Classic Eventing Nation

Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

It was a banner weekend for Canadian eventing, with home riders taking top honours at August Bromont while a recent Bromont champion also delivered on the world stage. Just two months after winning the MARS Bromont CCI4*-L, Lauren Nicholson and Ms. Jacqueline Mars’ Larcot Z claimed victory at the Arville CCIO4*-S in Belgium, besting a world-class field and underscoring Bromont’s role as a launchpad for future success.

That same pathway to progression was on display again at the August International, where Bromont once more proved its value as a key stop for riders preparing for fall campaigns. 

In the Kingsleigh Equine CCI4*-S, Canada’s Lindsay Traisnel piloted Patricia Pearce’s Bacyrouge to the win after jumping clear on cross-country. Adding 10 time penalties, the Pan American Games team and individual medalist (2023) secured victory on a final score of 42.7 — using Bromont as the perfect stepping stone toward her next big goal, the MARS Maryland 5 Star in October.

“Honestly, I just really wanted to give him a good ride,” Traisnel said. “What really motivates me is to have a really good round. I’m probably not always competitive enough, so I just love giving him a good ride and having a good round. [The fact I was in the lead] didn’t really change my ride today.”

Traisnel, who brought “Dreamy” back to Canada after finding him in France when she resided there, only has one upper-level horse competing. While many of her colleagues have a string of horses, Traisnel says she relies on her trust and partnership with her horse to keep her instincts sharp without over-running him at events.

“I just…I really trust him,” she said. “I haven’t really run a four-star since March, so I looked at some old videos, like, ‘Yeah, I do know how to do this!’ And when I start jumping him in the warm-up, he’s always great. So I remember, ‘Oh, he’s got a huge jump. We’re good!’

It was Canada also on the second step of the podium as Kendal Lehari finished second in come-from-behind fashion with her own Thoroughbred gelding, Mitchell. Lehari made steady progress up the levels, tying with Buck Davidson in the first two phases and breaking the tie today with a quicker turn of foot on cross-country. This marks the best finish in the 10-year-old gelding’s four-star career; he had previously competed in Belgium at Arville as well as at TerraNova, and was sixth in the CCI3*-L here at MARS Bromont in June to set up up to step back to this level. Lehari and Mitchell finished their weekend on a score of 45.8.

Finishing third in the Kingsleigh Equine CCI4*-S are Buck Davidson and Sorocaima, an off-track Thoroughbred gelding, on a score of 51.8.

Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Boyd Martin continued his solid weekend on cross-country, piloting Ocala Horse Properties’ Shanroe Cooley to the eventual CCI3*-S win on a score of 29.5 after adding 3.6 time penalties as the quickest round of the division. Martin had expressed his plans to be slightly more conservative on his other, more experienced horses as they set up for their various fall destinations. However, with “Dallas,” he planned to “let ‘er rip” a bit more to get a feel for where the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding was in his fitness and training.

“It’s the first time I sort of opened him up a little bit, and for a big horse, he’s actually got a big step,” Martin said. “I was impressed with his galloping ability because I thought he might be slow, but he’s not. I’m very, very pleased with him.”

“Obviously, it’s one of Liz’s champion horses, and it’s just a real honor and privilege,” Martin said. He has taken the reins on both Shanroe Cooley as well as Miks Master C (owned by Ocala Horse Properties and Debby Palmer), who was ninth in this division, while Olympic rider Liz Halliday continues her recovery from a traumatic brain injury sustained in a fall last summer. For Martin, the intervening months have been dedicated to building a partnership with these horses, which isn’t a simple task.

“I have to say, they’re beautifully trained horses,” he continued. “Me and Liz were always sort of ‘rivals’ at the competitions, but I admire [her]—with all her horses, they know their job. Even if you’re not quite perfect to some of the accuracy fences, they fight for you and jump through the fences, which is a credit to Liz’s training.”

Martin’s first plan is to qualify Shanroe Cooley for a CCI4*-L later this fall, and is tentatively aiming for the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park in October.

Boyd Martin and Luke 140. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The FEI World #4 also claimed third place in the CCI3*-S with the Luke 140 Syndicate’s Luke 140, who ran more conservatively as he prepares for the MARS Maryland 5 Star and accumulated 13.2 time penalties to relinquish his lead.

“He’s an older horse but a difficult horse to ride, so I wanted to put him in a slightly easier class and just work a bit on his rideability and balance,” Martin elaborated. “Plus, the jumps are a bit smaller and a little nicer on his legs. He could do really well at Maryland if I play my cards right and all the stars align. So it’s just trying to keep him fit, sound, and dialed in to strike at Maryland 5 Star.”

Will Coleman and Honest Man. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Will Coleman picked up the CCI2*-S win today with the Honest Man Group’s Honest Man, a 7-year-old Belgian gelding with whom Coleman has been partnered with for just about a year. Last August, Coleman brought Honest Man to August Bromont for his first event stateside, finishing third in the CCI1*-S. Now, Coleman feels confident that this young talent is nearing readiness to move up to the Intermediate and three-star level.

“He’s come a long way in a year,” Coleman said. “He’s still got a long way to go, but I was pretty pleased with him this weekend overall. He’s just kind of, I think, getting close to taking a step forward, maybe to the Intermediate level, and this was a great way to sort of see where we’re at.”

Coleman echoed the sentiment of using Bromont’s up-to-standard courses to build up his string for the top levels. “The courses are always first class. I think that’s a big reason why a lot of us like to come here—it gives us a great read on where we are, our horses for each level.”

Maddie Hale and Shanbeg Legacy. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Maddie Hale retained her lead to win the U25 CCI2*-S division, riding her newest partner, Shanbeg Legacy, to a double clear cross-country round to remain on a score of 31.1. Just four riders across FEI divisions made the optimum time, and Hale can proudly count herself as one of them.

“I found that [the cross-country] rode very forward,” Hale said. “Walking, it felt a bit big, but then riding, it felt quite forward and he found it quite easy to jump everything. It was a bit spooky in places, but I think everything was set up really nicely to set them up going through the course.”

Hale is using this event to set herself up for a CCI2*-L later on this fall.

Bradley Champagne and Excel Star Bravo 2. Photo by Cealy Tetley.

Once more, Canada topped the podium in the CCI1*-S, with Bradley Champagne taking the victory aboard his own Excel Star Bravo 2 on a score of 29.2 and becoming one of just two competitors finishing on their dressage score. Champagne, who works full-time for Boyd Martin starting young horses, credits both that experience and his partnership with “Bravo” to secure the 6-year-old Irish gelding’s first FEI win in as many starts.

“I’ve had him since he was a three-year-old. He wasn’t easy!” Champagne said. “It took him until he was about five and a half to stop blindly spooking at everything. At first, it was a bit of a headache. I was thinking, ‘What have I done? Have I taken on more than I can handle?’ But I took my time, kept it easy, and it’s all paid off.”

“I honestly couldn’t have done it without that tool of training [young horses],” he continued. “Like I said, he was very difficult as a three- and four-year-old. Boyd basically said, ‘Yes, he is difficult, but just go back to your basics and what you know.’ That helped me give him a moment to take a breath. It was up and down for the first couple of years, but now he’s settled. Hopefully—knock on wood—he’ll just keep getting better.”

Bromont also hosted riders competing at the national EV100 level, and Canadian Olympian Selena O’Hanlon took the win aboard Kevin Tallman’s Castlequarter Bobbie D, steadily moving up after beginning the weekend in third place to finish on their dressage score of 27.8.

Bromont would like to thank the competitors, grooms, sponsors, officials, volunteers, staff, media and all who came out to spectate throughout the weekend. Many thanks in particular to Kingsleigh Equine for their support of the CCI4*-S. We look forward to welcoming eventing back to Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park in 2026 as the venue celebrates its 50th anniversary since hosting the 1976 Olympics. It will be a weekend not to be missed, so watch out for future communications as our date is finalized and we make preparations for what promises to be a stellar weekend of competition.

Bromont CCI-S H.T. (Canada): [Website] [Scores]