Felix Vogg and Cartania on the precipice of a major win in what would be the final running of the MARS Maryland 5 Star (in its initial form) in 2025. Photo by Atalya Boytner Photography.
We knew the imminent future of the MARS Maryland 5 Star was in jeopardy early this year (and really, if you had an ear to the ground, earlier) when the sudden departure of Maryland 5 Star CEO Jeff Newman and other key members of the event’s show running team were announced. When no immediate replacement was named, it became clear that the event would only remain tenable for a short time, and action was needed expediently.
Unfortunately, we can now confirm that the CCI5*, for sure, will not be run in 2026. We would encourage you not to lose out on hope for the CCI3*-L — a sorely-needed offering on a calendar that would have just two CCI3*-Ls (Galway Downs at the end of October and TerraNova in mid-November) at the close of the year without the Maryland option — more on that soon.
Editor’s Note: The Fork at Tryon (September 10-13) has also added a CCI3*-L this year. The division is visible on the FEI calendar, but as of publication the USEA Omnibus hasn’t yet been updated.
“US Equestrian has been in regular communication with the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) to support their ongoing discussions surrounding the future viability of the Maryland 5 Star,” US Equestrian wrote in a statement sent on March 10 to media who had inquired about the status of the Maryland 5 Star. “The current licensee, the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, due to apparent financial concerns, will not host the CCI3*-L or CCI5*-L in 2026. US Equestrian is working with a new potential licensee for the CCI3*-L for 2026 and will share updates about the future possibilities for the CCI5*-L as soon as possible. The timeline and FEI requirements to host an event of this stature are published to support any efforts to pursue an application in the future.”
Editor’s Note: We have just published (on March 11) a press release issued by the Fair Hill Foundation indicating that plans ARE underway to host the CCI3*-L at Fair Hill in October as planned. The release can be viewed here, and more information will be shared in the coming days.
Here’s what we know:
What happened to the Maryland 5 Star?
Mia Farley and Phelps. Photo by Atalya Boytner Photography.
The picture remains murky. We know that CEO Jeff Newman departed from his position. Shortly after the change, Maryland Sports Commission (the entity over the Maryland Stadium Authority) Executive Director Terry Hasseltine was fired after 17 years in the position. Now, we don’t know if the two departures are related, and we won’t speculate. But it’s safe to say that the instability at the top of the leadership chain, coupled with other departures amongst the senior staff that were directly involved with the 5 Star, didn’t send a confidence-building signal.
Editor’s Note: We’ve corrected a statement in the previous paragraph that CEO Jeff Newman was let go; this was not the correct wording based on the statements available publicly.
Through direct conversations with service providers and other vendors involved with the 2025 event, we confirmed that (at least as of February) many had not yet received payment for their services. We also know that as recently as the start of March, work was being done to secure funding to pay these vendors. Eventing Nation was paid in advance of the event for our production of the 2025 Maryland 5 Star Official Digital Program (a contract we had held since the inception of the event), and had outlined in our agreement that payment was to be received up front (prompted by a history of delayed payments). I’ve confirmed that at least one other service provider had also insisted on payment up front due to similar concerns. We also confirmed that at least as of February 19, the maryland5star.us website was no longer active.
On top of THAT, we also opened up some budgetary documentation related to FY26 that indicated that an audit of the Maryland Stadium Authority’s budget yielded recommendations that the 5 Star’s state funding be eliminated. This recommendation comes after year over year decreases in state funding allotments given to the 5 Star — a result of overall cuts to the MSA’s Major Sports and Entertainment Event Program Fund, which would be where any state-supported funding would come from. Funding for this is directed from revenues earned from Maryland State Lottery sales. The recommended cuts do not appear to be performance-based (at least, according to the information we have viewed); the stated reason for the deletion recommendation had to do with ongoing events from crowding out new applicants for funding.
Excerpt taken from the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget – Response to Department of Legislative Services Analysis. Click/tap the image to open the full document.
To be clear, the Maryland Stadium Authority DID go to bat for the 5 Star. After the aforementioned analysis recommended the deletion of grant funding for the 5 Star, the MSA included key details about the economic impact of the event in its FY27 Operating Budget memo, which can be viewed in full here.
“The recommendation for the reduction in the Major Sports and Entertainment Event Program Fund from $10 million to $5 million annually and deletion of funding to the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill would present significant challenges in the attraction, promotion, retention and development of regional, national and international sporting events for reasons provided in the letter by the Maryland Sports Commission,” MSA wrote in the memo.
Below is a longer excerpt from the MSA’s budget memo:
Independent analysis conducted by Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics) demonstrates that the Maryland 5 Star is among the highest-impact recurring sporting events hosted in the State. The most recent economic impact study found that the event generated $11.6 million in direct statewide spending, resulting in $19.9 million in total business sales, supporting more than 100 full- and part-time jobs, and producing approximately $1.2 million in State tax revenue in a single year. More than 70% of attendees originate from outside Maryland, with a majority staying overnight, generating thousands of hotel room nights and sustained visitor spending across multiple days.
Beyond its statewide fiscal impact, the Maryland 5 Star is uniquely important to Cecil County, where it serves as a cornerstone tourism and economic development driver and reinforces Fair Hill’s role as a nationally significant special events venue. The event is hosted at the Fair Hill Special Event Zone, a Department of Natural Resources– owned property, and supports the State’s broader investment in the activation, stewardship, and appropriate use of public lands. Equestrian-related spending—including trainers, veterinarians, farriers, breeders, and support staff—extends the event’s economic benefits well beyond the competition weekend and directly supports Maryland’s equestrian and agricultural industries. Fastbreak AI and event impact modeling further indicate that the Maryland 5 Star functions as an anchor event, generating repeat visitation and providing significant international exposure and reputational value for Maryland through global participation, media coverage, and broadcast distribution, while strengthening the State’s position within the global equestrian community as one of only a limited number of FEI Five-Star competitions worldwide.
Removing the Maryland 5 Star from eligibility would not greatly expand access for new applicants but would instead weaken an established event that consistently delivers demonstrable State and local returns, international visibility and reputational value, and sustained economic activity. Maintaining the Maryland 5 Star within the MSEEPF framework preserves continuity for a proven, high-performing event while maintaining flexibility to support emerging opportunities.
Now, we know that the 5* division in particular struggled with entries. Again, it’s hard to speculate on the specific reasons why, but there was no one primary factor. The dates typically conflict with Le Lion d’Angers’ Young Horse World Championships in France — a popular stop for European-based riders — and travel to the U.S. is expensive at all times. France also hosts a 5* at Pau at the end of October, so most of the European riders will go there. Maryland had also earned a reputation of being very tough — on par with the Burghleys of the world in terms of terrain — and therefore, not for just any horse. There are more reasons I’ve been told, but that’s probably the list of most commonly heard.
Will it come back at some point? What about the CCI3*-L?
Isabelle Bosley and Conner won the 2025 MARS Maryland 5 Star CCI3*-L on their dressage score of 24.8 penalties.
Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography
Also unclear. Right now, there is no current license-holder for the 5* or the 3*. We do know that the 3* still has a chance of running this year — potentially still on the same property or nearby, on the same dates — because there are some organizing actions being taken that haven’t yet been made public, and the USEF’s statement seems to confirm that talks are in the works. We’ll keep our ear to the ground on that.
Could the 3* simply move to a new venue this year? Absolutely — but the question is where. Taking on a new FEI Long format is no small task, and not every event would be theoretically willing to assume the burden and risk for one year. That’s just one take, but I think it’s important to remember that you can’t just…pick an FEI event up and move it down the street. But again: movement must happen soon for an October event to be possible, and riders need to plan their seasons. An update on the 3* should be expected sooner rather than later with that context in mind.
Now the 5* is a little more uncertain. Again, we’ve definitely HEARD things about various parties being involved in ensuring the 5 Star returns to Maryland, but we don’t generally like to base full reports off of things we just hear. I could also see a scenario in which an entirely fresh bid for the fall North American 5* is opened back up, but we’ll have to see what happens in the coming weeks and months. Even for 2027, movement must be made soon to ensure success. Information on organizing requirements for a CCI5* can be found in Annex 79 of the FEI Eventing Rules here.
What about the USEA Young Event Horse Championships?
Madison Temkin and Fernhill Bertus. USEA/Meagan DeLisle photo
I called up USEA CEO Rob Burk today to ask what he could tell me about YEH. Now, YEH is slightly “easier” to move. It’s not beholden to the same regulations as the other divisions. The East Coast Championships have been held at Maryland or, before that, Fair Hill, for well over a decade — save one move during 2020 and the tail end of the pandemic year when it was relocated to Virginia Horse Center.
“Our board makes the final decision, but we have a commitment to Fair Hill as they’ve shown us the same,” Rob said. “We know there would be a couple of other venues who would be eager and willing to host it, so we know there will be options. We’re prepared to move if necessary, but we are committed to holding it on the same dates at the same venue, if that is possible.”
Essentially, if the 3* finds a new licensee and is able to secure the location and dates, both that and the YEH East Coast Championships will take place in tandem, as usual. If the 3* does not happen at Maryland, there’s a good chance YEH would also move.
So, that’s where we are. We’ll of course be keeping an eye on this ever-developing story and as we are able to confirm things or as updates are available for public record, we will keep you updated.
I would also like to say a thank you to the team at the Maryland 5 Star. While we did experience logistical hurdles in the five years we worked with the event, this was not the fault of the individuals who dedicated their time and energy to making the event as successful as it could be. My earlier note about delayed payments would be unfair if it implied that the staff themselves were problematic — because they weren’t. I can’t speak to the larger inner workings of the financial picture, but what I did see was a small team of hardworking people who wanted the event to succeed more than anyone else.
We, as media, always had the best experience at Maryland. We were well-fed, had a work space that was well-placed on the grounds, and had transportation available to us to get to and from cross country and the mixed zone. The course builders always invited us to their crab party (not THAT kind of crab, get out of here with that train of thought) the week of the event (even though we were usually working too late to get to attend). We always agreed that Maryland was truly our favorite way to “end” (sort of) our coverage season, and we will miss it sorely. We all hope this event can continue in some form, but we will always fondly remember those five years with the team that got the event off the ground.
Go Eventing.
