Campbell Hudkins and Diara Rouge Top USHJA National Hunter Derby at Fairfield June Show

Campbell Hudkins and Diara Rouge. Photo by SEL Photography

For 18-year-old Campbell Hudkins, galloping her longtime partner Diara Rouge in open space has been a regular part of the mare's routine. The pair frequently spends time outside the arena, galloping through the woods of their Farmington, CT-based farm, located less than two hours from the Fairfield County Hunt Club.

That made the USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by Justin Dye, at the Fairfield June Show an ideal opportunity for Hudkins to show off her mare's versatility. The pair captured the feature derby event of the competition, impressing judges Rob Bielefeld and Carla Sharp over the course of two rounds on the grassy hunter course.

Wynatte Chu and Contador finished second, followed by Kristen Abbatiello and Idylle FZ.

"She's just very brave and so much fun to ride," Hudkins said of Diara Rouge, with whom she's been partnered for nearly eight years. "I've had her since she was 7, and I was about 11, so I've had her for a long time, and she's just been an amazing horse for me. I've done everything from the 'Big Eq' finals to the jumpers with her—and now a hunter derby."

Campbell and Diara Rouge set the tone with a smooth and stylish classic round before returning as the final combination in the handy. Hudkins did not shy away from the pressure that comes with the position, opting for an inside turn to the trot jump that no one else attempted. 

"I wanted to be a little bit more handy. I definitely tried to do a really tight turn back from [fences] two to three, and then I did an inside turn to the trot jump, which no one else had done," she detailed. "It was a little tight, but we made it work, and I was really happy I did it, just kind of testing the handiness."

You'd be hard pressed to find a junior division Hudkins hasn't taken on at Fairfield, having grown up in the area.

"I've been coming to Fairfield since I was really little...I did the Short Stirrup, the Children's Hunters, the jumpers, the derby, equitation—I mean I've done just about everything there is to do," she said. "To see all the improvements that have been done in the last couple months here—it's just one of my favorite places to come and show locally."

The June Show offers four hunter derby events at varying levels in addition to equitation and high performance jumper competition, which returned to the schedule in 2025 following a brief hiatus.

"We've been here for this whole week, and we've been able to do the jumpers, the hunters, and equitation [divisions] on the sand and on the grass," Hudkins added. "I love this horse show. It's super close to home, and I'm really excited."

Full Results

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