Tomorrow we will officially kick off the action here in Aiken, SC at the $100,000 Stirling Venture Capital Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field, presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services.
We are simply buzzing to get underway, and before we do so we’re bringing you all of the info on the horses and riders you’ll see this weekend.
The EN team is currently working on a new format for our Form Guides this year, so today you’ll get the benefit of our work so far with more in-depth write-ups on each horse and rider in the field. Stay tuned for more updates to our always popular Form Guides coming your way this season!
The Form Guide below is listed in Drawn Order, which you can view here. For each rider with multiple horses, we’ll go ahead and put their profile first, with the horses following in drawn order. You can also use the link list below to gather all of the info you need to follow along with us this weekend.
$100k Stirling Venture Capital Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field (SC): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [Tickets] [Volunteer] [EN’s Coverage]
Cheg Darlington has provided us with all of the must-know info on the competitors, which you can dive into below:
⭐️ Test Rider ⭐️ Alex Baugh and Hubert Des 3 Arbes
Based in Lexington, Kentucky since 2017, Alex is an exciting young rider who’s already got some solid results under her belt both nationally and internationally. Her promise and successes haven’t gone unnoticed; she was the USEA Young Rider of the Year and Young Adult Rider Advanced Champion in 2021 and has been named to the USEF U25 training list every year since 2018. Aged 16 she won the the 2*-S at Virginia on her first attempt at the level, and did it in style by finishing on her dressage. In 2024 she either won or was runner-up at six national competitions in 16 starts and added a win in the CCI3*-S at Stable View to her international card. She stepped up to 4* in 2019 and completed on her first attempt before finishing 7th in her second start at the level at Majestic Oaks; she’s added a further five top-10 finishes since then. There’s no doubt that Alexandra is a talented young rider and has already set herself up with a solid foundation as she continues her eventing career.
Hubert Des 3 Arbes
Troubadour D’Aurel – Ulm Du Bouly, by Quick Star
2013 Belgian Sport Horse
Owned by Altorac Farm
Originally campaigned by French rider Stanislas De Zuchowicz, the Alex took over the reins on the Belgian gelding Hubert Des 3 Arbes for the 2023 season, and together they’ve made six international starts. The gelding skipped through the levels, placing 6th as a six-year-old in the CCI2*-S Young Horse Championships at Pompadour, France, in 2019 and making his first 4* start in 2022. More recently he’s gained experience at the 3* level with Alexandra, including picking up a fourth place in the 3*-L at Maryland in 2023 before going on to win the 3*-S at Stable View in 2024. They made their first 4* start together at Kentucky last season but Alexandra opted to retire after picking up 40 jumping penalties on the cross country. They came back out at the end of that season and were runners-up in the 3*-S at Unionville.
The gelding has proved he’s got sub-30 potential in the first phase at 3*, with 4* scores thus far sitting in the mid-30s. He does have the odd cross country jumping penalties on his record, but he’s finished on his dressage at 3* on three occasions. There’s no denying this horse has the potential to be very quick across the country. He’s also a careful show jumper, with nine clear rounds on his card from eleven attempts. This sure is an exciting prospect, teamed up with an exciting young rider – ones to watch as they progress in their eventing career, for sure.
Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker
Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Eventing’s own ice man, Boyd may come across as quite the character as he jogs along the strip in his USA suit at Horse Inspections, officiates weddings at Kentucky and sends out video messages to his many fans, but underneath all the pizazz is one heck of a competitor. He’s in the elite club of having competed at all seven of the world’s CCI5* events, has won two of them – one being the last ever long-format event at Adelaide – and has a further 26 top-10 finishes to his name. He’s also a four-time Olympian, most recently finishing best of the US in individual 10th place in Paris, where he rode Fedarman B (Eurocommerce Washington – Paulien B, by Fedor) in memory of Annie Goodwin. On top of all that, he’s got a team silver medal from the World Championships in Pratoni (2022) in his bling cabinet, and team and individual gold from the Pan-Ams in 2019, where he finished on his dressage score of 25.6 with Tsetserleg TSF (Windfall 2 – Thabana, by Buddenbrock), which he added to his team gold from Toronto in 2015, where he finished 4th individually. In 2022, he took the top two podium places at the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s field on Fedarman B and Tsetserleg TSF respectively.
Boyd’s clearly a busy guy but alongside his eventing career he’s a family man, with three boisterous boys at home. His social media is well worth a follow to see their antics, both horsey and otherwise. Boyd’s got an enviable string of top-level horses in his barn this season, including taking guardianship of Liz Halliday’s lovely gelding Cooley Nutcracker (Tolan R. – Ballyshan Cleopatra, by Cobra), so it’ll be exciting to see him out and about, having a ball on the sidelines whilst demonstrating his nerves of steel in the saddle.
Cooley Nutcracker
Tolan R. – Ballyshan Cleopatra, by Cobra
2014 ISH gelding
Owned by The Nutcracker Syndicate / Ocala Horse Properties
Liz Halliday and Cooley Nutcracker. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Cooley Nutcracker was campaigned in Europe by French rider Astier Nicolas. This impressive gelding made the trip to the States to take on the 2022 season with Liz Halliday, and is now under Boyd Martin’s guardianship while Liz recovers from a serious accident last season. ‘Bali’ made dreams come true last year when he represented the USA with Liz on board at the Paris Olympics and finished in the top-20 individually, with the team taking 6th place. Earlier in the season he was 8th on his CCI5* debut at Kentucky, where he came 9th the previous year in the 4*-S class, 5th in the 4*-S at Carolina, and was just off the podium in the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field. This year he was inside the top-10 in his season opener in the Open division with Boyd. This impressive form is replicated throughout his international career with Liz; in 15 FEI competitions he’s been on the podium a whopping seven times, with a further five top-10 finishes.
This horse is straight-up sub-30 in the dressage all day long. On his 5* debut he had the smallest hint of a toe over, putting down a 30.6, which was his highest dressage score in nine starts. There’s nary a cross country jumping penalty in all 22 of his international competitions, but for breaking a frangible fence on two occasions, although he does tend to add time, but just a tad – it was 6.4 penalties at Kentucky in his first start at the level. He can have the odd rail in the show jumping, but there are plenty of clear rounds on his record which show he’s careful enough to keep them in the cups and capitulate on his very strong first two phases. It’ll be poignant to see this horse out on the international circuit this season without Liz, but he’s in safe hands with Boyd and we can enjoy watching a quality event horse doing what he does best.
Arden Wildsasin and Sunday Times
Arden Wildasin and Sunday Times. Photo by Sally Spickard.
USEA 2024 Amateur Adult Rider of the Year Arden Wildasin plans to make her CCI5* debut at Kentucky in 2025 with Sunday Times, a horse she’s campaigned for almost a decade and brought up through the levels to the top of the sport. She took a brief hiatus from eventing in 2013-14 to spend some time in the pure dressage ring, competing at the 2014 North American Junior Rider Championships with the horse Phillip Dutton rode at the London Olympics, her own and James Wildasin’s Mystery Whisper (Richmeed Medallion – Socialite, by Salute).
During that time she also competed in pure show jumping.
But eventing was Arden’s first love and she decided there was no reason not to come back, so in 2015 she set about bringing her next string of eventers through the levels. And now she finds herself in the exciting position of being on the cusp of her first 5*, with two very impressive 4*-L results under her belt last season in preparation, a fourth place finish at Bromont and another one at Morven Park, where she finished on her dressage score. That’s sure to give her just the boost she needs as she steps up to the top of the sport with her long-time partner.
Sunday Times
Cult Hero – Lackaghbeg Crest, by Sea Crest
2007 ISH gelding
Owned by Arden Wildasin
Arden Wildasin and Sunday Times. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Brought right up through the levels from the beginning of his international career by owner-rider Arden Wildasin, this game gelding is being aimed at his first CCI5* this season at the age of eighteen. Two excellent fourth place finishes at the 4*-L level last year cemented his step-up, the first coming at Bromont where he was the quickest of the field on a challenging cross country day, adding 10.4 time and a single show jumping pole to his dressage of 37.7, and the second at Morven Park, where he finished on his dressage score of 42.5.
‘Mumbles’, as he’s affectionately known at home, is obviously not in this game to win the dressage, regularly dipping a toe, or two, into the 40s; in seven FEI competitions he’s gone sub-30 just twice. But this is an out-and-out cross country horse. He’s careful and quick and this is a partnership which knows one another inside out. In 22 international starts he’s had jumping penalties just once, back in 2022. He’s been clear inside the time more often than he’s been over, and when the clock does turn red, he’s generally only a couple of seconds out. He is likely to have a pole in the show jumping phase, perhaps two, but at the end of last season he proved he can keep them in the cups on his day at both long- and short-format. This isn’t a horse that’s likely to lead an event from the front, but we love a leaderboard climber on cross country day, a horse who relishes the job out there, and that’s exactly what this lovely gelding does.
Sara Kozumplik and Rubens d’Ysieux
Sara Kozumplik and Rubens D’ysieux. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Alongside being a top-level rider, Sara is a true champion of the sport. She’s involved in committees and boards for Kentucky, Bromont, Morven Park and Millbrook House and was part of the development of TerraNova Equestrian Center. Outside the boardroom, she’s a coach, notably working with eventing teams in Central America, with her trainees from Venezuela (on horses she’d sourced) qualifying for the Pan-Ams in 2014.
Sara’s passionate about diversity within the sport and, alongside her husband Brian Murphy and Edith Rameika (who is an owner for Sara), founded the Ever So Sweet Scholarship, in association with Equality Equestrians and USEF.
In the saddle, Sara made her CCI5* debut back in 2002 at Kentucky and completed in 31st position.She’s had four subsequent trips to the Horse Park for the 5*, finishing just outside the top-20 in 2003 and in 16th place in 2009. She may not have that many 5* starts to her name in terms of the number of years she’s been competing internationally, but she has a wealth of experience bringing horses through the levels.
She’s had a stack of top-10 results at 4*, including having won the 4*-S at Bouckaert Farm in both 2024 and 2023 with Rock Phantom (Spirit House – Ballycroy Rose, by Clonakilty Hero) and finishing in the top-10 at the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field with Rubens D’ysieux (Balougran – Orenda D’ysieux, by Mr Blue) three years running, from 2021-23. With horses competing across the international levels in her string, as well as all her ancillary work in eventing, Sara clearly demonstrates the spirit of the sport in the best of ways.
Rubens d’Ysieux
Balougran – Orenda D’ysieux, by Mr Blue
2005 Selle Francais gelding
Owned by Sara Kozumplik and Edith Remeika
Sara Kozumplik and Rubens D’Ysieux. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
The fact that Rubens D’ysieux is still campaigning for the USA’s Sara Kozumpik at 20 years young says a lot about this gelding and Sara’s program. Originally brought through the levels by American rider Michele Kuchta, Sara took over the reins in 2016 and the pair have enjoyed a successful almost-decade on the international circuit. He’s been relatively lightly-run over the last few years, with just one FEI entry last season in the CCI4*-S at TerraNova, where he finished 9th after adding just cross country time penalties to his score across the competition. In 2023 he completed a run of three consecutive top-10 finishes in the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field, and the year before came 8th in the 4*-S at Kentucky.
He’s been sub-30 in the first phase at 4*, but not since 2022; more recently we’re looking at low- to mid-30s. His cross country jumping record is pretty clean, with clear rounds in each of his four most recent runs, including in the 4*-S at Kentucky in 2023 before unfortunately being withdrawn before the show jumping. He does add time penalties at both long- and short-format, generally in the mid-teens. He’s not averse to the odd pole falling in the show jumping ring, but there are more clears on his record than faults. If he does clip one, he keeps it to just the one. It’s very cool to see veteran horses still loving their job and this horse exemplifies that.
Allison Springer and Vandyke
Allison Springer and Vandyke. Photo by Sally Spickard.
A pioneer of wearing a helmet for dressage, Allison swapped out her top hat for the first time at Kentucky in 2010 when she took to the ring for the first phase of the CCI5* competition but it was a while before then that her passion for eventing was born, back when she was 10 years old and watched the USA win team gold at the LA Olympics.
In 2012 she was shortlisted for the US team at the London Games. She made her CCI5* debut at Kentucky in 2008 with her excellent top-level campaigner Arthur (Brandenburg’s Windstar – Unknown). They finished in 13th place, picking up the Best Turned Out Pair award, which they also won in 2009, when they finished 14th in what was a busy year for Allison with a trip to Burghley and Pau also that season. In 2012 Arthur delivered a runner-up performance for Allison at the Horse Park and was named Best Conditioned Horse, before heading over to Burghley and finishing in 6th place.
In 2012 she won the National Championship at Kentucky with Arthur and the following year was third in the HSBC Classics Series, the highest US placing in the series’ history. And the accolades have just kept coming. Last season she was the fourth ranked USEA rider and the third ranked lady rider.
Allison’s Connemara cross mare No May Moon (Catherston Dazzler – Ebony Moon, Mystic Replica) was named USEA Horse of the Year, Mare of the Year and Advanced Horse of the Year, with a string of top results on her step up to 4*. With horses like that in her string, Allison’s long career is clearly still on an upward trajectory and the future sure does look exciting for her.
Vandyke
Vancouver – Shannondale Willow, by Touchdown
2014 ISH gelding
Owned by Rico Syndicate LLC
Allison Springer and Vandyke. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
2020 USEF CCI2*-L National Champion as a six-year-old, Vandyke has been brought up through the levels by American rider Allison Springer, who brought ‘Rico’ over from Ireland to the States in 2019. He stepped up to 4* in 2023 and it’s fair to say he’s taken a little time to get to grips with things thus far. His dressage scores tend to be mid- to high-30s across the levels.
Since jumping clear cross country in his first 4* event at Tryon, things have become a little less clear, with jumping penalties in each of his five subsequent starts at the level. In the show jumping phase he’s more likely to have a pole than not, but he does mostly keep it to just the one. Whilst his step up the levels seems to have caught up with him a little out on cross country, there’s no better woman to be in the saddle than Allison as they navigate their way back to the clear round form he showed at the lower levels.
Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way
Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Will grew up around horses on the family cattle ranch in Texas, initially riding Western until he discovered eventing aged 12. Once he’d done with high school, he set out to pursue eventing as a career and became a working student for Phillip Dutton.
In 2002 he was named USEA Young Rider of the Year and in 2003 he was awarded the Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy in recognition of his sportsmanship and horsemanship. His career took an uptick when he met Antigua (Match Winner – Great Mistake, by Dorset), the horse which took him to the top-level of eventing and with whom he won team gold at the 2003 Pan-Ams, placing 6th individually.
Since then he’s been named as reserve for three Olympic teams (Athens 2004, London 2012, and Tokyo 2020) and was part of the 2006 World Championships team in Aachen, where the US finished 4th and Will was top-20 individually. He took on his first CCI5* in 2005 and finished just outside the top-20, then came 6th at Kentucky the following year, both with Antigua.
The pair went to Burghley a year later and finished 21st. Since making his debut at the top level, Will’s had 20 5* starts, most recently finishing in the money at Badminton with Mama’s Magic Way (Mighty Magic – Straightaway, by Star Regent XX) in 16th place, where an expensive show jumping round dropped them down the standings; if they’d finished on their dressage score they’d have won.
With multiple starts at Kentucky, Maryland, Badminton, Burghley and Luhmühlen under his belt, it’s exciting to see him continue his 5* journey both in the US and Europe.
Mama’s Magic Way
Mighty Magic – Straightaway, by Star Regent XX
2011 Hannovarian gelding
Owned by Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables
Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Eventing breeding is multi-faceted but Mama’s Magic Way has got the genes two-fold being the product of two eventer parents – Mighty Magic (Mytens XX – Neika I, by Heraldic xx), who won the Seven-Year-Old Eventing World Championships in 2011 with Andreas Dibowski (who also rode ‘Mason’), and Straightaway (Star Regent XX – Wisira, by Wembley), a 4* campaigner in her own right. It was while the gelding was in Andreas’ yard in Germany that Will Faudree’s friend saw him and gave Will a call. It was love at first ‘sit’ when Will went to try him and Mason made the trip to the US to make the step up to CCI3* with Will in 2019. Since then he’s progressed up through the levels, making his 5* debut in 2021 at Kentucky, where he stormed round the cross country just a small handful of seconds over the time and showed just what an event horse he is, finishing in 14th place. Since then he’s made five further top-level starts, including at Maryland, Badminton and Burghley.
Mason is what you could safely call, enthusiastic. Will says himself that the gelding is like a kid hyped up on all the sugar. Whilst enthusiasm for the job is a great quality, it proves to be a huge challenge in the dressage phase. With 5* scores ranging from a career-best of 29.8 at Burghley in 2023 – where they scored the first 10s of the competition for a drool-inducing halt – to 40.6 at Kentucky last year, it’s clear to see that the horse has superb potential but lets the atmosphere get the better of him at times.
As we may expect given his parentage though, Mason is an out-and-out cross country machine. In 25 FEI competitions he’s had just a single jumping penalty – one, and that came way, way back in his first international run, the only exception being an 11 penalties for breaking a frangible device at Maryland in 2021. He’s yet to make the time at 5* although he’s not miles away; the closest he’s got is 4 time penalties at Kentucky in 2023. The show jumping is definitely the trickiest phase for this horse. More often than not we do see the poles fall, regardless of level or format, with three coming down at Burghley in 2023 — something Will divulged on The Go Eventing Podcast that could be attributed to some extra weight that he’s since worked off and seen marked improvements thereafter, although he kept it to just the one at Kentucky earlier that season. One thing’s for sure, this striking gelding is an exciting one to watch throughout the competition.
Phillip Dutton and Denim
Phillip Dutton and Denim. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
With no fewer than seven World Championships and seven Olympics to his name, Aussie import Phillip Dutton has competed at the highest level for both his native Australia and his adopted USA. He made the move from Down Under in 1991, taking on American citizenship in 2006. His long career in eventing has seen him win two Olympic team gold medals for Australia (Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000) and an individual bronze with Mighty Nice (Ard Ohio – Sarazen, by XX) for the USA in Rio, 2016; most recently he was part of the US team at the delayed Games in Tokyo, 2021, where he finished just outside the top-20 individually with Z (Asca Z – Bellabouche, by Babouche VH Gehucht Z), his long-time partner and the USEA Horse of the Year, 2019. His World Championships caps span two decades with his best finish coming in 2002 (competing for Australia) at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, where he was 5th individually; he finished best of the US at Tryon in 2018, taking 13th spot with Z. He’s also been part of the action at the Pan-Ams, winning team gold and individual silver in Rio, 2007, with Truluck (Maha Baba – Grayfully, Full Choke).
Phillip’s competed at six of the seven CCI5*s, taking the win at Kentucky in 2008 with Connaught (Ballysimon – Broomehill Rogue, by Royal Rogue) as well as claiming second spot on four occasions. He’s also been runner-up at Burghley (2005) with The Foreman (Across the Field – Four Flora, by Quadratic) and has a whole bunch of top-5 finishes at the highest level on his card.
Phillip is a welcome advocate for the sport via his social media pages, sagely speaking about the challenges and changes horse sports are facing. He was part of a panel at the FEI Eventing Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland this year where proposals were discussed for making a change to the flag rule, the Olympic format for eventing in LA, and the new tool for measuring noseband tightness that has recently been adopted, sharing his thoughts and observations of the discussions on his return.
Now in his early-60s, Phillip has no plans to hang up his hat and boots just yet, citing veteran baseball player Tom Brady as his inspiration for continuing in his sport for as long as he’s able.
Denim
(Dinken – Celia II, by Ibisco)
2015 Holsteiner gelding
Owned by Ann Jones, Ann Lapides, Caroline Moran and Neill Sites
Phillip Dutton and Denim. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Piloted to CCI2* by the Netherlands’ Merel Blom-Hulsman and taken on by the USA’s Phillip Dutton for the 2022 season, a slew of decent 4* results last year – including an eight place finish in the impressive 4*-L class at Blenheim, UK – proved Denim to be an exciting addition to the Dutton string. Due to make his top-level debut this year (he was entered for Kentucky in 2024 but Phillip opted for the 4*-L at Tryon with the then 9-year-old instead, where he finished 5th), the gelding has Nations Cup experience on his card courtesy of a trip to Boekelo in 2023, picking up a fourth place with the US team.
The horse finished up the 2024 season with his best dressage score at the 4* level, putting down a 25.9 at Blenheim, and certainly shows all the makings of a sub-30 test once he steps up and settles in at 5*. His cross country jumping record has been enviously clean since Phillip’s been in the saddle, with just one technical elimination in an otherwise complete sweep of clear rounds from 13 runs. He’s yet to make the time at 4*, although he was foot perfect at the Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, France, in 2022, finishing on his dressage score and taking seventh spot. He’s proven to be just as impressive in the show jumping ring as he is out on course, with just the odd pole here and there throughout his career thus far, none of which came in any of his five international competitions last season.
Phillip’s clearly been bringing this young talent along in a considered way as he makes his way to the top of the sport, and the future sure looks bright based on his performances to date.
Will Coleman and Off the Record
Will Coleman and Off the Record. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Will started out in eventing by basing himself with Karen and David O’Connor and the accolades came thick and fast. A contender for the US team at the 2004 Athens Olympics aged just 20 (his horse was injured putting him out of contention), he became the first US rider to win the prestigious Under-25 Championship at Bramham, UK, in 2003; he was named USEA Young Rider of the Year the following year. Will’s top-level debut happened 2009 and he notched up a 5th place finish for his record. His official Olympic call up came for London 2012, where the USA finished in 7th spot. All this before his 30th birthday.
Since then he’s continued the trend. He was the first American rider to win the CCI4*-S at Aachen, Germany, in 2021, and the following year was part of the silver medal winning team at the World Championships in Pratoni, finishing 7th individually with Off The Record (Arkansas – Drumagoland Bay, by Ard Ohio) after adding just two seconds of cross country time to his score across the competition. He was originally selected to represent the USA at the Paris Olympics last year, but his horse had to be withdrawn at the eleventh hour meaning that he sadly missed out that time around.
Will’s had a slew of top-10 results at CCI5*, having competed at Kentucky, Maryland, Luhmühlen, Burghley and Badminton, regularly having more than one ride (and placing with both). Last year he took two podium places (first and third) in the 4*-S at Kentucky. He went one better at the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field, finishing up in first and second spot with Chin Tonic HS (Chin Champ – Wildera, by Quinar Z) and Off the Record respectively. And what’s the secret behind all this success? Will’s sporting philosophy, as told to EN, is: “Make sure you’re doing this for the love of the horses and everything that comes with it”. When you’re coming from that place, it seems you can’t go far wrong.
Off the Record
(Arkansas – Drumagoland Bay, by Ard Ohio)
2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding
Owned by Off The Record Syndicate LLC
Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Shelby Allen.
‘Timmy’ has been in Will’s barn since he was a four-year-old and this long-time partnership have enjoyed much success over the years as Will has brought the gelding through the FEI levels. Between June 2016 and July 2017 the gelding had seven international starts at CCI2* and including the step up to 3*, and either won or was runner-up in all but one, where he came 5th. The horse’s first time at 4* was equally impressive, placing 5th in his first event at the level and then winning his second. He made the move to 5* in 2021 at Kentucky and finished in the top-15, climbing the leaderboard on each of his subsequent trips, landing in seventh spot in 2023 with a clear inside the time cross country run. In 2021 Will and Timmy made history when they became the first US winners of the prestigious CCI4*-S at Aachen, Germany, then the following year they took home the silver medal with the American team at the World Championships in Pratoni, adding just two seconds of cross country time to their score across the competition.
Regularly low- mid-20s in the first phase at 4*, the gelding proved he can go sub-30 in the first phase at the top level when he posted a 29.1 at Kentucky in 2021. That feat has been somewhat elusive since then however, with scores tending to be in the low-30s. It’s cross country day that this horse truly shines, with just one blip on his record since stepping up to 4*. He’s quick too, with a clear inside the time at Kentucky 5* on his card and any faults generally staying in the low single figures; he added just two seconds of cross country time to his score on his way to third place in the 4*-S at Kentucky last season. Timmy’s not without fault in the show jumping ring, but very much more often than not he keeps the poles in the cups and if he does catch a toe, it’s just the one.
After his Aachen victory, Will told EN why he believes that Timmy is a true event horse, saying, “He’s a real fighter. He’s not the most physically gifted, but he comes out every time and gives you 1000%, and those kind of horses, they eventually become champions because that’s what they’re made of inside”.
Alexander Conrad and Malibu Preacher
Alexander Conrad and Malibu Preacher. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Alex’s journey into horses is a love at first sight story that began with a soccer team cookout when he was 11. It just so happened that his friend’s older sister had a horse and Alex was so taken by the equine that, rather than hanging out with his team mates, he spent the whole time in the horse’s stall. His friend’s mom told his mom about a pony camp that was happening the following week, Alex signed up and that was that, Alex was officially a horse boy. At the end of the week the organizers told him that he’d have to quit some of his other sporting activities if he wanted to fit in regular riding lessons, hockey promptly went by the wayside and Alex started spending all his free time at the barn, riding and working to pay for extra lessons.
Aged 14 he met Ann Getchell of Groton House Farm, who had international eventer Beth Perkins with her for the summer. Beth needed a working student and Alex fit the bill. He groomed for Beth and Ann provided him with a homebred to ride himself. Beth connected him with CCI5* eventer Ashley MacVaugh, who he worked for in exchange for riding and competing her horses, the whole time keeping up with school and taking himself to the barn each day on his bike once school was out.
Alex is not only an eventer, he’s a bit of a brainiac with a degree in Human Physiology which he achieved as a pre-med student at Boston University, a school he chose because it was close to Groton House, stacking his classes into as few days as possible, with 12 hours of labs a day and 2am finishes in the library, before heading to the barn for the remainder of the week to work and ride any horse he could get his hands on. After graduation, rather than continue on to vet or med school, he got a job with US-based Australian eventer Ryan Wood and that was it, his mind was made up. Ryan helped him find a horse which he was able to produce himself and in 2018 Alex set up on his own. A little further down the line, he moved his business to the Schoolhouse at Windurra, home of eventing stalwart Boyd Martin.
It’s not that often that eventing goes viral, but Alex’s top horse, Malibu Preacher (Malibu Moon – Preach It, by Saint Ballado), effectively broke the internet with his antics on the jog strip at Maryland, where he was entered for the CCI3*-L. When the person who’d videoed the gelding’s broncing asked for permission to share it, Alex thought no more of it, until he turned his phone on later and thought it was broken because of the thousands of notifications he’d received; even Bronc Riding Nation was impressed by Malibu Preacher’s bucking.
Alex has had plenty of top-10 results at national competitions and has built up a solid start to his international career over the last three years. He stepped up to 4* with Malibu Preacher last season, with his other horse, Bonito (Betel XX – Ronda, by Ramiro’s Son II), who he took over from Boyd Martin, close on his stable mate’s heels. Hearing Alex talk about eventing, there is no doubt that he’s living the dream and that all the hard work and juggling studying with riding has been well and truly worth it.
Malibu Preacher
(Malibu Moon – Preach It, by Saint Ballado)
2012 Thoroughbred gelding
Owned by Alexander Conrad
Malibu Preacher had some strong opinions about trotting up at Maryland! Photo by Sally Spickard.
Viral video star Malibu Preacher rose to fame for his high energy performance on the jog strip at Maryland, attracting the likes of Bronc Riding Nation to share his hind end antics as rider-owner Alexander Conrad held on tight to the end of the rope. Alex puts the gelding’s enthusiasm down to the fact that he’s raced over hurdles in the past, and, particularly at Maryland where the jog strip is in the middle of the race course, when he sees the other horses circling waiting for their turn on the strip, he thinks it’s race day.
Spotted by Alex’s long-time friendd Anne Hambleton, who now co-owns the horse with him, she promptly contacted Alex to say that as soon as the horse became available he should snap him up, which Alex did. Brought along from the beginning by Alex, this excitable horse is a cross country machine and, although the atmosphere electrifies him at the horse inspection, when it’s time to work he’s super focused with his head truly in the game.
He stepped up to the CCI4* level in 2024 and proved his mettle with one top-10 finish, and two just outside the top-10. His dressage scores have been mid- to high-30s generally and, bar a couple of green 20s, his cross country jumping record is very clean. He does tend to accrue time out on course, but he’s still learning the ropes on the international circuit, with just 11 FEI runs under his cinch; he’s been clear inside the time twice in the 3*-L at Maryland though, so the potential’s definitely there for him to be quick and clear as he progresses in his career. He does tend to have a pole in the show jumping phase, or maybe two, and tends to add a little time in the ring too. Alex is understandably really excited about this horse and it’ll be cool to watch them as Alex’s eventing dreams come true and Malibu Preacher really settles into his work at the upper levels of the sport.
Hallie Coon and Cute Girl
Hallie Coon and Cute Girl. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
US rider Hallie is no stranger to longhauling for eventing, having made her CCI5* debut at Pau in 2018 (finishing just outside the top-20) whilst based in the UK as a recipient of the Karen Stives Endowment Fund Grant, traveling to Portugal for some winter eventing in 2020, and then basing herself back in the UK for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, competing in England and Europe. She’s represented the US multiple times at Nations Cup events, including finishing 15th in the 4*-S event at Houghton Hall, UK, in 2018 and earning a silver medal with the team, picking up another team silver in the 4*-L event at Boekelo, Netherlands, where she finished 7th individually, finishing on her dressage score with Global Ex (Contador – Wesley Wonderfly, by Hors La Loire II), and making the podium individually and collecting another team silver at Boekelo last year with Cute Girl (Coventry – Caligula, by Clearway), where she finished on her dressage score of 30.4. Hallie’s also used her time in Europe to compete in the highly regarded eight- and nine-year old 4*-S class at Blenheim, England, and the Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, France, over the last two seasons, with a 5th place finish in the latter with her own Boleybawn Olivia (Jorado – C-Jumps, by Cicero Z Van Paemel) last year. With top-level potential and some exciting young horses emerging in her string, the future sure does look bright for Hallie and her team.
Cute Girl
Coventry – Caligula, by Clearway
2014 Holsteiner mare
Owned by Hallie Coon and Helen Coon
Hallie Coon and Cute Girl jump into the main water. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
This exciting mare has been over in Europe for the past two seasons competing with the USA’s Hallie Coon and proving her mettle as a serious eventer with some very good results. Originally ridden by Australian eventer Kevin McNabb, with whom she won the seven-year-old Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers, France, in 2021, Hallie bought the mare with Helen Coon in 2022 and spent the season competing in the US before hauling over to the UK for the next two years. After spending 2023 gaining experience on the European circuit, everything came together in their season opener at the North Holland Horse Trials at the beginning of last season, where they won the CCI4*-S with a finishing score of 31.1, following that up with another Netherlands win in the 4*-S at Kronenberg, finishing on 33.6. They also finished top-10 at the 4*-S Nations Cup event at Arville, Belgium, before helping the US team to a silver medal at the 4*-L Nations Cup at Boekelo, where they finished on their dressage score of 30.4 to make it onto the individual podium. When this mare is good, she’s very, very good.
Well capable of sub-30 scores in the first phase at 4*, with a career-best for horse and rider coming at Boekelo in 2023, where they produced an elegant test for a score of 25, more generally we’re looking at the low-30s with lots of promise on show. There are some green mistakes dotted through her cross country record, demonstrating the difficulty of taking over a ride that had been successful at a high level with another rider, and showing the learning process that Hallie went through as she established her partnership with the mare, but they’ve had some very competitive rounds together more recently which suggests that they’ll be on an upward trajectory moving forward. She can be quick on her day, going clear inside the time in the 4*-L at Boekelo last season and stopping the clock just a smidge over in the 4*-S at Kronenberg, but on the whole time penalties tend to creep into double figures at this point in the mare’s career. She sometimes has an unlucky pole in the show jumping, but very much more often than not she’s a careful jumper who likes to leave them in the cups. This truly is an exciting mare with talent to spare, and a very bright eventing future ahead of her.
Sarah Kuhn and Mr. Cash van de Start
Sarah Kuhn and Mr. Cash Van de Start. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sarah had some solid results at the CCI4* level before stepping up to 5* with Mr. Cash Van De Start (Deauville Van T L – Ishtar Van De Start, by Toulon) at Maryland in 2023. She focused mainly on national events last season while the gelding was sidelined due to a freak injury in the field, gaining experience for her younger horses, before bringing him back at the end of the year in the Open Intermediate at Bouckaert Farm and coming second. She’s already had a string of wins and runner-up placings on the national circuit this year and will be looking forward to getting back out at international competitions in 2025.
Mr. Cash van de Start
Deauville Van T L – Ishtar van de Start, by Toulon
2012 Belgian Warmblood gelding
Owned by Deborah Kuhn
Sarah Kuhn and Mr. Cash Van De Start. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Bought by Sarah as a five-year-old from a video, ‘Cash’ arrived in the USA from Czechia as a sales prospect. Whilst waiting for a buyer to ‘get’ his quirky personality, Sarah realized that the gelding had the potential to become a top-level horse and so he stayed put and the pair set about working through the FEI levels together, culminating in their CCI5* debut at Maryland in 2023. A completion wasn’t on the cards for them that time around, with uncharacteristic cross country jumping penalties racking up to an elimination. He didn’t compete last season after a freak accident in the field where he overtracked and “pulled a bunch of his foot off”. After plenty of time to recover it’ll be great to see him out and about this year.
Sitting low- to mid-30s between the white boards at 4*, prior to Maryland his cross country jumping record was impressively clean, with just one 20 in 17 international competitions. Whilst he’s totally focused and brave at the fences, he can be a little tricky in between, which tends to show up in a handful of time faults. The show jumping phase is still a work in progress, with at least one pole down in each of his 4* runs thus far, and often a smidge of time too. But Sarah’s put in the miles as she’s produced this guy and as we all know, eventing’s as much about relationship as it is anything else, so it’ll be exciting to see how this pair progress as they continue on their journey.
Julie Wolfert and SSH Playboy
Julie Wolfert and SSH Playboy. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Julie started out as a Western gal before transferring to English and competing in the hunter/jumper ring and equitation classes. Watching David O’Connor compete at the Olympics lit the spark of eventing underneath her and she switched disciplines once more and began her eventing career in a working student position with American eventer Emily Beashear. She was the Area IX Champion at Intermediate and Preliminary level in 2008 and the Area IV Rider of the Year and fifth overall Young Rider of the Year in 2009, the year she made her first international start. She’s had some troubles putting together a team of top horses over the years, with injuries and other circumstances setting her back a little, and currently has just one horse competing on the international circuit, SSH Playboy (Cit Cat – Stoneyford Black Pearl, by Unknown). She’s had plenty of solid results with the gelding as she’s stepped up to CCI4*, finishing second in her second attempt at the level at Morven Park in 2022 then winning the 4*-S at Tryon later that season. Since then the pair haven’t been outside the top-15, with two fourth place finishes, three sixths and a win in the 4*-L at Morven Park last season.
Julie continues to base herself in her native Kansas, near her family but not so near the eventing world, meaning long journeys to events. But Julie knows that there’s a need in the Midwest for eventing trainers and is keen to do her bit for the sport by filling that need.
SSH Playboy
Cit Cat – Stomeyford Black Pearl, by Unknown
2012 ISH gelding
Owned by Sheri Gurske, Renee Senter, and Julie Wolfert
Julie Wolfert and SSH Playboy. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
‘Jaego’ began his career over in Ireland with Irish rider Camilla Speirs, who brought him up to the CCI3* level before he was bought by American rider Julie Wolfert and her two friends, Sheri Gurske and Renee Senter, in 2021. The gelding is a super jumper but can be quite hot with the bucks, bad enough once to sideline Julie for the season. Since then though, the pair have had a string of good results, coming second in the 4*-S at Morven Park in 2022 on his second attempt at the level, then following that up with a win in the 4*-L at Tryon later that year. Since then he’s accrued two 4th places, three 6ths, a 15th, and added another win to his international card, which came in the 4*-L at Morven Park last year, where he finished on his dressage score.
He’s consistently mid- to high-30s in the first phase but his exceptional jumping means it’s possible for him to stay close to that across the competition, as he proved at Morven Park. In 22 FEI competitions he’s had cross country jumping penalties just twice, and show jumping faults just once. He’s relatively speedy too, with time penalties across the country generally, or close to, single figures. There’s no denying that this guy is an exciting prospect for Julie, with both national and international successes already under his cinch and lots more to come, for sure.
Dana Cooke and FE Quattro
Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
Dana made the move from Canada to North Carolina in 2008, basing herself at The Fork Stables as a working student to Canadian High Performance event rider Rebecca Howard. She became the Assistant Equestrian Director at the stables in 2010 and then the Equestrian Director/Trainer in 2012. Her time at the Fork took her to the London Olympics in 2012 and the Pan-Ams in 2011, as groom for Rebecca. In 2019 she took to the stirrups herself when she rode for Canada at the 2019 Pan-Ams and brought home a team bronze medal, then went to the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022 after a late call-up to the Canadian representation as an individual, both with Mississippi (Cassini II – Liastra, by Legaat), the horse she finished fifth with in the CCI4*-S at Kentucky in 2022. Other notable recent results include a win in the CCI-4*-S at Bouckaert Farm at the end of last season with FE Quattro (Quaterstern – Elina, by Coriograph B) and two horses in the top-10 in the 4*-S at Ocala last spring.
FE Quattro
Quaterstern – Elina, by Coriograph B
2014 DSP gelding
Owned by Dana Cooke, FE Quattro Syndicate LLC. and Clayton Fredericks
Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Dana Cooke has brought ‘Q’ up through the international levels since 2021, with the gelding stepping up to the CCI4* level for the 2023 season. He finished seventh in his first attempt at the level at Ocala, then had a trio of learning experiences before getting things back on track by bettering his previous placing at Ocala a year later with fifth place, and then winning the 4*-S at Bouckaert Farm, where he produced a very smart test in the first phase for a career-best score of 26. More generally though, we’re looking at low-30s dressage scores for the gelding. Aside for the aforementioned blips after stepping up to 4*, his cross country jumping record is totally clean, bar breaking a frangible device at Blenheim, UK, last year. Time penalties have crept up from the low-single figures they had been at the lower levels, particularly at long-format events. His quickest time came at Bouckaert Farm on the way to the win, where he added 4.8 penalties. The show jumping is clearly still a work in progress and he’s more likely to have a pole than not, maybe two, but he jumped clear at the 4*-L at Tryon. Overall, this relatively young gelding has clocked up some good finishing places as he continues his international career and looks to have a lot of promise for the future.
Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle
Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle. Photo by Sally Spickard.
It may have been a bit stop-start for Jennie when she stepped up to the top level of the sport, with her first completion coming in 2011 four years after her debut and then a gap of six years until her next CCI5* start, which came at Kentucky in 2021, but a string of excellent results since then prove that it sure was worth the wait. She finished just off the podium at Maryland in the inaugural running of the 5* with Stella Artois (Satisfaction FRH – Comtessa, by Contender) and bettered her top-25 Kentucky result from 2021 with a 16th place in 2022 aboard FE Lifestyle (Leo von Faelz – Berina A, by Brandenburger), which the pair followed up with 5th at Maryland later in the season, where they finished on their dressage score, with Jennie also taking 16th spot with Twilightslastgleam (National Anthem – Royal Child, by XX). She had three rides in the 5* at Kentucky in 2023, finishing inside the top-20 with Twilightslastgleam and just outside the top-10 with FE Lifestyle. The pair followed up that 12th place finish with another one at Burghley, where she was awarded the best first-timer award. She was back at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2024 and bettered her results from the previous year with both FE Lifestyle and Twilightslastgleam, coming 10th and 16th respectively. She ended last season with a 23rd place finish at Burghley and 6th place at Maryland. With two seasoned 5* campaigners in her string as well as a number of promising horses she’s been bringing through the levels with impressive results on their cards already, Jennie must be excited about her continuing journey at the top of the sport.
FE Lifestyle
Leo von Faelz – Berina A, by Brandenburger
2010 DSP gelding
Owned by Nina Gardner and Timothy Gardner
Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Known as ‘Foxy’ in the barn, this striking chestnut gelding was bred in Germany to be a show jumper before being bought by Australian eventer Clayton Fredericks, who produced him to his first international event before looking for a buyer to continue the horse’s eventing education. Finding his person wasn’t straightforward, however, as he’s a quirky character and can be tricky. Then Jennie Brannigan came along and although it wasn’t love at first try, her show jumping trainer, Scott Keach, encouraged her to take a chance on the gelding; a year later he was bought by Tim and Nina Gardner and settled into Jennie’s string, becoming one of her top horses. Foxy has taken on Kentucky CCI5* on four occasions, bettering his placing on each attempt, from 24th on his debut at the level in 2021, through 16th and 12th place, to top-10 last season. He was 5th at Maryland in 2022, where he finished on his dressage score, and 12th at Burghley the following season, earning Jennie the best first-timer award, despite having tied up on the flight to the UK and only being able to compete after much veterinary scrutiny.
Generally we’re looking at mid-30s scores in the first phase, although some of his best scores have come at 5*, with a 31.1 at Burghley in 2023 and a 31.5 at Maryland in 2022. His cross country jumping record is enviably clean, with just one 20 on his card in 34 international runs. Despite not having a lot of blood for an eventer, he can be pretty quick across the country. He’s been clear inside the time at Maryland and just one second over at Kentucky; he added a bit more in terms of penalties across the meaty Burghley track though. He’s generally a one or none type of horse in the show jumping and it’s pretty much 50:50 throughout his record, with his two rails at Burghley last year very much the exception to the rule.
Interesting fact: Foxy has the Pferdezuchtverband Brandenburg-Anhalt brand – an arrow and snake – on his left flank, unusual for an event horse. He’s also got a mini companion who shares his stall, the delightfully named Hank the Tank.
Boyd Martin and Commando 3
Connor 48 – R-Adelgunde, by Amigo XX
2013 Holsteiner gelding
Owned by Yankee Creek Ranch LLC
Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Originally produced up to the CCI4* level by Sweden’s Louise Romeike, ‘Connor’ landed in Boyd Martin’s barn for the 2023 season and the pair set about delivering some impressive results; in fact, in nine international starts, they’ve only finished outside the top-10 once, on the gelding’s 5* debut at Maryland last year, where he had an unlucky early fall on cross country day after getting his competition underway with a sub-30 dressage score. Up until that point though, the partnership had clocked up a hattrick of wins, second place in the 4*-S at Kentucky and third in the 4*-L at Tryon, where they very nearly finished on their dressage, but for two seconds out on cross country. ‘Connor’ is what you could call a triple threat. With just a smattering of first phase scores above the 30-mark and many scores in the 20s on his record, his impeccable cross country jumping record (in 27 FEI competitions he’s had just a single jumping penalty, with one technical elimination and that fall at Maryland), and the fact that he’s proved himself to be careful over the colored poles in both long- and short-format events, with seven clear rounds with Boyd in the plate from eight runs, it’s not hard to get excited about this obviously talented gelding.
Monica Spencer and Artist
Monica Spencer (NZL) and Artist. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Monica made herself known on the Northern Hemisphere eventing scene when she showed up at the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022 and promptly delivered a very smart dressage test with Artist (Guillotine – Maxamore, by Volksraad) for a score of 25.6. The pair went on to finish just outside the top-20 individually and won team bronze, despite being given an eleventh-hour call-up just three days before the horses were due on the flight to Italy. Monica made the trip to the States with Artist in 2023 to contest the CCI5* at Maryland (where she finished 7th) before relocating with her family for the 2024 season.
She made her 5* debut at Adelaide in 2013 but it was a decade later before she returned to the top level. Last season she was 5th in the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field and had a successful run round the Kentucky 5* for 7th place, before crossing the pond to compete at Burghley, where she finished just outside the top-10. There’s no denying that Monica’s hungry for a spot on the New Zealand team and was disappointed not to make it to Paris, but she’s set out fierce this season taking five horses to her season opener at Ocala. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more success for Monica as the season progresses.
Artist
Guillotine – Maxamore, by Volksraad
2011 Thoroughbred gelding
Owned by Spencer Eventing
Monica Spencer and Artist. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.
‘Max’ was discovered by Kiwi eventer Monica Spencer as a four-year-old when she saw him at his first show and promptly bought him. This smart gelding is racing-trained but didn’t actually race (he proved to be too slow), with Monica bringing him through the international eventing levels in her native country before landing a late call-up to the New Zealand team for the World Championships in Pratoni in 2022, and showing the Northern Hemisphere what a talent this lovely horse is with a team bronze medal and an individual 21st place. He made the step-up to CCI5* at Adelaide the following year where he was in the lead and favorite for the win after the dressage only for Monica to have an unlucky and uncharacteristic tumble out on cross country. His next start at the level came over in the States at Maryland at the back-end of that season, where he really had the chance to show his mettle and finished in 7th. A spring outing for the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field the following year delivered a 5th place finish, before he took on Kentucky 5* and added another top-level 7th place finish to his record, after which he crossed the pond to compete at Burghley and finished just outside the top-10.
This gelding is very smart between the white boards with dressage scores in the mid-20s regularly seeing him well in the mix following the first phase, and his cross country jumping record is nothing short of impeccable. With just one jumping penalty in 26 international competitions, which came way back in his first ever event, he’s a clear round machine. He generally adds a little time, his best run coming in just two seconds over in the Kentucky 5* last year, but ordinarily we’re looking at more of a handful of penalties than that. The show jumping phase is still a work in progress, with poles falling more often than not, which has proved to be expensive at three-days when he’s likely to up there after the first two phases. Regardless, this is a talented and exciting gelding and it’ll be cool to see him continue his career on US soil.
Sharon White and Claus 63
Sharon White and Claus 63. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Sharon is a busy rider who juggles her eventing with coaching, training and sitting on committees such as the USEA Eventing Licensed Officials and the Strategic Planning Committee, as well as the Rebecca Farm Grant Committee. She’s particularly passionate about coaching and has helped produce riders right up to the top of the sport, including CCI5* eventers Woods Baughman and Cornelia Dorr. She’s a long-standing Kentucky entry in her own right, having competed at the Horse Park over ten times on five different horses, and has also been to Luhmühlen, Pau and Maryland. Her best 5* result came at Kentucky in 2018, when she finished on her dressage score and came 8th with Cooley on Show (Ricardo – Jogantina, by Grand D’espagne). Last year, she was part of the silver medal winning US team at the Pan-Ams in Santiago, finishing 10th individually with Claus 63 (Catoo – Tina II, by Levisto), with whom she finished just outside the top-10 at Kentucky last season.
Sharon was lucky enough to work with the late, great Jimmy Wofford and together they founded ‘Hell Week’, a five-day clinic based on Jimmy’s coaching routine. Think no stirrups, vaulting onto horses, ‘around-the-worlds’, all the fun – but certainly necessary if you want to be strong, balanced rider – stuff; hence, ‘Hell Week’. The clinic has been running for over a decade, with Sharon continuing the work in Jimmy’s memory.
Claus 63
Catoo – Tina II, by Levisto
2012 Holsteiner gelding
Owned by Sharon White
Sharon White and Claus 63. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Sourced by Dirk Schrade in Germany and produced by Sharon White from the start of his international career, Claus 63 made his CCI5* debut at Kentucky last season after gaining a wealth of experience at 4* over the previous two years. This time taken paid off and he finished just outside the top-10 in an impressive step up to the top level. The gelding got his US team call up for the Pan-Ams in 2023, where he brought home team silver and finished 10th individually.
He tends to score in the low-30s between the white boards, posting a 30.7 at Kentucky last season, but he has been sub-30 a few times at 4*. He’s a generally reliable cross country jumper with the odd penalty dotted through his record; he jumped clear round his first 5* at Kentucky and added just 12 time penalties. The show jumping is his most inconsistent phase but he’s proven on numerous occasions that a clear round isn’t outside his grasp, at both long- and short-format events. He rolled one at Kentucky last season but a tricky day at the office at the Pan-Ams saw four fall. Generally though, it’s one or none.
It’ll be exciting to see Claus 63 gain experience at the top level and build on his excellent debut result from Kentucky.
Arden Wildasin and Billy Beaufort
Billy Beaufort
My O My – Huntstown Clover, by Clover Hill
2012 Anglo European gelding
Owned by Arden Wildasin, James Wildasin and Sarah Wildasin
Arden Wildasin and Billy Beaufort. Photo by Sally Spickard.
‘Hero’ began his career in Great Britain with English eventer Lauren Lillywhite before crossing the pond and joining Arden Wildasin’s barn in the States for the 2024 season. The new pairing got off to a great start, winning their first international event together, the CCI3*-L at Bromont, where they added just 1.6 cross country time penalties across the competition. They’ve had just four international starts as a partnership but have already clocked up that win and a third place finish in the 4*-S at Morven Park. They started out this season by winning the Open Intermediate at Pine Top.
Arden describes the gelding as being playful and enjoying a buck and a kick, but he seems to have kept that side of his character under wraps between the white boards, with dressage scores trending in low- mid-30s. His cross country record is impressively clean with jumping penalties on just two occasions in 18 FEI runs. He hasn’t yet been inside the time but penalties are generally kept to the low single figures. The show jumping phase is still a bit of a work in progress for the horse, with poles down more often than clear rounds, although in his last two events with Arden he has kept them in the cups. This is an exciting new partnership and it will be interesting to see how their eventing journey together unfolds.
Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom
Rock Phantom
Spirit House – Ballycroy Rose, by Clonakilty Hero
2011 ISH gelding
Owned by Edith Rameika
Sara Kozumplik and Rock Phantom. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Originally campaigned by Brazilian eventer Nilson Moreira Da Silva, the USA’s Sara Kozumplik took over the reins of this lovely gelding for the 2022 season and the pair have picked up some excellent results together since then, finishing top-10 in over half of their 17 international runs, including winning the CCI4*-S at Bouckaert Farm two years running, in 2023 and 2024. He made his 5* debut at Kentucky in 2024 and was retired after an uncharacteristic 20 out on cross country.
Typically, the gelding posts low- to mid-30s scores in the dressage phase; his career-best of 28.4 came in the 4*-S at Kentucky in 2023 where he finished 15th after adding both cross country and show jumping time penalties and a pole to his score. His cross country jumping record is very clear, with just a couple of blips dotted here and there. He does tend to pick up some time faults, mostly keeping them to low-single figures. His show jumping record is a little patchy, with poles falling more often than not, ranging between one and five, although there’s been a definite improvement more recently. Now that stable mate Rubens D’ysieux (Balougran – Orenda D’ysieux, by Mr Blue) has retired from top-level competition (although he’s entered for the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field aged 20!), ‘Rocky’ is following in his hoofprints as Sarah’s top horse and it’ll be exciting to follow their journey together.
Allison Springer and No May Moon
No May Moon
Catherston Dazzler – Ebony Moon, by Mystic Replica
2014 Connemara Cross mare
Owned by Nancy Winter
Allison Springer and No May Moon. Photo by Sally Spickard.
2024 USEA Horse of the Year, Mare of the Year and Advanced Horse of the Year, No May Moon sure turned heads for all the right reasons on her step up to CCI4* last season. She was fourth her first time at the level at Tryon and then won the 4*-L at Bromont the following month, where she added just cross country time to her dressage score across the competition. She came back out for the 4*-L at Morven Park in the fall and jumped clear inside the time on cross country day, for third place. Looking back through her record, it’s a similarly impressive story. In 16 FEI competitions she’s been outside the top-5 on just four occasions, one of which was 6th.
She’s posted low- high-30s in the dressage at 4* thus far, with sub-30 scores at 3*. She’s jumped clear across the country in all but one of her 16 international runs and has proved she can be swift on her day, coming inside the time at both long- and short-format 3* events and at 4*-L. She tends to be a one or none kind of mare in the show jumping phase but there are more clears on her record than faults. This is clearly a talented and exciting young prospect for American rider Allison Springer – watch this space.
Will Faudree and Pfun
Pfun
Tadmus – Celerina, by Cento
2007 ISH gelding
Owned by Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables
Will Faudree and Pfun. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
‘Teddy’ is a game gelding who’s been brought through the levels by Will Faudree, making his CCI5* debut at Kentucky in 2017 with three further top-level starts since then, both at the Horse Park and at Maryland; his best finish came in 2019 when he was 17th at Kentucky. For a veteran of the sport he’s relatively lightly raced, having spent some time out with minor injury, along with Will’s decision to focus on the 4*-S level for the past two seasons. Since retiring following problems out on course at Kentucky in 2022, he’s been withdrawn before cross country in three of his seven starts, and retired after picking up a 20 twice, implying that Will’s taking care in his choices for the gelding as he reaches the fall of his career. The two events he has completed recently both came courtesy of the 4*-S at Carolina, where he was top-10 in 2024 and third in 2023 Where we have seen him shine is at the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field, with an excellent 6th place finish in 2023, when he added just one second of cross country time to his score over the whole competition.
Generally we’re looking at low-30s in the first phase for the gelding, although he has been sub-30 at 4*, with his career-best score of 26.1 coming in the 4*-S at Carolina in 2023, where he jumped clear inside the time and added just one pole to finish 3rd. In recent seasons we’ve seen some cross country jumping penalties creep onto what was a clean record, although when he has crossed the line clear, it’s been quick. It’s a similar story when we look at his show jumping form; a pole is more likely than not if we look at the last couple of seasons, but he’s proved he can keep them in the cups in the past. This is a gelding with plenty of experience and charisma and he sure is fun to watch.
Emily Hamel and Corvett
Emily Hamel and Corvett. Photo by Sally Spickard.
Emily has been a horse girl since she was a kid but it was a trip to Kentucky as a spectator of the three day event that firmly set her on the path to becoming an eventer. She got a job with Phillip Dutton in 2015 and was promoted to head rider two years later, which gave her the chance to compete his young horses up to CCI3*. And that’s where she met Corvett (Corrido – Tina XII, by Clearway), a horse that arrived in Phillip’s barn as a sales prospect but whose unconventional jumping style meant he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Emily took on the ride and so began her CCI5* adventure with high-flying ‘Barry’. Since then the pair have completed all eight of their top-level starts, taking in Kentucky, Badminton, Burghley, Luhmühlen and Maryland over four seasons, with plans to add Pau to their resume this summer. The pair were announced as part of the US Equestrian European Development Tour in 2024, part of which included representing the US at the Nations Cup event at Millstreet, Ireland, where they won team silver.
Not one to be deterred from her dreams, Emily rode round Badminton in 2022 just a few weeks after undergoing knee surgery for a torn meniscus. Originally on the wait list, she found out she’d made the cut just a week after her surgery and a whole team effort made it possible for her and Corvett to make the trip to England. They stayed on for Burghley, where they finished top-20 and have added four further 5* finishes to their card since then, all in the top-15.
Corvett
Corrido – Tina XII, by Clearway
2007 Holsteiner gelding
Owned by Black Flag Option, LCC
Emily Hamel and Corvett. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Everyone’s favorite high jumper, described by many a commentator as ‘Corvett Airlines’ due to his enthusiastic – and iconic – jumping style, Corvett is one heck of an eventing horse. He’s completed in all of his CCI5* starts, eight in total, over four seasons, including Kentucky, Badminton, Bughley, Lühmuhlen and Maryland, with plans to tackle Pau this summer. That’s impressive enough, but add to that the fact he’s finished in the top-21 in all but one of those runs, top-10 in two, and it’s clear that ‘Barry’ is a bona fide 5* horse.
The gelding has been brought right through the FEI levels by the USA’s Emily Hamel, who got the ride after Corvett’s unconventional style made it hard for him to be sold on. The pair were named to the US Equestrian Development Tour in 2024 and competed as part of the Nations Cup team at Millstreet, Ireland, where they helped to bring home silver.
It’s fair to say that ‘Barry’ is not a horse who is going to win the dressage; he tends to sit mid- to high-30s following the first phase. He’s for sure up for the jumping though. There are a couple of uncharacteristic 20s on his record, most recently at Maryland 5* last fall, but very much more often than not, he soars over those fences as only ‘Barry’ can. You’d be forgiven for thinking his extravagance in the air would slow him down, and undoubtedly it does, but he’s quick across the ground so time penalties are generally in the single figures and he can beat the clock on his day – he was clear inside the time at Kentucky 5* last season. He’s equally impressive in the show jumping ring, not surprising given his jumping breeding, with just the odd pole scattered here and there on his international record.
A crowd pleasing fan favorite, Corvett is a gelding with an eventer’s heart and springs in his heels, and it’ll be exciting to, hopefully, see him have a go at Pau and tick off all six of the Northern Hemisphere 5*s this season.
Austin O’Connor and You’ve Got the Lux
Austin O’Connor competes Carlson 119 at the 2024 Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase. Photo by Christine Quinn Photography.
Austin has represented Ireland at Olympics, World and European Championships and Nations Cups, as well as competing at CCI5*s in Europe and North America. With four Olympic caps to his name, from Sydney in 2000 where he was 17th individually, through finishing just outside the top-20 in Beijing in 2008, to being the best of the Irish in Tokyo 2020 with 13th place – despite an eleventh-hour call-up due to Cathal Daniels’ ride having to withdraw last minute – and another top-20 result in Paris last year, Austin has proved himself to be a valuable member of the Irish team. He was also the highest placed Irish rider at the Pratoni World Championships in 2022 with Colorado Blue (Jaguar Mail – Rock Me Baby, by Rock Kind), his Tokyo and Paris mount. In 2024 he was part of the gold medal winning team at the 4*-L Nations Cup in Boekelo, Netherlands.
Austin’s been at the top of the sport for almost three decades and has contested six of the seven 5*s with multiple top-20 finishes on his card. His best-ever season came in 2023, starting off with a podium place at Badminton with Colorado Blue, the first time an Irish rider had done so in 40 years, and ending up with a fabulous win at Maryland, giving Ireland its first top-level victory since 1965. There were tears for Austin that day and people in the stadium and at home were no doubt sniffling alongside this popular winner who will surely see even more high highs before his career is done.
You’ve Got the Lux
Lux Z – Valeska, by Carrolls Flight
2011 ISH mare
Owned by Elizabeth Welker-Ebling
Bought at the end of last season by US CCI3* competitor Elizabeth Welker-Ebing, this 14-year-old mare had been campaigned by British eventer Hayden Robert Hankey throughout her international career, but it’ll be Ireland’s Austin O’Connor who takes the reins on her US debut at the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field. She’s had some seasons out over the years, with an exactly two year hiatus between May 11, 2019 and May 11, 2021, and then another almost two year gap from then until her next international in 2023. She ran once in 2024. That’s not to say she hasn’t had some good results when she has competed. She was 10th in the 4*-S at Alnwick, UK, last season, adding just 2.8 cross country time penalties to her 33.9 dressage score and nothing in the show jumping. The year before she was 7th in the tough 4*-S at Blair Castle, UK, where she delivered one of the quicker rounds of the day in the cross country. Her dressage scores are regularly low-30s and she’s had cross country jumping penalties on just one occasion in 14 FEI competitions. She tended to have a show jumping pole at the start of her career but there have been clear rounds creeping into her form more recently. Although lightly-run, this mare’s record speaks for itself and Austin’s sure to be excited about the ride when he takes to the plate for the Grand Prix Eventing this spring.
Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS
Chin Tonic HS
Chin Champ – Wildera, by Quinar Z
2012 Holsteiner gelding
Owned by Hyperion Stud LLC
Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Brought through the levels by the USA’s Will Coleman, who saw this flashy gelding in a video as a two-year-old and couldn’t help but drool, Chin Tonic has been an exciting addition to eventing’s upper levels. Between the fall of 2022 and spring 2024, in seven FEI runs he picked up three wins and two second placings. He finished on his dressage of 19.4 on his way to the win in the 4*-S at Carolina in 2023, the lowest finishing score in the event’s history, and was just outside the top-10 on his 5* debut at Kentucky in 2023, where he added just time penalties to his dressage score of 25. Last season he won the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field, leading the competition from start to finish, with his dressage score of 26.5 and clear show jumping round giving him a clear buffer to add a handful of cross country time penalties and comfortably hold onto the top spot.
This smart gelding regularly pulls low-20s dressage scores out of the bag as he prances his way up the leader board in the first phase – in fact, he’s never been in the 30s – add to that his impeccable jumping ability and you’ve got enviably low finishing scores and a horse that’s hard to beat. In 21 international competitions, he’s had cross country jumping penalties just once. His show jumping is similarly impressive, with just four individual poles in his international career. He does tend to add a little time, out on cross country and occasionally in the stadium, but it’s minimal and can very much be put down to Will’s patient production of this talented horse, and when you start on first-phase scores like his, what’s a few seconds between friends? Expect to see this gelding right up at the top of the sport as he continues on his career path.
Phillip Dutton and Possante
Possante
Namelus R – Wendelien, by Otangelo
2013 KWPN gelding
Owned by The Possante Group
Phillip Dutton and Possante. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Previously campaigned by Great Britain’s Emily King, Possante made the trip Stateside to US eventer Phillip Dutton’s barn for the 2023 season. The gelding proved his promise with a fifth place finish in the CCI4*-S for 8- and 9-year olds at Blenheim with Emily and has since had a top-5 and a top-10 international result at the same level with Phillip. Last season, the pairing were announced as recipients of the Dutta Corp./US Eventing High Performance Flight Grant after finishing third in the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final at the American Eventing Championships that year. The gelding took on his first 4*-L at Tryon International with a steady showing for 11th place, before heading to Europe for the 4*-L Nations Cup at Boekelo, Netherlands, where he contributed to the USA’s second place as a team and finished 20th individually.
Possante showed his potential between the white boards on his first time at the 4*-L with Emily King, putting down a 25.2 at Blenheim, and although he’s yet to improve on that with Phillip, he went sub-30 in his last two runs of the 2024 season (28.1 and 28.7 respectively). He’s also shown his quality out on course, with a clean sweep of cross country jumping clears in his seven international runs with Phillip thus far. They do have a tendency to go steady, their fastest round came at Boekelo, where they added 6 time penalties on a day where the majority of the field had quick runs, but that makes sense at the beginning of a partnership, and the horse proved he can make the time at both long- and short-format at the 3* level with Emily. There’s been a little inconsistency in the show jumping ring for the gelding, with two poles down in each of his 4*-L runs, but he kept them in the cups in the 4*-S at Stable View last fall, going on to finish in fourth place.
There’s no doubt that this is a smart prospect for Phillip and once he’s nailed the consistency over the colored poles that he’s shown in the other two phases, the gelding will surely be firmly in the mix at 4* and beyond.
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B
Fedarman B
Eurocommerce Washington – Paulien B, by Fedor
2010 KWPN gelding
Owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate
Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
With his unmistakable big white blaze, ‘Bruno’ is a horse whose backstory is a poignant one. Originally brought through the international levels from the start by Annie Goodwin, a student of Boyd Martin, following a fatal cross country schooling accident in 2021, Annie’s family and fiance asked Boyd to take the ride on the striking gelding. Boyd now campaigns Bruno in Annie’s memory and the pair have had some impressive results together, including finishing 7th individually in the Nations Cup at Boekelo in 2022, where they finished on their dressage score of 29.8; coming 8th at Luhmühlen on the horse’s CCI5* debut in 2023; 8th at Pau later that season and then 5th last year; taking fourth spot in the 4*-S at Kentucky last year; and finishing best of the US at the Paris Olympics, where they were 10th after adding just 1.6 cross country time penalties across the competition. They’ve also seen success at the Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field, taking third place in 2023 and 2024 and delivering an emotional win in 2022.
Generally Bruno is in the high-20s to low-30s in the first phase but he proved his finesse between the white boards at 5* when he went sub-30 at Pau last year. This horse truly does shine out on the cross country course. He’s been clear inside the time in the 4*-L at Boekelo and the 5* at Luhmühlen on his debut at the level, and would have been at Pau in 2023 but for 11 penalties for breaking a frangible device. In 13 FEI runs with Boyd, he’s had jumping penalties just once, in their first competition together. Their show jumping record is a similar story, just one single pole has fallen; in fact, in 33 FEI starts, this smart gelding has had show jumping penalties on just four occasions. A real fan favorite, Bruno has done all of his connections proud as he’s jumped his way to the top of the sport, taking Annie’s memory with him.
