Taren Hoffos and Regalla. Photo: Ride On Photo
Entering the 25th year that the Baxter family has owned Twin Rivers Ranch, the 2025 eventing season in California’s wine country kicked off with the Twin Rivers Winter Horse Trials from February 28 to March 2 — the first of five USEA-recognized events to be held in Paso Robles, CA this year.
The highest level offered, Advanced, came down to the wire between Regalla, ridden by Taren Hoffos, and Disco Traveler, ridden by Molly Duda. Hoffos and the 2011 bay Oldenburg mare (Sir Donnerhall x Rubiera) came into the final phase of show jumping on Sunday with a lead of just 0.3 — less than a second to spare — after recording the fastest cross country round on Saturday on the course designed by Morgan Rowsell.
Hoffos and “Luna” had zero jumping penalties on the show jumping course designed by William Robertson. They added 1.2 time penalties for victory with a final score of 43.2 after Duda and “Disco” picked up penalties at two fences.
“She is just a beast,” Hoffos said about how cross country propelled Luna and her to victory. “We know each other so well, and if I get her maybe a little too deep, she’s like, ‘No problem.’ She just hunkers down, and she’s so gritty. She’s just so honest and wants to go through the flags for me.”
Duda, the USEA Young Rider of the Year in 2023 and 2024, and her 2010 bay Oldenburg gelding (Donatelli x Cadence) had made their debut at the Advanced level and won at this event last year. They then went east for the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S at the Kentucky Three-Day Event and competed overseas in England and Ireland as part of the U.S. Eventing European Development Tour.
They finished the year winning the CCI4*-S at the Woodside Fall International in Woodside, CA, and the CCI4*-L at The Eventing Championships at Galway Downs in Temecula, CA. For 2025, Duda said she hopes to return to the Lexington 4*-S and U.S. Eventing European Development Tour.
Molly Duda and Disco Traveler. Photo: Ride On Photo
“Disco was excellent this weekend,” Duda said. “He came out for his first event of the season feeling better than ever. I was especially proud of him in the first phase, earning a sub-30 score, which was a personal best for both of us at the Advanced level. We had a steady run on the cross country just to get him back in the groove, and he handled all the technical combinations with ease.”
This was the first Advanced horse trials for Regalla. She made her 4* debut with Hoffos at the 2024 Twin Rivers Fall International, having won twice at 3* at Galway in 2023 and 2024. Hoffos has brought Luna up the levels from Beginner Novice starting in 2018.
“The best thing that I ever did for her was do so much at three-star and Intermediate,” she said about their 17 events before moving up. “She saw everything and all different courses and types of questions. By the time I stepped her up last September, it really didn’t feel like that big of a jump.”
Hoffos said she will point Luna to 4*-S competitions at Galway at the end of March and at Kentucky’s Lexington 4*-S in April. She also credits enrolling in a program called “How to Heal” with mindset coach and sport psychologist Natalie Hummel and 5* rider Hannah Sue Hollberg “about controlling your nervous system and rewriting your patterns, figuring out where your show anxiety and competition hangups and blocks are,” Hoffos said.
“I was feeling, especially after my big fall at Maryland a few years ago, that I needed some help, and it’s been a game changer for me,” Hoffos said. “I’ve been feeling so prepared and really trusting my program and instincts, and it’s really paying off with Luna. I’m seeing such good results and feeling so much better about the riding and the showing.”
Erin Grandia and Hyacinth. Photo: Ride On Photo
Erin Grandia and Hyacinth (Contendro I x Vesper), who won the CCI3*-L at the 2024 Twin Rivers Spring International, finished third in their move-up to the Advanced level. The 10 entries at Advanced represented the most at this event since 2021.
Bon Vivant GWF and Erin Kellerhouse won the Intermediate level. They turned in one of just two double-clear cross country rounds out of 22 at the level on the course designed by Adri Doyal. Then, they were double-clear in show jumping to win with a score of 28.8.
“I loved the courses at Twin because they are so open and gallopy,” Kellerhouse said. “Time wasn’t on my radar and I just looked at my watch coming across the finish. He was super happy and confident — maybe a little too confident at the end of the course — but show jumped like a dream today.”
Kellerhouse and the 2015 Oldenburg gelding (Banderas x Power Point) have quite the partnership. They first competed together at the Beginner Novice level when “Pierre” was four years old in 2019. They won the 3*-S at the 2023 Twin Rivers Fall International.
Erin Kellerhouse and Bon Vivant GWF. Photo: Ride On Photo
“Bon Vivant had a bit of a rough last season and we never quite got our mojo back, but I really felt like it came together this weekend,” she said. “My goal was to just go give him a positive ride and not pick at the gallop fences, which I have a tendency to do on him.”
Megan McIver and Kapitan Sparrow XII (Cador x Stutbuch) were second, and Kellerhouse also rode the third-place finisher, Ringwood Adios Amigo (Ringwood Adieu Z x Ringwood Operetta).
“It’s such a treat to have two great horses at this level that I’m so fond of,” Kellerhouse said. “The two horses couldn’t be more different. Bon Vivant is a true gentleman and will go whatever speed I want him to, and Amigo has his own ideas on things.”
The two divisions at Preliminary — Open Preliminary and Preliminary Rider -— were each decided by less than a point, as were a total of six of the 13 divisions at the 2025 Twin Rivers Winter H.T.
In Open Preliminary, Amber Birtcil and Kingston 60 (Kingsroad x Anka VIII) topped Tamie Smith and Kareena K (Cash and Carry x Namur III) by 0.7—27.4 to 28.1. Birtcil also rode the third- and fourth-place finishers—Clearsky (Clearway x O-Corrado II) and Mississipi (Falaise De Muze x Coniek). Birtcil was competing Kingston 60 and Clearsky in place of Lauren Shady, who is expecting her first child this spring.
In Preliminary Rider, Elsie Patterson and Finnigan R-E (Cardento x Clivia R-E) were one second over the time allowed in show jumping and eked out the win by 0.1 over Olivia Keye and Chromatic Flyer—21.2 to 21.3.
At Modified, Fary Prince (The After Party x Farytale Cooley) and Helen Alliston—the Reserve Champions at the 2024 Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse 5-Year-Old West Coast Championships held at Twin Rivers — won with a score of 28.0. They led after each phase.
Twin Rivers Ranch is scheduled to host the Twin Rivers Spring International from April 10-13, the Twin Rivers Summer H.T. from June 26-29, the Twin Rivers Fall International from Sept. 18-21, and the USEA YEH West Coast Championships & Last Chance Qualifier from Oct. 23-25.
The full list of winners from the 2025 Twin Rivers Winter H.T.:
Advanced: Taren Hoffos and Regalla (43.2)
Open Intermediate: Erin Kellerhouse and Bon Vivant GWF (28.8)
Open Preliminary: Amber Birtcil and Kingston 60 (27.4)
Preliminary Rider: Elsie Patterson and Finnigan R-E (21.2)
Open Modified: Helen Alliston and Fary Prince (28.0)
Open Training: Tommy Greengard and Shannondale Fionn (21.7)
Training Rider: Fiona Lempres and Hathaway Royale (25.6)
Open Novice: Katherine Robinson and Magheraboy (17.5)
Novice Rider: Kris Greenway and Ash B’dash (28.8)
Open Beginner Novice: Gina Miles and Gadget de Baimont (17.1)
Beginner Novice Rider: Elisa Karnavy and Buzz Ryder (34.1)
Open Starter: Elisa Karnavy and Foxens Little Treat (24.0)
Starter Rider: Lotte Merrill and Sunshine Valley’s Maevie (16.5)
