Lisa Marie Fergusson and Honor Me. Photo by Erin Gilmore Photography.
A staple of the local equestrian community, the fields of Loch Moy Farm are covered in hoofprints of all shapes and sizes. From the local pony clubber who puts off their homework so they can attend the Twilight Eventing series to six-time Olympian Phillip Dutton, the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm welcomes everyone.
This iconic venue is stepping into the big leagues with its launch of the Maryland International, now in its second year. At its heart, however, it remains a supporter of the underdog. From the Maryland International Equestrian Foundation to its close ties to the Maryland Horse Council to the plethora of affordable lower level events held on property, Carolyn Mackintosh does a lot to support horse sport from the bottom up.
Perhaps it’s fitting then that the winner of this year’s Maryland International is a horse from humble beginnings who started off the weekend in ninth place before leaping into the first place slot. Lisa Marie Fergusson and her long-time partner Honor Me (Brynarian Brenin AP Maldwyn x Dream Contessa, by Royal Chocolate) have been competing at the CCI4* level since 2014, making this their 33rd 4* completion. At 18 years young, the Thoroughbred/Welsh Cob cross galloped through the flags with 34 time penalties and no obstacle faults for a well-earned first place finish– “Tali’s” first at the level.
“I went here last year for the four star and I loved it,” Lisa Marie said. “I like having one at such a lovely facility. They run it so well, the people are so nice. I went down here mostly because I wanted to run my young horse, Trinity ThankQ, around an Ian course because I’m thinking of doing the 3*-L at Maryland. I thought, well if I’m going for him, I might as well throw Tali on the trailer. And he was a really good boy. Tali can do whatever Tali wants, he can just cruise around at whatever speed he wants, I can just smile and jump around.”
After such a long career, Lisa Marie says she has no big plans for Tali. Instead, she’s just enjoying every ride for as long as she can. “He’s been at the 5* level for 8 years now I think,” Lisa Marie said. “I guess I’ll keep playing with shorts and see what he wants to do. This year he was really naughty at Chatt Hills in the spring so I didn’t let him run the cross country and he was very mad. I took him to Stable View after that and I don’t think I could stop him for the first 10 fences. But he’s not a horse I’m ever going to push for time. I’m just going to enjoy him. At this point, it’s all just gravy. Most other horses are retired at his age, but I’ve slowed down his work a little, and he’ll still try to run off with me, so I guess he’s not retired yet.”
Lisa Marie has worked out a schedule that suits all of Tali’s needs, physically and mentally. “I think the biggest thing is that he’s turned out with friends every night in a big 5 acre field,” Lisa Marie said. “He’s allowed to be a horse and I think that’s helped him physically and mentally. The other thing is I try and take him out to hack or gallop twice a week. He just needs to get the piss and vinegar out. We minimally dressage. I jump him sometimes once a week, sometimes not at all. I just try and let his body tell me what he wants to do, and have fun.”
“He’s half pony, he’s too stubborn to be lame,” she adds.
You’ll notice one thing missing from Tali’s schedule– cross country schooling. According to Lisa Marie, cross country schooling is the one thing that she cannot add to his weekly routine. As a matter of fact, today was his first time seeing cross country fences since the Kentucky Three Day Event. “I never school him cross country because he is such an orangutan that I don’t get a say. At his age, he knows his job,” she said. “Tali is like riding a very opinionated mare. You can’t tell him anything. You can’t demand anything. You just have to ask him what you’d like to do and hope he takes it into consideration. It taught me how to ride how HE needs to be ridden, rather than how I want him to go. And, his way is better. It’s worked for us for a long time.”
Tali and Lisa Marie’s story is a nice reminder that you don’t have to purchase a six-figure warmblood to succeed in this sport. Sometimes you just need a partnership with a horse you believe in.
“Not everyone can afford to buy those big fancy movers. Today showed that every once in a while the cross country will make or break you. It was nice to have a horse that’s never been that solid in dressage, but who is a strong cross country horse. Today, it paid off,” Lisa Marie said. “Tali teaches you not to take yourself too seriously. He’s a good reminder that you don’t need some fancy import to do the job. He is a Welsh/Thoroughbred cross bred by a lady I went to Pony Club with. He is all heart and adrenaline and he managed to do it. He was bred to do nothing. I hope that I’m lucky enough to have another cross country horse as good as he is and to have another horse with the longevity he has.”
Courtney Cooper and her homebred R River Star (Riverman x R Star, by R Johnson) claimed second place with a score of 78.5. Bred by Courtney and owned by the rider and Neal Camens, 2024 marks “River’s” first season competing at the level. So far, the Dutch/Holsteiner/Irish Sport Horse cross completed the spring 4* at Tryon Equestrian Center in May.
“He was super. I was really, really proud of him,” Courtney said. “We always had a feeling he was special. He won the Young Event Horse Championships as a four year old, but he has a bit of a challenging temperament, and so the move up to advanced has not been as easy as one would hope. But I feel like he’s just starting to put all the pieces together, which is exciting.”
While River is starting to step into his prime, the cross country course today was not without its exciting moments. Courtney was actually nominated for the Ride EquiSafe Best Save Award after a moment that really tested her “stickability” at the corner fence after the broken bridge. (Find out if she wins tomorrow!)
“There were some less than ideal moments,” Courtney said. “I tried a different bit/bridle with him at Bromont and it didn’t work at all. We went back to what I was using before, and it worked well today, so that was great. He was very honest.”
In third place, Jessica Phoenix swapped out yesterday’s leader, Tugce, for her Off the Track Thoroughbred, Aeronautics (Two Step Salsa x Satin and Silver, by Silver Ghost). “Nacho” raced 12 times under the name Silver Salsa, earning $4,458 before leaving track life at the end of his 2017 season.
Yet another underdog, Aeronautics started on a dressage score of 40.3 and was originally in 8th place at the end of day one before jumping up through the levels today to finish in third. The Maryland International was the 11-year-old gelding’s first attempt at the 4* level. He’s also a new partner for Jessie, as she first took the ride on the bay in 2023. His owner, Sarah Irving, produced him through the preliminary level and took him to his first FEI in 2021.
“I was so proud of him. He show jumped a beautiful round with just one rail down, and then definitely going into cross country, he is the horse you would want to be sitting on, especially with so many intricate lines and a lot of very influential combinations on the track,” Jessie said. “I was so happy with the way he handled everything. He stayed relaxed, really enjoyed it, and loved his time out there today.”
Next up, Jessie is aiming her newly minted 4* horse at Bromont in August. From there, she thinks the sky could be the limit for this Thoroughbred. “When I was cruising around on him today I was just dreaming of doing Badminton or Burghley on him. He just feels like that class and quality of horse.”
The competitors had their moment in the sun today – literally. With temperatures hitting nearly 100 degrees, riders worked hard to keep their horses cool, taking advantage of a cooling tent by the show jumping warm-up and another at the vet box.
“The heat has been unbearable for a long time and luckily, our horses have been training in it, so they’re used to it. But it was nice to have the schedule where the four star horses went first and got done with,” Courtney said. “I have to give a really big shout out to Carolyn Mackintosh and her whole crew for working the ground and doing everything they can to keep people hydrated and making it the best they can with the cooling area and the courses and everything. The volunteers were just absolutely amazing.”
Two words were used repeatedly by riders at levels to describe the courses designed by Ian Stark and Andrew Heffernan at Loch Moy Farm: twisty and turny. Second place finisher Courtney felt that while there are no long and lasting hills here at Loch Moy Farm, like you might find at Morven Park and Fair Hill, Ian used the terrain available to him well, creating a veritable roller coaster of a course.
“Even though Maryland doesn’t have big sweeping hills, there was a lot of terrain out there. A lot of height, changes in height and size and use of terrain,” Courtney said. “I thought the show jumping course was up to snuff. It was a full height course, and it created enough challenges. Chris Barnard always does a really nice job with his courses.”
In Jessie’s opinion, the 4* course was testing horses and riders pretty much right from the start. “I did think that the combination at fence four was quite challenging and then that coffin– that was among the hardest coffins on a four star track, aside from Kentucky. That really sets people apart. And then I thought the combination at the water was actually a very interesting combination, the up-bank, bounce, and then the one stride down over the log and out through the skinny. That’s quite challenging,” Jessie said.
Rumor has it that course designer Ian Stark is retiring at the end of the 2024 season. Actually, he’s confirmed that rumor, but I’m still holding out hope. The fact that this may be Ian’s last time ever designing a course for the Maryland International made the competition that much more special.
“He’s just such a gifted course designer,” Jessie said. “He has such an incredible way of making sure that we’re giving 100 percent all the way around, and if you do, you’ll really feel like you have learned something and that you’re getting better and better. So I’m really thankful I was here.”
Between the heat and the tight turns on course, not a single 4* rider made the optimum time. On average, each rider had roughly 30 time faults. Two riders withdrew prior to cross country, Jessica Phoenix withdrew her lead horse Tugce, while Hannah Sue Hollberg withdrew Carsonstown.
Jessie withdrew Tugce after show jumping for a variety of reasons, especially due to the heat. “Tugce has already got her qualifying score in a four star short and since I made the Olympic team, I just didn’t want to take any chances,” Jessie said. “Honestly, we ran them so quickly that when I finished cooling down Nacho, I just felt like I needed to go sit down somewhere out of the heat and that perhaps, as hard as it was, it was not a good idea for me to run another horse around the course out there. I think I made the right decision. It’s always so hard to scratch when they’re winning.”
The rolling hills of Loch Moy Farm are playing host to the Maryland International, Maryland Horse Trials, and USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships this weekend. Through all the hustle and bustle of a big competition weekend, the historic venue has managed to maintain what is perhaps its biggest strength: the kindness of its people. Young riders brought infectious enthusiasm to the competition, while Loch Moy’s volunteers had a smile for everyone who came their way.
As the riders competing in the USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships head into their final phase tomorrow, I hope they’ll remember these words from 4* winner Lisa Marie. “Go out and remember that you do this for fun, go out and enjoy the moment and have a sense of humor. Focus on getting a little bit better and keep chipping away.”
Top Quotes from FEI Division Winners
CCI3*-S: Kim Severson and Cooley Corraghy Diamond (42.1)
“He is a half brother to [Severson’s former 4* horse, Cooley Cross Border]. I saw him a couple years ago as a three year old coming four at the Goresbridge sale. I asked Richard [Sheane of Cooley Farm] to go and look at him and see what he thought. He wasn’t really sure. He was slow to have his technique get going, but after he’d had him a month or so, Richard said ‘ok he gets a ticket.’ So Bill and Ros Johnson own him with me. He’s a very sensitive horse and very introspective. He’s not an out there, go get it horse. You kind of have to let him come to you. He sort of needs time. So his history is just him needing time, but once he got going, off you go and he’s really good. So we’ve just been bringing him along slowly as you do.”
CCI2*-S: Katherine Maroko and Redfield Champion (40.7)
“He’s so talented and smart, it’s just been getting to know him and figuring out what works for him. We moved up to Prelim at Fair Hill and we’ve been working on smoothing things out, but we’re starting to figure each other out and he is so enjoyable and clever. I’ve been working a lot with my coaches, Hannah Sue Hollberg and Matt Hollberg, on having a really established canter [in the show jumping] so even if we get a bad stride or come to it poorly, the horse is still capable of jumping out of that. We’re always working on giving him the best chance to jump no matter how we end up at the jump. I definitely did not expect to finish where we did in such a competitive division, but now with this result I think we’ll aim for the Prelim Championships at AEC.”
CCI1*-S: Valerie Pride and Kiss My Jambo M (33.9)
“It was fun coming to this event and supporting it. It’s amazing what they’ve done at the Maryland International and it was fun because the 1* is still appropriately challenging until he gets a little stronger, so the rest of this season he might do a fall 2*. He’s done a 2*-Long before with his former rider, but it’s kind of about getting him to be my horse and doing 2* in a way that’s going to be a sequential to step up to 3*. I think it’s worth taking the time producing horses. I think I’ve gotten older and wiser and realized you can go and win some 1*s while he’s gaining experience and strength. He’s a really exciting horse for the future.”
Looking to the USEF Young Riders Championship, the scramble team made up of Areas 1, 3 and 7 are currently leading the CCIYRC3*-S after cross country on a team score of 1124.1. All Young Rider divisions will wrap up their competition on Sunday with show jumping.
CCIYRC3*-S Individual Leader: Megane Suave (CAN) and Nuance (42.9)
“I think when you walked [the cross country track], it could look a bit tricky, and then when you got into it if you were riding positively it worked out great and was still super safe and nice for horses to go around it. Nuance is actually my first horse, so I got her six years ago now. So we’ve done all of our firsts together from the first pre-Training level to the first Intermediate to now [the first] three-star course, so it’s just so fun to know that she can do it. She still feels like she’s on a mission – she gets out of the start box like ‘okay, Mom, we’re going!’ just like she did when we were going through Training. And I just, I love this little girl and we’re hoping to go maybe Advanced in the next few years and I’m just really proud of our progress together.”
In the 2*-S Young Rider division, a mixed team of Areas 1, 5, and 3 currently hold the lead on collective score of 103.7.
CCIYRC2*-S Individual Leader: Annabelle Sprague and Da Vinci Code (26.4)
“Ontario is a small group of us, but it’s really good to know each other in the past few days and it feels more like a family just coming together and traveling distance. And then this is my first Young Riders and I think the team here in Maryland has done a great job of giving that team atmosphere and making it feel really sophisticated and formal. And I think it’s just like a really good experience for all of us.”
Area 2 leads the CCIYRC1*-S with a team score of 103.6.
CCIYRC1*-S Individual Leader: Berkley Gardner and In Vogue (29.8)
“I got my horse only a few months ago. With my last horse, she was small and I did one-stars with her but we kind of got to the peak of her abilities. So we decided to move on because I’m only going to ride for another year, so we really kind of wanted to get something that I could do what I wanted to get done. She’s so sweet and she’s so amazing. She’s so willing to build a connection with me and I feel like we already have a connection even just a few months so every time I get out and ride her I’m excited to test our connection and so far she’s been just amazing with everything.”
CCI3*-S Winners:
First place – Kim Severson & Cooley Corraghy Diamond
Second place – Phillip Dutton & Possante
Third place – Jessica Phoenix & Obeah Dancer
CCI3*-S USEF Eventing YRC Leaders:
First place – Megane Suave & Nuance
Second place – Lizzie Hoff & HSH Limited Edition
Third place – Caitlin O’Roark & What The Devil
CCI3*-S USEF Eventing YRC Leading Team:
Rebecca Roth & Chapter Two
Lizzie Hoff & HSH Limited Edition
Elizabeth Gill & Opportunity Knoxx
CCI2*-S Winners:
First place – Katherine Maroko & Redfield Champion
Second place – William Coleman & Box Como
Third place – Kristine Burgess & KBS Curious Quality
CCI2*-S USEF Eventing YRC Leaders:
First place – Annabelle Sprague & Da Vinci Code
Second place – Saffron Klotz & Ballingowan Clarity
Third place – Audrey Ogan & Always Cooley
CCI2*-S USEF Eventing YRC Leading Team:
Addison Craig & OT Bandini
Annabelle Sprague & Da Vinci Code
Audrey Littlefield & Mr. Pumpkin
Chloe Paddack & Hawthornstud Fortunate Love
CCI1*-S Winners:
First place – Valerie Pride & Kiss My Jambo M
Second place – Elizabeth Swire & Jag’Fly JS
Third place – Kristi Foresman & RevitaVet Perkunos
CCI1*-S USEF Eventing YRC Leaders:
First place – Berkley Gardner & In Vogue
Second place – Catherine Purcell & Mystic Hazzard
Third place – Katelyn Smith & HSH Henry
CCI1*-S USEF Eventing YRC Leading Team:
Berkley Gardner & In Vogue
Claire Allen & Crazy Choice
Leeci Rowsell & Man of Conviction
Sophia Stolley & BWE Stopping Waves
EN’s coverage of The Maryland International is brought to you with support from Ride EquiSafe, who will also be giving away an award for the Best Save this weekend! Be sure to submit your nomination here.
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