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Sally Spickard

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About Sally Spickard

Sally Spickard is a Korean adoptee living in San Diego, California. Sally joined the Eventing Nation team in 2013 and has subsequently written for Noelle Floyd, Heels Down Mag, and other publications both in and out of the equestrian world. Sally is an eventing fan through and through and enjoys telling the stories of riders who are not well-represented within equestrian media.

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Meet the Horses and Riders of the 2026 Longines Luhmühlen CCI5* Field

By on Jun 17, 2026 4:44 pm -

It’s a small but mighty field for the 2026 Longines Luhmühlen CCI5*, the final event at this level we’ll see before Defender Burghley later this summer. We’ve got quite a few first-timer horses and riders in this field, along with some supremely experienced pairs and more than one former 5* winner. Will someone repeat their past success this weekend? Come out of nowhere to surprise us all? We’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Below, you’ll find a quick write-up on each pair in the 5* field’s recent form leading up to this weekend. If you click here, you can also view much more on each and every horse in the field if you really want to dig in. This way, you can still view the Form Guide somewhat in it’s traditional form, but if you’re a real rabbit hole diver, the opportunity is there.

The entries are listed in Draw Order (you can view ALL entries and their ride times here). The entries are current as of publication, but should we have any more withdrawals ahead of the start of dressage, we’ll be sure to notate next to that entry here.

As always, we really appreciate your feedback on our Form Guides as we continue to work to improve them! You can always send us your thoughts [email protected].

[Click here to view EN’s Horse & Rider Wiki]

Want to see more stats on the field? Be sure to check out the EquiRatings Prediction Center here, and you can also play Eventing Manager this week here. Use code PCTD to join the EN league — it’s free!

The Luhmühlen action begins on Thursday starting at 9:00 am CEST / 3:00 am EST with the CCI4*-S. For more scheduling information, view our Ultimate Guide here. The H&C+ live stream will be on all weekend for both divisions, and you can access the stream here.

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Tickets] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [H&C+ Live Stream] [CCI5* Form Guide] [Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

#1: Jonelle Price & Grappa Nera

Jonelle Price brings forward her 2022 Pau 5* champion Grappa Nera for a seventh start at the level and a first at Luhmühlen this week. They haven’t quite been able to replicate that winning form in their efforts since, but this mare is a consistent one who’s certainly capable of another big weekend (and of course when you’ve got Jonelle in the irons, truly anything is possible). This is a pair that will be tasked with climbing after putting in a 30s effort on the flat, but they’re quite consistent on Saturdays. If they can go quickly, they’ll be in a good position on Sunday and while Grappa Nera does have show jumping rails fairly consistently in FEI competition, she’ll have Jonelle there every step of the way to give her the best ride possible. If you’re snapping up Eventing Manager pairs, this one is a well-priced pick to round out your team.

#2: Emma Thomas & The Buzz Factor

British rider Emma Thomas debuts a new horse this weekend in The Buzz Factor, who is 15 this year. Many the eventing fan will be familiar with Emma for her 5* performances with Icarus, and now The Buzz Factor steps in as a future star, having won the U25 CCI4*-L at Bramham two years back. He’s historically been a bit touch and go at the 4* level to date, but he’s also collected plenty of strong finishes free of penalties to send him off to this debut. This weekend will be all about confirming the horse at the level. We can anticipate a 30s mark for them to start on, and if he can jump confidently then time should be the only limiting factor on Saturday – though he’s shown he can get close to the optimum in the past. He’s been a fairly consistent show jumping in FEI competition over the last couple of seasons, so Emma stands in a good position to have a great debut weekend with this horse whom she’s produced for the entirety of his international career.

#3: Sian Coleman & Carrowgar Je Taime Max

This weekend marks a return to the 5* level for the first time since 2018 for Ireland’s Sian Coleman, who was born in Great Britain but through a series of chance encounters discovered eventing and wound up flying the flag for Ireland as a competitor. She’s produced multiple horses to compete at Le Lion d’Angers’ prolific Young Horse World Championships and initially started off with Carrowgar Je Taime Max in the jumper arena. After competing through the CSI2* level, the pair made the swap to eventing full-time and encountering success along the way. This includes a podium finish at the 3*-L level and a top-10 finish at Ballindenisk’s 4*-L last year. While their dressage isn’t quite at the point where they’ll be competitive on the first days, they’ve come to be a fairly consistent pair on cross country. Like the other rookie horses and/or riders in the field, this weekend will primarily be about confirmation, education and experience. They may lower a pole on Sunday but a strong showing here would be a clear cross country with some time and a good finish on the final day to build from.

#4: Stephen Heal & Hagonda

This weekend marks a second 5* start for both Stephen Heal and Hagonda, who finished 30th in their debut together at Pau last October. They’ve had an intentional lead-up to this weekend, running just three times since the start of the season. This 14-year-old mare has shown herself capable of jumping clear around a 5*, but show jumping will be more of the question mark this weekend; the pair lowered five rails at Pau last year and haven’t yet produced a clear round after a long-format cross country. If they can jump clear and add zero or just one pole down on Sunday, it’ll be a great addition to their experience together and hey, every 5* completed is a building block in its own right.

#5: Katharina Meyer & Aspen T

While many German riders typically target the Meßmer German Championship trophy, Katharina Meyer instead debuts at the 5* level this weekend with the 16-year-old Aspen T. Like Heike Jahncke and Mighty Spring FRH, this pair has extensive experience at the 4* level, having first competed at the level in 2019. They’ve finished in the top 10 five times at 4*, including a handful of podium finishes, and will be well-prepared for this move up on home soil. Dressage will put them well out of the mix after the first phase, but they have a strong cross country record that will help them make some headway up the board. They can also get quite close to the time and jump well on Sunday, so this could be a competitive debut weekend for Katharina.

#6: Vicky Browne-Cole & Cutting Edge

Shortly after winning her first 4*-S at Taupo in her home country of New Zealand, Vicky Brown-Cole made the leap many of her countrymen have made and moved to continental Europe to continue on with her eventing career. Now, she stands on the cusp of her 5* debut with the very special Thoroughbred mare, Cutting Edge. Cutting Edge has ticked up the levels successfully, with just a couple of blips on their record in terms of cross country penalties. Their dressage marks swing a bit within the 30s range, and they can have a pole or two down come Sunday (though truthfully, just one of the poles on their record comes after a long cross country, so that’s a good data point) but they’ve demonstrated their capabilities to jump clear and strong and if they can do that in this debut they’ll be riding high on Sunday.

#7: Dominic Furnell & Ivanhoe

Dominic Furnell last competed at the 5* level in 2024 (and prior to that, 2017) and brings forward Ivanhoe for a second start after seeing his weekend at Pau two years ago truncated by a parting of ways on cross country. They’ve spent the better part of the intervening months back at the 3* and 4* levels and this year have come out strong, most recently finishing 11th in the 4*-S at Millstreet. This will be another weekend of experience building for both horse and rider at the 5* level, and while their record doesn’t indicate an all-out competitive finish, they are capable of finishing well on a mid-30s or so dressage mark. Clear jumping efforts will go a long way to help this pair set sail for future success.

#8: Hallie Coon & Kapriccio

It’s a bit of a toss-up as to which Hallie Coon ride might have the edge for potential World Championships selection, but Kapriccio’s already won a 4* this year which sets him up well for this 5* debut. After winning the 4*-S at Oudkarspel in the Netherlands in April, Kapriccio followed it up with a fourth in the 4*-S at Royal Jump in France as his final big prep for this weekend. Hallie took over the ride on this 11-year-old from Zimbabwe’s Julie Norman last year, so this is a newer partnership but the results they’ve had so far prove how well they’ve been able to firm up a bond in a short amount of time. Kapriccio is quick-footed on cross country and is capable of jumping clear on the final day. Hallie could well wind up in the top 10 or better for her home country this weekend.

#9: Tim Price & Happy Boy

Every time Happy Boy comes up on an entry list, that TikTok audio about happy dogs buzzes through my brain (honestly, there are worse earworms, so no complaints here). This 14-year-old had a couple stutter starts to his 5* career – he debuted here at Luhmühlen in 2023 but was withdrawn before he could go down centerline. Since then, though, he’s traveled to and completed at Kentucky and also finished fourth at Pau last fall to really cement himself at the level. They did have some trouble on cross country at Kronenberg earlier this month, but aside from that blip they’ve had some competitive results that could translate into a big weekend in Germany. They’ll be right in the mix with a mid- or even low-20s effort in the first phase and can turn it on for a quick, clear cross country. This horse also has a stellar show jumping record, so if they come into Sunday near their dressage score, they’ll be very much in the victory parade on Sunday afternoon and could even be another dark horse pick for the overall win.

#10: Harry Horton & Cooley with Ambition

Another one of our debut horse and rider pairs this week is Harry Horton and the 11-year-old Cooley with Ambition, who boasts a jump penalty-free record in both cross country and show jumping at FEI competitions. To cap off their 2025 season, the pair finished 15th in the 4*-S at Lignières in France and this spring have kept it to National levels as they prep for this step up. Speed is one limiting factor for this pair, though of course it’s important to note that a record on paper is only part of the story. They haven’t managed to catch the optimum time in all but one FEI competition and typically run up into the double digits. I wouldn’t expect this weekend to be all that different, given the context of it being the pair’s first 5*, but if time penalties are all that are added to what we anticipate to be a mid- or high-30s dressage mark, it’ll be a solid debut that can only go up from here.

#11: Benjamin Massie & Guess Star

French rider Ben Massie is something of a young horse producer, as are many of his countrymen. This 10-year-old Anglo-Arab mare is one of the latest to step all the way up to the CCI5* level. If her build-up FEI experience is taken into account, this stands to be a strong debut and potentially a future horse in the stable for upcoming Championships for Ben. Guess Star has already finished on her dressage score several times, including as an 8-year-old at Le Lion d’Angers CCI3*-L for the FEI WFSBH Young Horse World Breeding Championships in 2023 as well as most recently at the 4*-S level in Germany at Marbach. Ben hasn’t overcampaigned the mare, who’s done just 12 FEI competitions to date, and while of course a five-star is another type of beast, she’s been well and intentionally prepared for this moment. Dressage is still a work in progress – a low-30s score in the first phase this weekend would be a win at this stage of her career, but she’s also been known to dip into the higher 30s and low 40s in the past. If she brings some cool-headedness to this effort, she’ll be in a good spot to make some moves in the standings and could also deliver a clear round come Sunday.

#12: Caroline Harris & D. Day

Another 5* winner graces the entry list this weekend in Britain’s Caroline Harris and D. Day, who won the very muddy Pau that still lives in our brains in 2024. They were 12th in their last trip to Luhmühlen in 2024 (which was also both of their first CCI5*, no biggie) and have since shown nothing but growth and improvement across phases, making them a great shout for your Eventing Manager team and a podium finish this weekend. They’ve flashed some real brilliance on the flat and could earn their first sub-30 score at this level this weekend, and they’ve proven many times over they can finish on that starting mark. It won’t be a surprise at all to see them in the victory gallop on Sunday.

#13: Abby Jones & Henton Audacious

After seeing their 5* debut end early at Pau last fall, Kiwi pair Abby Jones and Henton Audacious are back for another crack and a new venue this weekend. This is another pair who made the big leap to move from New Zealand, moving right around the same time as compatriot Vicky Brown-Cole. The most prominent feather in their cap came at Scone Palace’s 4*-L last year, where they finished fourth and very nearly on their dressage score. They jumped all the things at Pau last year on cross country and have demonstrated an ability to leave the rails up on Sunday, and while their dressage marks have swung from the high 20s to the low 50s, they’re likely good for at least a mid-30s mark this weekend and stand a strong chance of finishing on that mark.

#14: Sam Gillespie & But Not Till Now

Sam Gillespie took his time stepping up the now-15-year-old But Not Till Now (an appropriate name in this context) to the 5* level. The mare of unknown breeding origins earned a top-30 finish in her debut at Pau last October. They’ve not had the most solid of seasons leading up to this, finding themselves eliminated with a fall at Belsay’s CCI4*-S last month, but three strong efforts at National levels, including an Intermediate run after the Belsay elimination, will have them on a good track for this weekend’s efforts. But Not Till Now ran a clear cross country with a decent amount of time at Pau and finished up the weekend with two poles down. This run at Luhmühlen will be all about building off that run. Cross country jumping penalties and show jump rails dot their record, and so a clear effort in all three phases will be a great building block for the future.

#15: Heike Jahncke & Mighty Spring FRH

It’s a 5* debut for both Heike Jahncke and Mighty Spring FRH, who’ve been partnered together for a decade. They’re coming into this debut with a ton of 4* experience – they first competed at the level in 2020, and have won three times at the level so far. So this 5* move-up feels like a very natural step for them, and while they can have the odd blip on cross country, when they’re on they’re quick and capable of moving up off of what we anticipate to be about a mid-30s dressage score. Show jumping is a bit of kryptonite for them, and they haven’t historically jumped too well on Sundays following a long cross country, but that’s just on paper – records matter, yes, but a fairytale weekend could still be a possibility for this pair who certainly know each other like the back of hand and hoof.

#16: Emily King & Valmy Biats

Valmy Biats makes his 13th CCI5* start this week, making him the most experienced horse in the field. He and Emily King are coming off a Badminton finish that left plenty on the table, and that’s been a bit of the story with this horse, who is all-out brilliant on his best weekends but has a few of those “just missed it” type outings as well. You can anticipate this pair being on or very close to the lead after dressage with their prowess on the flat, and if they can go quick and clear on Saturday they’re also a good shout to leave the poles up come Sunday and finish very competitively. This is actually their first start at Luhmühlen – they’ve primarily patronized the British 5*s and also have made a trip or two to Pau. They’ve finished in the top 10 or top 5 three times in their career, and this weekend could very well add another to the collection.

#17: James Avery & Dallas 13

After taking his time at the 4* level with the 12-year-old Dallas 13, Kiwi rider James Avery is ready to step the horse up to the next level and makes a first trip to contest Luhmühlen’s flagship division this weekend. Dallas 13 has spent the last three seasons at the 4* level, proving to be a consistently strong cross country jumper, though poles on Sunday do look to be his weaker point on paper. He is coming off a clear round in the 4*-S at Royal Jump in France last month; after a long cross country he does tend to have a pole down. Dallas 13 is capable of scoring well on the flat on his day; he’s dipped below 30 in the past and we could see him do a 30 this week if the cards fall right. If he and James can finish close to that starting mark, it’ll be a successful weekend for this 5* debutant.

#18: Boyd Martin & Shanroe Cooley

US Equestrian Open champion Boyd Martin brings forward his fourth-place Open finisher Shanroe Cooley for a first 5* effort this week. Boyd frequents these European 5* events with his rookie horses, favoring them as a set-up run for future efforts at the level. “Dallas” came to Boyd through the unfortunate circumstances of Liz Halliday’s accident that took her out of the sport in 2024, though she’s doing her own riding still and aiming for a start in para dressage in the coming months. She’ll likely be glued to the H&C+ live stream all week cheering on her former ride, who’s also capable of delivering a big result for the USA. Cross country time will be the biggest factor for this pair, but Shanroe Cooley really doesn’t hang about in this phase and likely hasn’t even yet been asked for his top effort at this stage. He’ll be good for a sub-30 score, low 30s on the higher side, and he’s a heck of a show jumper. Boyd’ll have his not-so-secret weapon, Peter Wylde, with him for this trip, so if they can stay near their dressage score they could pull out a big finish at the end of the week.

#19: Sam Ecroyd & Mister Big Ears

Before we go ANY FURTHER in this write-up, we must confirm that yes, in fact, Mister Big Ears does own a pair of very large, very adorable ears. This is another of our 5* debut horses, making his first start at 11 years of age. A smart campaign trail has led up to the cusp of this first start at the top level, and his top results include a podium finish at the inaugural Scone Palace CCI4*-L in Scotland last year. That was a finish on dressage score performance, and while we may not see that effort replicated in this first 5*, that feather in Mister Big Ears’ cap should give Sam a good shot of confidence to build into this weekend. This is another pair that won’t be a threat to the first-phase leaders, with a 33.9 being the best of his 13 FEI starting scores to date. If they can get close to that mark this weekend, they’ll find themselves mid-pack and have shown every ability to finish much closer to the top few finishers if the jumping cards are played correctly.

[WITHDRAWN Before Dressage] #20: Bill Levett & RSH Tom Tom R

This will be a sophomore CCI5* effort for Bill Levett and the 12-year-old RSH Tom Tom R, who scored a top-25 finish in his debut at Pau last fall. This is a competitive cross country horse, with just one jumping penalty in this phase marking his FEI record to date, and he’s quite capable of delivering a strong first-phase performance, too. He won’t threaten the likes of Ros Canter on the flat, but his 33.9 at Pau stands to come in a few marks lower with another season of growth under his belt. A lower-30s or even a high-20s performance will put him onto firm ground from which to make a climb through the standings. He’s had a few poles down on Sundays; he had two down at Pau but has also jumped double clear at the 4*-L level, with Bramham in 2023 standing out as a particularly strong showing that saw him add only time on cross country to his eventual finishing score.

#21: Jonelle Price & Capitaine de Hus Z

The 14-year-old Capitaine de Hus Z is a relatively new ride for Jonelle, who took over the ride after the 2024 season from fellow Kiwi Ginny Thomasen. They gelled quickly, taking home the inaugural Scone Palace 4*-L win in Scotland last summer and running two strong 4*-S since then. Capitaine de Hus Z did start at the 5* level with Ginny but retired on cross country at Pau last October, so a completion here will be the first for this 14-year-old gelding. This could be a real sleeper type of pick for your Eventing Manager team – he’s capable of doing a sub-30 on day one and while Jonelle may not be overly concerned with the clock on Saturday, he stands a good chance of also delivering a clear on Sunday to finish strong and well up in the standings. And hey, I might be making just a bit of a reach for a somewhat newer partnership, but this could also be something of a dark horse to take it all.

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Entries] [FEI Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [H&C+ Live Stream] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s Ultimate Guide to the 2026 Longines Luhmühlen CCI5*

By on Jun 16, 2026 3:44 pm -

Our final CCI5* of this half of 2026 is on tap this weekend at Longines Luhmühlen, situated in the northern parts of Germany just to the south of Hamburg. We have a small-but-mighty CCI5* field and a quite competitive CCI4*-S field full of riders vying for a coveted FEI Eventing World Championships berth. As is tradition, our Form Guide will follow on Wednesday, but for now use/bookmark our Ultimate Guide so you’re well-informed on how to follow along. We’ll also keep the section at the bottom of this Ultimate Guide updated with the latest articles we’ve published throughout the week.

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Tickets] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [H&C+ Live Stream] [CCI5* Form Guide] [Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

The Schedule

For this Ultimate Guide, we typically focus on the CCI5* schedule, but don’t forget you’ll also be able to follow along with the Meßmer Trophy CCI4*-S, which also serves as a World Championships selection trial for many nations, all weekend. We’ll list both divisions here for your convenience. The full schedule can be found here. As always, this schedule is subject to adjustment. We’ll do our best to keep this Guide updated with schedule changes, but we also recommend following the official scoring platform here for the latest scheduling.

Editor’s Note: This timetable was updated on June 18.

Wednesday, June 17

  • 5:00 pm CEST / 11:00 am EST: CCI5* First Horse Inspection

Thursday, June 18

  • 9:00 am CEST / 3:00 am EST: CCI4*-S Dressage Day One
  • 2:00 pm CEST / 8:00 am EST: CCI5* Dressage Day One

Friday, June 19

  • 9:00 am CEST / 3:00 am EST: CCI4*-S Dressage Day Two
  • 2:00 pm CEST / 8:00 am EST: CCI5* Dressage Day Two

Saturday, June 20

  • 9:45 am CEST / 3:45 am EST: CCI5* Cross Country
  • 1:10 pm CEST / 7:10 am EST: CCI4*-S Cross Country

Sunday, June 21

  • 9:00 am CEST / 3:00 am EST: CCI5* Final Horse Inspection
  • 9:30 am CEST / 3:30 am EST: CCI4*-S Final Horse Inspection
  • 11:15 am CEST / 5:15 am EST: CCI5* Show Jumping
  • 1:50 pm CEST / 7:15 am EST: CCI4*-S Show Jumping

How to Watch and Follow

Horse & Country is the livestream provider for this week’s action, and they will be carrying both the 4* and 5* divisions. You do need a subscription to tune in both live and on-demand, with options starting at $19.99 per month. Click here to view the livestream schedule and to tune in.

You can also follow along on a few social media channels (and we always recommend giving the riders a follow as well!):

The Players

€150,000 (about $174,000) is on offer for the CCI5*, with €50,000 of that going to this weekend’s winner. We are down to about 21 horses and riders at the time of publication, and while we won’t go too far down the speculation rabbit hole about the numbers, we can tell you that Luhmühlen does tend to fluctuate (although yes, this is lower than other historical down years) with its timing close to whatever Championship is coming up. We do have a significant number of first time 5* horses and/or riders, which is also typical of this event, which should be a positive in terms of the future.

With the announcement this week that 2025 Luhmühlen champions Ros Canter (GBR) and Izilot DHI (along with MHS Seventeen) were both withdrawn, the winner’s spot is truly wide open. British 5* winners (Pau – 2024) Caroline Harris and D. Day are currently the top-ranked pair in the EquiRatings Prediction Centre, with a 25% pre-competition win chance and a 50% chance of a podium finish. Tim Price (NZL) and Emily King (GBR) are also in with strong chances for at least a podium finish, and the USA’s Boyd Martin is ranked fourth on the Prediction Centre with Dallas LLC’s Shanroe Cooley, earning a 12% win chance and a 38% chance for a top three result.

[View EN’s Form Guide to the CCI5* Field]
[View EN’s Horse & Rider Wiki for Luhmühlen]

Officiating this week in the 5* are:

  • Nick Burton (GBR) – Ground Jury President
  • Christian Steiner (AUT) – Ground Jury Member
  • Edith Schless-Störtenbecker (GER) – Ground Jury Member

CCI4*-S Officials:

  • Joachim Dimmick (GER) – Ground Jury President
  • Joanne Jarden (IRL) – Ground Jury Member

The Netherlands Gert Gaber is serving as this week’s Technical Delegate, assisted by Hanno Vreden (GER). Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR) returns to design cross country for his ninth year in Germany, assisted by Kai Steffen-Meier (GER), Marco Krüger (GER) and David Evans (GBR), with Christian Zehe (GER) serving as course builder. Germany’s Marco Behrens will design the show jumping. All officials can be found in the FEI schedule here.

Up about midnight on Thursday, you can select your EquiRatings Eventing Manager team, which provides a (fictional, unfortunately) $10 million budget to select a team of five. If you want to join the Eventing Nation league, use code PCTD to join. Shoutout to horse selector extraordinaire Sharon Ridgway (who sourced, among others, Kentucky winner Diabolo for Will Coleman) for currently ranking #1 in the EN league so far this season!

Our full Form Guide to the CCI5* entries will be published on Wednesday of this week, but in the meantime you can view all entries across divisions here. For our U.S. fans, don’t forget we have several combinations competing in the CCI4*-S so you’ll want to tune in to follow their weekends.

EN’s Coverage

We’ll keep this section updated as we publish articles leading up to and during competition. Tilly Berendt will be our eyes on the ground, while Cheg Darlington and I run remote updates and our 5* cross country live blog. Allie Heninger has assisted with the maintenance and publication of our Form Guide and horse database. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

FRIDAY, JUNE 19

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17

PRE-EVENT COVERAGE

Equestrian Australia Selects Two Riders for Inaugural FEI Eventing U25 World Championships at Millstreet

By on Jun 16, 2026 9:00 am -

Equestrian Australia has put two names forward for the inaugural FEI Eventing World Championship for U25 riders, to be held July 22-26 at Millstreet in Ireland. This competition was announced last year and will be an annual event, changing locations each year. The U25 Worlds are run as a CCI4*-S competition and serve as a stepping stone between Young Riders and Senior team opportunities; riders who compete in the U25 Worlds are not eligible for a Senior World Championship team in the same year.

The two riders named by Australia are Brooke Dougall, who has competed in both eventing and show jumping throughout her FEI career and who is in her final year of U25 eligibility. Brooke bases in Germany with her top horse, My Locky, a 19-year-old Hanoverian gelding. The pair has three CCI4*-S completions under their belt, including most recently at Kronenberg in the Netherlands earlier this season. Brooke competes alongside her mother, and she also works as a show groom for Japanese show jumper Taizo Sugitani.

Also selected for U25 Worlds is Lamoza Velish, a 19-year-old rising star who’s won both of her first two CCI4*-S starts with her 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Call Me Cooley. This win streak includes the 4*-S at the Melbourne International Three-Day Event earlier this month, and in fact this pair have won eight times in FEI competition since their partnership began in 2023.

Nominated entries for the Eventing World Championships for U25 are due on June 24, so we anticipate many more entries coming forward in the coming days. Definite entries will then be due on July 8.

More information on this new World Championship can be found here.

How to Follow Defender Bramham CCI4*-L

By on Jun 10, 2026 4:04 pm -

2025 Defender Bramham CCI4*-L champions Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We are underway with the 2026 Defender Bramham CCI4*-L, where all presented CCI4*-L horses have passed a very **festive** First Horse Inspection presided over by Ground Jury President Christina Klingspor (SWE) as well as Andrew Bennie (NZL) and Les Smith (GBR). The action for one of Britain’s premier CCI4*-L events gets underway in earnest on Thursday with dressage over two days. A bursting field of CCI4* horses are ready for action across both the Long and Short divisions, with several U.S. and Canadian riders also featuring on each entry list.

Horse & Country will carry the live stream for all phases of competition, and you can view the full schedule/tune in with your subscription here. Here’s a look at the schedule, which is of course subject to adjustment:

Thursday, June 11

  • 8:30 am BST / 3:30 am EST: CCI4*-S Dressage
  • 10:50 am BST / 5:50 am EST: CCI4*-L Dressage

Friday, June 12

  • 8:30 am BST / 3:30 am EST: CCI4*-S Dressage
  • 10:50 am BST / 5:50 am BST: CCI4*-L Dressage

Saturday, June 13

  • 8:00 am BST / 3:00 am EST: CCI4*-S Show Jumping
  • 9:00 am BST / 4:00 am EST: CCI4*-L Cross Country
  • 12:30 pm BST / 7:30 am EST: CCI4*-S Cross Country

Sunday, June 14

  • 9:00 am BST / 4:00 am EST: CCI4*-L Second Horse Inspection
  • 12:00 pm BST / 7:00 am EST: CCI4*-L Show Jumping

In terms of the field, Defender Bramham is well-known as a launching pad for many a future CCI5* or Championship horse. Cross country courses designed by Andrew Heffernan (NED) and show jumping courses designed by Jason Abbs (GBR) serve to present a strong challenge for competitors in both divisions, and with World Championships team selection looming it’s an all-important week for those hoping to secure a berth for their country.

2025 CCI4*-L champion Bubby Upton returns for a defense of her title with the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding It’s Cooley Time. Top-ranked pairs such as Tom McEwen with the exciting 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding Quintus, experienced 5* pair Selena Milnes and Cooley Snapchat, Piggy March and the sharply talented MCS Maverick, 2024 MARS Badminton winners Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, and reigning World Champion Yasmin Ingham with two rides (Gypsie du Loir — winner of the Bramham CCI4*-S in 2025 — and Goliath du Loir) all feature on the stacked entry list. For the North Americans, we’ll see Allie Knowles come forward with two of her newest 4* horses, Leo Santos and Montpelier Scais, joined by British-based American Tiana Coudray with D’Artagnan.

The CCI4*-S features an equally competitive field with several pairs with a real shot for World Championships selection. Most of our North American pairs are entered here, including:

  • Molly Duda and Disco Traveler, Carlingsford Hes a Clover and Jutopia
  • Tamie Smith and Lillet 3
  • Rebecca Brown and Fernhill Quite Frankly
  • Jack Curtis and Luska Candy Clover
  • Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious
  • Hallie Coon and ESI Baltic Breeze and Sirius SB
  • Cassie Sanger and Redfield Fyre
  • Grace Taylor and Bandito van Polderzicht
  • Canadian rider Shelby Brost and Espoir de la Sienne

The 4*-S list also features well-known pairs such as Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, Kirsty Chabert with Classic VI, Harry Meade with former Tim Price ride Viscount Viktor, Gemma Stevens with the Chilli Morning clone Chilli Morning IV, Jonelle Price with Senor Crocodillo, Alice Casburn and Topspin, Jesse Campbell and Speedwell, and many others.

You can view full entry lists and ride times here. We’ll be back with you throughout the week with more from Bramham, so keep an eye out here and also on the Defender Bramham website for the latest. You can also follow Bramham on Facebook and Instagram for more content from on the ground.

Bramham International CCI4*-L (GBR): [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream]

Eventing Community Mourns Loss of Area I Rider Chloe Smith, Booze Cruze

By on Jun 10, 2026 10:46 am -

Chloe Smith and Booze Cruze.

The eventing community is reeling this week from the loss of a horse and rider beloved to Area I and beyond. Chloe Smith was 25 years old when both she and her 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Booze Cruze, were killed in an accident while riding with friends on Friday, June 5. Chloe and Booze Cruze were out with friends when an incident occurred with a jump, resulting in the horse landing on top of Chloe. Booze Cruze suffered a broken neck in the fall. Chloe was airlifted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where she succumbed to her injuries several hours later. Additional details of the incident were not available.

Chloe Smith was a much-loved rider and coach who had just opened her own farm in Massachusetts the week before the accident. She had competed Booze Cruze through Training level most recently, and was looking forward to building her business at her new farm.

While I did not know Chloe personally, I knew her adjacently through mutual connections, and any loss in the eventing community is felt personally for all of us. Myself and the entire team at EN send our most heartfelt condolences to Chloe’s family and friends. A loss like this leaves us speechless and heartbroken, but it cannot come close to the loss felt by those who knew her the best.

For flower donations please refer to this link for Chloe’s services, all flowers to be sent to Solimine Funeral Home.

Chloe’s community and the eventing family at large is encouraged to consider sending donations to Buck Off Cancer to P.O. Box 113, Stow, MA 01775, as the nonprofit that Chloe held close to her heart.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 14th from 3pm-6pm at Solimine Funeral Home, and services to follow on Monday, June 15th at 10am at Clifton Lutheran Church (150 Humphrey Street, Marblehead, MA 01945).

The news cycle has a cruel nature to it, especially today. We at EN want to show respect to those we have lost. Out of this respect, while we will continue to publish News & Notes, coverage and other articles on EventingNation.com this week, we will be refraining from sharing news on social media that would serve to perpetuate the news cycle. Chloe, Booze Cruze, and the others we have lost along the way deserve the space, and this gesture feels to be the least we can do as a media outlet.

Caroline Pamucku Takes Top Two Spots in MARS Bromont CCI4*-L

By on Jun 7, 2026 7:26 pm -

Caroline Pamukcu wins first and second in the CCI4*-L. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Brody Robertson, show jumping course designer for the MARS Bromont CCI, stated today that he wanted to provide a fair challenge for the horses, knowing they’d made a big effort on cross-country on Saturday. That said, though, “I don’t really change too much” whether it’s a Short or a Long format – he wants to test the horses’ and riders’ skills and how much they can ride accurately and to a plan.

His courses exerted their fair share of influence on Sunday, as they typically do here at Bromont, but our division winners rose to the top and champions were crowned throughout the day.

Caroline Pamukcu Wins CCI4*-L

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Double Sixteen. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

The CCI4*-L division featured three former racehorses, one of which would become the eventual Bromont champion in the 11-year-old HSH Double Sixteen (owned by the Double Sixteen Partnership). The gelding raced in Ireland before starting his career with Irish eventer Leila Barker and eventually finding his way to Caroline Pamukcu.

Pamukcu historically has ridden more warmblood type horses, but while based with New Zealand Olympic rider Andrew Nicholson, she sought out a horse with a stronger Thoroughbred presence in its breeding. “[Andrew] told me, if I want to be a proper five-star rider, I need to get more blood horses,” she said. “So I called up my business partner, Kelley Hutchinson, and said ‘We need a Thoroughbred!’ And she was like ‘I have one!’” From the moment Pamukcu sat on HSH Double Sixteen, she knew he was the one.

Following a quick-footed cross-country on Saturday, Pamukcu had a rail and some time in hand with “Six” but wound up with more space. Despite two lowered rails, Pamukcu stayed atop the standings to finish on a score of 47.5. Pamukcu would also retain her second place positioning with She’s The One (owned by Mollie Hoff and Sherrie Martin), who finished the weekend on a score of 47.5.

Caroline Pamukcu and She’s The One. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

“Both of them are just fabulous horses, and I’m just so happy for the owners – they deserve it,” Pamukcu said. “They’ve been with me since day one, so it’s just great to do well for them, and do well for the horses. ‘Six’ was fabulous all weekend. There’s so much more improvement that can be done, but again, remember, they’re both 11 year olds, and I think they both have bright futures. Their cross-country rounds were immaculate. They’re just absolute machines, but again, [there’s a] lot more work [that] can be done – the dressage and the show jumping – and even with the cross-country, I can fine tune some things. But I’m so happy because I felt confident this weekend. So that’s the biggest thing – the biggest takeaway.”

Pamukcu expressed gratitude for the support of her team, including coaches like Samantha St. Jacques and Sharon White, business partner Kelley Hutchinson, grooms Chloe Teahan (who battled through the weekend after taking a hoof to the knee earlier on) and Katie Strickland, and her business manager Katie Trafton, who’s taken a lot of the mental load off by managing more of the operations at her home farm in Pennsylvania. All of this support and more, she says, allows her to fully focus both on her horses and career as well as her family – husband Deniz and daughter Blake.

Tracy Bienemann and Venezuelan River. Photo by Sally Spickard.

It’s been over a decade since Maryland-based Tracy Bienemann has competed in a CCI4*-L; in fact, her last start came right here at Bromont in 2014, but her weekend ended early with a retirement on cross-country. This long-awaited sophomore effort paid off well with the off-track Thoroughbred Venezuelan River as she earned a spot on the podium, finishing the weekend on a score of 57.9.

“Newt” is a horse who initially came onto Bienemann’s radar through a friend at the racetrack. This friend had a three-year-old who urgently needed a new home, so Bienemann showed up with a trailer, found him to be good enough to take home and work with, and brought him back to her barn. He was purchased for a dollar. But the pathway to becoming an upper-level event horse was not a straight one.

“He was so naughty and dangerous as a baby horse that it took me three years to decide to spend money on a recognized event for him,” Bienemann laughed. “And when I finally did all of the base work, all the foundation really paid off. He’s been spectacular to show since he started showing when he was about six. He moved up to Advanced at nine, and we’ve had our setbacks here and there – his nerves can still get the best of him – but it’s been all about the journey and just developing our confidence in each other – and confidence is all he really needed.”

Lauren Nicholsen and Landmark’s Jungle’s Gold. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Phillip Dutton Seals the Deal in CCI4*-S

Phillip Dutton and Denim. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Denim was very much in style Sunday afternoon as Phillip Dutton secured the CCI4*-S victory thanks to a clear show jumping round and a finishing score of 44.5 Dutton had opted to bring Denim here for the Short run to take advantage of the horse’s fitness and earn a solid prep for the remainder of the season (which could include selection to the U.S. eventing team heading to World Championships in August).

“Denim usually show jumps really well. If there’s any trouble, it’s usually my fault,” Dutton laughed. “So it was good. It’s great to be here in this big ring.” Dutton takes home his sixth career victory at Bromont, illustrating the presence he’s had at Bromont throughout his career. “We love Sue Ockendon, and everything that she brings to the sport. It’s a great venue, a real cross-country-based event, and so you’ve got to have a good jumping horse that can gallop, which is just overall what sport’s about. So we enjoy coming up here to Bromont – great restaurants as well!”

Dutton was joined on the podium by fellow U.S. Olympian and FEI Eventing World #5 Boyd Martin, who jumped a clear round inside the time with the Fetiche Des Rouges Syndicate’s Fetiche Des Rouges to finish second on a score of 50.7. Canadian Olympic rider piloted her World Championships hopeful Fluorescent Adolescent (owned by Makayla Rydzik) to third place on a score of 53.1.

Colleen Loach Secures Second Consecutive MARS Bromont Victory with Chiaro Z Excalibur

Colleen Loach and Chiaro Z Excalibur. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

It was a repeat victory for Canadian Olympian Colleen Loach, who won the CCI2*-L at MARS Bromont in 2025 and now takes home the trophy in the CCI3*-L with the now-8-year-old Chiaro Z Excalibur, who is owned by Peter Barry. The pair jumped a clear round inside the time to finish the weekend on a 42.1. This was also Loach’s sixth career win at Bromont.

“He jumped amazing,” Loach described. “This horse just keeps getting better and better as time goes on, and he just kind of goes in the ring or on the cross-country or the dressage ring and does his job. He’s got a great mind. He’s a pleasure to work with. I think he’s going to be a great horse for the future – very promising. So it’s up to me to keep that going in the right direction.”

Loach is local to Bromont – she can sleep in her own bed, as a perk – and makes it a point to compete here as often as she can. “It’s my hometown event, and I think it is a pretty special event, in general. A lot of people like coming here. It’s got a low-key atmosphere, but it’s a top-class event, and it’s nice because a lot of my friends and family can come and watch. I get to sleep in my own bed at home. The horses don’t have to travel a long way, so [there are] just so many pluses.”

The remainder of the top three in the CCI3*-L remained unchanged after show jumping, with Ariel Grald finishing second with Annie Eldridge’s Obalix (46.3) and Arden Wildasin in third with her own Dalegra (49.8). Carlin Keefe was also the best U25 rider in the division with her off-track Thoroughbred Point Nemo; the pair were also participants in this year’s MARS Bromont Rising program.

Lucienne Bellissimo Secures CCI2*-L Win

Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Lucienne Bellissimo topped off her weekend with a win in the CCI2*-L aboard Horse Scout Eventing’s Dyri, earning the lowest finishing score of the event with a 26.1 and ending on her dressage score.

“I’m really pleased,” Bellissimo said. “It was exactly what I came here to do, which is to try and get his brain in as happy and relaxed a space as possible. It was great to have a chance to do a dressage test without changes in it!”

Bellissimo hopes to aim the 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Diarado at the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park in October and used this weekend to help build the horse’s confidence to go back up the levels. Even at the two-star level, she knew the weekend would present a proper challenge.

“Bromont’s terrain is so beautiful and rolling and challenging, and although some people might wonder why I’ve put him into the two-star long, it still rides like an Intermediate,” she continued. “He’s a very careful horse – he’s not a horse who’s going to do it for you, so it’s really important for me that he can have a look and not have to give 100% every time. So that’s what we came here for. And today in the show jumping, Dyri couldn’t have felt any better. He felt himself, he felt happy. It was a brilliant arena to bring him into – lots of space where you have to keep traveling to try and keep your canter in front of you. I’m just keep trying to, inch by inch, improve things with him, because I genuinely believe he’s a phenomenal horse that can hopefully get another big result.”

The podium in this division also remained unchanged, with Phillip Dutton finishing second on Caroline Moran’s Darwinn (31.1) and Boyd Martin finishing third with Tamy Pollard’s Buba D’Mues (32.0).

Adelyn Rinehart Caps Off U25 CCI2*-L Weekend with a Win

Adelyn Rinehart and Corona Life. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

University student Adelyn Rinehart built off of her third place finish in the U25 CCI2*-L last year with Corona Life to take home the winner’s ribbon this weekend. The pair demonstrated the continued education and partnership they’ve been cultivating in the past 12 months and finished very nearly on their dressage score with just one second of time added on cross-country and no penalties added in Sunday’s show jumping.

“It looked like a pretty big tough track, but honestly, I just took a big deep breath, and I just trusted all the training that I’ve done in preparation to get here, and we put down a really good round,” Rinehart said of her clear show jumping ride today. “I’m super happy with it and it was a great way to complete such an awesome week of competition.”

“It’s a whole other year of training and preparation at this level, and we’re kind of nearing that move up, so we both came here and put our best foot forward,” Rinehart said of the build-up to this win. “We got a feel for the track last year, so way more confident going into it this year. I think it’s so helpful to have that behind us the first year I was here.”

Olivia Dutton moved up to second place with Evie Dutton and Caroline Moran’s Dresden (50.5) and MARS Bromont Rising participant Sarah Newman finished up third and highest of the grant recipients with her own Hang Time (52.1).

Phillip and Olivia Dutton share a moment in the CCI2*-L victory gallop. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

“It was an awesome week, a super educational week,” Newman said of her experience with MARS Bromont Rising. “All the education – and definitely before dressage, having the lecture from [dressage judge] Peter Gray – helped me a lot going into the test, knowing exactly what the judges were looking for. I decided to apply for Bromont Rising because it was a huge educational opportunity.”

Dr. Bridgett Mcintosh, Vice President of MARS Equestrian, was equally pleased to be on-site at Bromont for the first time to support the program, which added several educational sessions to the schedule this year including a cardiovascular seminar with Antech and Sound, nutritional assessments from Buckeye Nutrition and a social license session with Emily Gilbert and Mike Winter, among many others.

“MARS Equestrian is so proud to support not only Bromont, but the Bromont Rising program. We know we wouldn’t have this sport if we didn’t have young riders who were so dedicated to doing the right thing,” Mcintosh said.

MARS Bromont CCI and the Bromont Equestrian Park extends its gratitude to all competitors and support teams, officials, volunteers, staff and all who attended the special 50th Olympic anniversary event. We look forward to welcoming you back both June 12-14 for Little/Petit Bromont as well as in 2027 for the MARS Bromont CCI.

MARS Bromont CCI4*-L (CAN): [Website] [Scoring] [Live Stream Replays – ClipMyHorse.TV] [Live Stream Replays – Bromont YouTube] [EN’s Coverage]

Ride the Pace Program Expands with New Sessions in Millbrook

By on Jun 4, 2026 9:00 am -

Will Coleman demonstrates 5* pace with Very Dignified at Kentucky. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

A USEA Foundation-backed initiative aimed at helping eventers dial in their cross country pace is picking up momentum heading into summer.

Ride the Pace, supported by the USEA Foundation’s TEAPRO grant and sponsored by Strider, has completed three practice sessions at Frazier Farm in Woodbury, CT, and is now looking ahead to two upcoming clinics in Millbrook, NY, on June 12 and 19. The Millbrook sessions are being organized in collaboration with Booli Selmayr, and registration information is available through the USEA website.

The program focuses on one of eventing’s most fundamental — and frequently undertrained — skills: riding 400 meters per minute with consistency and confidence. Sessions give riders the chance to experience measured distances at pace in a structured environment, with the larger goal of encouraging them to recreate that setup at home.

“We’re not just tracking participation — we’re tracking reach,” said program organizer Rachel Medbery. “Every view, every session, every rider who goes home and sets up 400 meters in their field is a win. The goal is to build the motivation and muscle memory so that pacing becomes second nature.”

The program has also built out a digital component to extend its reach beyond in-person sessions. An unmounted educational session is now available on the Ride the Pace YouTube channel and has already logged more than 200 views.

Riders interested in the Millbrook clinics can find details and sign up through the USEA’s educational activities page.

All Horses Pass MARS Bromont CCI First Horse Inspection

By on Jun 3, 2026 6:23 pm -

Ashley Dodds trots up Fernhill Salt Lake for a slightly gimpy Waylon Roberts. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

We’re ready to kick on to two days of dressage following this afternoon’s First Horse Inspection at MARS Bromont CCI, situated just to the east of Montreal in the beautiful outdoor hub that is Bromont.

All presented CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L and CCI4*-L horses were accepted by each division’s respective Ground Jury members, though there were a handful of holds or riders asked to jog again across divisions. Ultimately, all were put through to competition, which means we’ll see the first horse down centerline on Thursday in the U25 CCI2*-L, which will be our first division to see tomorrow.

Peter Gray, Ryan Wood, Phillip Dutton and Boyd Martin play matchy match. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

Here’s a look at the schedule for the rest of the week:

  • Thursday, June 4 – 8:30-4:30pm EST: Dressage (U25CCI2*-L, CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-L)
  • Friday, June 5 – 9:00-3:15pm EST: Dressage (CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-S)
  • Saturday, June 6 – 9:30-2:30pm EST: Cross Country (CCI3*-L, CCI4*-L, CCI4*-S, CCI2*-L, U25CCI2*-L)
  • Sunday, June 7 – 8:00am EST: Final Horse Inspection
  • Sunday, June 7 – 10:00am EST: Show Jumping (CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-S, CCI4*-L)

Caroline Moran has a good snuggle with Phillip Dutton’s CCI2*-L ride, United Mara. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

You will be able to watch all of the action live, both on ClipMyHorse.TV with a subscription, as well as the Bromont YouTube channel, which is free for both live and on-demand viewing. Both links can be found below, and all divisions will be streamed (including the Horse Inspections, which will be available only on YouTube), with commentary from EquiRatings’ Annie Bishop, accompanied throughout the weekend by 5* rider Sara Kozumplik and Olympian Bettina Hoy. For more information on how to follow along, click here.

MARS Bromont CCI (CAN): [Website] [VIP Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream – ClipMyHorse.TV] [Live Stream – Bromont YouTube] [EN’s Coverage]

How to Follow the 2026 MARS Bromont CCI

By on Jun 3, 2026 8:06 am -

2025 MARS Bromont CCI4*-L champions Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Today kicks off the action at the 2026 MARS Bromont CCI, the sole CCI4*-L on the Canadian calendar and a stalwart spot on the spring calendar for many an event rider. Bromont is known for its up-to-task cross country courses, designed at the 4* level by Derek di Grazia (USA) and at the 3* and below levels by Jay Hambly (CAN), who is also Assistant Designer to Derek for the 4* tracks.

This year, we’ve got a field of just over 70 to see across the CCI2*-L through CCI4*-L levels, including a select number of U25 riders who were granted a berth in this year’s MARS Bromont Rising program to take part in educational sessions from the likes of Peter Gray, Bettina Hoy, Max Corcoran and many others. Fox Nation, the family farm of the Wildasins, is also supporting this year’s Bromont Rising, hosting a welcome barbecue for participants on Tuesday evening and also leading a session on owners and sponsors on Thursday. It’s also a truly international field of competitors, with seven nations represented across divisions (Australia, Canada, France, Colombia, Great Britain, Japan and the USA).

Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Jungle Gold. Photo by Sally Spickard.

In the CCI4* divisions, we’ll see a total of 16 horses in the 4*-L and and 9 in the 4*-S. The 4*-L features riders such as 2025 champion Lauren Nicholson, returning this year with Landmarks Jungle’s Gold, Paris Olympian Caroline Pamukcu with She’s the One and HSH Double Sixteen, Pan American Games team silver medalist Sharon White with Claus 63, and fan-favorites Ali Kuhn and Little Hail, among many others. The 4*-S will feature riders such as U.S. Olympians Boyd Martin (Fetiche des Rouges) and Phillip Dutton (Denim) as well as Canadian Olympian Jessie Phoenix (Fluorescent Adolescent) as well as Luhmühlen CCI5*-bound Lucienne Bellissimo with Kitsch Couture HPK. Full entries for all divisions can be found here.

Our Ground Jury for the 4*-L is headed up by Sandy Phillips (GBR), accompanied by Peter Gray (CAN) and Joachim Dimmek (GER). The 4*-S Ground Jury is presided over by Bea di Grazia (USA), accompanied by Carola Bierlein (GER). Burghley Event Director Martyn Johnson (GBR) is serving as our Technical Delegate this week for the two 4* divisions, and Brody Robertson (USA) returns as the show jumping course designer, assisted by Sarah Roberts (CAN).

Woodge Fulton and Cash Point. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The General Schedule is as follows:

  • Wednesday, June 3 – 3:00pm EST: First Horse Inspection
  • Thursday, June 4 – 8:30-4:30pm EST: Dressage (U25CCI2*-L, CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-L)
  • Friday, June 5 – 9:00-3:15pm EST: Dressage (CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-S)
  • Saturday, June 6 – 9:30-2:30pm EST: Cross Country (CCI3*-L, CCI4*-L, CCI4*-S, CCI2*-L, U25CCI2*-L)
  • Sunday, June 7 – 8:00am EST: Final Horse Inspection
  • Sunday, June 7 – 10:00am EST: Show Jumping (CCI2*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI4*-S, CCI4*-L)

You will be able to watch all of the action live, both on ClipMyHorse.TV with a subscription, as well as the Bromont YouTube channel, which is free for both live and on-demand viewing. Both links can be found below, and all divisions will be streamed (including the Horse Inspections, which will be available only on YouTube), with commentary from EquiRatings’ Annie Bishop, accompanied throughout the weekend by 5* rider Sara Kozumplik and Olympian Bettina Hoy.

Jessie Phoenix and Freedom GS. Photo by Sally Spickard.

ClipMyHorse.TV Stream
Bromont Horse Trials YouTube Stream

I’ll be back with you throughout the week with a mix of press releases from the event as well as my own reports here on EN, so make sure to stay tuned. To follow along on social media, use the links below.

MARS Bromont on Facebook
MARS Bromont on Instagram
EN on Facebook
EN on Instagram

MARS Bromont CCI (CAN): [Website] [VIP Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream – ClipMyHorse.TV] [Live Stream – Bromont YouTube] [EN’s Coverage]

Travel Grant Applications Now Open for The Event at Rebecca Farm’s 25th Anniversary

By on May 28, 2026 9:00 am -

Lucienne Bellissimo and Kitsch Couture HPK. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

As The Event at Rebecca Farm gears up for a milestone 25th running July 15-19, developing riders looking to make the trip to Kalispell, MT have a financial resource available to help get them there, and the clock is ticking to get your application in.

The USEA Foundation, through the generous support of the Broussard Family Charitable Foundation, is accepting applications for the Rebecca Farm Travel Grant through June 1, 2026. The grants are designed to offset transportation costs for riders competing in the CCI3* and CCI4* divisions who also plan to apply for the Rebecca Broussard International Developing Rider Grant (also known as a career springboard for many eventual team and/or five-star riders). Applications are available at the USEA Foundation website here.

The Event at Rebecca Farm was created by the late Rebecca Broussard in 2002 and quickly became a fixture on the national eventing scene, typically drawing 600+ horse and rider pairs. This summer’s edition marks the 25th time the Western Wonderland has opened its gates — a significant milestone for an event that has become one of the most beloved on the U.S. calendar. Breast cancer took Rebecca Broussard in 2010, and in her honor, The Event’s Halt Cancer at X charitable initiative has raised and distributed over $1.1 million in grants to research projects seeking a cure and to local nonprofits supporting those facing the disease.

To be eligible for the travel grant, applicants must be U.S. citizens in good standing with both the USEA and USEF, must not have represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games, Olympics, or World Games/Championships, and must be competing in the 3* or 4* division at the event. Applications must include a travel financial plan outlining estimated expenses and planned revenue for the trip to Kalispell.Grant recipients will be notified of their awards by June 15.

A few logistical notes worth paying attention to for anyone planning the trip: Glacier Park International Airport will undergo runway renovations impacting flight availability in July, with weekday closures running Monday at 6 p.m. through Friday at 10 a.m., July 13–17. The Missoula Airport, approximately two hours from Rebecca Farm, is an alternative. The Under the Big Sky Music Festival is also taking place July 17–19 in nearby Whitefish, so early hotel and camping arrangements are strongly advised.

Entries for the event open June 2 and close June 30 — and as anyone who’s tried to get into Rebecca Farm knows, they fill fast! You can view the omnibus listing here and find more information on Rebecca Farm here.

Preview the $50,000 Devon Horse Show Arena Eventing Entry List

By on May 22, 2026 10:00 am -

Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself en route to the 2025 Devon Arena Eventing victory for the second year in a row. Photo by Mane Source Media for Devon Horse Show.

Entries have been posted for this Sunday’s $50,000 Arena Eventing class, sponsored by B&D Builders and Goshen Hill at the historic Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania. The division will kick off at 7 pm EST with two rounds over a hybrid course designed by Capt. Mark Phillips set throughout the Dixon and Wheeler rings that make up some of the primary infrastructure at Devon.

This year we have an exciting list featuring two-time champions Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself and Sara Kozumplik and Rubens d’Ysieux, as well as Colombian CSI5* show jumper Ilan Bluman, who has entered with two horses (Acajou and Echo LVF). Horses and riders were able to qualify for this event via show jumping pathways (full qualification criteria for Arena Eventing competitions, as outlined by USEF, can be found here).

Here is a look at the full entry list, which is of course subject to change ahead of show start:

  • Caroline Pamukcu – King’s Especiale
  • Caroline Pamukcu – HSH Double Sixteen
  • Caroline Pamukcu – She’s The One
  • Boyd Martin – Miss Lulu Herself
  • Hannah Hollberg – Hachi
  • Ema Klugman – FVF Wildflower
  • Ema Klugman – RF Redfern
  • Arielle Aharoni – Cooley Baltic Sea
  • Arielle Aharoni – Notorious
  • Lisa Fergusson – Ratheoin Quality Imp
  • Lisa Fergusson – Trinity Thank Q
  • Phillip Dutton – Denim
  • Kelsey Seidel – Chico’s Man VDF Z
  • Sara Kozumplik – Rubens D’Ysieux
  • Monica Spencer – Flyboy
  • Monica Spencer – Valkyrie
  • Morgan Batton – Betty Z
  • Ilan Bluman – Acajou
  • Ilan Bluman – Echo LVF

The live stream for Devon can be found on USEF Network on ClipMyHorse.TV. You can view the show here using either your connected USEF account or your standalone ClipMyHorse.TV membership. For more information on connecting your USEF account to watch select events for free, click here.

Georgie Campbell Foundation Names Ollie Thompson as Inaugural Beneficiary

By on May 20, 2026 12:00 pm -

Ollie Thompson and Magnetic over the GCF Parallel at Cirencester. Photo: Topshots Photography

In a true demonstration of honoring legacy by creating good from tragedy, those who loved the late Georgie Campbell (a British four-star rider who died in a cross country accident in 2024) set up The Georgie Campbell Foundation with the goal to help other riders get their start as professionals, as well as champion ongoing safety initiatives throughout the sport.

To that end, applications were opened for an inaugural bursary structured over a two-year period to provide financial support to event riders whose careers and businesses are in the early stages. Preference was given to those who had not previously received substantial financial support or benefits from programs like the British World Class Programme. The Foundation’s goal of providing support goes beyond straight cash — its goal is to help produce well-rounded professionals who can create sustainable businesses to make their living froom.

Following an extensive review of the 60+ applications received for this bursary, eight candidates were invited to interview as the final stage of selection. A panel made up of Georgie’s husband, Jesse Campbell, New Zealand Olympic rider Jonelle Price and entrepreneur Dr. Catharine Denning subsequently selected 25-year-old Wiltshire-based Oliver “Ollie” Thompson as the inaugural recipient.

Ollie Thompson and Lagans Rice Star. Photo: ESP Photographic

“He demonstrates a lot of the attributes that we felt were in line with ‘a young Georgie’,” the panel stated in a press release. “Ollie conveyed a strong work ethic, positive mindset, and real love for his horses and the sport of eventing. We therefore think he makes the perfect first Georgie Campbell Foundation beneficiary and are looking forward to seeing his journey unfold with the Foundation’s support.”

Ollie Thompson has competed to the CCI4* level with his top horse, Lagans Rice Star, after starting out as many do on ponies when he was much younger. He’s now developed a string of younger horses and will now receive benefits from the Foundation including mentoring and training from the Georgie Campbell Foundation and a carefully curated group of specialists. Support will be uniquely tailored to him, structured around the development of an individual performance and business plan. Focus areas will include business planning, financial management, attracting and retaining owners and sponsors, social media marketing, and managing staff, as well as identifying and working with talented young horses.

“I’m excited and grateful to have been selected as the first Georgie Campbell Foundation beneficiary,” Ollie said in a press release. “It’s such an amazing opportunity for me to grow my business and be able to reach my full potential. I’m keen to start learning from everyone involved, pushing myself this season and next, and making the most of all the support and opportunities ahead. I would like to thank the committee, and all involved for putting their faith in me moving forward.”

Further updates from Ollie’s journey as well as information on future application windows and other endeavors by The Georgie Campbell Foundation can be found here.

Longines Luhmühlen CCI5* Entries Live with 30 Competitors; 2025 Champion, World #1, Strong USA Contingent Feature

By on May 19, 2026 12:12 pm -

Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley compete for the US Equestrian Open of Eventing title at Morven Park in 2025. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

The next CCI5* on the docket for 2026 comes to us from Germany at Longines Luhmühlen, which has its own unique style and flavor and also features the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy German Championship each year. On a championship year, Luhmühlen is generally the final qualifier for most countries, which means we typically see both the 5* and 4* lists full of team hopefuls as selection looms. That’s very much par for the course for this year’s entry lists, which feature 30 CCI5* entries and 63 CCI4*-S combinations.

Now, before you say it, yes this IS a low figure for the Luhmühlen CCI5*. This number somewhat syncs up with the 38 we saw during the year of the last World Championships (2022), but is generally lower than usual for this event. We’ve seen entry lists ranging up into the 70s but also as low as the high 30s and 40s; in 2025, we had 55 entries pre-competition, and 50 entries for the most recent Olympic year (2024). Luhmühlen plays a unique role in the 5* landscape, providing a good launching pad for horses and riders starting at the level for the first time and also frequently serving as a re-route option for those who did not find success at previous events like Kentucky or Badminton. This year, we have fewer of the latter; just a couple of “re-routes” to the 4*-S from Badminton and one or two to the 5* (really, I think this is a positive in itself, that we had a strong completion rate at Badminton that resulted in fewer reroutes), as well as a couple of horses who completed Badminton also coming for the 4* and that all-important World Championship qualifier. We also have nearly 50% of the CCI5* field (14 horses) made up of rookie horses (as well as four 5* first-timer riders), and while I do not have the comparison numbers of rookie horses from previous years at my disposal currently, I do think that’s another big positive for anyone who has negative feelings about the sheer number of entries themselves.

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI: your 2025 Luhmühlen champions. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Now for the list itself, here are just a few highlights from the list, which can be found in full here. The full CCI5* entry list is also listed below.

  • 2025 winners Ros Canter (fresh off a third consecutive MARS Badminton victory) and Izilot DHI will return to defend their title. Ros has had a strategic run up to this point of the season, lightly competing the 13-year-old KWPN gelding at National levels and most recently finishing third in the 4*-S at Belsay International last weekend.
  • Reigning European Champion Laura Collett, who brings forward 2025 seventh-place finisher Hester to seek an even better finish.
  • World #1 Harry Meade debuts a new 5* horse for his string, the 11-year-old British Sport Horse gelding Jet Fighter, who has two strong 4*-L finishes (Ballindenisk and Bramham) under his belt to this point.
  • Rookie horses include: Guess Star (Ben Massie), Mighty Spring FRH (Heike Jahncke – also a 5* rookie rider), Aspen T (Katharina Meyer – also a 5* rookie rider), Mister Big Ears (Sam Ecroyd), Cooley With Ambition (Harry Hortion – also a 5* rookie rider), Jet Fighter (Harry Meade), The Buzz Factor (Emma Thomas), Carrowgar Je Taime Max (Sian Coleman – also his first 5* since 2018), Dallas 13 (James Avery), Cutting Edge (Vicky Browne-Cole – also a 5* rookie rider), Delarado (Samantha Lissington), Kitsch Couture HPK (Lucienne Bellissimo), Lucky Fortuna (Hallie Coon), Shanroe Cooley (Boyd Martin)
  • For the USA, four pairs have sent in their 5* entries: the aforementioned Lucienne Bellissimo and Kitsch Couture HPK, Hallie Coon with Lucky Fortuna, Boyd Martin with Shanroe Cooley and Grace Taylor re-routing from Badminton with Game Changer. The USA is also sending two riders — Tommy Greengard and That’s Me Z as well as Jack Curtis with Luska Candy Clover — to contest the 4*-S.

Hallie Coon and Lucky Fortuna. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The full CCI5* list is as follows (view both full entry lists here):

Australia Levett, William RNH Tom Tom R Elisabeth Murdoch, Keith Tyson & Rider CCI5*
Australia Levett, William Sligo Candy Cane Elisabeth Murdoch, Keith Tyson & Rider CCI5*
France Massie, Benjamin Guess Star Alain Real CCI5*
Germany Jahncke, Heike Mighty Spring FRH Carsten Küst & Rider CCI5*
Germany Meyer, Katharina Aspen T Monika Tietz & Rider CCI5*
Great Britain Bryce, Elspeth Lacoste Jim Spiers & Rider CCI5*
Great Britain Canter, Rosalind Izilot DHI Alex Moody & Rider CCI5*
Great Britain Canter, Rosalind MHS Seventeen Lady Milnes Coates & Deirdre Johnston CCI5*
Great Britain Collett, Laura Hester Lucy Nelson CCI5*
Great Britain Ecroyd, Sam Mister Big Ears Julie & Michael Hall & Penelope Ecroyd CCI5*
Great Britain Edmundson, Mary Lionel II Joy Soar CCI5*
Great Britain Gillespie, Sam Bit Not Till Now Rider CCI5*
Great Britain Harris, Caroline D Day Lucy Matthews, Fiona Olivier, Marie Anne Richardson & Heather Royle CCI5*
Great Britain Heal, Stephen Hagonda Heather Chapman & Stephen Heal CCI5*
Great Britain Horton, Harry Cooley with Ambition Harry Horton & Ambition Syndicate CCI5*
Great Britain Meade, Harry Jet Fighter Abigail Bernard CCI5*
Great Britain Thomas, Emma TV The Buzz Factor Zoe Bardey, Arthur Thomas & Rebecca Velarde CCI5*
Great Britain Tordoff, Alexander Cool Jack Cool Jack Syndicate CCI5*
Ireland Coleman, Sian Carrowgar Je Taime Max Gina Heaps CCI5*
Ireland Furnell, Dominic Ivanhoe Thomas Jones CCI5*
New Zealand Avery, James Dallas 13 Karie & David Thomson CCI5*
New Zealand Browne-Cole, Vicky Cutting Edge Vicky Browne-Cole CCI5*
New Zealand Jones, Abby Henton Audacious Abby Jones CCI5*
New Zealand Lissington, Samantha Delarado Rachel Bessell, Ella & Magnus McGrigor, Kate Maitland, Braydon Lissington & Rider CCI5*
New Zealand Price, Jonelle Grappa Nera The Grape Syndicate & Rider CCI5*
New Zealand Price, Tim Happy Boy Susan Lamb, Therese Miller & Rider CCI5*
USA Bellissimo, Lucienne Kitsch Couture HPK Horse Scout Eventing CCI5*
USA Coon, Hallie Lucky Fortuna Rider CCI5*
USA Martin, Boyd Shanroe Cooley Dallas LLC CCI5*
USA Taylor, Grace Game Changer Ann Taylor CCI5*

Longines Luhmühlen will get underway on Wednesday, June 17 with the First Horse Inspection and conclude on Sunday, June 21. The live stream will be carried exclusively on Horse & Country, and you can bookmark this page to follow along when things get underway. Stay tuned for much more from our German CCI5*!

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Schedule] [Entries] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

The Horse World Is Looking at Photos Differently Now: A New Study Shows Why That Matters

By on May 13, 2026 9:00 am -

Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

We all know the photo.

Maybe it’s the big, breath-stealing one: a horse galloping over something enormous and solid, knees tucked, ears pricked, rider folded neatly above. Maybe it’s the dressage shot: grace and polish and an Olympic backdrop. Maybe it’s the one after the finish, when the rider drops the reins, throws their arms around the horse’s neck, and the emotion is palpable.

For years, equestrian sport has leaned hard on those pictures to tell the story: a true glimpse at “moments in time” showing the athleticism, the elegance, the scale, the partnership involved with our sports.

But a new study suggests horse people are no longer just asking whether an image is beautiful — they are asking whether or not the horse looks okay. Healthy. Happy. Unafraid. Treated well.

The study, “Framing Welfare: How Enthusiasts Read Partnership and Positive Practice in Olympic Equestrian Images,” took a closer look at how horse enthusiasts interpret photographs from the Paris 2024 Olympic equestrian events. An accredited photographer captured over 4,700 images across dressage, show jumping, eventing, training sessions, and behind-the-scenes areas at Versailles. From those, researchers used a structured selection and review process to choose 30 images for an online survey. 514 respondents ranked the images, chose favorites, and explained what made an image feel positive — or not.

The biggest takeaway is simple, but important: respondents were not looking at Olympic equestrian photos as neutral sports photography. They were reading them as ethical evidence. A photo was not just a photo. It was a statement about the horse’s comfort, the rider’s fairness, the sport’s priorities, and — whether we like it or not — how all of this looks to the outside world.

The images that landed best were not necessarily the most technically dramatic; they were the ones that showed what the study describes as horse-first partnership: visible praise, care, empathy, gratitude, and a sense that the horse was being treated as a partner rather than a means to an end with legs.

Frida Andersen and Box Leo compete at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Respondents also paid close attention to the horse’s expression and body language. Ears, eyes, mouth, posture, tension, fatigue, softness — all of these were part of the read. A horse who looked relaxed, willing, and confident could make an image feel deeply positive. A horse who looked tight, worried, restricted, tired, or resistant could shift the entire feeling of the photo, even if the athletic moment itself was impressive.

Rider fairness was another major filter. Soft hands, good balance, a stable position, an allowing release, and a sense of harmony all helped an image. Heavy contact, poor position, spur pressure, or a rider who appeared to be interfering with the horse all worked against it.

And the participants also noticed the tack, quick to point out nosebands, flashes, double bridles, strong bits, martingales, foam, spurs, and anything else that at the minimum gave the look of being restrictive or otherwise uncomfortable. In some cases, concerns about equipment could override the appeal of an otherwise powerful image. The horse industry may disagree on plenty, but apparently we are united in our ability to zoom in on a noseband faster than some horses peace out when you fall off.

The study also found that each discipline came with its own set of expectations.

In dressage, participants focused heavily on biomechanics: self-carriage, poll position, engagement, tension through the body, and whether horses appeared behind the vertical. Dressage drew some of the strongest systemic concern, with respondents questioning whether modern competitive standards reward the right picture — or whether some of the images reflected deeper issues around training, judging, and presentation.

In show jumping, respondents were more willing to accept effort and intensity, as long as the horse still appeared willing and the rider looked fair. A big jump could be celebrated, and scope and power were appreciated, but participants still wanted to see release, balance, confidence, and ideally a moment of thanks after the job was done.

In eventing, especially on cross country, respondents recognized that risk, speed, terrain, and effort are part of the sport’s DNA. They appreciated bravery, athleticism, impressive water jumps, and the kind of bold imagery that make eventing look like eventing. But they were also highly alert to fatigue, strong equipment, awkward moments, and anything that might make a non-horse person wonder why on earth we are all cheering for this.

That outside-world lens is one of the most important parts of the study. Respondents were not only asking, “What do I see as a horse person?” They were also asking, “What would this look like to someone who doesn’t already love this sport?”

Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

That matters because equestrian sport is operating under increasing welfare scrutiny. The study places these image reactions within the larger conversation around social license to operate, or, as another way to think of it, the public’s informal permission for horse sport to continue. In that context, every photo has a job. It can make deposits into the bank of trust, or it can make withdrawals to the point of overdraft.

Perhaps the most telling finding is that respondents did not want to write off uncomfortable images as isolated “bad apple” moments. Instead, many pointed to bigger systems: judging standards, equipment norms, training culture, breeding trends, commercialization, and what elite sport chooses to reward.

That, in my opinion, is the part worth really considering.

I don’t believe the answer is to stop showing elite sport. It is not to pretend horses never exert themselves, never make an expression, never have a split-second moment that looks less than perfect. Still photography is imperfect — we’ve all heard the “moment in time” argument that’s often turned into justification — and the study acknowledges that. And it IS true: a single frame can never tell the whole story.

However, patterns DO tell stories. And according to this study, the images that best serve equestrian sport are not simply the ones that show power, height, or drama. They are the ones that show athleticism alongside relaxation, ambition balanced with empathy, performance married with partnership.

For photographers, editors, riders, federations, and anyone else choosing which image becomes the public face of the sport, the takeaway is pretty clear: the “best” photo is not always the biggest photo. And at the end of the day, it’s not so much about the singular moments we put forward on the biggest stage. It’s about the patterns, the training, the things that are rewarded and celebrated. I do think it’s worth a look at the systems, not only the moments.

To view the full synopsis of this study, which was put on by researchers from Hartpury University, EQuerry / Co, Department of Educational Studies, Karlstad University / The Swedish National Equestrian School of Excellence, Ridskolan Strömsholm, Sweden and Purdue University, click here.

 

Entries Closing Soon for Devon’s Prestigious $50k Arena Eventing

By on May 11, 2026 10:30 am -

Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself. Photo by Mane Source Media for Devon Horse Show.

Entries are still open for one of the most exciting and prestigious nights in equestrian sport — the $50,000 Devon Arena Eventing at the 130th Devon Horse Show and Country Fair!

This year’s Arena Eventing will take place Sunday, May 24, 2026, under the lights at the iconic Devon Horse Show Grounds for an unforgettable evening of elite competition, an electric atmosphere, and a $50,000 prize purse. Devon Arena Eventing offers one of the sport’s most exciting opportunities to compete before an enthusiastic crowd in a thrilling, single-evening showcase of fast-paced eventing competition.

The course will be set as a hybrid of cross country and show jumping obstacles, with a max height of 1.15m for cross country fences and show jumping fences up to 1.20m. This competition is classified as an Intermediate Level/Arena Eventing and will be run under the USEF Rules for Eventing Annex 2.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements:

Eventing competitors: Both Athlete and Horse, though not necessarily as a combination, must have obtained two MERs at the applicable level or above in the twelve-month period prior to the
competition. USEF MER Requirements apply to all U.S. and foreign athletes.

Jumping Competitors: Both Athlete and Horse, though not necessarily as a combination, must have completed two Jumper classes with no more than 4 jumping faults, 15cm above the fixed height of Cross Country jumps for the applicable division (or higher) in the six month period prior to the competition in question e.g. Intermediate Eventing Competition: a 1.30 Jumper Class with no more than 4 Jumping faults.

Further qualification information can be found here.

Event Details

What: $50,000 Devon Arena Eventing

When: Sunday, May 24, 2026

  • 6:15 PM – Course Walk and Acclimation
  • 7:15 PM – Competition Begins

    • Where: Devon Horse Show Grounds (23 Dorset Road, Devon, PA)

    If you need assistance, email [email protected] or call (610) 964-2723.

How Mia Farley Got Her Groove Back: Stories from the Tryon International CCI4*-L

By on May 10, 2026 6:57 pm -

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

October, 2025. Mia Farley had just finished up the Maryland 5 Star, where she had seen another CCI5* podium finish slip from her grasp after a gutting show jumping round with the incredible Thoroughbred Phelps. It was the third consecutive time she’d had four rails down on Sunday at a CCI5*. It was enough to make anyone question themselves.

It made me quite sad, to be honest. I’ve known Mia since she was just a kid, kicking around Training level and still living in California. She’s always been a bright, positive person. But recently when I’d see her before show jumping — after the immediate elation of a clear, fast cross country on a once in a lifetime horse like Phelps had eased and she’d come down from the high — she wasn’t the same person. She’d make jokes, but underscoring them all was this presence of defeat. She didn’t look forward to Sundays. Over time, she found it harder and harder to believe in herself.

“I think that’s also my personality – I tell jokes to get out of things,” Mia told me. “But yeah, it sucks. It sucks when it happens over and over again. So as much as Phelps put my name out there — he was an amazing cross country horse and great dressage horse who taught me how to ride very detailed — in show jumping, I was just losing more and more confidence.”

Following that Maryland last year, where she’d also had tough jumping rounds with her two 3* horses, Mia needed to get away. She drove home overnight, and the next day, she dialed a number she never had before.

When the call picked up, Mia started crying. She’d dialed Peter Wylde — show jumping Olympic medalist turned pro coach, who’s worked wonders for the riders he’s helped and become a student of eventing himself at this stage in his career.

“I would really like some help,” she managed. And Peter, being Peter, was eager to help. “I was wondering when you would call,” he said warmly.

It was a big change for Mia, and something of a catalyst in itself.

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

For nearly a decade, since she left her home in southern California, Mia’s been a part of the O’Connor Event Team, coached by David O’Connor as well as Karen O’Connor (who also owns her 4*-L partner at Tryon International this weekend, Invictus). David and Karen have been a huge part of Mia’s life, and their quiet, consistent support have contributed directly to the success she’s had in the sport thus far.

“Honestly, part of the reason I was so mentally unstable after Maryland was because I was so worried about insulting the O’Connors by reaching out to someone else,” Mia said. “They’ve done so much for me. I didn’t want them to feel I was abandoning them.” She did call David first, before she talked with Peter, and she needn’t have worried. David and Karen both encouraged her and have supported her decision (and of course, David remains Mia’s primary coach still).

“I think that’s also been a big thing for me this year is the people around me — everyone working together. David and Karen have been so supportive for so long and now I have a base [of skill] and we can start adding things,” she said.

While it would not be accurate to attribute a big change or improvement solely to one thing, it’s not a secret that Peter Wylde’s work with riders like Boyd Martin and Jennie Brannigan has made a notable impact. For his part, David O’Connor’s quiet, diligent emphasis on repetition, simplicity and horsemanship is reflected strongly in Mia. And six months or so into Mia’s additional tutelage with Peter, it’s also not a stretch to say that his influence is already visible in her three clear show jumping rounds delivered today and yesterday at Tryon International — one of which netted her first CCI4*-L victory with Invictus. To be clear, Mia doesn’t always have show jumping struggles on paper, and she’s sat on good jumpers this weekend. For her, the victory was primarily mental.

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

It was also after that fateful Maryland 5 Star that Mia felt something else shifting within herself. “I really love having a light, happy barn,” she described. But she admits that sometimes, her general sense of amiability could hold her back. “This year, I feel like I’ve really paid attention to a lot of the details of our sport, and it’s made a big difference. I’ve kind of taken myself a little bit more seriously this year. I like to stay humble and realistic and stuff, but this year I was like, you know what? I need to start doing well, damn it.”

Invictus isn’t the first horse aside from Phelps that Mia has competed at this level — earlier on, she partnered with BGS Firecracker to finish second in the 4*-L at Fair Hill in 2019, for example — but in truth she doesn’t actually have a ton of mileage at this Long level. So, with that in mind, she admitted she was a bit nervous coming into the weekend, and she also knew she’d do a lot of learning.

It’s nice when you can enjoy a successful stopover on the never-ending road of education.

“I feel like my training with Peter is still a little bit new, where he’s working on me more than he is the horse,” she explained of what she put into practice this weekend. “With me, with every horse, it’s just bringing in more quiet. I think I might be physically quiet, but mentally I think had lost so much confidence. I think in my head I started getting really quick, and then kind of making the horses move a little bit too quick, and then going through the front rail or something. So it’s just been bringing that quietness back, and then just the relaxation and confidence — confidence on my part to give them confidence. And consistency — every time we jump, it’s just consistency, like competitive training.”

“Sammy’s” victory this week – confirmed today over Chris Barnard’s show jumping track with just one second of time added to her finishing score – stamps him as a true horse for the future who frankly only keeps improving (and is only 10, as an additional benefit). “I definitely learned that he has all the things to be a top horse,” she said. “I mean, I haven’t had many top horses, but he’s felt the best of the three so far. And I’ve been pretty lucky with Firecracker and Phelps. [Invictus is] a very classy, mature horse, and so I think — obviously staying realistic with him — I need to start thinking of him as a proper horse!”

Mia Farley and Invictus share the prizegiving with Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

A proper horse indeed, and bred to do the job with WBFSH world-ranked #1 eventing stallion Diarado as the sire and the off-track Thoroughbred mare Sunset Paradise as the dam. Invictus was bred by Karen herself; she competed Sunset Paradise to the 1* level and retained her as a broodmare afterward. He’s got at least 75% Thoroughbred make-up in his DNA, and he’s really gone from strength to strength as his education continues with Mia, who’s produced him since he was a three-year-old. The 2027 Pan American Games may be a year away, but it’s not difficult to imagine Mia being a serious contender for a coveted Team USA spot.

As for Mia, she seems to be in a good space right now. We say often how much of a village it takes to even exist in this sport, and while we say it often, it shouldn’t lose its weight. “It’s such a good group of people,” Mia said. “In Kentucky, Liz [Halliday] has offered up her arena so Peter and I can go over there and jump the horses. Everyone works so well together. We have an amazing team at the barn. It’s a very inspirational thing, just the people —- I’m very inspired to be the best I can.”

Maya Clarkson’s Happy Send-off into (Somewhat Forced) Vacation

Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Maya Clarkson hasn’t been riding with 100% health for a few months now, having torn her hip labrum last fall. Initially, she worked through the pain, but with the severity of this type of injury it got to the point where she eventually elected to schedule surgery to repair it.

That surgery is taking place tomorrow, actually.

The timing worked out well. She got her spring season done and had wanted to earn a 5* MER (Minimum Eligibility Requirement) at a spring 4*-L with Maks Mojo C. She also had a young horse, Redfield Pixar RFB, who needed a 2*-L to build off of (she finished on her dressage score in the top 12 of the 2*). So, she slotted the surgery in for this coming week, a slightly slower period — competition-wise — after a busy spring for every active rider that would allow both her and her horses to take a breather.

Luckily, Maya says she rides even better under pressure — not necessarily placing or score-influenced, but more internal or environmental — because that timing made this weekend all the more important, professionally. There are only a handful of 4*-L events in the U.S. and one in Canada each season, so there is a lot of inherent pressure for things to go at least acceptably well.

“Going in, I definitely put the pressure on myself to get the MER, especially with the surgery tomorrow and everything,” Maya said. “I was kind of like, ‘well, if I don’t get an MER, I guess I’ll postpone [the surgery] and go to Bromont’ — which wouldn’t be the right thing to do anyway, because I was a little broken today! It’s perfect [timing]. They’ll have vacation, which they both very well earned, and so will I, and then we’ll be back at it and crack on in the fall.”

Maya did more than just earn that MER, though — she retained her second place position despite one rail and a smidge of time today, finishing her first 4*-L in her sophomore effort on a score of 41.1.

Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

“I know that both the horses are capable of the results that they achieved today, but I certainly was not expecting that coming into the weekend,” she laughed. “I was hoping — I was like, ‘just get through the weekend, have a good horse show.’ And it certainly was more than that. I’m just so excited — they’re awesome. They could not have been better, I don’t think.”

I asked Maya how her warm-up was used today, as I think it’s interesting to learn about how everyone uses the warm-up. Every horse is different, of course, but Maya takes a bit after her longtime coach Lauren Nicholson in that she’s a minimalist. She doesn’t typically jump school on a Sunday morning at a three-day, and in warm-up she doesn’t usually jump more than five fences, none of which are set at competition height.

“He’s one that I don’t jump that much, even at the Shorts and everything,” she elaborated. I got on him kind of early and flatted and stretched him around a little bit. I’ve definitely found what works for him. I basically jump a three-foot or meter-high oxer, and then I make the back rail four or five holes higher and wider. I’ll jump both of those once, and then I make it square, and I only jump maybe a 1.20 meters. So I don’t even actually jump to height, because I’ve just found he doesn’t need it. He actually jumps a little bit better if he’s just saving his jumps — he knows how high to jump. Then I jump a vertical, and I really mostly leave it at that. He knows how to jump. I could go in there and jump twenty fences to make myself feel better so that I’m perfect — but is that really going to change the result? Probably not. And then I’ve jumped 20 more fences he doesn’t need to jump. So why?”

“I want to ride well, and I want to do the right thing for my horses, and I want to get better,” she said of what she feels when she puts pressure on herself. Looking back on the weekend, she’s confident she accomplished all of the above.

And she’s looking forward to being pain-free. I asked if she was nervous about the surgery at all. “Honestly, I’m ready for the nap,” she laughed.

Arielle Aharoni’s Show Jumping Practice Pays Off

Arielle Aharoni and Cooley Baltic Sea. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Arielle Aharoni splits her time these days between eventing and show jumping. She’s got a couple of horses for each discipline, and her partner this weekend, Cooley Baltic Sea, has done a bit of Grand Prix jumping himself and frequently operates as her stand-in if one of her jumpers doesn’t feel quite ready for a class.

Today’s show jumping course designed by Great Britain’s Chris Barnard was a tough one. The sample size was, of course, on the smaller side with just ten horses to jump in the 4*-L, but it took until Arielle — third after cross country — to see a clear round inside the time. The final fence was actually the bogey of the day, its positioning after a triple combination and stature as a vertical added technicality that caught four riders out. The time allowed of 66 seconds was also influential, with just one other rider (Tamie Smith and Jump To Day D) managing to catch it.

Arielle describes herself as a typically quick show jumper, and she has a lot of belief in her horses to know how to the answer the questions. Adding to that, she says her extra show jumping practice has had a noticeable impact on her riding.

“A lot of it comes down to just posture and making sure I stay off that front rail, and making sure I have enough canter to make the width of these spreads,” Arielle described. “I think you need to have a gallop in the show jumping to get the width, but also keep those shoulders back to keep their heads up and shoulders up, to make sure they stay off that front rail. That was probably the first thing the jumpers picked on me about — ‘why are your shoulders so forward?’ And they’re like, ‘heads up, shoulders back, get that front end off the ground, and keep the canter!’ Stop balancing so much, because the turn balances them, and if you’re balancing and the turn is balancing, all of a sudden you have no canter and not a lot of choices. If you keep the gallop and keep them up, then when you get straight to the fence you can balance and still have enough canter to get over the fence. You have a lot of options that way.”

“I think it’s really great to cross-train the horses,” Arielle said of her hybrid program in which her event horses go to the jumper shows and her show jumpers go cross country schooling (and even compete themselves at schooling shows). I observed that it seems we’re in an era in which more and more pro riders are branching into the other disciplines — German Olympians Sandra Auffarth and Michael Jung just competed on a Nations Cup team last week, riders like Laine Ashker and Will Coleman compete in FEI Grand Prixs in dressage (Laine) and show jumping (Will), for just a few examples.

Arielle Aharoni and Cooley Baltic Sea compete at Live Oak International. Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.

“Well, it helps you can win a little prize money more often,” Arielle laughed. “But my first love is eventing, so that will always stay. I think it’s beneficial, especially as eventers, to be able to go into each discipline — it helps us with the eventing, and I’m sure the eventing helps with the other sport too. I think we have to elevate our standards to go with the straight show jumpers or the straight dressage horses, and I think that helps in the long run. I think there’s a little less pressure going in —- like, this is not my main sport but I’m doing it anyway, so you have a lot of fun doing it and the horses still get a good education from it.”

In the 12-year-old Cooley Baltic Sea, Arielle now has a confirmed 4*-L horse, her first since her first 5* horse, Dutch Times. Originally competed by Great Britain’s Wills Oakden (and then sourced to Liz Halliday before eventually being sold to Arielle and Filly’s Hope LLC) and coming out of the same breeding family that put together the match for this weekend’s Badminton podium-finisher Annaghmore Valoner (Harry Meade), “Crunchy” has been an exciting horse for Arielle to make her way back up to the top levels with.

The cycle of every sport is typical — top horses come and go, and young horses ready to step up don’t always follow immediately on their heels — and Arielle has acknowledged throughout the weekend that it’s challenging to be away from that path to 5*.

“I definitely felt green coming back up the levels with this horse,” she said. “He’s definitely a different ride. It requires a bit more — he needs help from me a little bit more than Dutch [Times] did. Dutch was always in balance, found his own distances, knew when there was a combination. I was so spoiled with him! So it feels good to feel like I’m back.”

I had sort of figured that Arielle might have brought some of her jumpers to Tryon with her, as happening alongside this week was the Tryon Spring #2 hunter/jumper series. Eventers like Kentucky 5* champion Will Coleman (who was sixth in the $30,000 Tryon Grand Prix under the lights on Saturday with Comme Again HS) and Sharon White (who brought three of her eventers this weekend along with her 3*-L horse, Arden Augustus) were competing themselves. Arielle laughed.

“I actually didn’t know there was a jumper show too!”

Lisa Marie Fergusson and Ratheoin Quality Imp jump to 4th place for Canada. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Here’s a look at your final top 10 from the Tryon International CCI4*-L. Our next 4*-L in North America takes place at MARS Bromont June 4-7, so we’ll be back on the ground with you then. Entries for Bromont are still open and close on May 26, and you can find more information here.

Go Eventing!

Tryon International Three-Day Event (NC): [Website] [Scores] [Live Stream Replays]

Invictus Rings True for Mia Farley on Cross Country Day at Tryon International CCI4*-L

By on May 9, 2026 8:21 pm -

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Mia Farley knew she’d come out of this weekend’s CCI4*-L at Tryon International having learned new things, both about herself and her ride, Karen O’Connor’s Invictus. Ten years old this year, Invictus has quite a few competitions at the 4* level under his belt, including a debut at the TerraNova 4*-L in the fall of 2024, but today he confirmed a lot of what Mia had wanted to see on cross country.

It wasn’t a smooth day for all on Clayton Fredericks’ course, which exerted its influence across the 3* and 4* levels (Beth Perkins is the designer of the 2* and 1* levels this weekend) throughout the day. Things came a bit unraveled for overnight leaders Caroline Pamukcu, who encountered trouble at fence 19B, a corner combination. Caroline and Connor had two surprising runouts here, after which Caroline opted to call it a day. This opened the door for someone else to step ahead, as dressage runners-up Phillip Dutton and Denim had also found themselves with a truncated weekend after very sadly missing fence 7 on course.

Mia, who had gone early in the running order, had already laid down a standard with Invictus, who demonstrated his growth and strength to improve on his first 4*-L cross country result by jumping clear with just two and change time penalties added. They’ll now move ahead to show jumping as the leaders with a score of 32.4, one pole’s cushion ahead of Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C (36.7).

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Mia had a good sense of what kind of day it was going to be early on in the going. “I think Clayton wanted us to get a get some pace in the first minute, because it was pretty much single fence after single fence,” she debriefed. “And I was worried about, I think it was 8AB, because it was our first combination. It was a log down the hill to the squirrel and then a corner [at 9]. But when he came back to me there, I kind of knew that I could trust him for a lot of the course.”

Despite his general affable temperament, “Sammy” isn’t actually the most “set it and forget it” type of horse on cross country. “It’s not that he’s unridable, he’s just so laidback so when I do set a rhythm and try to be quiet on him, in a way I do need to kind of keep changing it up so he stays on top of it. But that’s just kind of his personality.”

The overarching feeling she has this evening is that this horse has truly revealed that he has a lot of the ingredients to be a top horse. His fitness was a key component of that gut feeling on Saturday, further underscored by the feature of the famous WEG Hill at Tryon — a grueling uphill climb that was the concluding portion of the 2018 World Equestrian Games track: “He surprised me in the sense that, while he has a lot of Thoroughbred blood, I honestly thought he might get a bit tired at the end, but he didn’t — he just kept going.”

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

“It makes me excited, because I think that, after today, I learned that he’s got a lot of the things that we’re looking for as a top horse,” Mia continued. “I was very impressed with him today. I feel like he had my back just as much as I had his.”

Following cross country at Kentucky, where Mia eventually finished on the podium of the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, she shared in the press conference that she had lost a bit of her confidence in the final phase. The past few months have been a study in regaining that — she’s recently enlisted the help of show jumping Olympian Peter Wylde for this component of her riding — and she’s feeling fairly calm ahead of tomorrow.

“My round at Kentucky [gave me more confidence] and so did my [three-star] show jumping yesterday with Pina Colada,” she shared. “He knows the job tomorrow, and I know that he’ll try. He show jumped well at TerraNova [in 2024, his last 4*-L]. It’ll just be a little bit a part of this learning weekend — I’m definitely learning a lot about him.”

Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Maya Clarkson also enjoyed a fun day today with Maks Mojo C, a horse she’s achieved a lot of milestones with, including her first 4* competitions. This weekend marks this pair’s second 4*-L and this time they earned their first clear cross country, moving up to claim second overnight with their score of 36.7 and just time added today.

Due to some setbacks — Maks Mojo C underwent surgery on his neck in 2024 to repair some damage, similar to an operation horses like Sara Kozumplik’s Rock Phantom have had — this sophomore effort at the Long level was a bit of a long time going. But looking back, Maya says she appreciates having the extra time to gain mileage at this level.

“I think when we moved up to the level, neither him nor I were truly ready for what we took on,” she said. They moved up to the level in 2023, having wrapped up their 3* campaign with a podium finish at the notoriously testing Bromont 3*-L. “He was my first Intermediate horse, so I don’t have that much experience, either. And so when we first got to the four-star level we just couldn’t get it right. I mean, it was fine, it was never anything bad, but it was more like ‘oh, we have a lot of work to do. We’re both really green.’ But I think we’ve learned a lot together and grown together, and it’s pretty cool sitting on him now and feeling like there’s a lot more left in the tank.”

Maya Clarkson and Maks Mojo C. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Maya also feels the longer courses suit “Maks” better as it is. “he’s quick enough in the shorts, because he’s super rideable — he goes in a leather snaffle for cross country — so I never really have to pull him in Shorts, but I never really let him run, run, just let him cruise around. So today I was like, ‘okay buddy, you got it,’ and he was just awesome.”

And the main highlight for Maya?

“I had fun,” she said. “Honestly, like, the whole thing. I remember when I moved up to the four-star level, it never really felt very fun.” By the way, here she paused to hand out milkshakes and dinner to her crew, so A+ Boss Award there for the milkshakes in particular. “Before he got his neck surgery, it honestly, like never really felt fun. It felt harder. And he was trying so hard, like he’s a good horse. And so once we figured out that his neck was uncomfortable, I feel like he does find it easier now.”

Arielle Aharoni and Cooley Baltic Sea. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Arielle Aharoni was also able to climb up in the standings to move from seventh into third with Filly’s Hope LLC’s Cooley Baltic Sea, adding 16.8 time penalties for a two-day score of 51.1. This was a first 4*-L effort for the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding and really, a first long format in almost two years for Arielle herself. Since the retirement of her 5* partner, Dutch Times (who, by the way, has enjoyed spending his retirement with Arielle’s mom, Christina), Arielle’s been producing a string of young horses and also splitting time in the show jumping world (Cooley Baltic Sea actually stepped in for one of her jumpers at Live Oak International last year, jumping in the CSI1* Grand Prix). So today, it was a mixture of nerves and excitement — but then, more nerves — as she prepared to leave the start box.

It didn’t help that the 4*-S, which ran ahead of the Long division, was quite exciting and saw many problems, some of which came at questions shared by both courses.

“I was quite nervous heading out there, and I was changing my plans last minute,” Arielle laughed. “I had been watching the four-Short, and I was, like, my entire plan just…Oh, my God. I don’t think I’ve actually ever been that nervous heading out! I thought the two hardest questions were going to be the squirrels [at fences 8 and 9] and then the water of course. So I was kind of setting him up for the first half like, ‘we are not running out through our right shoulder!’ And you know what? He was pretty game. I had seen people slip around that turn to [fence 8] in the Short, so I planned on adding. I probably should have left him do the seven to the four, he was right on it. But I’m very proud of how he got through all that so easily. The biggest thing was that I was thinking he might get a little bit tired going up the incline, but when we got there he just galloped harder. I wanted him to get home clear and sound, and not gassed, so I was really happy with that.”

“He’s got a lot of fight in him,” she continued. And this is a different ride to her former top horse, Dutch Times, who she describes as an Energizer Bunny type that never got tired, never stopped fighting for the flags. So what would that feel like, if it happened with this horse? Today, she didn’t have to find out. “You always wonder if things don’t wind up perfect, if they’ll bail on you, but some things were not perfect out there and he was still getting his way through those flags. So I’m thrilled with that. And I learned he’s got a lot of run at the end of this! I hadn’t done a four-Long with him yet, so you always worry about how much gas they have in the tank. Now I know!”

Tamie Smith and Danito Take US Equestrian Open Qualifier CCI4*-S

Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Tamie Smith is probably already working out a way to come back to the East coast this fall to run for the $200,000 US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park (VA) in October. She’s the current series points leader — which, remember, will net you an additional cash prize of up to $25,000 at the end of the season — with 205 points earned so far, and now adds another pile to the collection with 50 points earned from her 4*-S win today.

Danito was rerouted to Tryon after having some uncharacteristic blips on cross country in the equal division at Kentucky two weeks ago. Today, he encountered no such strife and added 8.4 time penalties to his 19.5 dressage score after show jumping double clear yesterday. His 19.5 provided enough cushion to have the time well in hand, making it a cruising victory for the 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Ruth Bley.

Tamie was a very busy woman today, so we didn’t quite get a chance to catch up with her before publishing this, but we’ll have plenty of opportunities to keep track of her as her East coast campaign begins to wrap up.

Will Coleman (who celebrated his birthday this week — happy birthday!) brought home second place with his 2025 Kentucky 4*-S winner Off the Record (owned by the Off the Record Syndicate), adding 3.2 easy time to their score to finish on a 30.3. Boyd Martin was able to jump up from ninth into third with Dallas LLC’s Shanroe Cooley (35.8).

Chris Barnard will design tomorrow’s show jumping tracks as we wrap up the Long divisions at Tryon. The jumping is scheduled to begin at 10:30am EST with the CCI2*-L, followed by the the CCI4*-L at 12:00pm EST and the CCI3*-L starting at 1:05pm EST. This phase will be live streamed on Horse & Country and you can access that feed here. To catch up on additional scores from Tryon and other information, refer to the link list below.

Tryon International Three-Day Event (NC): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Schedule] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [Volunteer]

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor Take Phase One Lead in Tryon International CCI4*-L

By on May 8, 2026 6:08 pm -

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Caroline Pamucku has one primary goal on her mind this weekend at the Tryon International CCI4*-L, where she’s here to contest HSH Connor’s first run at this Long level.

Incidentally, this weekend marks the first official qualifier for the 2027 Pan American Games, which will take place next July 23-August 8 in Lima, Peru (also the site of the 2019 Pan Ams). You can view the full qualification guidelines for Pam Ams, which are run at the 3*-L level, here. With this in mind, she’s got her eyes set on ticking off that qualification here this weekend, giving her something to build on over the next 12 months with the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Caroline, her mother Sherrie and longtime supporter Luann McElduff.

That goal comes a step closer after the first phase of competition, which saw Caroline and HSH Connor score a 26.4 to go into the lead ahead of Saturday’s cross country. That score, however, is one Caroline’s eager to get down over time, because she knows the caliber of scores that will be required to win on an even more international stage.

“I’ve gotta figure out how to get in the 21s like those Europeans!” Caroline said. “So I forward the videos to my dressage trainers because I’m on a 26? And there will be some people at Worlds on like an 18 or 19 — so how do I get down to there? I felt I put in a good test, but it’s about ‘how do I get on an 18’? So it’s at least on my brain right now — how do I break it down and do even better? I feel like I crushed it, but it’s not quite good enough for the world stage.”

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

To that end, Caroline and her team will typically forward videos of her tests to her coaching group, primarily helmed by dressage coach Samantha St. Jacques as well as fellow 5* rider and Pan Ams teammate from 2023 Sharon White. Along with the videos, Caroline will snap photos of her test copies with the judges’ comments so that they can study the marks and where she could earn a few more the next time out.

“This same test Blake did at Carolina,” Caroline said. “And obviously he and Connor are different horses, but it’s still the same pattern, right? So I need to figure it out — I know there’s somewhere I’m giving points away. Maybe not going straight enough sooner after the shoulder-in on the centerline — that’s the sort of thing we need to a little bit analyze before Worlds.”

For his part HSH Connor has had a supremely successful international career to date: he’s won nearly half of the 20 competitions he’s started at FEI levels, and though this will be his first 4*-L, Caroline feels the development she’s put in so far should set her up well to test the gelding’s mettle on cross country tomorrow, though earning the qualification — which doesn’t need to be a clear inside the time — is her top priority.

“I need to get qualified for Pan Ams,” she said. “I want to give him a good experience because I think he can win a medal. He’s got the makings of a medal-winning championship horse. So I would love to just give him a good ride.”

Phillip Dutton and Denim. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Caroline may see some threat on the clock tomorrow from second-placed Phillip Dutton, who chose this weekend as Denim’s spring destination. Denim, an 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Ann Lapides, Neill Sites, Annie Jones and Caroline Moran, scored a 29.2 for an effort that made Phillip “happy — not ecstatic, but happy” overall. He’s got the World Championships on the brain as well, with two strong contenders for a spot on the U.S. squad in Possante (8th at Kentucky two weeks ago) as well as Denim.

Phillip’s taken a slightly longer road with Denim, who he describes as an eager partner but slower to mature and not the fastest at his top cruising speed. For him, it’s less about creating more speed tomorrow and more about riding efficiently. Smooth is fast, even when you’re not on the fastest horse in the field.

“I’m going to have to be pretty astute about not wasting time and having pretty efficient lines and that kind of thing,” Phillip said. “But you know, he’s a great, great jumping horse. It’s harder to get a better jumping horse that him, so I’ll be relying on that. He’s pretty honest, as well. I think [his speed] is kind of what God’s given him, but having said that there are many ways to go faster and it’s not always about top speed. You can save time on the approach and get away from the jumps, have tighter lines and try to keep a constant speed rather than slowing him up too much.”

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Mia Farley was the day one leader, scoring a 30.0 with Karen O’Connor’s Invictus, who just finished third in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S at Kentucky two weeks ago. This is the second 4*-L effort for this pair, and Mia had to manage a bit more tension than she is typically used to on “Sammy” yesterday. It was truly an exercise in working with the horse you have on the day. At Kentucky, Mia had referred to Invictus as “Mr. Reliable”, not typically too fussed with atmosphere — but she had a slightly different ride underneath her yesterday.

“I felt it in the pre-ride and the warm-up,” Mia said. She wound up changing her pre-ride routine a bit to account for the change. “I wanted to do shorter — like, not one big ride, so two short rides. So I came out again and I still just wasn’t getting where I wanted to, so in the warm-up I just made sure I could lower him and raise him so I had those tools and then just went in there and tried to communicate as much as I could. The quality of work felt good, it just felt fragile. But I felt more mature in there too — like, before I’d get a little frustrated if it wasn’t perfect, and in there I was just trying to give him confidence and I think he was trying really hard.”

Here Mia uses the term “positive tension” which is a bit oxymoronic in its appearance. I asked her what this meant to her. “I think if they’re feeling a little on edge, it’s just about making the most of that,” she elaborated. “Obviously you can’t push them, and I did not feel I could push him yesterday, so it was just using those nerves to make the best of what we had.”

Looking to Clayton Fredericks’ (AUS) course tomorrow, Phillip was complimentary of the challenge ahead: “I like what he’s done this year. You have a minute and a half of just four [jumps], so I like that. And then it’s kind of technical, but not overly so in the middle section, then you cross the road. I may be wrong, but I think he might have gone a little easy on the coffin there. I thought it was straightforward. And then obviously the big lake is a very, very big jump in, but then you have a bit of time to get to the two narrows. And the rest of it is more [asking] if you’ve got any horse left, and being able to hold your line.”

Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

And a quick update on the US Open Qualifier CCI4*-S — we’ll plan to catch up with the winner tomorrow, but for now it’s Tamie Smith still leading the way after adding no penalties to her 19.5 earned with Ruth Bley’s Danito yesterday. Show jumping was held this afternoon, and Tamie was able to keep her lead to gain a 7.6 point advantage over second-placed Will Coleman with the Off the Record Syndicate’s Off the Record (27.1). Initially second after dressage, Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri lowered one rail to move to third place on a score of 27.2.

You’ll be able to watch live all day long tomorrow on Horse & Country! Here’s the link for the live stream. The first division on cross country will be the CCI2*-L at 8:30 am EST, followed by the 4*-S at 10:15 am EST and the 4*-L beginning around 12:05 am EST. For the full schedule, visit the Event Entries Show Center here and click “General Schedule”.

Tryon International Three-Day Event (NC): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Schedule] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [Volunteer]

Anonymous Donor Boosts Maryland International FEI Prize Pool to $100,000

By on May 7, 2026 5:25 pm -

Caroline Pamukcu and She’s The One. Erin Gilmore Photography

The Maryland International CCI and Horse Trials is making a major move in 2026.

Thanks to a transformational gift to the Maryland International Equestrian Foundation from an anonymous donor, the Maryland International at Loch Moy Farm will offer an unprecedented $100,000 in FEI prize money this summer, representing a significant jump from its previous $30,000 purse and a boost that places the event among the premier summer fixtures on the U.S. eventing calendar.

The Maryland International CCI and HT + Young Rider Championships will return to Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, Maryland, June 26–28, 2026, with entries opening Tuesday, May 12. This year’s event also marks the 20th anniversary of the Maryland Horse Trials, adding a little extra pomp — and, apparently, quite a bit of extra prize money — to an already important weekend for the East coast eventing community.

The 2026 edition will offer FEI divisions from CCI1*-S through CCI4-S*, alongside National divisions from Training through Advanced. With the Young Rider Championships also on the schedule, the weekend is expected to draw a strong mix of established riders, developing horses, owners, and young athletes from across the country.

“We are incredibly grateful for this generous investment in the sport through the Maryland International Equestrian Foundation,” said Carolyn Mackintosh, owner of Loch Moy Farm and organizer of the Maryland International. “To offer $100,000 in FEI prize money during our 20th Anniversary year is truly exciting, and we look forward to welcoming riders, sponsors, and spectators to Loch Moy this June.”

For spectators, the Highland Club will once again offer a front-row seat to the action, with VIP hospitality, catered food and drink, and premium cross country viewing. Sponsorship opportunities also remain available for companies looking to connect with the eventing audience through branding, hospitality, and VIP experiences. You can learn more about all of the above here.

Between the anniversary milestone, the Young Rider Championships, and a newly elevated FEI prize fund, this year’s Maryland International will be a properly big summer stop — the kind of weekend worth adding to your calendar!

To learn more and get your entry sorted beginning Tuesday, May 12, click here.

Tryon International CCI4*-L/S Update: Mia Farley, Tamie Smith Take Thursday Lead

By on May 7, 2026 5:12 pm -

We are through dressage in the latest US Equestrian Open of Eventing qualifier in the CCI4*-S at Tryon International and underway with the headlining CCI4*-L division as just a few pairs got their tests out of the way ahead of tomorrow’s conclusion.

I’ll have a much more expansive report for you tomorrow at the conclusion of 4*-L dressage, but for now here’s a quick look at who’s in a good standing early on:

CCI4*-L

Mia Farley and Invictus. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Just six of the 15 pairs in the 4*-L did their dressage on Thursday afternoon; we’ll see the rest beginning at 12:05 pm EST on Friday (and you’ll be able to watch live on Horse & Country here). Our Ground Jury this week is headed up by Bea di Grazia (USA), joined by Seppo Laine (FIN) and Richard Baldwin (GBR).

Mia Farley continues to build her partnership with Karen O’Connor’s Invictus, coming fresh off a podium finish in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S at Defender Kentucky two weeks ago. Mia and “Sammy” shaved a couple points off of their Kentucky score to hold a 30.0 in the early going.

Tamie Smith and Jump To Day D. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Tamie Smith rode Jeanne Shigo’s Jump To Day D to a 32.0, good for second today, in the horse’s first 4*-L effort.

Arielle Aharoni and Cooley Baltic Sea. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Arielle Aharoni and Cooley Baltic Sea (who’s also moonlighted in the jumper ring with Arielle as she’s become quite the two-sport wonder over the last few seasons) slot into third in the early going on a score of 34.3 — a personal best at the level.

We’ll see the bulk of the division on Friday, and some notable names to watch in this phase include Phillip Dutton and Denim, Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Conner, and Lauren Nicholson with Landmark’s Jungles Gold.

US Equestrian Open CCI4*-S Qualifer

Tamie Smith and Danito. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

The 30-strong CCI4*-S qualifier with leaderboard points and qualification on the line for October’s US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park completed dressage today, and it’s Tamie Smith with her veteran partner, Ruth Bley’s Danito, taking a sizable lead with a 19.5 earned from judges Bea di Grazia (USA), joined by Seppo Laine (FIN) and Richard Baldwin (GBR). Danito came out of the startbox at Kentucky in the 4*-S two weeks ago feeling a bit more unridable than typical, so Tamie opted to call it a day and reroute. The week’s off to a great start, as she’ll have just over nine seconds of time in hand on Saturday’s cross country over second-placed Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri (23.2).

Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Dyri is another who missed out on what could have been a very competitive Kentucky 4*-S showing after a mild colic scare kept him home for that week. He’ll had a slight score advantage over Kentucky 5* champion Will Coleman, who’s brought out his Aachen-winning partner, Off the Record, for a run this weekend and scored a 27.1 for third in the first phase.

Will Coleman and Off the Record. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

The next we’ll see of this division is Friday afternoon for show jumping, which will begin at approximately 2:30 pm. The 4*-S will conclude with cross country on Saturday morning around 10:15 am EST.

I’ll be back with more tomorrow evening, but for now you can use the links below to catch up and get set up to watch live beginning Friday!

Tryon International Three-Day Event (NC): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Schedule] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [Volunteer]

A Dream Fulfilled: Ferro Point’s MARS Badminton Start Ticks a Big Box for David Doel’s Support Team

By on May 7, 2026 4:05 pm -

David Doel and Ferro Point. Photo by Sophie Robins/Girl In The Field.

Seven CCI5* starts into her career, it’s a MARS Badminton debut this weekend for the 16-year-old Ferro Point (Match Point – Ferra Jones VII) — and the meaning of the weekend goes beyond “just” cantering down another monumental centerline.

In fact, it’s been just about two and a half years since the mare has started a 5*; she finished two phases at Defender Burghley back in 2023, but an injury sidelined her for the whole of 2024, and 2025 was more about sussing out her future and her soundness for the long term. David Doel, her pilot for over a decade now, said today that 2025 was also fairly light — she did a small amount at the start of the season but then enjoyed a slower build-up to eventually returning to the level.

“This was her first time back in a big environment,” David shared today at Badminton after scoring a a 41.9 — certainly not the best the mare has shown in the past, but David remains ever the pragmatist. “It was really tough with the trot work. She’s like a little sewing machine, really — she’s not really built to move and do dressage. You know, they’re horses. They’ve got their own brains. We don’t always know what they’re thinking. So yes, it’s a bit of a bugger. But you know, she’s still in the in the competition, and she loves her jumping, so she’ll be looking forward to going out there and going galloping around on Saturday instead.”

Beyond just the numbers, though, this weekend’s start is a special one for the village supporting Ferro Point. Her owner, Christine Lees (along with Hannah Lees and Molly Nunn) lives just a few minutes down the road from the storied Badminton grounds and has always dreamed of having a horse compete there. Now, that dream finally comes to fruition.

And isn’t that, in a nutshell, the spirit of eventing? Owners in this sport are not frequently winning large sums of money; in contrast to the show jumpers, for example, the chance to win six figures of cash comes around only (this year) six times a year. There isn’t just another 5* next week if this one doesn’t go to plan.

David Doel and Ferro Point. Photo by Sophie Robins/Girl In The Field.

So the owners are in it, not for financial fulfillment (or if they are, I’d love to speak with them because they probably know more about how to squeeze money from a stone than I do), but for a simple love of horse, sport, and the athletes. Most of the sport’s owners themselves have some sort of personal connection to the sport or to the rider(s) they support, and this is no different for the team behind Ferro Point.

“[Ferro Point is] 16 years old, and [it’s] just trying to keep that balance of running them,” David shared. “Her owner loves the five-stars, so she didn’t really want to go back to Pau because Ferro Point’s jumped around Pau two or three times, and so we really did sort of target getting here for Badminton. So when the ground got a bit firm, we just have said, ‘You know what? We’ll just put her away, and then just bring her out a little bit earlier, give her a bit of a longer, slower build up to the show this week.’ And she’s not done as much galloping, probably, as she would have done in the past, but she’s a real blood little mare, and I think we’re here to have a nice time.”

And it’s only day one. Ferro Point truly shines in the jumping phases — she’s only had a sparse handful cross country jumping penalties over her entire FEI career to date, and her 5* experience to this point (plus her 75%+ Thoroughbred blood makeup) should give her and David the chance to move well up on the leaderboard.

Regardless, though, it’ll be a weekend to remember for Ferro Point’s village. “Christine Lees, her owner, has got all her family here,” David said. “They’ve flown in all from around the world, so they’re all staying with her. So it’s sort of a little bit more of ‘let’s just really enjoy the week’ and if she comes back with 20 time faults, it’s really not going to be the end of the world. We’re just grateful that she’s still going, really.”

MARS Badminton CCI5*: [Website] [Tickets] [Live Stream] [Entries] [Schedule] [Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [EN’s Coverage]

Photo Gallery: Trot-Up Day at Tryon Interntional + How to Follow Along

By on May 6, 2026 9:27 pm -

We are underway in North Carolina with the Tryon International Three-Day Event, where among others we have our first CCI4*-L of the 2026 season here in the U.S..

We’ll be following closely all week, and you can too! Horse & Country has the live stream, and here is the schedule:

  • Friday May 8 – Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event 2026, North Carolina, USA, CCI1* & CCI4* Dressage & CCI4* & CCI3* Show Jumping
  • Saturday May 9 – Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event 2026 (TV Channels), North Carolina, USA, CCI4*L Cross Country
  • Saturday May 9 – Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event 2026, North Carolina, USA, Cross Country (all)
  • Sunday May 10 – Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event 2026, North Carolina, USA, CCI2*, CCI3* & CCI4*L Show Jumping

You do need a subscription or event pass to view this event, and you can access the live stream here.

Here on EN, I’ll be bringing you a full report from each phase beginning Friday evening. In the meantime, you can keep up with scores here.

But first: the jog! Enjoy some shots from the team behind Shannon Brinkman Photography (Shannon Brinkman, Lisa Thomas-DuFresne, Kelly Kostelnik, Mollie Bailey) and we’ll be back with you soon with more from Tryon!

Tryon International Three-Day Event (NC): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Schedule] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [Volunteer]

Top Contender Cooley Rosalent Withdrawn from MARS Badminton

By on May 5, 2026 9:00 am -

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

The MARS Badminton CCI5* field has whittled to 64 entries with a few more withdrawals this week including one top contender in Oliver Townend’s Cooley Rosalent. The 2024 Defender Kentucky champion had also proven to be a competitive force at Badminton, finishing second there behind Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo in 2025. The 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare owned by longtime Townend supporter Diane Ridgeon had been on great form for 2026, helping Oliver take a record-setting 17th win at Burnham Market in mid-April. In a social media post shared on Monday, Oliver’s team indicated that the mare should be right as rain in time for Defender Burghley later this year.

“It is with great disappointment that we announce that we have had to withdraw Cooley Rosalent from Badminton,” the post states. “We were hugely looking forward to being back at one of our favourite events and one where she has had great success. Thank you to Disy Ridgeon for her support in this decision and to our team and sponsors for always standing by us, we are all gutted, but she has a bright future ahead of her. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope to be back for Burghley.”

Cooley Rosalent had been right up there in the EquiRatings Prediction Centre stats ahead of this week’s competition start, but now defending champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo stand alone as 38% probability winners. The next-highest? Fellow Brit Bubby Upton with Cola, coming in at an 11% chance of the win, pre-competition. You can view the full EquiRatings Prediction Centre here, and don’t forget to set your Eventing Manager team! You can use code PCTD to join the Eventing Nation league, which will run all season long.

You can view the full Badminton entry list, which is up to date with withdrawals as they come in, here. We’ll also have our standard Form Guide and Ultimate Guide ready for your viewing this week, and you can get set up to watch if you’re not attending in person by purchasing a Badminton TV pass (or using your existing ClipMyHorse.TV membership).

MARS Badminton CCI5*: [Website] [Tickets] [Live Stream] [Entries] [Schedule] [CrossCountry App XC Maps] [EN’s Coverage]