Bec Braitling and Caravaggio II winning the CCI4*-S at the 2022 Twin Rivers Fall International. Ride On Photo.
Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, CA, is gearing up for its largest FEI event ever with the 2025 Twin Rivers Spring International taking place April 10-13. There are 73 entries across the CCI4*-S, CCI3*-L, CCI3*-S, CCI2*-L, CCI2*-S, and CCI1*-L levels. National levels will go from Beginner Novice up to Intermediate.
Twin Rivers Ranch has offered the FEI levels of eventing since 2005. The Twin Rivers Spring International has taken on national significance as many of the West Coast’s top riders use it as their final tune-up before traveling to top competitions on the East Coast.
The CCI4*-S at Twin Rivers represents a qualifier in the US Equestrian Open of Eventing leading up to the $200,000 finals at Morven in Virginia on October 9-12. Seven of the 11 horses are entered at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event on April 24-27. Caravaggio II and Bec Braitling and Karma and James Alliston are aiming for the CCI5*-L after both horses made their 5* debuts in Kentucky in 2024.
Braitling, who represents Australia internationally and is based at Twin Rivers, is coming off a victory with Arnell Sporthorses’ 14-year-old black British Sport Horse gelding (Vangelis-S x Courtesan) in the CCI4*-S at the 2025 Galway Downs International H.T. in Temecula, California. She and “Ernie” won the level at the 2022 Twin Rivers Fall International.
“It’s nice to know you’ve done one [five-star] on him, so you know the horse can go jump the fences and go the distance,” Braitling said, looking ahead to a return to Kentucky, where they finished in the top-20 in 2024. “My goal this time would be to go a little quicker. Ultimately, it’s building on every year you hope you do a little better test.”
The popular pair have clicked in the jumping phases ever since their first competition at Training in 2019. They’ve never incurred jumping faults on cross-country in the United States. Their dressage score of 30.4 at Galway was their best in an FEI event in more than five years.
“He’s on the whole a lot better,” Braitling said. “He got a change at Galway, and it’s the best he’s ever felt on the flat for me. So, that’s kinda cool.”
James Alliston and Karma winning the CCI4*-S at the 2023 Twin Rivers Fall International. Ride On Photo.
Alliston and Karma, an 11-year-old bay Oldenburg mare (Escudo II x Travita), have become fixtures at top events and have represented the United States around the world. After 4* wins at The Event at Rebecca Farm in Montana and at the Twin Rivers Fall International in 2023, they were 14th in the CCIO4*-NC-L at Boekelo in the Netherlands at the end of 2023. Then in 2024, they were 12th in their CCI5*-L debut in Kentucky and ninth in the CCIO4*-S at Aachen in Germany. They had zero jumping penalties in cross-country and show jumping in each of these competitions.
“Last year, she tied up at the start of the week in Kentucky, so she really wasn’t feeling fantastic,” Alliston said. “If I get her into cross-country day a little bit healthier, I think she’ll gallop better because she’s such a fast horse and good galloper. She definitely wasn’t feeling great, so I had to go a little slower with her last year, but she still did it very well. I’m hoping if she’s feeling well, we can fly, I hope.”
Alliston has won the last four 4* competitions held at Twin Rivers. In addition to Karma, he has three other mounts at the level—Cora, Irish Pop, and Paper Jam. Among that trio, as well as Nemesis, who is entered at Intermediate at Twin Rivers, Alliston will choose which two horses he will take to the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S.
“It’s always a balance,” Alliston said. “I have a lot of Advanced horses right now, which is amazing, and you want to use them.”
James Alliston and Paper Jam winning the CCI4*-S at the 2024 Twin Rivers Spring International. Ride On Photo.
Paper Jam won the 4* at this event last year, and this will be his first event since. With his age and experience, including competing in the Kentucky 5* in 2022, Alliston said he’s been picking his spots with the 16-year-old chestnut Hanoverian gelding (Paparazzo x Reely Jamin).
Cora, a big 10-year-old bay Oldenburg mare (Commissario x La-Montana), won the CCI4*-S at the 2024 Twin Rivers Fall International. Kentucky would be her first event outside California, and that would also be the case for Irish Pop, a 13-year-old bay Hanoverian gelding (Inliner x Norma Jean), who is making his 4* debut at Twin Rivers.
This will be the first event for Nemesis since the chestnut Canadian Warmblood gelding (Novalis x Sara’s Muse) competed as the youngest horse in the Kentucky 5* field in 2023 at 9 years old. He won the CCI4*-S at the 2023 Twin Rivers Spring International.
As far as how he’ll choose his duo for the Kentucky 4*, Alliston said, “You do what suits the horse. I know sort of which horses are the fastest. For the four-short in Kentucky, the time is very influential, so you need some speed there. I know the ranking of speed of those four horses. Nemesis has a ton of experience and he’s done Kentucky well. If he’s healthy, he’s probably my number one.”
Molly Duda and Disco Traveler. Photo: Ride On Photo
Also aiming for Kentucky in the CCI4*-S are:
• Molly Duda and her 15-year-old bay Oldenburg gelding Disco Traveler (Donatelli x Cadence), winners of two 4* competitions in California in 2024 who also represented the United States overseas as part of the U.S. Eventing European Development Tour
• Tamie Smith, the 2023 Kentucky 5* heroine, and the Kynan Sydicate’s 10-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood gelding Kynan (Envoy x Danieta), two-time 3* winners in 2024 that are now back competing at 4*
The CCI3*-S at the 2025 Twin Rivers Spring International is a who’s who of West Coast eventing prospects.
Tommy Greengard and his 11-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood gelding Joshuay MBF (Foreign Affair x Fernacchy MBF) are using the CCI3*-S at Twin Rivers to prep for the CCI4*-S at Kentucky. They won the CCI4*-S at the 2023 Woodside Fall International in Woodside, California, and are in the midst of a comeback after missing the 2024 competition season.
Greengard also has That’s Me Z, whom he co-owns Andrea Pfeiffer, at Intermediate ahead of the Kentucky 4*. He and the chestnut Zangersheide gelding (Take a Chance On Me Z x Veneita) represented the United States in the 7-year-old world breeding championships at Le Lion in France.
Tommy Greengard and That’s Me Z. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
Also in the three-short at Twin Rivers, Gabriella Ringer and Get Wild are back at the venue where they made their debut in 2018 when the rider was 14 and the dark bay Dutch Warmblood gelding (Plot-Blue x Cantana) was 6. They won the CCI2*-L at this event last year and then two more 2*s in 2024.
Andrea Baxter, whose first FEI event at her homebase of Twin Rivers came in 2006, has a pair of 7-year-olds, Camelot PJ and The Big Easy. They both made big impressions at the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships held at Twin Rivers in 2023. Camelot PJ (Colman x Hauptstutbuch Evita) won the 5-year-old championship. The Big Easy (Mr Lincoln B x PLS Hippo Q) won the Safe Harbor Award given to the 5-year-old with the most graceful and rider friendly performance throughout the competition.
“I love the personality of all of them so much that I can’t imagine replacing their desire to work and learn and please and their personal interest in the sport,” Baxter said. “Right now, they’re young and still developing, and much as I want them to come home with better ribbons, their performance is so going in the right direction that they’ll be hard to beat in the future. But right now, I’ve got to take my time and not rush them and let them develop in their own time.”
The 2024 5-year-old YEH West Coast champion, Only-Else (Idrigill x Kapry-Else), is entered in the CCI1*-L in the bay Irish Sport Horse mare’s FEI debut.
The 2025 Twin Rivers Spring International will shine a wide spotlight—from young prospects to seasoned veterans.
“That’s just exciting for California to be developing so many nice horses,” Baxter said.
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