordula 34 in the Adult Modified Division and her gelding Tigali in the Adult Amateur (AA) classes.

Kimber Butts, of Alamo, also competed in the AA and Modified Division on her mounts Pradah and Manheim. Butts made her debut on Manheim, winning three blue ribbons and a Champion in the AA division during the first week. She followed this with a Reserve Champion in the same division in the third week.

The DMS riders will head to Pebble Beach on Tuesday for their next competition, followed by Showpark in San Diego on Aug. 18.