Classic Eventing Nation

Remembering The Foreman

By on Oct 25, 2025 9:00 am -

Phillip Dutton bade farewell to one of his legendary horses, The Foreman, this week. The Thoroughbred gelding was 29 and had been living out his retirement at Annie Jones’ (who owned the horse throughout his career) farm in Unionville.

The Foreman is a horse who needs little introduction to the knowing eventing fan. This incredible Thoroughbred came to Phillip as a racehorse named Four Across (Across the Field – Four Flora, by Quadratic) who’d won just about $7,000 in 21 starts and three seasons. He’d been bred and trained by William D. Sams, who later sold him to steeplechase trainer Bruce Fenwick. Bruce then offered the horse to Phillip, and the rest was somewhat history.

The Foreman proved to be trainable, though he proved to be on the sharper side, as Phillip tends to prefer, and he’d go on to finish second at both Rolex Kentucky and Burghley in 2005. He also won the old Fair Hill International 3*-L twice, in 2004 and 2007.

“Why he does it, I have no idea,” Annie Jones, who owned the horse from the outset for Phillip and even did some of his conditioning work, told The Chronicle of the Horse. “He’s a horse that somehow is tough and scrappy, and maybe that’s why Phillip likes him so much–he’s had to make it on his heart. He must have heart, and tremendous scope.”

Many people had a hand in keeping this barn “underdog” of sorts feeling his best to have the results he did, including but not limited to Sara Richardson, Joanie Morris, Emma Ford, Dr. Kevin Keane, Dave Kumpf. You can read a great profile on The Foreman, or “Chip” as he was known around the barn, here.

Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands

By on Oct 25, 2025 12:01 am -

Congratulations to Lillian Heard Wood and Ryan Wood on the arrival of their baby girl, Annabelle, who made a very timely appearance into the world just before the start of the US Open Final at Morven Park a couple of weeks ago.

Major International Events

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Horsepal]

U.S. Events This Weekend

YEH West Coast Championships & Last Chance Qualifier (CA): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores]

Waredaca Classic Three Day Event & H.T. (MD): [Website] [Entries/Times] [Scores] [Volunteer: Classic Three-Day] [Volunteer: H.T.]

Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. International (GA): [Website] [Entries/Times] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Windermere Run H.T. (MO): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Hitching Post Farm H.T. (SC): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Links & Reading

Jumping Lessons: Dealing with Mistakes

‘I bought her cheap on Facebook as a failed dressage horse’: five-star debutante conjures one of the leading tests at Pau

The Life of an International Horse Owner

Sponsor Corner: World Equestrian Brands

Congratulations to Amanda G., the winner of our Swiftie Beat the Buzzer Challenge at the MARS Maryland 5 Star! Amanda was the best of two rounds against 5* rider Zach Brandt and was first in line to receive our epic grand prize of a HeatSense Massage Pad from Equilibrium, available at World Equestrian Brands! If you’ve got FOMO, you can check the pad out here for yourself.

Video Break

A very cool throwback for one of our favorite Thoroughbreds, Artist:

Allez All Day for the Final Time this Season: Live Blog from the Cross Country at Les 5 Étoiles de Pau

By on Oct 24, 2025 5:43 pm -

Please do not feed the bear. Photo via CrossCountry App.

Well ENers, here we find ourselves, on the cusp of the final 5* cross country day of 2025 and it’s going to be a big one. There’s a hefty entry list for Les 5 Étoiles de Pau as eventers from nine different nations head to France for one last spin around the top level before the horses are let loose to grow their winter woolleys before it all starts again next season.

The field is filled to brimming with 5* stalwarts and first-timers alike, including five podium finishers tallying a total of 14 top placings between them: previous Pau winners Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera are back for another go at the crown; Oliver Townend will be hoping to add yet another accolade to his exceptional four-time champion Ballaghmor Class’s record; last year’s 3rd placed Tom McKewen and Brookfield Quality will be trying for a step up, or two; David Doel will be after some redemption for Galileo Nieuwmoed, and hoping to finally clinch that win, and Yasmin Ingham brings her best buddy Rehy DJ for a shot at another excellent result. We’ve also got a bunch of door knockers to look forward to, the likes of last year’s 4th place finishers Alex Hua Tian and Chicko, Emily King and Valmy Biats, Kylie Roddy and SRS Kan Do and Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious have all been tantalisingly close to those podium placings at 5* and are all in it to win it this week, for sure – watch this space. Flying the Stars and Stripes alongside Cosby, who’s at Pau doublehanded, are Tiana Coudray, also with two rides, Jennifer Caras, Emily Hamel, Boyd Martin, and Grace Taylor.

Get up to speed with the facts and form for every single combination coming forward in EN’s classic form guide which you’ll find right here and see when your favorites will be going here.

Before we get carried away with all things cross country, here’s a look at how things stand on the leaderboard following the dressage phase:

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Top of the class is Bubby Upton with her old pal Cannavaro, who produced the goods between the white boards and then some to sit on a score of 25.6, just 0.5 of a penalty ahead of the duo in second place – in cross country terms, that’s a single commenced second over the time.

2️⃣ 🇬🇧 Hot on their heels, in equal second, are last year’s podium placers Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality who were pretty much hoof perfect for a score of 26.1.

2️⃣ 🇬🇧 Sharing second spot is Oliver Townend with his superstar stalwart campaigner and multiple 5* winner Ballaghmor Class, who are also on 26.1.

4️⃣ 🇳🇿 Doing it for the Kiwis are Tim Price and Jarillo, who are just one second of cross country time behind on a score of 26.5.

🇺🇸 Best of the US is Grace Taylor and Game Changer, who are in 9th position on a score of 33.5 after a fabulous cross country round. Also on 33.5 is Boyd Martin with Cooley Nutcracker, who delivered an equally fabulous round, but being a little further from the time puts them in 10th.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

If you want to read how all that came about, you’re in need of our jam-packed dressage report: click here for all the dressage deets.

There’ll be “allez, allez, allezs” all around the track today as the French fans go wild with their eventing spirit. Take a look at what’s in store on the course today here and, as ever, we’ve wrangled the riders for their insights into the track – read their reactions here.

Kicking us off is Jonelle Price and previous Pau winner Grappa Nera. They’re due to leave the startbox at Midday CEST / 6am ET.

While we await the first countdown of the day, feast your eyes on all of EN’s Pau content here and mosey on along to our IG account for even more @goeventing.

Before get down to the serious business of eventing, a little ‘refresher’ on the no. 1 rule of following EN’s classic live blog: refresh, refresh, refresh – and all will be revealed.

via GIPHY

If you’re catching up with this later and are the type to like things in order, scroll ⬇️ and read ⬆️. If going backwards is more your jam, have at it.

For the last time this season, let’s go 5* eventing!

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EN is proud to welcome Horsepal onboard as the sponsor of our Pau coverage! Horsepal is a newly-launched heart rate monitor brought to you by Tom MacGuinness, founder of Horseware and an FEI eventer and endurance rider, who’s brought his decades of knowledge to practice in the design of Horsepal. You can now purchase Horsepal directly to the UK and Europe — learn more here.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Horsepal]

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10:25am

And that’s that. The last 5* cross country of 2025 has been and happened and we have a clubhouse leaderboard heading into tomorrow’s finale.

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Leader of the pack is Sarah Bullimore and her exciting young homebred Corimiro who stormed round the track clear inside the time to land on a score of 30, just 0.4 of a penalty clear of the rest of the field – that’s one second in show jumping terms for tomorrow.

2️⃣ 🇬🇧 Slipping one place to sit in second is Bubby Upton and her 18-year-old Cannavaro who had a great spin across the country, adding 4.8 time penalties for a score of 30.4.

3️⃣ 🇳🇿 Rounding out the rolling podium, are Tim Price and Jarillo who delivered a composed and totally pro round, adding 4.4 time penalties, to sit on a score of 30.9 heading into the final phase.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

Keep it locked onto EN for a full report – coming soon.

Thanks for coming along for the live blog ride ENers. It’s been a blast.

That’s over and out from me.

Allez eventing!

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10:15am

We’re into the final stages of the competition now.

Bubby’s close to home but, oh no. Fence 27 has caught her out again. She’s quick into and then through the combination and the stride doesn’t come up to the final element. The horse goes left, Bubby’s shot out of the side door. That’s so frustrating for her. But she’s straight up on her feet and has a good chance with Cannavaro tomorrow.

So Tim has the course to himself as he finishes up the cross country day for us. He opts for the long route at the big water complex at 21, taking absolutely no chances. He’s got some time in hand. He gets a really big jump off the drop at 22 and then straight through the flags at the B element. They get a perfect shot through the final water at 23, the strides a bit flat after the step out of the water but Tim scoops the horse up for the angled brush at 24.

Jonelle’s waiting at the finish line with the kids, watching on the big screen and ready to cheer Dad home.

Jarillo reaches for the final house at the treble combination at 27. Then it’s foot down and to the main arena. There’s a huge cheer. They’re steady through the final combination, the mushrooms at 29, the clock’s in the red. They clear the last and cross the line. 6.4 time penalties and into third. Jarillo looks very much within himself after his efforts. Another masterclass of riding and horsemanship from Mr Price and a great end to the day’s sport.

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10:09am

🇳🇿 FINAL COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TIM PRICE AND JARILLO

Dressage Score: 26.5
Place: 4th

🐴 5* Form: WD 2nd HI Kentucky 25, 9th Pau 24

Here we have it, the final combination of the day, and it’s a good’un. Sitting in 4th place after the dressage, Tim and Jarillo are here to play.

Tim takes a little pull at the second, just to be totally safe and taking no chances. They are incredible through the first combination at 4, quick and deliberate. They have the chance to go into the lead with a quick clear. Currently Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro are in top spot on 30. Jarillo’s really covering the ground as he gallops along the racetrack.

Jonelle comes into the main arena which is absolutely packed with cheering French fans. They cross the line with 7.2 time penalties. Another great round for Jonelle. What a fit woman she must be. Hats off to all the riders, but the ones who’ve piloted two, or even three, just wow. We salute you.

Bubby’s horse still looks super keen as they jump through the water complex at 21. They’re brave off the big drop at 22A and then clear to the B element. They’re neat up the step out of the water at 23 and Bubby reacts quickly to get the stride to the angled brush at 24, which is on a related distance.

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10:04am

🇬🇧 PENULTIMATE COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: BUBBY UPTON AND ITS COOLEY TIME

Dressage Score: 28.5
Place: 6th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Bubby’s back once more. She’s in second on with Cannavaro. We see her absolutely fly through the second water at 10. Bubby’s patting the horse to help him relax a bit, he goes along with his head up and just needs a bit of encouragement to settle into his round.

Boyd is nearing home now and has time on the clock as he motors into the main arena. He doesn’t take any chances over the final combination, adding time rather than risking a penalty. He crosses the line with 3.6 time penalties. That was truly a superb showing from both horse and rider all the way round.

Jonelle is also having a great ride. We see her off the big drop at 22, very brave down there and then straight as you like to the skinny at the B element.

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10am

🇳🇿 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: JONELLE PRICE AND HIARADO

Dressage Score: 30.3
Place: 12th=

🐴 5* Form: 15th Kentucky 25, 7th Pau 23

Jonelle’s back out now for the third time today. They’re quick over the first couple of fences. They fly the racecourse hedge at 13 and then gallop on along the track.

Boyd continues to go well, having to set up the horse a little more than he’d like perhaps at the combination at 16, he’s so keen. They see a super shot over the laurel hedge at 17. He sees a flier over the ditch and brush at 20 and then gets one of the rides of the day through the combination at 21, hoof perfect in just the sweet spot on the line through there. And then crouched low and away.

Meanwhile, Padraig is finishing with Lady Ophelia. We don’t get to see them, sadly, but they’ve had a great round. Just 4.4 time penalties for them.

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9:54am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: BOYD MARTIN AND COOLEY NUTCRACKER

Dressage Score: 29.9
Place: 10th

🐴 5* Form: 8th Kentucky 24

Just three more combinations to start after Boyd.

They get off to a confident start over the first couple of fences. The horse has got his ears pricked and they’re in a lovely rhythm straight away. They are brilliant through the water at 10, wasting not a second and on a very smooth curving line through there.

Padraig’s little mare is really digging deep for him, getting stuck in and trying her best. They’re clear through the big water complex at 21.

Cosby is very quick through the combination at 27. They get close but Cosby’s sitting up behind the movement and so they stay in balance. They’re close to the time as they come through the main arena. They take a real chance at the final fence, Highly Suspicious takes matters into his own hands somewhat. But they’re over and clear and just 2 time penalties to add. A cracking round from them.

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9:50am

🇮🇪 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: PADRAIG MCCARTHY AND LADY OPHELIA

Dressage Score: 35.7
Place: 43rd

🐴 5* Form: EL Burghley 24

Padraig now returns with the second of his two rides. The livestream’s focusing on Cosby bt he’s showing as clear through the water at 10.

Cosby is still having to set up at the fences as Highly Suspicious has got a proper pull on. The three strides are very short through the double of log piles at 16 but they make it happen. They fly the laurel hedge at 17 and then get a good shot at the open oxer at 18 before galloping on down the race track.

Tiana is about to finish, carrying that 20 and adding 14.8 time penalties. Great for her to finish after the unfortunate slip up on the flat on her first horse.

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9:46am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: COSBY GREEN AND HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS

Dressage Score: 33.3
Place: 32nd

🐴 5* Form: 4th Luhmühlen 25, EL Maryland 24

Cosby’s back with her second ride now after a great round earlier on today. The horse looks very strong at the start of the course and Cosby looks to have her hands full. They’re jumping brilliantly though and really motoring along as they come through the first water at 8.

Tiana’s close to the two skinny log piles at 16 but again, the horse has such a neat jump that it’s not a problem for him. They have a little peck after the laurel hedge at 17 but Tiana’s in excellent balance and things right themselves straight away. Tiana’s got a lot on her hands as she tries to steer towards the triple brush at 21A after the big ditch and brush at 20. There’s just not the control to get through that difficult combination and they pick up a 20 at the D element. That’s a shame after they were going so well. They come back around and continue on.

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9:41am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TIANA COUDRAY AND D’ARTAGNAN

Dressage Score: 31.6
Place: 24th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Tiana’s back out on course with her second ride. Wow, they get a super jump over the house on the mound at fence 3. They’re quick through the first combination at 4, running a bit deep but this horse is great with his front legs and hops on over. They’re very neat through the first water at 8 and then again through the swans at 10. The horse looks keen and very brave in the early stages of the course. The horse looks very happy in his gallop as he makes his way along the racecourse.

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9:36am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: EMILY KING AND VALMY BIATS

Dressage Score: 29
Place: 8th

🐴 5* Form: RET Burghley 25, 5th Badminton 25, 20th Pau 24, RET Burghley 24, 4th Badminton 24, 25th Burghley 23, 24th Luhmühlen 23, RET Badminton 23, 8th Pau 22, EL Badminton 22

Sorry, my feed was down for a hot minute but I’ll catch you up now.

Sadly, the first we see of Emily is her on the ground and Valmy galloping off. It seems she’s had a fall at fence 2. I’ll update you if we get any more information abou that.

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class have finished, with 11 penalties for the frangible device, 1.2 time penalties and an outstanding flag question.

Arne and Luthien have had a magic round. This horse totally loves the job and it shows. They’ve crossed the line with just 2.8 time penalties.

There’s no one on course currently so keep refreshing and we’ll continue with the next starter.

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9:29am

🇩🇪 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: ARNE BERGENDAHL AND LUTHIEN NRW

Dressage Score: 38.1
Place: 49th

🐴 5* Form: 14th Luhmühlen 25, EL Badminton 25, EL Pau 24, 14th Luhmühlen 23

Luthien is so enthusiastic for the job as she sets off, so lovely to see a horse who so very clearly loves to run and jump.

Oliver gets a great shot over the laurel hedge at 17. Oliver has to work very hard through the triple brush water complex at 21. There’s a squirrel over the middle element, the flag goes and the pin. Then the distance doesn’t come up to the final skinny. There’s some slithering, and elbows, the flag goes but they make it over. There will be a flag question there. 11 penalties for the overnight second placed combination. Thomas looks incredibly strong. Oliver did say he got ran away with last time out and the horse is clearly feeling very, very well.

David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed are CLEAR INSIDE THE TIME!!! What a peach of a ride David gave this horse, and what a horse he is. Superb.

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9:24am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: OLIVER TOWNEND AND BALLAGHMOR CLASS

Dressage Score: 26.1
Place: 2nd=

🐴 5* Form: RET Badminton 25, 1st Maryland 24, 1st Burghley 23, 2nd Badminton 23, 5th Badminton 22, 1st Kentucky 21, 3rd Burghley 19, 2nd Badminton 19, 2nd Burghley 18, 5th Badminton 18, 1st Burghley 17

We’re into the final 10 to go now, and what a combination we have joining us on course. Warhorse ‘Thomas’ has been at the top of his game for what feels like forever. Now in the twilight of his immense career, it’s likely this will be one of the last times we see this guy at the level. Everything crossed for a good trip for Thomas as we enjoy this absolute stalwart of our sport doing his thing. He’s in a great spot sitting in second place after the dressage but he’ll have to be quick if he wants to stay there.

‘Thomas’ flies out of the start box with Oliver very much sporting his game face. They’re quick as you like over the first fences and take a very smooth curving line through the water at 10, over the swans and away.

David is very neat through the combination at 21, very patiently letting it come up perfectly for the horse. Masterful.

Benjamin continues to have a great ride as he navigates the tricky combination at 27. Really super through there for them. He comes into the main arena to the joy of the French crowd. He’s good on the time. He clears the mushrooms at 29 and then takes the last. He’s holding to go closer to the optimum time as he’s on the same score as Astier. He’s very chilled to the last and then over the line. CLEAR INSIDE THE TIME!!!

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9:21am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: DAVID DOEL AND GALILEO NIEUWMOED

Dressage Score: 32.4
Place: 26th

🐴 5* Form: EL Burghley 25, EL Badminton 25, 3rd Maryland 24, 9th Luhmühlen 24, WD before XC Badminton 24, 2nd Burghley 23, 8th Kentucky 23, 4th Pau 22, 6th Badminton 22, 15th Pau 21, EL Bicton 21

Galileo looks confident as he sets off over the first couple of fences. They take the flag at the corner at 6B but look to be fine. David brings him back for the log in the water at 8A and then they take the flag at the B element there also. Galileo’s got his ears pricked as he takes the hanging rail at 12 and David looks to be having a great spin thus far.

Benjamin sees a really quick one over the laurel hedge at 17 and gallops on off along the racetrack, looking as quick as a racehorse. They get a flier over the big ditch and brush at 20 and then Benjamin does a great job through the big combination in the water at 21, fluid and smooth and very confident.

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9:15am

🇫🇷 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: BENJAMIN MASSIE AND FILAO DE PERLE

Dressage Score: 31.2
Place: 21st=

🐴 5* Form: 17th Luhmühlen 25, EL Pau 24

Storm Benjamin shook up the competition on Thursday, forcing a reschedule. Benjamin Massie will be hoping to kick up a storm out on cross country today – perhaps shaking up the leaderboard…

Benjamin gets off to a very, very quick start and is quickly through the first combination at 4.

We see Selina pick up a 20 at fence 24 after the horse stumbles up the step out of the water at 23BC and then has no chance of making the distance to the separately numbered, but very related, angled brush at 24. That’s annoying as they were being so positive, but perhaps a little too positive there.

Sebastien takes a dunking at the water at 21. The horse was drifting off the line from the start and then they run out of space at the middle element, the horse ducks right and Sebastien’s shot out of the side door. The horse gallops off and Sebastien’s quickly up.

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9:12am

🇫🇷 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: SEBASTIEN CAVAILLON AND BLACK PEARL Z

Dressage Score: 37
Place: 46th=

🐴 5* Form: 20th Luhmühlen 25

Sebastien is very quick through the first combination at 4. The horse looks very keen for the job as he gallops out towards the racecourse and sees a flier at the hedge at 15.

Selina gets in close to the ditch and brush at 20 but the horse is clever with his feet and they clear it. They’re very fast through the water complex at 21, making nothing of that.

Alex has had a fall at fence 24, the angled brush which comes quickly after the step out of the water at 23. They don’t get the stride and go into the bottom of the fence, both of them sliding over. The commentary says they’re on their feet.

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9:08am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: SELINA MILNES AND COOLEY SNAPCHAT

Dressage Score: 30.3
Place: 12th=

🐴 5* Form: RET Luhmühlen 25, 15th Pau 24

There’s big pats for Cooley Snapchat after they come through the water at 10 really strongly. The horse is really keen as he comes to the racecourse hedge at 13.

Alex Bragg has put that 20 behind him and is clear through the big water complex at 21.

Tom Jackson is CLEAR INSIDE THE TIME!!! A superb showing from both horse and rider.

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9:01am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: ALEXANDER BRAGG AND ARDEO PREMIER

Dressage Score: 31
Place: 18th=

🐴 5* Form: RET Burghley 25, 16th Badminton 25, 13th Luhmühlen 24, 29th Pau 23

Alex is characteristically confident as he sets off but then a 20 pops up on the live scoreboard at 6B, the brush corner after the table. That’s a shock for this horse. They continue on though.

Sarah looks really quick as she comes into the main arena. They’ve got more than 30 seconds left on the clock and Corimiro’s still pulling. She holds it together through the final combination at 29 and then they fly the last. They’re CLEAR INSIDE THE TIME!!! What an exciting horse for the future.

Meanwhile Tom continues to have a peach of a ride and is clear through the big water at 23.

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8:57am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TOM JACKSON AND PLOT TWIST B

Dressage Score: 33.2
Place: 31st

🐴 5* Form: RET Luhmühlen 25, 18th Pau 24

Tom’s horse is ears pricked as he sets off. He’s very good through the first combination at 4, really taking it on. He’s flying as he comes through the water at 10. They’re in a great rhythm, fast and ground-covering but not pushing, just cruising along and relishing the job.

We catch up with a very keen Corimiro as Sarah navigates her way along the racecourse. She manages the line through the combination at 21 really well, the horse is so bold and scopey but Sarah hold everything together. They’re one of the best of the day through the water at 23, powerful and making it look easy.

Grace Taylor has crossed the finish line with just 2.4 time penalties. Her hand goes up and deservedly so. She’s ridden a really positive, confident round.

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8:53am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: SARAH BULLIMORE AND CORIMIRO

Dressage Score: 30
Place: 11th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Sarah gets off to a positive start with Corimiro, getting stuck straight into the track with the horse looking well up for the job.

Game Changer is very, very keen as he comes through the combination at 19. She’s got her work cut out for her but she really manages to keep him on his line through there so well. They lose their line through the big water at 21 but Grace is reacting and really making things happen. Super cross country riding on show.

Tom has opted to put his hand up.

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8:48am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: GRACE TAYLOR AND GAME CHANGER

Dressage Score: 31.1
Place: 20th

🐴 5* Form: RET Burghley 25, 30th Badminton 25, EL Maryland 24, 18th Badminton 24, WD before SJ Burghley 23

Grace is showing as clear through the laurel hedge at 17 but I haven’t seen a lot of her round so far, sorry.

Tom comes into the double of log piles at 16 really positively but then gets to the B element on a bit of a half stride. He sits in balance and the horse chips in. Brookfield Quality looks very keen as he comes to to the laurel hedge at 17 and Tom’s having to just remind him to listen. They come very positively into the big water complex at 21 but there’s a bit of indecision coming into the final element. They’d jumped big in and it doesn’t come up. They break the frangible device at the C element and then don’t make the stride to the D element. Expensive mistakes when they were in such a good position coming into today. Frustrating for Tom and the horse’s connections, but part of the sport.

Stephen and Hagonda have cleared the last. Clear jumping on the horse’s debut at the level. 17.2 time penalties added.

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8:40am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: STEPHEN HEAL AND HAGONDA

Dressage Score: 33.7
Place: 33rd

🐴 5* Form: Making her 5* debut

They’re very bold through the combination at 6, taking the flag at the B element but looked to be totally fine there. The horse looks a little spooky as he comes to the water at 8 but the jump through there really well.

Andrew comes into the main arena and the horse jumps very well through the combination at 29. They’re steady to the last and cross the line, with 20 jumping penalties and 32.4 time penalties. Just a green mistake but plenty of experience gained.

Mary is showing as having picked up a 20 at the D element of the big water complex at 21, although we didn’t see what happened on screen.

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8:43am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TOM MCKEWEN AND BROOKFIELD QUALITY

Dressage Score: 26.1
Place: 2nd=

🐴 5* Form: 5th Kentucky 25, 3rd Pau 24, RET Luhmühlen 24

This pair share second spot going into today. It’s very, very tight at the top. Every second’s going to count.

Tom doesn’t look wildly quick at the start of his round but he rides so smoothly it’s deceptive. They’re very good through the first water at 8, very clean. They come back round to the water at 10 and come through there really positively on the four strides then the two. They’re having a great spin so far. They head out to the racecourse and see a flyer over the hedge at 13.

Meanwhile, Mary Edmundson has finished, carrying that 20 plus 30 time penalties, but a 5* completion on the horse’s debut at the level.

Stephen is showing as clear through the big water complex at 23.

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8:35am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: MARY EDMUNDSON AND LIONEL II

Dressage Score: 37.8
Place: 48th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

This is another big striking chestnut. He’s known as Lionel in the barn which is a little disappointing, to be honest, Richie, surely? Anyway, they’re great through the water at 10, very confident as they get their round well and truly underway.

Jesse comes into the main arena with some time to spare. He’s quick through the final combination at 29 and then over the last. Ah, the clock just ticks one second over as he crosses the line. What a fabulous round from this pair, smooth and clean and really confident. He punches the air.

Meanwhile, Andrew is showing as having cleared the big water at 23.

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8:30am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: ANDREW DOWNES AND COOLEY FOXTROT

Dressage Score: 32.9
Place: 29th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Andrew has to take a pull into the second fence as his horse is so keen at the start. he’s a lovely big chestnut, really bold and brave looking. They settle into a rhythm but Andrew’s having to work quite hard to bring the horse back a little. But then there’s a lack of concentration coming into the first water at 8 and they grind to a halt at the A element, the log in the water. He brings him back round and they clear it the second time of asking. They’re really good through the water at 10ABC.

Jesse’s neat through the double of log piles at 16 and then gallops on over the laurel hedge at 17. He opts to go long at the big water complex at 21 but still looks to be on the clock after that really positive start to his round. There’s a bit of a fumble up the step out of the water at 23 but Jesse’s sitting in a beautiful balance and they pick up for the final element.

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8:25am

🇳🇿 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: JESSE CAMPBELL AND COOLEY LAFITTE

Dressage Score: 32.6
Place: 28th

🐴 5* Form: RET Burghley 25, RET Luhmühlen 25, WD before XC Badminton 25, 21st Burghley 24, 15th Badminton 24, EL Pau 23

Jesse gets off to a positive start and goes through the first combination at 4 on a very committed two strides. He’s in a really lovely smooth rhythm as he comes to the first water at 8, very confident and great to see. The horse looks to be really enjoying his job and is working really nicely with Jesse. He’s a little quieter to the first part of the water complex at 10 so adds another stride in there, clearly thinking on the spot like the pro cross country rider he is.

It’s not Jenny’s day today, sadly. They pick up another 20 at 21A and that means elimination for them.

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8:18am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: JENNIFER CARAS AND SOMMERSBY

Dressage Score: 32
Place: 25th

🐴 5* Form: EL Luhmühlen 25

Ah, we pick up Jenny as she glances off the brush corner at 6B, that’s a really annoying early penalty for them. Just too much enthusiasm, really, the horse looks incredibly keen. They come round and carry on. Then they have another refusal at the racecourse table at 15. Tricky day in the office.

We finally get to see ‘Barry’ and Emily and can hear the oos and aahs from the crowd as they leap their way through the triple brush water combination at 21. They’re brilliant through the big combination at 27, Barry’s jumping for fun. The clock’s still green as they come into the main arena. They’re not going to quite make it but here we go, cross country completion at Pau for Emily and Corvett and all being well tomorrow, the final northern hemisphere 5* ticked off their bucket list. What an achievement.

Meanwhile, Kevin has finished. He took his foot off the gas after that 20 and has completed with 27.6 time penalties, with plenty of experience banked as this horse gets his 5* career underway.

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8:13am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: EMILY HAMEL AND CORVETT

Dressage Score: 35
Place: 42nd

🐴 5* Form: 12th Kentucky 25, 7th Maryland 24, 15th Luhmühlen 24, 11th Maryland 23, 10th Kentucky 23, 20th Burghley 22, 52nd Badminton 22, 14th Maryland 21, 21st Kentucky 21

Corvett Airlines is out on track but very sadly we don’t get to see him at the start of his round. The scoreboard shows them as clear through the racecourse table at 15.

Tim and Happy Boy are flat to the boards as they come into the main arena. Happy Boy is full of gallop and so fast. They fly the final combination at 29 and then take the bullfinch finale in their stride. Tim’s struggling to pull up! 5.2 penalties for them in what’s been a great round.

Meanwhile, Kevin is still setting up for the fences and giving us a masterclass of cross country stylish riding. The big combination at 21 is tricky on a horse with this kind of scope and power and they pay the price at the final element where they pick up a 20. That’s bad luck. They continue on though.

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8:09am

🇦🇺 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: KEVIN MCNABB AND FARO IMP

Dressage Score: 30.6
Place: 17th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Faro Imp’s having a good look at all the crazy fence decorations and enthusiastic crowds as he makes his way round and Kevin’s doing a good job of keeping his eye on the fences. This is a big galloping horse and Kevin has to work quite hard to balance him and bring him back before the combination at 14 on the racecourse.

Tim takes the big ditch and brush in his stride at 20 but then decides to go long at the big water at 21, taking no chances there.

Cannavaro pops in an extra little stride at the combination at 27, but Bubby’s in total balance and they’re through there clear. They come into the main arena and make a good job of the final couple of fences. She punches the air as they cross the line with 4.8 time penalties and hold their lead overnight.

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8:05am

🇳🇿 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TIM PRICE AND HAPPY BOY

Dressage Score: 29.1
Place: 9th

🐴 5* Form: 20th Kentucky 25, WD before XC Pau 24

Tim is brilliant through the first water, cruising easily through there on the direct three strides.

Bubby’s bowling along with her dressage leader, they look very solid and confident. They have a moment at the combination at 19. They’re well off the B element and they take the flag, the horse slides over. Brilliant balance from both horse and rider there. That’ll be a flag question though. We’ll see what the judges say.

Jonelle does a great job through the combination at 27, the horse kind of swings left but Jonelle holds him in and chips in an extra stride to make things work through there. They come through the main arena and see a good one to the last. They finish with 7.2 time penalties. She gave us a masterclass of riding throughout her round, really helping out her horse and making things happen.

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8am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: BUBBY UPTON AND CANNAVARO

Dressage Score: 25.6
Place: 1st

🐴 5* Form: 6th Pau 22, EL Luhmühlen 22, RET Pau 21

Our overnight leaders are out on course! They have just one second in hand over second place, so they’ll have to be quick if they want to hold onto their spot.

Woah, Bubby gets a massive jump over the table at 6A and then she does a really good job of managing the distance to the corner at B. She doesn’t look to be pushing the horse but everything’s really smooth so it’ll be deceptive on the clock.

Jonelle is really helping out her horse as she comes to the end of her round. He’s happy and jumping well but she’s just giving him confidence through each of the fences. They’re clear through the big water at 23.

Matt Heath has finished with Benedict Radau, crossing the line with 20.4 penalties. The horse is absolutely full of running at the end of the course, sadly we didn’t see much of their round though.

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7:54am

🇳🇿 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: JONELLE PRICE AND SENOR CROCODILLO

Dressage Score: 30.4
Place: 15th=

🐴 5* Form: 13th Luhmühlen 25

Jonelle’s back out on course after starting off the day for us. They get off to a really positive start and navigate the first combination at 4 very tidily. The horse has got his ears pricked and is looking for the flags. They’re quick and neat through the first water at 8 and then the horse has a really sweet expression on his face as he clears the picture frame fence at 9. They come back through the water for the swans at 10, very clean there.

The livestream’s been focusing on Jonelle but Matt’s showing as having picked up 15 penalties for a frangible device at the brush corner at 6B. Otherwise he’s clear through the big water at 23.

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7:50am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: MATTHEW HEATH AND BENEDICT RADAU

Dressage Score: 36.2
Place: 45th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Matt is confident through the water at 10, going on four and two strides through there on this scopey horse. He really committed there. This is a really massive horse and he’s eating up the ground.

Alex makes nothing of the combination at 27, popping through there and then heading towards home. He’s got time on the clock as he enters the main arena. It ticks over just as he jumps the second set of mushrooms at 29B. Big pats for Chicko as he crosses the line. What a great round from both horse and rider. 5.6 time penalties for them.

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7:45am

🇫🇷 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: FLORIAN GANNEVAL AND EREBOR DE FLEYRES

Dressage Score: 34.9
Place: 39th=

🐴 5* Form: EL Luhmühlen 25, 48th Pau 24

Oh dear, we catch up with Florian as he has a drive by at the brush corner at 6B. The horse just didn’t lock onto that. He comes back round but picks up another refusal. Florian opts to put his hand up.

Alex is having a great spin on Chicko, who looks to be eating up this course. Alex really reacts at the combination at 16, taking that on the positive three strides. He’s very neat off the big drop at 22 and then picks up the skinny at B really neatly. He’s quick through the water at 23 the motors on. This is shaping up to be a super round.

Meanwhile the home crowd are wild as Astier comes through the main arena and finishes CLEAR INSIDE THE TIME!!! What a round from this guy, and the horse on his first time at the level. Very impressive and very exciting for the future. Astier takes a couple of laps of honor.

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7:41am

🇨🇳 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: ALEX HUA TIAN AND CHICKO

Dressage Score: 28.5
Place: 7th

🐴 5* Form: RET Badminton 25, 4th Pau 24

Alex is quickly into a lovely rhythm, as we expect from this masterclass of a rider. He’s started off really positively and makes a great job through the first water at 8, smooth and clean and really showing his horse the way.

Astier’s horse looks really confident as he powers round the track. He gets a superb line through the big water at 21, navigating those skinny triple brushes really well. They’re very brave off the big drop at 22, really quick. He takes 5 strides to the skinny at the B element and the crowds are cheering them along their way.

We finally see Sam as he crosses the line, he looks thrilled. 26.4 time penalties for them.

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7:37am

🇫🇷 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: ASTIER NICOLAS AND DIRTY OLD TOWN

Dressage Score: 31.2
Place: 21st=

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Astier sets off quickly and is excellent through the first combination at 4, very positive through there and making everything clear to his horse. The French crowds are cheering as they fly through the water at 10 – allez allez! They take the racecourse hedge at 13 in their stride, really fluent and in a super rhythm.

Abigail continues to have a superb round. The horse looks great at the end of the course and she’s really ridden like a total pro. They come to the last and cross the line with 12.8 time penalties. She punches the air, waves to the crowd and points to the horse. Delighted. And so she should be.

We haven’t seen Sam, but the scoreboard is showing him as clear through the big water complex at 21.

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7:32am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: SAM GILLESPIE AND BUT NOT TILL NOW

Dressage Score: 35.8
Place: 44th

🐴 5* Form: Making her 5* debut

Sam gets off to a really good start, taking the first three fences out of his stride as he settles into a rhythm early on. They’re very neat through the first combination at 4, down the step and then cleanly to the angled brush at the B element. They get a very good line through the water at 8, balanced and very neat.

Abigail is grinning as she gallops round the track – so great to see her enjoying her round. She’s having a peach of a ride, obviously riding to a plan. They fly the big ditch and brush at 20 but then have a moment at the big water complex at 21. They’re not quite on their line and they take the flag at the middle element. They’re a wiggle over the final triple brush and the flag goes there as well. It’s sticky but the horse does slither over. There’ll be flag questions there.

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7:28am

🇳🇿 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: ABIGAIL LONG AND HENTON AUDACIOUS

Dressage Score: 27.9
Place: 5th

🐴 5* Form: Making her 5* debut

This pair got off to a great start on their first time at 5* and sit in 5th after the first phase. They set off really confidently and looking like Abigail’s got every intention of capitulating on their excellent dressage score. They get into a really good rhythm and Abigail’s riding very forward and boldly as she heads out onto the racecourse.

The Irish supporters give Alice a massive cheer as she crosses the line. Apparently she had a little discussion with Fort Arthur coming into the main arena, but all’s well that end’s well and they finish clear with 25.6 time penalties.

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7:23am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TARA DIXON AND MASTER SMART

Dressage Score: 34.9
Place: 39th

🐴 5* Form: EL Burghley 25

We pick up Tara as things don’t quite go to plan at the combination at 6. She misses the line and has to represent, but then the live scoreboard shows them as having had more problems resulting in three refusals and therefore elimination. That’s really a shame. But every day is a school day and she’ll go home and come back out next season with a new plan.

Grace is showing as having picked up a 20 at 21D, the big water in the middle of the racecourse. She’s continued on though and is nearing home now. She crosses the line with that 20 plus 27.2 time. That didn’t look to be the easiest of rounds so it’s really great to see her get that completion.

Alice meanwhile is showing as clear through to the bullfinch at 25. I’m really sorry but my feed’s been dropping out and I’ve missed what they have shown of her round.

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7:18am

🇮🇪 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: ALICE COPPITHORNE AND FORT ARTHUR LITTLE DOLLY

Dressage Score: 42.7
Place: 52nd

🐴 5* Form: 21st Luhmühlen 25

Alice looks to be having a good round and is clear through to the racecourse.

Grace is looking quite steady at some points in the course but then they really pick up as they fly the laurel hedge at 17. The horse is still going along with his nose out in front but he’s getting the job done and his ears are pricked as he makes a good job over the fences.

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7:12am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: GRACE COOPER AND CEDARMOUNT CAVALIER

Dressage Score: 39.4
Place: 51st

🐴 5* Form: WD before XC Luhmühlen 25

Grace gets a super shot at the second fence and the horse looks really keen as he climbs the mound up to the house at 3. They tap that a little but no harm done. They take three strides through the combination at 4 and look to have got into a good rhythm at the start of their round. They’re very quick through the water at 10. This horse looks quite long and a lot for Grace to keep together but they’re going along nicely together on what’s their first 5* cross country.

Aaron and Cooley Exchange have put that slip well behind them and they’re having a good round. They’re excellent through the big complex at 27 and then head towards home. They’re quick through the main arena and the horse looks well within himself as they cross the line. That slip will have added a fair bit of time. 16.4 time penalties for them.

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7:05am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: AARON MILLAR AND COOLEY EXCHANGE

Dressage Score: 34
Place: 35th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Aaron is showing as clear through the first water at 8 and then we see him very nearly come to grief in the same place that Tiana had her fall on the flat. Aaron manages to stay on board but he’s pitched out of the tack and has to try and right himself and get his stirrups back before he can continue on. Hopefully they’ll look at the ground there. But he’ll put it behind him and continue on but that was really unfortunate.

We see Kylie as she flies the laurel hedge at 17 in her stride, on track for the time at this point in the course. But things do not go to plan at the water at 21. Everything looks good but then there’s a big wiggle between the middle element and the final part of the combination and she has to turn away and come back round. That’s a real shame for them as they were going so well. They carry on and cross the line with that 20 and 10 time penalties.

Meanwhile Yas is in the main arena, making nothing of the mushroom combination at 29 and then getting the perfect shot over the final. They pick up 5.6 time penalties after what’s been a really foot perfect round.

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7am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: KYLIE RODDY AND SRS KAN DO

Dressage Score: 32.5
Place: 27th

🐴 5* Form: EL Badminton 25, 19th Pau 24, EL Badminton 24, 5th Pau 23, 6th Luhmühlen 22, RET Badminton 22, 11th Pau 21

Kylie is excellent through the water at 10, really smooth and quick. She’s riding forward and really looks to be going for it, she’s ben 5th here before and will be hoping for another great result.

Those penalties for Aistis were for a frangible device, so that’s 11 for that. We see him through the finish line to add another 5* completion to this horse’s card. They add just 2.4 time penalties so that was a quick round.

Yas comes off the drop at 22 very neatly, they didn’t even seem to notice that. Then the skinny at the Be element comes up perfectly. Everything’s looking as we’ve come to expect from Yas, so balanced and easy.

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6:56am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: YASMIN INGHAM AND REHY DJ

Dressage Score: 31.2
Place: 21st=

🐴 5* Form: WD 2nd HI Badminton 25, 10th Pau 24, 3rd Luhmühlen 24, 3rd Luhmühlen 23

Yas is quick through the water at 10, riding the strides exactly to her plan and looking very strong. A real pro ride through there for both horse and rider.

We’re still not seeing much of Aistis, sorry. He’s showing as having picked up penalties at 21C, the corner rails in the water, not sure if it’s a flag or a frangible device right now but I’ll let you know as soon I do. Other than that he’s clear through to the barrels at 28.

Libby really makes it happen at the big combination at 27, making sure her horse listens as she picks her stride. She’s headed for home now. They’re great through the combination in the main arena at 29 and then take the bullfinch finale in their stride to cross the line with just 4.4 time penalties. Great riding all the way round from Libby and a true partnership on show.

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6:51am

🇱🇹 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: AISTIS VITKAUSKAS AND COMMANDER VG

Dressage Score: 46.5
Place: 53rd

🐴 5* Form: 37th Badminton 25, EL Pau 24, RET Burghley 24, EL Luhmühlen 24, 19th Pau 23, EL Burghley 23, RET Luhmühlen 23, 26th Badminton 23, 18th Pau 22, 13th Luhmühlen 22, 11th Luhmühlen 21, 31st Pau 20

Aistis is showing as clear through to the racecourse fences at 14 but I didn’t get to see the start of his round, sorry, as my feed dropped out momentarily and I had to watch the (infamous) ad again before I could get it back.

Libby’s horse is looking a little off the bridle as he barrels along but he’s jumping brilliantly and does come back to Libby when she asks. They’re adding through the combination at the water at 21 but getting the job done. The horse is brave off the big drop at 22 and then they easily find the line to the skinny for the B element.

Sam Ecroyd has crossed the line CLEAR INSIDE THE TIME!!! He’s nearly trotting as he comes to the finish he’s got so much time left over! A fabulous showing from this pair, on the horse’s 5* debut no less.

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6:47am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: LIBBY SEED AND HEARTBREAKER STAR QUALITY

Dressage Score: 30.4
Place: 15th=

🐴 5* Form: 18th Badminton 25, 19th Burghley 24, 21st Badminton 24, 14th Pau 23, 28th Badminton 22

Libby sets off confidently and they get a great shot over the table at 2. They have a little moment over the brush box going into the water at 10 when the horse doesn’t really get very high, but Libby sits tight and they leap over the two swans with no bother.

Meanwhile Helen navigates the combination at 27 excellently, they’re smooth and neat through there. They head on into the main arena, quite a bit over the time but the horse is still galloping as though he’s at the start. He’s so bold and brave and that kind of wastes a little time. Helen looks thrilled. Clear jumping 19.6 time.

We see Sam through the water at 23 and he has to work hard there, really well ridden. It’s a bit squeaky but they’re through and heading on their way.

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6:43am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: SAM ECROYD AND BOLEYBAWN LECRAE

Dressage Score: 34.5
Place: 37th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

The scoreboard’s showing Sam as clear to the racecourse at 13 but sadly we’re not seeing the start of all the rounds.

Helen’s great through the water at 21, the horse really powers over those triple brushes and Helen steers him through smoothly.

Yikes, Bill has a real moment at the penultimate fence. He gets the stride awry between the double of mushrooms at 29 but they make it over and then clear the bullfinch finale at 30 and cross the line. 11.2 time penalties for them.

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6:37am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: HELEN BATES AND CARPE DIEM

Dressage Score: 39.1
Place: 50th

🐴 5* Form: 42nd Badminton 25, 37th Badminton 24, 23rd Pau 23

We don’t get to see Helen at the start of the track but the live scoreboard is showing her as clear through to the first of the racecourse fences at 13.

Bill get a great shot over the big ditch and brush at 20 but then there’s some super squirrelling from the horse through the combination at 21, how he gets through the flags there is amazing, so athletic and gymnastic. Good horsey, and well ridden from Bill.

Padraig adds an extra stride in the middle of the combination at 27 but comes out on the two strides. He really set up his horse for success there, it’s great to see these masters at work. He comes through the mushroom combination in the main arena at 29 and crosses the line with 12.4 time penalties. A great round from them.

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6:32am

🇦🇺 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: BILL LEVETT AND RNH TOM TOM R

Dressage Score: 33.9
Place: 34th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

There’s kids running alongside the track as Bill gallops over the first couple of fences, obviously enjoying their day out eventing. We see him come into the water at 10, he seems to be taking his time with this 5* rookie, giving the horse chance to see what’s in front of him and building confidence the whole way round. He heads out to the racecourse and picks up the gallop some.

We catch up with Padraig as he comes down the big drop at 22 and then easily finds the line and stride to the skinny at B. Really good. He’s super through the water at 23, clean and clear and making this look easy.

Cosby’s brilliant through the combination at 27, foot perfect and heading for home now. She makes her way over the double of mushrooms in the main arena at 29 and the horse is really responding to her, ears pricked and eyes on the finish line. They come home clear with 7.6 time. A super round for them.

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6:29am

🇮🇪 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: PADRAIG MCCARTHY AND MGH MR MESSACK

Dressage Score: 37
Place: 46th

🐴 5* Form: EL Burghley 25

We see Padraig through the water complex at 8 and he’s really brave, attacking that stride through there and hunting on through.

Cosby checks her watch as she gallops along toward the laurel hedge at 17. They get in a little close there but all’s good. She opts for an alternative route at 19 and then fly the ditch and brush at 20. They’re smooth through the big water at 21. She’s really riding forward and attacking this course.

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6:24am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: COSBY GREEN AND JOS UFO DE QUIDAM

Dressage Score: 34.5
Place: 37th

🐴 5* Form: 8th Luhmühlen 25

We catch up with Cosby as they fly the big brush oxer at 11 and make their way toward the racecourse. They’re looking confident and quick thus far.

Emily is nearing home now as she comes to the big combination at 27. Ah, they come to a stop at the the middle element. Just the horse being a little tired and having had to take in a lot. She comes round and takes an alternative route and then nurses this young horse home. 20 penalties there for them but a first 5* completion for the horse. They have 25.2 time penalties.

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6:19am

🇺🇲 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TIANA COUDRAY AND CANCARAS GIRL

Dressage Score: 31.1
Place: 20th

🐴 5* Form: 44th Badminton 25, RET Maryland 24, 25th Badminton 24, EL Burghley 23

Tiana does a great job through the water at 8 and then, oh, we see them fall on the flat. The camera’s behind a mound so we couldn’t really see what happened, it just looked like the horse slipped in front and they went down. That’s so disappointing. We see the pair of them up and walking off course.

Tim steadies through the combination at 27 and makes a clean job through there before heading to the main arena and home. He crosses the line with 6.4 time penalties added. A great start to his day.

Emily meanwhile comes really bravely off the big drop at 22A and then makes the line to the skinny for the B element well. This horse does look a little green at times but Emily’s building his confidence and helping him out and giving him a good experience on his debut at the level.

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6:15am

🇬🇧 NEW COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: EMILY KING AND JACKPOT

Dressage Score: 33
Place: 30th

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

Emily has set out with her 5* rookie and from what we’ve seen, she’s having a nice confidence-building round. She’s showing as clear through to the racecourse – fences 13-15.

Oh no. We catch up with Bubby as she comes off at 27D. Cola had been running off the bridle a little and they just don’t get it right through the combination and Bubby’s ejected out of the side door. That’s a real shame. Hopefully Bubby’s up and will be back with her other rides, I’ll let you know if we get any info.

We see Tim through the big water complex at 21ABCD. He comes through there with such balance, really making these tricky combinations look so easy. He’s focused and quick and looks to be having a great round.

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6:11am

🇳🇿 THIRD COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: TIM PRICE AND GLOBAL QUEST

Dressage Score: 34.9
Place: 39th=

🐴 5* Form: Making his 5* debut

We catch up with Tim as he takes the big brush oxer at 11 in his stride and heads on out to the racecourse.

As her husband starts, Jonelle and Grappa Nera have crossed the finish line after having a peach of a round. Clear jumping with 7.6 time penalties added. A great trailblazing round.

Bubby and Cola continue going well as we watch them through the water at 23, they’re super quick and smooth through there. This looks like it’s going to be a quick round. What a start we’re having to the cross country.

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6:06am

🇬🇧 SECOND COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: BUBBY UPTON AND COLA

Dressage Score: 30.3
Place: 12th=

🐴 5* Form: 8th Badminton 25, 5th Maryland 24, 10th Badminton 24, 8th Badminton 23, 14th Burghley 22, 36th Badminton 22, 12th Pau 21

Bubby set off with her serious game face on and straight away takes a stride out at the first combination at 4, going on two through there. Bubby means business. She’s in the lead on her other horse, Cannavaro. She takes out a stride again at the combination at 6. She’s motoring along with her experienced, long-time partner. Bubby goes up and down the mounds at the double of log piles at 16, really confident and quick through there.

Meanwhile Jonelle navigates the tricky combination at 19 really easily, that’ll have given the riders watching confidence. They’re excellent through the water at 21ABCD, smooth and on the perfect line. Another fence that had the riders scratching their heads which has proved to jump really well for our pathfinder. They waste no time over the big drop at 22A, she’s pitched forward but she’s back upright immediately for the skinny at B. She goes inside the tree at the water at 23ABC, saving every second. This is looking to be a fabulous round thus far.

________________________________________________________________________________

6am

🇳🇿 FIRST COMBINATION OUT ON COURSE: JONELLE PRICE AND GRAPPA NERA

Dressage Score: 34.3
Place: 36

🐴 5* Form: 22nd Badminton 25, EL Burghley 25, 6th Badminton 24, 1st Pau 22, 28th Kentucky 21

And we’re off! Jonelle and ‘Grape’ have left the start box and Pau cross country day is a go!

They get a great start over the wheelbarrow at 1 and then gallop on past the massive train stationed by the table at 2. They waste no time going up the mound and over the house at 3 and then Jonelle steadies for the first combination at 4. They go over the log down the drop and get a clean three strides to the angled brush for the B element. Grape’s got her ears pricked and is traveling along nicely at the start of the course. They take the flag at the corner at 6B but looked to be OK. They come into the first water at 8 and loop round a little on an arc to get the four strides through that combination. All looking very neat and tidy so far. They come back to the water for the treble combination at 10 and fly over the swans. They’re looking to be quick and confident so far.

________________________________________________________________________________

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“He’s a Special Old Boy”: Comeback King Cannavaro Leads Pau Dressage with Bubby Upton

By on Oct 24, 2025 5:18 pm -

Bubby Upton and Cannavaro. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

How do you solve a problem like Storm Benjamin? You cancel your Thursday plans and move 54 dressage tests to Friday, if you’re a mad collective of French event organisers and you’re absolutely determined to put on the final five-star of the year. So that’s what we did here at Pau, and if I had to sum up the experience of churning through a competition at this pace, I’d reckon it would suffice to say that by the time we wrapped the final test, I got struck with a migraine so severe that I couldn’t see my screen for a full hour and I came dangerously close to throwing up on Bubby Upton’s shoes. So that’s nice! Some days, EN is a place of serious sporting journalism; some days it’s a glorified blog in which I whinge about my ailments. Today it might be both, somehow, all at once.

Back to Bubby Upton, though, whose shoes remain delightfully unsoiled and whose scoresheets, similarly, looked pretty damn clean today. She finishes the day – and the first phase – with three horses in serious contention: 18-year-old Cannavaro holds the overnight lead on a 25.6, 10-year-old Bramham winner Its Cooley Time sits sixth on 28.5, and the stalwart Cola is 12th on 30.3. Not at all a bad day in the office, nor a bad set of odds to carry onwards into tomorrow’s busy cross-country day.

It’s poignant, too, to see Cannavaro at the forefront of Bubby’s three rides here. Like his rider, who fought her way back from a near-catastrophic broken back, Cannavaro has also spent plenty of time on the sidelines – we last saw him at this level back in 2022, when he finished sixth here at Pau, and then he sat out the 2023 and 2024 seasons before returning to competition this spring.

“He’s such a special old boy, and it’s been such a team effort to bring him back,” says Bubby, who is one of three three-horse riders here this week. “We tried to bring him back last year, and then we decided to give him a bit more time and come back at the start of this year.”

Her plan, she says, “was always Aachen [in July], but then, with him being an older horse coming back from an injury, we took each week as it came. He was amazing at Aachen, and I had kind of thought that that would maybe be his last one – but then he came out of it so well that we thought, ‘sure, we’ll get him as fit as possible for Pau, and if he holds up to it, amazing. If he doesn’t, then he can just have an easier retirement.’”

Bubby Upton and Cannavaro. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tomorrow, she explains, is a task to be tackled in the same way as Cannavaro’s comeback: one step at a time, and listening to what her horse tells her the whole way.

“Knock on wood, we’ll see how he goes,” she says. “I just hope I can do him justice, because I’ve let him down a couple of times at five-star before getting it right.”

Today, though, both horse and rider ticked every box, and Bubby was delighted to improve upon their previous Pau dressage performance.

“I was pleased with his test three years ago, but it was just a bit flatter that day, and I was disappointed with the scoring,” says Bubby, who has had Cannavaro since he was a ten-year-old, and has produced him throughout his eventing trajectory after an initial career as a showjumper.

 “He’s not necessarily a natural dressage horse – it’s all come in the last three or four years. He did a beautiful test at Luhmühlen [in 2022] when he lead the first phase, and that was the first time it all came together, and the first time he got all his flying changes in a test. Obviously he’s now very consolidated, but it wasn’t like that at the start at all: if you look at his marks, it’s only three years ago that he ‘got’ it. Now, he’s so confident in the dressage; he used to get so nervous and walk like a little sewing machine and get so stressed because he was trying so hard, and he’d know he was struggling and get more and more short. Whereas now, he goes in and he’s so relaxed and confident in himself. He’s so sweet – he’s so insecure compared to the other two who are full of self-belief and confidence.”

Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though sixth-placed Its Cooley Time is “probably the most naturally gifted of the three in the dressage,” he’s also Bubby’s least experienced ride here this week: he won his CCI4*-L debut in June of this year at Bramham, and was called up for the FEI European Eventing Championships at Blenheim last month, though a peck on landing over a fence ultimately saw Bubby hit the deck in one of the many shocks for the British contingent on cross-country day. But even as a relatively green horse, it’s evident how much ‘Finn’ matures and improves from every competitive outing.

“He’s on the other end of the spectrum to the other two, with this being his first five-star and him being so inexperienced,” says Bubby. “So for him to go in and do that today, I was absolutely thrilled, because he’s a very, very spooky, sharp horse.”

A huge boon for Finn this week has been the opportunity to properly familiarise and school in the competition arena, a luxury he’s never been afforded before.

“Because it’s on a surface, we can familiarise them thoroughly, which makes such a difference to all the other events. This is his first-ever three-day at four-star or above where he’s actually been able to familiarise, because at places like Bramham [with a grass arena], you’re only allowed to walk around the outside. And all the CCI4*-S classes, you don’t get to familiarise either, unless you’re abroad.”

So it was, she continues, “really nice for him to feel really comfortable in there, although as I was going in, he spotted the cameraman – so there are still little things like that where he’s so attentive and sharp. But he stayed so with me.”

Just one small mistake in the third flying change precluded an even more competitive score for the pair.

“I was just a bit soft in my aid – I thought he’d just pop it, and he didn’t, and that was completely my fault,” concedes Bubby. “He was fantastic throughout the rest of the test.”

Bubby Upton and Cannavaro. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Bubby’s trio of horses here this week is how they represent different eras of her own fledgling career: Cannavaro, as a former showjumper and late convert to eventing, has been a ‘rebuilding’ project in so many ways; longtime partner Cola has been with her throughout her Junior and Young Rider career and was the horse on whom she learned how to produce a top-level horse; Its Cooley Time has been in her string since he was five and has had her ‘new’ production system throughout his career, and has, as such, benefitted from everything she’s learned along the way with his stablemates.

“I was saying to mum in the lorry, I’d do anything to have Cola again now [from the start], because my trainer, Amy Woodhead, has been with my and Its Cooley Time the whole way up, and it’s made such a difference,” says Bubby. “Cannavaro, we had to completely redo because he was a showjumper, and Cola is a very long horse, so it’s been a bit more of a struggle. He’s incredible, honestly, to have done what he’s done – to have won the medals at Young Riders and time and time again to have delivered at five-star. He’s my horse of a lifetime, and he’s taught me so much for all the other horses. I remember Boyd Martin saying to me at Maryland last year that he goes out and does the same test pretty much ever time out, whether it’s four- or five-star, and sometimes he gets a 25, sometimes a 28, sometimes a 30, depending on how they’re marking that day. But he’s so consistent, and so lovely to ride in the arena because I know exactly what he’s going to be and the preparations that work. And it’s just such a joy to have him feeling so good at this level after having him so long – he’s such a fighter, and he always keeps digging for me.”

Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom McEwen is Bubby’s closest rival after the culmination of the first phase. He sits second with the 16-year-old Brookfield Quality, who posted a 26.1 – just marginally lower than the 25.8 he posted en route to a final third place here last year.

“He’s very consistent with his work, so I was really pleased everything,” says Tom, who was one of rather a lot of riders to find today’s marking perhaps lacking in ‘oomph’.

“It was pretty much a complete clear round; the changes were really nice, especially the last one, so when I looked up and saw sevens, I was a bit disappointed with some of the judges, because they were giving sevens to late changes earlier and fours to clean changes. So it’s been a little different — but how Norris went  was brilliant, and I couldn’t have been happier with him.”

‘Norris’ has always been a unique character: the former Piggy March ride doesn’t like to be around other horses, and so Tom moderates his warm-up to allow him plenty of time and space away from his competitors.

“He loves being by himself, and he actually really likes to be the centre of attention, so he absolutely loves being in the arena,” he says. “He’s been really good in arena familiarisation, and when other people start coming in, that’s the time to leave. He’s done little and often, but he’s been brilliant — he knows what he’s doing, and he’s of age now.”

|I’ve done 15 minutes [of warm-up] then gone in,” he continues. “By nature, he holds himself – like, he’s got a little bit of a natural sort of lift, so we just leave it in him, rather than take it out and work him too hard. I’ve gone the opposite way and do less with him, and he seems to be very happy. We had a nice ride this morning, and then 15 minutes before the test.”

That warm-up routine also fits in well with how he works at home: “He doesn’t really like the arena at home, so he works on grass most of the year. We don’t jump him at home, so we always take him out and jump.”

Reminiscent, perhaps, of another of Tom’s former top horses, Toledo de Kerser, who also couldn’t jump at home – and who won here back in 2019.

“Maybe I’m the problem, actually,” muses Tom with a grin.

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Equal second place is also the provisional domain of Oliver Townend and the most experienced horse in the field, the warhorse Ballaghmor Class. It was, we’ll admit, a bit of a surprise to see the 18-year-old four-time five-star winner on the line-up for this week’s event: he didn’t run in an FEI event until just a couple of weeks ago, after being withdrawn at the second horse inspection at Badminton this spring.

It wasn’t just us who were caught by surprise by the entry – even Oliver admits that it wasn’t something he’d planned for.

“We didn’t really plan to [bring him here], to tell you the truth, but he convinced us that he’d not done enough yet, which is amazing and hard to believe,” he says. “I’ve not ever come to a five-star where I’m thinking, ‘no, no, no,’ and he’s gone, ‘yes, yes, yes,’ all the way.”

But, he says, his doubts were dispelled by that return to FEI competition in the CCI4*-S at Little Downham at the end of September.

“We took him to give him a preparation run, and he was fairly wild and didn’t give me too much of an easy time,” Oliver laughs. “He ran off with me around the cross country, and he was pretty wild in the dressage, and I said to Karyn [Schuter], we’ll give him half a proper run, just to see what he comes out like, and the next day he towed everyone around the yard.”

“[When he’s on form] he’s pretty horrible to deal with for the girls, but a pleasure for me to ride when we get the management of him right,” he continues. “And today, he just went in like an old pro. He was pretty push-button, and couldn’t be happier with his performance today, really. I don’t really want to talk about the dressage scoring — I prefer to make it all about him, but he felt as good as he’s ever felt, and I think that was probably as good a test as he’s done at five-star level.”

Though it didn’t ultimately rival the pair’s best-ever scores at this level, their 26.1 puts the pair well into the hunt going into the gelding’s first-ever run around Pau.

“I’m just hoping that he’s not going to know his way, and that he’ll actually ask me a couple of questions for once,” grins Oliver. “He’s done an Olympics, and that looked like it wasn’t his type of course, but there isn’t really a course that isn’t his type of course. He knows his way around Badminton, Burghley, Kentucky and now Maryland. And as I said, I’m just hoping that he looks at the crowd and looks at the trees and doesn’t run off with me like he did last time out!”

Tim Price and Jarillo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tim Price, like Bubby, is triple-handed this week – “I was supposed to have four, but unfortunately the fourth couldn’t come, so I’m looking at it as a bit of a bonus that it’s only three tests today” – and, like Bubby, he’s got two of his rides in the top ten after dressage. Best of the trio is 11-year-old Jarillo, who was the last horse in the ring today, and who posted a 26.5 to sit fourth overnight.

“He’s such a lovely horse. He’s so talented, and life comes, physically, very easy to him – but mentally, quite tough,” says Tim. “He’s a sharp little guy; he’s very spooky. He’s very horse shy, but that’s why it’s so nice to get A, to the end of the season, and B, down here, where we have a nice place to work them each day, and he’s just relaxed each day. And then in there, he’s just a joy, easy-peasy.”

He is, Tim continues, “coming of age a bit. He’s done one and a half five-stars now, and he’s just starting to get more campaigned, where he realises it’s a safe space in the arena, and so he can stay with me, like he does at home. He’s just incredibly horse shy. Like I just passed Bubby, who was stood still here, but if she was walking there, he would stop and run backwards. He’s just a sharp character. He’s super talented, and he’s very alert, and I like to think that gets us a long way along the road.”

Tim also sits ninth overnight with Happy Boy on a score of 29.1: “He’s been working really well, and he’s on good form. He’s in good health. But for me, he’s just such an all-rounder, that’s where he’s been successful in the past, doing a pretty good dressage and then running home with that mark and then having a good result. I’m just hoping for something similar here.”

His first ride of the day, the former Georgie Campbell ride and five-star debutant Global Quest, sits 39th on a 34.9, but so tightly-packed is the leaderboard that that puts him less than ten penalties off the lead at this early stage.

Abigail Long and Henton Audacious. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Fifth place went to a surprise contender in New Zealand’s Abigail Long, who piloted Henton Audacious to an exciting early lead with the first sub-30 score of the day – a smart 27.9 in their five-star debut. That’s a significant personal best for the pair, whose previous international best at any level is a 33.7.

“I’ve always known she’s got a nice test in her, it’s been about figuring her brain out,” says Abigail of ‘Daphnee’, who she’s had since she was four years old and who she describes as “my little heart horse – I love her so much.”

Daphnee was originally purchased for a bargain on Facebook as a failed dressage horse, whose former owners “didn’t think she had a good enough hind leg, so were selling her to be anything.”

In the eight years since, the pair have been learning the ropes together and, sometimes, getting creative in how they tackle the task at hand – and that was the key to today’s exceptional performance, says Abigail.

“This week has been a bit of an experiment, with the help of Jonelle Price. I’ve only dressage schooled her once, and that really helped — she was with me the whole time. We took her for a gallop, jumped her, did polework – it’s all about her brain, making sure she’s in a good headspace. Staying away from schooling kept her sweet, so she was happy to go in there and do everything, rather than thinking, ‘This is the sixth time we’ve done dressage and I’m over it’.”

Alex Hua Tian and Chicko. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

China’s Alex Hua Tian slots into seventh place after Bubby and Its Cooley Time, putting up a score of 28.9 with Chicko, with whom he finished fourth here last year.

“I’m so happy with him. He’s a real cutie, because he’s not necessarily physically the most talented horse, but he just incrementally improves and improves and improves,” says Alex. “And every six months, I think I’ve got as much as I’m ever going to get out of him. And every six months, another six months later, it’s like, ‘Oh, we’ve hit another dimension!’ So I’m really pleased.”

Today, he says, “he just really stayed with me. He’s a really long horse, and he finds the longitudinal suppleness really hard and that’s where I’ve in the past had to play a very fine line between pushing him a little bit to give me a little bit more spring, and just taking what I get. And today, I really felt like I could push him and ask for more.”

Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Emily King and her stalwart Valmy Biats slot into eighth place on a score of 29, despite a slightly ill-judged four tacos immediately before their test.

“I will not be doing that before cross-country,” she laughs with a grimace.

But despite that, she says, “Val was really good – we had a few little wobbles and a little bit of a lack of rhythm in places, but he was really good.”

Emily also has the debutant Jackpot here this week, who currently sits in 30th on a 33 – and this, notably, is the first time she’ll ever have piloted two horses around a five-star, which is a prospect she’s looking forward to.

“Jack, he’s a sweetheart. I’ve never had him not want to do it if he understands the question. So I think I’ll just try and make it extra obvious to him and really try and fill him with confidence. Obviously, it’s his first one, so it’d be interesting to see how he takes it on — and Val, I know him so well, but also then I don’t want to start overthinking things, because I know know him so well. It’s the first time I’ve had two at five-star, so it’ll be interesting having a spin on one first, and then actually having Valmy second. Hopefully it will give me a little bit more feeling to ride him better.”

Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The top ten is rounded out by Boyd Martin on Liz Halliday’s Olympic partner Cooley Nutcracker, who scored a 29.9 in his ‘Keep Fighting, Liz!’ saddlepad to slot into a competitive position. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop Boyd for a chat, because he was busy with another role straight after his test: he and Bali helped provide the ring for a very special proposal in the collecting ring, from owner Rob Desino to partner Joe. Congratulations, lovebirds! We’ll be sure to catch up with Boyd to find out more about how he and Bali are getting along tomorrow.

Double-handed Tiana Coudray slots into eighteenth place with Cancaras Girl on a 31, and into 24th with the exciting D’Artagnan on 31.6, while Cosby Green is 33rd and 38th, respectively, with Highly Suspicious (33.3) and Jos Ufo de Quidam (34.8). Grace Taylor sits 20th with Game Changer on a 31.1, and Jenny Caras and Sommersby put forward some really smart work en route to a 32 and 25th. Finally, Emily Hameland Corvett are waiting in the wings in 42nd on a 35, thanks to 18-year-old Barry’s refusal to accept his own age – a real delight to watch, actually, as the little warhorse takes on the final of the northern hemisphere five-stars on his list.

Tomorrow’s cross-country phase will kick off at the rather sociable time of 12.00 p.m. (11.00 a.m. BST/6.00 a.m. EST) with former Pau winners Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera first out of the box. You can take a look at the twisty, turny, forward-striding course designed by Pierre Michelet here, and keep it locked onto EN for some thoughts from our competitors on what’s been built for them. We’ll be bringing you live updates and a bumper debrief tomorrow, and you can watch along on Pau TV, too, as we dive into the final five-star of 2025. Let’s Go Eventing!

EN is proud to welcome Horsepal onboard as the sponsor of our Pau coverage! Horsepal is a newly-launched heart rate monitor brought to you by Tom MacGuinness, founder of Horseware and an FEI eventer and endurance rider, who’s brought his decades of knowledge to practice in the design of Horsepal. You can now purchase Horsepal directly to the UK and Europe — learn more here.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Horsepal]

How French are You Feeling? – Riders React to Cross Country at Les 5 Étoiles de Pau

By on Oct 24, 2025 2:49 pm -

Chinch has found a French pal, Le Squirrel. Photo via CrossCountry App.

Classic Pierre: half strides galore, lots and lots of places to not make a silly mistake, and a brand new drop that’s bigger than the Burghley Leaf Pit – it’s all happening at Pau.

Speed’ll be the name of the game, for sure, no bad thing when the scores are so very bunched up after the first phase and, as Tim Price so eloquently puts it, “We’ll have to be fast, won’t we?”. But it’s twisty out there and the distances are, shall we say, very French.

Alongside all of that, there’s big bears and squirrels offering floral gifts, spiders’ webs with mammoth spiders, giant goblets and terrifying Jack-o-lantern-headed beings, snails and sheep and a life-size straw donkey (really) – oh, and mushrooms (probably the fun kind, we’re guessing). It sure is spooky season out there! That’s not to mention all manner of crazy happening just the other side of the ropes – this is the Pau we all know and love, after all, even if we don’t really get it.

Really. Photo via Les 5 Etoiles de Pau on Facebook.

Bear safety is a must at Pau, apparently. Photo via Les 5 Etoiles de Pau on Facebook.

Yikes. Photo via Les 5 Etoiles de Pau on Facebook.

Happily (miraculously, considering the conditions for Thursday’s horse inspection), there is a track this time around, rather than just one continuous water complex like last year, which makes Selina Milnes happy, but there is a lot of (intended) water, which is on Emily King’s mind. Alex Bragg is ignoring the huge great big drop (for now) and Alex Hua Tian’s interest has been peaked. Oliver Townend’s hoping not to get run away with, Jenny Caras is all about positivity, and overnight leader Bubby Upton is relieved to have her long-time pal out first of her three rides. Everyone’s counting (half) strides.

I’ll leave you with some wisdom from Tom McEwen: “Pau is Pau”.

Dive in below for more.

Allez…

EN is proud to welcome Horsepal onboard as the sponsor of our Pau coverage! Horsepal is a newly-launched heart rate monitor brought to you by Tom MacGuinness, founder of Horseware and an FEI eventer and endurance rider, who’s brought his decades of knowledge to practice in the design of Horsepal. You can now purchase Horsepal directly to the UK and Europe — learn more here.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Horsepal]

🇬🇧 Bubby Upton – Cannavaro – 25.6 – 1st / Its Cooley Time – 28.5 – 6th / Cola – 30.3 – 12th=

“It’s very classic Pau.” Bubby Upton and Cannavaro. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s very classic Pau – I would say the twistiest one I’ve walked. Obviously it’s always super intense with Pierre’s [course designer, Pierre le Goupil] classic distances and things like that, so a lot of decisions to make. I’m going to go out with Cola and ride to the way that I know that he suits and go off my plan, and then after that, I’ll then either alter my plan for the other two or it will cement the plan for the other two. It’s so nice having him out first to really get a feel for the track on a horse that I know inside out – he knows me inside out – and he hasn’t had the time off like Cannavaro and it isn’t his first time at the level [like Its Cooley Time], so I’m very relieved to have him out first.

🇬🇧 Tom McEwen – Brookfield Quality – 26.1 – 2nd=

“Pau is Pau, isn’t it?” Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pau is Pau, isn’t it?

There’s very much similarities to other years but I think if anyone became complacent because it was similar in places, I think that would be an error. It’s really nice the first two minutes, then it really gets into it – twisty and, obviously, we know that he [Pierre] loves his positive distances, but… I think it’s being wise when to use them and maybe when not to.

About the new drop at 22AB

I thought that was massive, to be honest! It’s very big for Pau, it’s a huge great big drop. To me it looks bigger than the Leaf Pit [at Burghley]. At least at the Leaf Pit you land and you’re running and you’ve got loads of time.

At Pau the riders will come off the “huge great big drop” to a skinny at 22B before taking on the big water complex at 21ABCD.

Pau is all about if you get away with a few things, put a few stars back in the bank for confidence later rather than just keeping running and risking it. It’s usually down to that, really.

🇬🇧 Oliver Townend – Ballaghmor Class – 26.1 – 2nd=

“There isn’t really a course that isn’t his type of course.” Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Shelby Allen.

I’m just hoping that he’s not going to know his way and that he’ll actually ask me a couple of questions for once!

Look, he’s done an Olympics and that looked like it wasn’t his type of course – there isn’t really a course that isn’t his type of course. He knows his way around Badminton, Burghley, Kentucky and Maryland. I’m just hoping that he looks at the crowd and looks at the trees and doesn’t run off with me like he did last time out [in the 4*-S at Little Downham, where they were 3rd. Oliver says that’s when he knew the ‘Thomas’ wanted to go again at the top, and why he’s at Pau with the 18-year-old.].

🇳🇿 Tim Price – Jarillo – 26.5 – 3rd / Happy Boy – 29.1 – 9th / Global Quest – 34.9 – 39th=

“It’ll be good fun”. Tim Price and Global Quest. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

I’m happy to be going out with Global Quest first, he’s a fantastic cross country horse. The late Georgie Campbell did an amazing job with him – he’s very knowledgeable and he’s a joy to ride cross country so I’m really looking forward to it. He’ll show me a bit, because he can do a bit more – my other two, they can add – they can, hopefully, not add – so I will learn a bit with ‘George’ [Global Quest], the first horse, because he’s just a proper big galloping, big striding horse. Hopefully that’ll set me up for the other two.

[Overall, the course] it’s maybe a little bit underwhelming, I would say. That by no means, means it’s an easy, course, it’s just a little bit imaginative in places. But, it’s there to be jumped and you have to make a lot of good riding decisions in the moment, I think, because the difference between three and four strides is quite different in the moment. If your plan is for bold and strong for the big three, and something doesn’t quite go right, you’ve got to really know your plan B and accuracy everywhere.

We’ll have to be fast, won’t we?

Anything that’s got Tim scratching his head?

Maybe the water in the middle of the racecourse [21ABCD]. It’s got a quite a strong corner in the water, and that distance is three and a half so we’re going to have to trust our horse’s stride. By then we’ll know a little bit, we’ll have jumped a few combinations and gathered a bit of information about how our horses traveling across the ground, but then, that’s a water jump so it’s just going to be quite a good precision ride in there.

Then there’s just all the other lots and lots of places to not make a silly mistake.

It’ll be good fun.

🇨🇳 Alex Hua Tian – Chicko – 28.5 – 7th

“Quite interesting”. Alex Hua Tian and Chicko. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s a very different course [to last year]. It’s the other way around. It feels more of a track this year than last year and I wonder whether last year they knew the ground was going to be soft so it didn’t really walk like a big track this. This one is quite interesting. Minute two to four, I would say, there are a few combinations where you have an option to do something really brave. I don’t know if I’m that brave. Fence 6 you have the table to the corner – you could go four there or five. Five is just like, really nice. Four is punchy at that point in the track, and then you’ve got a turn sharp left. Then you’ve got that log to the corner in the water [8AB], which, again, you can go a really punchy three or a really safe four. It’s tricky, really, because Chico is isn’t the quickest and but he’s very organized, so he’s a horse that I can take a lot of risks on, he doesn’t have the biggest stride, so I haven’t decided yet. Like the drop at Fence 4, it’s three strides, if I was here on Chocks [Jilsonne Van Bareelhof, Alex’s Paris Olympics ride] I would consider going two, but I don’t know whether it’s there for Chicko, really, at Fence 4, maybe later on.

🇬🇧 Emily King – Valmy Biats – 29 – 8th / Jackpot – 33 – 30th

“There’s a lot of water!” Photo by Tilly Berendt.

I think it’s a real rider’s course because there’s lots of different options you can do in the combinations – you can do the lesser stride, you can do the extra stride, so I think it’s for us to really have a game plan, know what we’re going to do with each horse, and then obviously give them the best chance of seeing it and understanding what we’re asking.

Jackpot, he’s a sweetheart – I’ve never had him not want to do it if he understands it. I’ll try and make it extra obvious to him and really try and fill him with confidence. Obviously, it’s his first five-star, so it’ll be interesting to see how he how he takes it on.

Val, I know him so well, but then don’t want to start overthinking things, because I know know him so well.

It’s the first time I’ve had two at five-star, so it’ll be interesting having a spin on one first, and then actually having Val second. Hopefully it will give me a little bit more feeling to ride him, hopefully, better.

Head-scratchy fences..?

There’s a lot of water.

The big roll top on the racecourse down to the shoulder brush [19AB] – that’s a proper question.

There’s quite a few!

🇬🇧 Selina Milnes – Cooley Snapchat – 30.3 – 12th=

“I just hope it doesn’t rain any more.” Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

I think it’s nice. Probably on the way home, it’s going to catch you more – like you’ve got the water in the in the racecourse [21ABCD], and then the water on the way home [23ABC] – it looks quite straightforward, but actually it was early on last year, and it still didn’t ride that nicely. I just hope that it doesn’t rain any more – I really didn’t want to run him round in the mud again! [after last year’s particularly soggy offering.] The grounds seems quite dry compared to last year at this stage – I think it’s probably dried up a lot today, as long as it doesn’t rain overnight.

🇬🇧 Alexander Bragg – Ardeo Premier – 31 – 18th=

“You have to decide – if you just come down and just fumble your way – it’s the accumulative thing” Alex Bragg and Ardeo Premier. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

He came for his first time here where I think the stats said it was the hardest Pau ever, and the hardest five-star for 15 or 16 years or something and that was his debut at this level but he got round and he completed. This year, I feel like we he’s more prepared and ready. There’s a slightly easier introduction into the course, so we’ll see. Hopefully [the cross country] will play a part because everybody is very close together after these dressage marks, so hopefully the cross country will stretch everybody and then the show jumping will will be fun but not crucifying where you have one rail and drop 20 places, which is damaging, but we’ll see.

If you’ve got a really genuine one, then they should take off and try and get through the flags. Some of them, I’m trying to ride a line for four and then others you have to go super direct and you think, actually, this is meant to be ridden straight. But you have to decide – if you just come down and just fumble your way, you start scratching around, and then it’s the accumulative thing, the horse says, oh, I’ll try one time, and then the next…

About that huge great big drop at 22A, once he remembered that there’s a huge great big drop out there, which he’d clearly subconsciously blanked out when he was asked about it (IYKYK, um, Maryland):

Oh yeah, that is big! It gives you Defender Burghley vibes. That will come up and they could feel like they’re teetering off a cliff.

Tilly predicts the best ride of the day at the huge great big drop for Alex, you heard it here first.

🇺🇸 Jenny Caras – Sommersby – 32 – 25th

“It’s all there to be jumped if you ride well”. Jenny Caras and Sommersby. Photo by Abby Powell.

I think it’ll suit him well, because it starts out galloping in front of you – it’s important for me to set the tone early. Then it comes quick and fast and you’ve just got to keep thinking and riding and keep putting money in the bank the whole way around, basically. But the footing is great, it’s beautifully presented, it’s all there to be jumped if you ride well.

Any particular combinations she’s going to get a sneak peek of before she heads out there?

I’ll watch them all! But I think it’s having my plan and sticking to my plan, and as long as I ride positive, he’s usually very good.

And there we have it, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

Allez eventing!

EN is proud to welcome Horsepal onboard as the sponsor of our Pau coverage! Horsepal is a newly-launched heart rate monitor brought to you by Tom MacGuinness, founder of Horseware and an FEI eventer and endurance rider, who’s brought his decades of knowledge to practice in the design of Horsepal. You can now purchase Horsepal directly to the UK and Europe — learn more here.

Meet the Field: 2025 USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships at Twin Rivers Ranch

By on Oct 24, 2025 12:00 pm -

YEH grad turned 4* eventer That’s Me Z with Tommy Greengard as a 5-year-old. Photo by Tina Fitch Photography.

The team at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, Calif., has made a significant commitment to growing eventing programs for young horses on the West Coast and has hosted the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) West Coast Championships as a standalone event each year since 2020. The goal is to create a championship atmosphere just for the 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds that will be competing.

The YEH West Coast Championships have become a stepping stone for top prospects on their journey to the FEI levels of eventing. With their victory in the 2022 5-year-old West Coast championship, That’s Me Z (Take A Chance On Me Z x Venetia) and Tommy Greengard secured the prestigious Holekamp/Turner YEH Lion d’Angers Grant and represented the United States in the 2024 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships at Le Lion D’Angers in France. They placed 16th out of 64 in the 7-year-old world championship. In 2025, they have three podium finishes at the four-star level at Galway Downs in California, Rebecca Farm in Montana, and Morven in Virginia.

Camelot PJ (Colman x Hauptstutbuch Evita), the 2023 5-year-old West Coast champion, has moved up to three-star with Andrea Baxter this year and won at Intermediate at Galway in January 2025. Of the 18 horses that competed in the 5-year-old West Coast championship in 2023, 10 have since gone on to complete FEI events at the, one-, two-, or three-star levels as 7-year-olds in 2025. They are:

  • Camelot PJ and Andrea Baxter (1st)
  • LS Crown Royal and Jordan Linstedt (3rd)
  • Monbeg Salt Fever and Ashley Horowitz (4th)
  • New Gailllard AJK and Nadia Vogt (5th, ridden by Amber Birtcil in YEH)
  • The Big Easy and Andrea Baxter (6th, and also won Safe Harbor Award)
  • HSH Cellesto and Anni Grandia-Dodson (7th)
  • Excalibur O’Donoghue and Sabrina Glaser (9th)
  • Chiaro Z Excalibur and Colleen Loach (11th, ridden by Sabrina Glaser in YEH under name of Excalibur Ardeo)
  • MRF Nonchalant and Catie Cejka (14th)
  • Next Generation Especiale and Madison Temkin (17th, ridden by Kendal Smith in YEH)

The 2024 5-year-old class had its first taste of FEI success this year with MBF Braxy V (Renkum Valentino x Roxsette) winning the CCI1*-S at the Twin Rivers Fall International and Fary Prince (The After Party x Farytale Cooley) being reserve champion in the CCI2*-S at the Woodside Fall International in their respective FEI debuts.

One week after the East Coast championship held at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, Twin Rivers will once again host the West Coast championship classes for 4- and 5-year-olds that culminate the year’s YEH Program on Oct. 24 and 25. In addition, a Last Chance Qualifier for the West Coast is offered at Twin Rivers on Oct. 23. Due to the vast area that the West Coast serves, getting to qualifiers during the year can be difficult. So, Twin offers a completely separate qualifier that doesn’t share any part of the championships’ atmosphere, dressage, or jumping areas. Some horses compete as a confidence-building warm-up round, as it takes place on a softer course than what is expected in the championships. Other horses compete for their last chance to qualify for the prestigious championships.

Andrea Baxter and MBF Dig Deep, 4-year-old West Coast Champions last year. Photo by Tina Fitch Photography.

Here’s the field:

5-YEAR-OLDS

ESI HARVARD | Bay Irish Sport Horse Gelding (Etoulon VDL x Castellana)

Rider: Bec Braitling Owner: Michlynn Sterling Breeder: Ennisnag Stud

Fifth in the 2024 4-year-old West Coast championship, ESI Harvard’s 2025 campaign has been highlighted by a third-place finish in the Beginner Novice Amateur division of the 2025 American Eventing Championships ridden by owner Michlynn Sterling. Bec Braitling rode the Irish import in his most recent event, a second-place finish at the Novice level in the Woodside Fall International. Sterling said that ESI Harvard is “easygoing, smart, and picks things up so quickly that I sometimes forget he’s only 5.”

EVEREST | Bay Dutch Warmblood Mare (Escher x Zynnia)

Rider: Anna Collier Owner: Anna Collier Breeder: Linda Smyth

Marc Grandia rode Everest’s dam, Zynnia, to a fifth-place finish out of 46 in the CCI1* (now CCI2*-L level) at Galway in 2013. With Anna Collier aboard, Everest moved up to Training at Caber Farm in Washington, placing fourth of 11 on a dressage score of 26.0. Everest’s brother Patriot, also out of Zynnia, has competed in Preliminary level eventing and Prix St. Georges dressage.

GHINO AWH Z | Chestnut Zangersheide Gelding (Gullit HBC x Lowenna)

Rider: Josh Barnacle Owner: Josh Barnacle Breeder: Scholten W

Imported from Germany at the beginning of the year, Ghino AWH Z was first out of 17 in the Open Novice division of the Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials on a dressage score of 26.9. His sire, Gullit HBC, show jumped up to 1.45 meters in Europe.

MBF DIG DEEP | Bay Dutch Warmblood Gelding (Golddigger x Amber)

Rider: Andrea Baxter Owner: Estrella Equestrian Breeder: B.G. Damhuis

MBF Dig Deep and Andrea Baxter won the USEA YEH 4-Year-Old West Coast Championship in 2024. They qualified for the USEA YEH 5-Year-Old West Coast Championship in 2025 with the fourth-highest score in the country of 87.25 achieved at the Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials. Plus, they have completed five horse trials at Training since May, finishing on their dressage score in four of them. Baxter said about the Irish import, “Dig Deep is a very serious guy and loves competing.”

O’MALLEY VAN HET PANNEHOF Z | Chestnut Zangersheide Gelding (unknown x unknown)

Rider: Nick Cwick Owner: Cwick Eventing LLC Breeder n/a

O’Malley Van Het Pannehof Z came to the United States from the Netherlands. The chestnut Zangersheide gelding and Nick Cwick successfully moved up to the Training level with a fifth-place finish out of 17 in the Open Training Division of the Twin Fivers Fall International.

PAREL VAN DER W | Bay Dutch Warmblood Mare (Impressive VDL x Kalysha Diola V)

Rider: Audrey Sanborn Owner: Audrey Sanborn Breeder: J.R. Wanningen

Parel Van Der W and Audrey Sanborn won the Training Horse division of the 2025 American Eventing Championships on a dressage score of 23.2. The Dutch-import is by Impressive VDL, a 12-year-old stallion who has show jumped up to 1.40 meters in Europe.

PENDLETON GB | Bay Dutch Warmblood Gelding (Franklin x Beyoncé)

Rider: Karen O’Neal Owner: Karen O’Neal Breeder: Gwen Blake

Pendleton GB and Karen O’Neal were reserve champions of the Novice Horse division of the 2025 American Eventing Championships and then third in the Area VII Novice Championship at Aspen Farm in Washington. They most recently moved up to Training and won at Spokane in Washington for their fourth blue ribbon of 2025. O’Neal says “Baby P” is “absolutely obsessed with bananas and adores little kids,” and although dressage-bred, he prefers jumping.

PETAR D | Bay Dutch Warmblood Gelding (Qatar Ter Saleghem x Ereda M)

Rider: Mickayla Howard Owner: Mickayla Howard Breeder: n/a

Third in the 2024 4-year-old West Coast championship when ridden by Bec Braitling, Mickayla Howard took over the mount at the beginning of 2025. They won the Novice Three-Day, part of the USEA Classic Series, at Rebecca Farm in Montana in July. Then, they finished third in the Beginner Novice Horse division of the 2025 American Eventing Championships. His sire, Qatar Ter Saleghem, is just 9 years old and is a 1.30-meter show jumper in Europe.

PICASSO | Bay Dutch Warmblood Gelding (High Shutterfly x Athene HBC)

Rider: Amber Birtcil Owner: Cellar Farm Corp. Breeder: G.M. Benschop

Picasso’s 7-year-old full-brother full-brother Nicolai is competing at the three-star level of eventing in Europe with Dutch rider Willemina Van Der Goes-Petter. They took part in the 2025 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships at Le Lion D’Angers in France. Picasso came from the Netherlands. He won his USEA eventing debut at the Beginner Novice level at Caber Farm in Washington and has moved up to Novice with Amber Birtcil.

PRINCE OF OOLDE | Bay Dutch Warmblood Gelding (Ibolensky x Aurora J)

Rider: Amber Birtcil Owner: Cellar Farm Corp. Breeder: G.W. Reurslag

The Dutch import Prince of Oolde and Amber Birtcil won at the Training level at Shepherd Ranch in the summer. They’ve completed six events at Training, finishing in the top-three in four of them. His 8-year-old half-brother Magical Touch is competing at the three-star level of eventing in Great Britain and Ireland with Eliza Bell.

SF CINEMATIC | Chestnut Hanoverian Gelding (Chacfly PS x Cassie)

Rider: Sarah Sullivan Owner: Sarah Sullivan Breeder: Felix Geffken

Imported from Germany, SF Cinematic and Sarah Sullivan won at the Novice level at Equestrians’ Institute in Washington at the end of August. They also have experience competing in the Novice Three-Day, part of the USEA Classic Series, at Rebecca Farm in Montana and in the Area VII Novice Championship at Aspen Farm in Washington.

WHADDYA MEAN | Bay Thoroughbred Gelding (Souper Speedy x Get It Straight)

Rider: Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley Owner: Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley Breeder: Gail Wood & Dr. Ruth Barbour

Whaddya Mean and Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley recorded the highest 5-year-old qualifying score in the United States with a 90.2 at Shepherd Ranch in the summer. The bay Thoroughbred gelding was bred in Ontario, Canada, and raced nine times in his home province and in Florida before coming off the track in February 2024.

4-YEAR-OLDS

BEACHFIELD VIVALDI | Bay Irish Sport Horse Gelding (Vivant Van De Heffinck x Cloonacauneen Black Beauty)

Rider: Andrea Baxter Owner: Michlynn Sterling Breeder: Gemma Phelan

The dam of Beachfield Vivaldi, Cloonacauneen Black Beauty, evented up to the four-star level in Ireland with Brian Morrison. His sire, Vivant Van De Heffinck, is also the sire of Shane Rose’s Adelaide five-star winner and Paris Olympic horse Virgil. The Irish import debuted in the United States at the Beginner Novice level at the Twin Rivers Fall International with Andrea Baxter.

CARNUS GIH | Gray Hanoverian Gelding (Cornet de Semilly x St. Pr. Hauptstutbuch Santana)

Rider: Erika Perez Owner: Erika Perez Breeder: Gestuti m Hofbruch

By the sire Cornet de Semilly, Carnus GIH combines the famous jumper lines of Cornet Obolensky and Diamant De Semilly. The gray Hanoverian gelding has done three YEH qualifiers, placing first in two of them at Spokane in Washington, and competed up to the Novice level in horse trials with Erika Perez.

DOS MBF ENDEAVOUR | Bay Irish Sport Horse Gelding (HHS Cornet x DOS Kono)

Rider: Andrea Baxter Owner: Steve Harcourt Breeder: Dennis Sullivan

Baxter refers to DOS MBF Endeavour as her “underdog” of the this year’s string of young horses. He was slow to develop but had a successful first outing at the Twin Rivers’ July qualifier and some jumper shows this fall. He’ll compete again in the Last Chance Qualifier as a final prep run.

EARNED EFFORT | Bay Hanoverian Gelding (Escher x Katie D)

Rider: Anna Collier Owner: Anna Collier Breeder: Anna Collier

Anna Collier competed Katie D up to the Intermediate and three-star levels and bred her to the young Hanoverian stallion Escher to produce Earned Effort. Collier started competing Earned Effort in a YEH qualifier at Spokane in Washington in May and has since done two Novice horse trials, most recently finishing third at Caber Farm in Washington in August.

EXCEL STAR HENRY | Bay Irish Sport Horse Gelding (Kings Cornet x Briarhill Debbie)

Rider: Earl McFall Owner: Heather Bo Breeder: Anne Coyne

One of two horses in the 4-year-old West Coast championship sourced by the Excel Star Sporthorses of Courtney Cooper and sired by Kings Cornet, Excel Star Henry started competing earlier this month at the Beginner Novice level at the Woodside Fall International ridden by Earl McFall.

EXCEL STAR KC REPUTATION | Gray Irish Sport Horse Gelding (Kings Cornet x Ella’s Girl)

Rider: Lauren Jarem Owner: Lauren Jarem Breeder: Martin Curran

One of two horses in the 4-year-old West Coast championship sourced by the Excel Star Sporthorses of Courtney Cooper and sired by Kings Cornet, Excel Star KC Reputation qualified in his debut event at the Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials. He and Lauren Jarem have since finished third at the Starter level at the Woodside Fall International.

LADYBIRD | Bay Oldenburg Mare (WT Leapfrog x Tiana Garbo)

Rider: Anna Collier Owner: Anna Collier Breeder: Colleen Peterson

Ladybird and Anna Collier made their USEA-recognized eventing debut at the Starter level by placing second at the Caber Farm Horse Trials in Washington in August. They are entered in the Last Chance Qualifier to attempt to earn a spot in the championships.

MBF FIRST CLASS | Gray Irish Sport Horse Gelding (Mountross Ernan x Killfeacle Star)

Rider: Maxance McManamy Owner: Charlee Marinovich Breeder: Ciara O’Riordan

MBF First Class placed first in the qualifier at Shepherd Ranch in his first event in August ridden by Maxance McManamy. He most recently finished third at the Starter level at the Twin Rivers Fall International ridden by owner Charlee Marinovich. MBF First Class came from Ireland to the United States.

MBF RAFELINDO | Bay Dutch Warmblood Gelding (El Salvador x Cisijgje V)

Rider: Andrea Baxter Owner: Estrella Equestrian Breeder: P.J.H.M Snelting

Andrea Baxter won the 2024 4-year-old West Coast championship with MBF Dig Deep and will attempt to repeat with another bay Dutch Warmblood named MBF Rafelindo. They had the fourth-highest qualifying score in the country of 83.05, which came at the Twin Rivers Fall International. The Dutch horse from Ireland goes by the barn name of “Jamaica.” He’s been in the top-five in all three Beginner Novice events in which he’s competed in his debut season.

OLYMPIA 21 | Gray Holsteiner Mare (Rip Tide x Austria aka Glamazon)

Rider: Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley Owner: Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley Breeder: Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley

Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley and Olympia 21 have competed in two events at Beginner Novice at Woodside and Shepherd Ranch and a qualifier at Shepherd Ranch. Nichols Jolley also competed Oympia 21’s dam, the Thoroughbred mare Austria, with completions up to Training.  His sire, Rip Tide, stands in Southern California and is by multiple USEF Eventing Sire of the Year Riverman.

RAMINO | Bay Oldenburg Gelding (Comme Il Faut x Texana II)

Rider: Amber Birtcil Owner: Cellar Farm Corp. Breeder: Michael Heitmann

Ramino and Amber Birtcil come into the championships off the highest West Coast qualifying score of 84.2. The 4-year-old with the highest East Coast qualifying score, MBF Mirror Image, won the East Coast championship. Imported from the Netherlands, his dam, Texana II, has two offspring that have competed up to 1.45 meters in show jumping in Italy.

RIVALE.T. | Chestnut Dutch Warmblood Gelding (Kallmar VDL x Lady Olytha)

Rider: Amber Birtcil Owner: Cellar Farm Corp. Breeder: M. Terpstra

Rivale.T. represents new breeding lines. Sire Kallmar VDL is 10 years old and won a 1.40-meter show jumping class at Bedizzole in Italy in June. Dam Lady Olytha is 9 years old and has competed in show jumping, dressage, and eventing. Imported from the Netherlands, Rivale.T. made his American eventing debut at the Beginning Novice level and in a YEH qualifier at the Twin Rivers Fall International with Amber Birtcil.
THUNDERHOOF’S ODIN | Chestnut Warmblood Stallion (Markus Des Jardins x Wandamere Faye)

Rider: Tijon Moore Owner: Tijon Moore Breeder: n/a

Thunderhoof’s Odin, a warmblood-Shire cross, will be making his USEA-recognized eventing debut with Tijon Moore in the Last Chance Qualifier. His sire, Markus Des Jardins, is 8 years old and competed in 4- and 5-year-old jumper classes in the Pacific Northwest. He’s also the sire of Prachtige Schat, who competed in the 2024 4-year-old West Coast championship and 2025 5-year-old East Coast championship with Erin Storey.

The 2025 USEA YEH West Coast Championships will feature significant prizes from: the USEA, Goresbridge, Schneiders, Adequan, ARMA, Bates, Kerrits, FLAIR, Marshall+Sterling, SmartEquine, Standlee, #WeRideTogether, CrossCountry App, and The Jockey Club.

Twin Rivers is proud to offer additional prizes and keepsakes from Twin Rivers’ Young Event Horse sponsors: Fleeceworks, MBF Sport Horses, Vanguard Eventing, Bec Braitling Eventing, Estrella Equestrian, Equimotion Media, Michlynn Sterling, and Cellar Farm.

The competition is scheduled to be livestreamed by EquiMotion Media, with the broadcast sponsored by Fleeceworks and USEA.

Friday News & Notes from Stable View

By on Oct 24, 2025 12:01 am -

We’re very excited to welcome Portugal’s Francisco “Kiko” Stilwell to the newest episode of The Go Eventing Podcast! We’ve been wanting to chat up Kiko for awhile, as his backstory is downright fascinating. Kiko hails from one of the smaller countries when it comes to eventing, and it’s a community that’s struggled to rebuild after the loss of a prominent rider and coach about a decade ago. Kiko also has had his share of his own adversity, dealing with a spinal disease that caused deformations in his left foot that made him susceptible to bone infections and overwhelming pain. In 2020, he made the decision to have the lower portion of his left leg amputated to save himself from a lifetime on crutches and unable to pursue his dreams. It’s a story you won’t want to miss diving into, and it’ll hit your airwaves today on your preferred podcast platform or here.

Major International Events

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Horsepal]

U.S. Events This Weekend

YEH West Coast Championships & Last Chance Qualifier (CA): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores]

Waredaca Classic Three Day Event & H.T. (MD): [Website] [Entries/Times] [Scores] [Volunteer: Classic Three-Day] [Volunteer: H.T.]

Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. International (GA): [Website] [Entries/Times] [Scores] [Volunteer]

Windermere Run H.T. (MO): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Hitching Post Farm H.T. (SC): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

News & Reading

Dressage star Anna Buffini has taken a step back from competing at the top levels, she shared recently on the new Horsewoman’s Almanac podcast and via The Chronicle of the Horse. The reasonings are largely financial — it’s hard to make it work in this sport, especially when you’re fully supported by yourself and your family. “What’s so hard about the horse world for everyone is there’s still board, shavings, hay, grooms, property maintenance, training from my coach, shows, travel for the horse and rider and coach, insurance,” Anna told The Chronicle. “It’s just become too much of a strain on our family,” she continued, “and I am at peace with being able to take this financial burden off of all of our shoulders.” You can read more on her decision here.

The USEA Young Event Horse Championships aren’t quite over! The West coast Championships take place this weekend at Twin Rivers and a great field of promising youngsters is ready to vie for the titles up for grabs. Preview the field and get some quick info here.

Take an early look around the cross country at Pau, which promises to be a festive and potentially slightly wet adventure on Saturday. Horse & Hound has a preview ready for your eyes here.

Sponsor Corner: Stable View

Only two Eventing Academy weekends at Stable View remain on the calendar! The Eventing Academy is a fun, low-pressure event that provides an affordable opportunity to get in some practice both in an schooling environment as well as a (again, low key!) competition environment. On Friday, competitors can school the cross country field to be used for the weekend. On Saturday, competitors can school dressage, stadium and cross country. On the Sunday, competitors can enter an unrecognized event. Riders can also enter rounds for Dressage Test of Choice, Show Jumping and Combined Tests for Sunday’s event. Registration is open until November 7 for the November 14-16 Eventing Academy and you can learn more here.

Video Break

Take a deeper dive on eventing’s “sister sport,” combined driving:

Add To Basket: EN’s Top Picks of the 2025 Goresbridge Go For Gold Line-Up

By on Oct 23, 2025 7:00 pm -

A French content creator stopped me at Mondial du Lion, the World Championship for Six- and Seven-Year-Olds, and asked me which I prefer: young horses or established, top-level ones? I didn’t have to think about it for long. “I love,” I told her, “seeing a young horse and falling in love with it and then getting to follow its career when it goes on to travel up the levels.” So many of my favourite horses are ones I fell for early in their careers; I still get a buzz out of seeing Tine Magnus’s incredible Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z, who made me stop in my tracks when I first saw her years ago, and then made me pick up the phone and text Belgian chef d’equipe Kai-Steffen Meier to find out whether there might be a whisper of a chance that the mare might be on the market. (She was not, and wisely so: Tine made her Olympic debut with Dia last year and they remain a formidable partnership for Belgium.)

We’ve been doing these Goresbridge Go For Gold deep-dives long enough now to see our picks step up to the big leagues, too, which is particularly cool: last week at Le Lion, Germany’s Sven Lux piloted former EN Go For Gold wishlist pick MBF Senorita to a smart, swift clear across the country in that very tough seven-year-old class, and it felt particularly special to see how that raw young talent had blossomed into something so serious.

Three years ago, I loved the leggy chestnut MBF PLS Castlecomer Q so much that I let myself into his stable at the sales and considered threatening not to leave him, and now, he’s been given an appropriately steady start to his eventing career considering his colossal height but has debuted quite impressively with Andrew Hoy under his new name, Castlecornet. I think he’ll be a really fun horse to watch, and the Hoys have been warned that I’ll be marching straight over for cuddles at the first event we’re both at.

But the hamster wheel keeps on turning, and there are always new and exciting horses to fall in love with. This year’s Go For Gold sale, which will take place at the Amber Springs Hotel in Co. Wexford on November 12th, has nearly 90 exceptional horses from three to five years old, suiting a variety of careers and riders, and look, I’ve already asked Amex for a higher credit limit and been declined, so I’ve had to commit myself to the art of the window shop.

But you: you could be the person I pester in the lorry park for years to come, because I’m delusional and think I have some ownership of your horse of a lifetime, just because I liked watching it loose jump on the internet. You could have that honour. You could own one of these very, very cool horses.

Let’s get into them, shall we?

[Shop the full catalogue here]

The Goresbridge ‘Go For Gold’ Sale takes place November 10-12 at Barnadown Showjumping (November 10-11) and the Amber Springs Hotel (November 12). In-person shopping provides the opportunity to see the horses for yourself before the sale goes forward, but you can also access more information, FAQs and register to bid online here. The full catalogue can be seen here.

 LOT 11 – MONBEG MONACO

Four-year-old, 16hh gelding. Malcomme P x Mutiezia, by Emir R.

Go For Gold is packed with impressive unbacked or lightly started three-year-olds, but they always have a small and mighty line-up of four- and five-year-olds, too. For some folks, this bit of the catalogue isn’t their jam – they want to make a bid on something totally raw that they can shape themselves. But there’s also a gamble to be made there, and being able to try these slightly more experienced horses in an atmosphere is a huge boon.

With that in mind, my first pick is one you’ll want to pack your boots and hat for. He’s just four, but has already popped solid fences and showjumps, and does so with an ease that I really like. When I’m looking at young ridden horses, I want to see that they’ve been allowed to find their own balance and have been quietly produced without too much interference, so there’s no risk of issues like learned helplessness, one-sidedness, or sourness. With this chap, I see a lot of things I really like: he’s naturally well-balanced, moves forward readily and happily, approaches his work with a smile, and looks naturally bold and also clever enough to know where his feet are and work a thing or two out. Basically, nothing seems difficult to him right now, and that’s a big box ticked for me.

At 16hh, he might not make the shortlist of a tall male professional, but frankly, I kind of like it when we can keep a nice thing away from the boys. It’s good for them to miss out sometimes, and if they bypass Monaco, they’ll be missing out on a lot. I think this is a horse who could do a lot of useful jobs, whether with a pro in the irons or a capable junior. He strikes me as a pony ride adjustability-wise, but with the stride patterns of a horse, and I like the Emir R through his dam mixed with the Comme Il Faut on the sire’s side – it’s no surprise he’s a neat, scopey, capable jumper with a nice attitude.

LOT 12 – LANKOM AMG

Four-year-old, 16.2hh gelding. Eldorado van de Zeshoek x Irene d’Ecaussines, by Cardento.

If I’d been judging on photos alone, here’s a confession: I’d have skipped past this gelding completely. I wasn’t taken by his conformation shots, which made him look as though his neck was on upside-down. But that’s a useful reminder to always delve into all the content you’re given because actually, when I watched him jump under saddle, I liked him a lot.

This is a big baby, and right now he’s a bit bum-high and moves like it, but there’s a tonne of potential there and, I think, a seriously nice brain. This is a horse who looks like he really takes life in his stride and doesn’t lend himself to dramatics: sometimes, talented young horses send themselves into orbit until they’ve figured out how to jump fences, and that’s fine, but it can be a lot for anyone other than a seasoned pro to cope with. But this chap is clever and calm, and he reads fences and allocates just the right amount of jump to them – for a horse to understand economising, and when it’s okay, at four is actually quite impressive. I think he’s a smart boy who will be a pleasure to produce, and I hope he finds someone who doesn’t mind taking their time with him while he physically matures.

For the breeding nerds, his granddam is by Papillon Rouge, the damsire of Tom McEwen’s five-star winner Toledo de Kerser. I really like the smart Selle Français lines coming through his damline, because they tend to be brainy, blood horses, and those qualities often shine brightest when they come through the matriarchs of the family lines.

LOT 20 – BC PRINCE CHARMING

Four-year-old, 16hh gelding. Kaiden Leva WD x Cinderella Girl, by Buster King.

When I make my picks from this stacked catalogue, I’m not necessarily always looking for the horse that I think will be the next big thing. Often, I’m looking for horses that I think will be particularly commercial, or suit a wide variety of riders, and for me, that’s exactly what the petite BC Prince Charming is. Like Lot 11, my first pick, he looks like he rides like a pony in the best way possible – he’s an adjustable, compact, balanced bouncy ball of an athlete, but without the teeny little strides of a pony. His dam, actually, was a top pony showjumper, representing Ireland in Nations Cups and Austria in the European Championships, and Prince Charming wears that heritage right on his sleeve.

Okay, okay, we’ve also got to address it: I didn’t pick him because he’s splashy and colourful, but it doesn’t hurt a jot, does it? When they’re rideable, scopey, find jumping easy, are quick and athletic off the ground, and have this sort of ‘chrome’, you know you’re onto something you could sell a million times over. This could be a lot of people’s horse of a lifetime – I can see him going to the States and making the cover of US Eventing’s magazine after winning the AECs with a very smiley rider on board. In short, he looks fun, fun, fun (and commercial, commercial, commercial!).

LOT 32 – CREEVYQUIN CONTHARGOS

Three-year-old, 16.2hh gelding. Conthargos x Inea VDL, by Tinkas Boy.

So you’re in the market for something a little taller and a little rangier – I hear you. This Conthargos son currently stands 16.2hh but looks a bigger picture than that; it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he finds another inch over the next year.

In any case, he’s a seriously smart-looking, strapping young thing with a tonne of elasticity in his movement that, down the line and with the right production, will turn into points-winning paces. He’s a lovely jumper, too, with an intrinsic understanding of how to use his shoulder and neck to balance himself over a fence and upon landing. It’s clear that there’s scope to burn there, and he’s certainly well-bred for jumping. I’d love to see this one go to a pro who wants to keep him for the long haul, because I reckon he could do some very exciting things.

LOT 44 – HALLSMILL ROCKSTAR MBF

Three-year-old, 16.3hh gelding. Rock N’Roll Ter Putte x Hallsmill Valentine, by Valent.

If you’ve been biding your time waiting for something with a seriously punchy hindend, you’re in luck. This oversized three-year-old is quick and catty behind, with a heaping helping of power and a skyward thrust that won’t be just anybody’s ride, but will make the right pro very, very happy. One thing I really like about this guy is that despite being very tall, he’s also nice and compact through the back, which keeps him adjustable and balanced – two qualities that are very important when you have this much scope.

He’s a bit extra, sure. But if pizazz and joie de vivre and the ability eat up massive fences for breakfast are what you’re after, this is your man. His maternal granddam is a Quick Star daughter and has some successful showjumping progeny on the ground, and his dam is by the stallion Valent, who sired Kentucky winner Cooley Rosalent and four-star horses Jewelent and Govalent. On his sire’s side, he’s got Diamant de Semilly and the excellent Darco, and via Valent, he’s got Papillon Rouge coming through the dam’s side. That’s a lot of scope and a lot of boldness in one horse, and if he turns out to be too careful for eventing, I’d feel fairly confident he could switch to the dark side and showjump well.

LOT 49 – UNNAMED

Three-year-old, 16hh gelding. SHS Soco Blue x CSF Quality Choice, by OBOS Quality 004.

Zirocco Blue VDL up top and OBOS Quality on the bottom make for an uphill, gutsy little horse who has plenty of jump but, more excitingly, lands so lightly and travels away so easily from it. I love how he uses his shoulder and neck to help him pat the ground and make a big jump something untaxing and undestructive, and I lovehow little he is at 16hh. There’s some nice pure Thoroughbred lines coming through the dam, too, and I think we could see all those different breeding focal points meld together into something very fun. I get the impression that he’s a big character in a little package, and that’s a combination that always really appeals to me.

54 – SIRREL VAN DE TJONGERSHOEVE

Three-year-old, 16.1hh gelding. Carerra VDL x Kully Junior, by Indoctro.

Yeah, yeah, he can jump (boy, can he jump), but Sirrel the Squirrel, which is what I would call him if I bought him, also has another great selling point: he’s already had a rider on his back, stands better for mounting than my seventeen-year-old mare, and very politely walks and trots around the stable block under saddle (also better than my seventeen-year-old mare would be, because she’d be calling every horse she passed some pretty horrendous names while doing so). I also really like that he’s met plenty of cross-country questions already on the lunge, not least because he’s a very careful type, and it’s nice for him to have the chance to figure out his footwork without the risk of a rider being bounced out of the tack or catching him in the mouth. In short: I like the considered production that’s been done here, while still maintaining enough of the raw article to give his buyer a pretty blank canvas to work with.

LOT 59 – MONBEG NANCY

Three-year-old, 15.3hh filly. Sandro vd Berghoeve x OBOS Nancy Broone, sire unknown.

Nancy is only 15.3hh, but 15.1hh of that is leg. She’s an elegant type who looks much rangier than her sticked height would suggest, and she has the open stride of a much bigger horse, too. This is another horse with a very easy jump and a likeable flow to everything she does. She looks curious and intelligent, and looks like she’s keen to take in the world around her, and I also like that when she slightly misjudges a placing pole while loose-jumping, she quickly sorts her legs out and easily jumps through the line without worrying herself or misdirecting herself.

Her breeding on her dam’s side is a bit of a mystery, with no recorded sire down below, but OBOS Nancy Broone is an interesting broodmare in her own right, with several upper-level progeny already, including Suzanne Hagan’s OBOS Take One, who competed at Boekelo for Ireland earlier this month.

LOT 60 – BLF Magicman MBF

Three-year-old, 16.2hh gelding. Madgeslane Luidam x BLF Indie Air xx, by Jet Away xx.

You can really see the Luidam stamp on this big-shouldered gelding, but it’s a Luidam spritzer thanks to a full-Thoroughbred damline. I really like to see blood down below, which is a sentence that I can’t actually say in public, and there’s some really nice Irish, British, and American Thoroughbred breeding going on there. This looks like the type of horse who’ll cover the ground easily and jumps for fun while doing so – a proper modern classic of a horse, and one that I think will be popular with riders who love a bit of that heart and stamina that’s so unique to Thoroughbred event horses. This is the kind of horse I’d love to have on my yard, which is a statement that’s so emblematic of the fact that I live in a fantasy world in my head in which I can ride one side of a horse like this. Maybe I’ll just live vicariously through someone who can.

LOT 68 – UNNAMED

Three-year-old, 16.2hh gelding. Cornet Son x Kilquilly Rosie, by Ice Man.

Have you ever looked at Ros Canter’s five-star winner Izilot DHI and thought, ‘man, that horse really has a touch of the brontosaurus about him?’ Yeah, me too, all the time. But equally, what a talented, if admittedly kind of odd horse he is.

My first thought about this chap was also that he has a touch of the brontosaurus about him, but in a slightly different way: his neck attaches to his chest in a very upward way, and because he’s already balanced and uphill, it creates quite a sturdy base for him to be able to keep his forehand afloat while he’s jumping. He’s perhaps slightly unconventional, but I think he’ll become a very, very smart horse who does a super test and jumps tidy rounds, too. Will he be able to learn how to put his head down, open his stride, and really gallop over terrain-y courses? Only time will tell, but if he does, he certainly won’t be the first horse of his stamp to do that. I’d be willing to take a punt.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

LOT 13 – MILCHEM GIOVANNI

This gutsy Tyson son is a lot of horse behind the saddle, but athletic enough that that doesn’t translate as a weak back. He was well-placed at the Burghley Young Event Horse final and would be a very fun horse to keep producing through next year’s class and beyond.

LOT 47 – SEACOAST MBF

This one reminds me a touch of Joseph Murphy’s CCI5* ride Belline Fighting Spirit. Special mention must go to the stallion a few generations back, Daddy’s Folly, who sired Mummy’s Folly, and I do not know what anyone involved was thinking with those names.

Lot 72 – MBF KILFERAGH

Small, ginger, and with a hindend engine that packs a proper punch.

Lot 76 – COOLPARKS CANDYMAN

One for fans of the former Nicola Wilson ride Coolparks Sarco, who was fourth at Pau last year with Piggy March: this chap’s dam is his full sister.

Lot 87 – TULLIBARDS IRISH RUMOR

Another solid shout if you like your horses very tall and very Irish.

Lot 88 – U TWO PICASSO

Really, it’s the name. And the tail. And the markings.

How EN writes the Go For Gold Wishlist: EN works with Goresbridge Horse Sales to provide advertorial content for the Go For Gold sale. While we were compensated to produce this Wishlist, the selections and honourable mentions are the writer’s alone. Happy shopping!

A Wet Weekend Beckons: Dispatches from a Not-Terribly-Fun Pau First Horse Inspection

By on Oct 23, 2025 12:18 pm -

This is nice! This is fun! Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It hasn’t been, shall we say, a normal start to Les 5 Etoiles de Pau, the final CCI5* of the 2025 season – but then, we keep reminding ourselves, when is France’s showpiece event ever truly normal? When the cross-country course is decorated with fake spiderwebs and oversized spiders and the spectators are pestered by leather-clad dominatrix horses, Marie Antoinette on stilts, and odd little men in pony suits, what’s a little bit of creative rescheduling among friends, really?

Alice Copithorne’s Fort Arthur Little Dolly and a man I have to assume is her father, quietly wishing his daughter had been keen on ballet instead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pau is always a bit of an anomaly where scheduling is concerned, anyway: rather than holding the first horse inspection on Wednesday and then putting on two full dressage days on Thursday and Friday, they always host the trot-up on Thursday morning and then one short, slightly sideshow-feeling session of dressage that afternoon, before proceeding on to a normal schedule from then on out.

That was very much the plan for managing this week’s line-up of 54 horses and riders, too, until Storm Benjamin rolled in off the Bay of Biscay and brought with him wind speeds of up to 119kph, as well as scattered torrential downpour. As of yesterday, the forecast for today looked like we’d see a dumping of some 14mm of rain throughout the morning, well into the 10.00 a.m. trot-up, and then a slightly drier but extremely gusty afternoon. By this morning, that forecast had cheered up – slightly – but the officials on site opted not to risk the wrath of the high winds. The trot-up was moved to a rather dim and dusky 5.00 p.m., and all 54 tests to Friday; whether psychological support services have been offered to the grooms and riders with three horses to compete this week remains to be seen.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

When we did finally get around to that late first horse inspection, the heavens truly committed, and anyone who was here for last year’s underwater event, where several minutes’ worth of course had to be taken out of the competition, was struck with a particularly violent bit of PTSD. Remember when Pau used to be the sunny event? Remember that? I do. Sort of. Now, it feels a bit like we’re swimming the horses over from Chincoteague Island. We might try to buy Ballaghmor Class for $500 and a handshake.

Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker face the elements. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The ground jury of President Christina Klingspor (SWE), Angela Tucker (GBR), and Eric Lieby (FRA) did well not to drown in the merry little flood plain that formed at their end of the trot strip, and our 54 competitors, representing nine nations, had faces with subtitles as they did their bit to advance to the next bit of this week’s X-Games.

Two would get the special treat of heading to the hold box, getting progressively wetter and more fed up, before re-presenting. That was Great Britain’s Steven Heal and the Holly Hub Syndicate’s five-star debutante Hagonda, and New Zealand’s Jonelle Price and the second of her three rides this week, Olympic partner Hiarado – but both, happily, were accepted upon the second go-round, though after some prolonged discussion for the latter.

Same, buddy. Steve Heal and Hagonda get some exposure therapy at the first horse inspection. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tomorrow’s schedule – sorry, hang on, we need to take a moment to close our eyes and have a few restorative deep breaths – will see dressage begin at 9.30 a.m. local time (8.30 a.m. BST/3.30 a.m. EST), with our three-horse riders first up to bat in the ring. Our trailblazer for the competition will be former Pau winners Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera, and she’ll be followed by Bubby Upton and the stalwart Cola. Then, it’s Tim Price and the former Georgie Campbell ride Global Quest, before we move into the slightly more sensible two-horse rider rotations.

Emily Hamel and Corvett come to Pau to tick off the last of the Northern Hemisphere five-stars on their bucket list — and we reckon it’s got to be the wettest one, too. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We’ll have our heads down and our minds on flying changes and half-passes (and, let’s be real, the glorious prospect of indoor sports) all the way until 17.30 (16.30 BST/11.30 a.m. EST) or so, with just under an hour’s lunch break, which is just enough time, by my calculation, for all of us to have a wee, a coffee, and a short, essential cry in a dark corner before it’s back unto the breach. What a treat! Now we just have to hope that Storm Benjamin is crap at walk pirouettes, otherwise we might find him back on top of us and the ground jury might have to take up my suggestion to skip dressage entirely, and instead make all assembled competitors pick a score out of a hat. Genius often isn’t recognised until long after the holder’s career and life have ended so many decades from now, when that’s how we run eventing, please give me my flowers, okay?

For now, we’re off to wring out our underthings and rethink our life choices, but we’ll be back soon with lots more from the World Aquatics Championships very soon. Too soon! Help.

EN is proud to welcome Horsepal onboard as the sponsor of our Pau coverage! Horsepal is a newly-launched heart rate monitor brought to you by Tom MacGuinness, founder of Horseware and an FEI eventer and endurance rider, who’s brought his decades of knowledge to practice in the design of Horsepal. You can now purchase Horsepal directly to the UK and Europe — learn more here.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Horsepal]

Your Intro to the Horses and Riders of the Pau CCI5* Field

By on Oct 23, 2025 12:00 pm -

Ahead of Friday’s FULL DAY OF DRESSAGE (yayyy…) at Les 5 Étoiles de Pau, we’ve got your primer to this absolutely stacked field ready for viewing as you follow along! You can find more information using the link list below.

We’ve been toying around with a few new updates to our Form Guides. For Maryland this year, we’ve got the Form Guide arranged as follows:

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.

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].

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.

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

The entries are listed in Drawn Order for ease of following as the competition goes.

EN is proud to welcome Horsepal onboard as the sponsor of our Pau coverage! Horsepal is a newly-launched heart rate monitor brought to you by Tom MacGuinness, founder of Horseware and an FEI eventer and endurance rider, who’s brought his decades of knowledge to practice in the design of Horsepal. You can now purchase Horsepal directly to the UK and Europe — learn more here.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Timing/Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Horsepal]

1: Jonelle Price (NZL) and Grappa Nera

Grappa Nera might be small in stature, but she’s big on talent — and with Jonelle Price in the tack, she’s proven herself a serious 5* contender time and again — not least when taking the win at Pau in 2022. “Grape” is a classic example of Jonelle’s type: feisty, fast, and full of fire. While she can be unpredictable in the first phase, mid-30s score have become the norm rather than the exception in recent years, though she is still prone to a rail or two on the final day, which has cost them a few places on more than one occasion.

[View Grappa Nera’s full profile here]

2: Bubby Upton and (GBR) Cola

From U25 Championship titles to top 10 5* finishes, Cola has been a top campaigner for Bubby for several years now; she has previously described as akin to an “old pair of slippers” — comforting and ever reliable. Hence, he was the horse who took her back to 5* after a career threatening fall in 2023 saw Bubby break her back in several places and have to undergo several operations. Other than an occasional pole here and there, Cola’s performance in all three phases is incredibly consistent, though as the late 20 at Aachen in 2025, proved, he is not entirely infallible. But then everyone makes mistakes — even 5* stalwarts.

[View Cola’s full profile here]

3: Tim Price (NZL) and Global Quest

Tim took the ride on “George” partway through the 2024 season, following the sad passing of his former rider, Georgie Campbell. They quickly established a strong partnership, notching up several top 20 finishes together, and a spate of double clears. But them that is owing in part to Georgie’s work with him too; she produced him right through to the 4*-L level, and often lauded him as one of the best horses she had ever had. He certainly seems to be proving that to be the case — his only slight weakness is in the first phase, which ranges anywhere from low to high 30s, but if anyone can improve those scores it is Mr Price.

[View Global Quest’s full profile here]

4: Emily King (GBR) and Jackpot

Emily took the reins on Jackpot from Polly Schwerdt in late 2022. Established as a 3* horse at that point, Emily continued his education in fine style with wins in his first two Long format competitions just a year later. Their form has been chequered at times, with a spate of cross country penalties in 2024, but they seem to have learned from those, and their record has been impeccable of late, notching up an enviable run of double clears, along with sub 30 dressage scores. Jackpot is the real deal — and possibly even a contender for a place on the British team in years to come.

[View Jackpot’s full profile here]

6: Tiana Coudray (USA) and Cancaras Girl

“Cara” was originally purchased via a social media ad with the intent to sell — but she stuck with Olympian Tiana and now they’re at the top of their game together. Pint-sized “Cara” proved her mettle at the top of the sport with a classy 25th-place at Badminton in 2024, where the little mare showed she’s got the guts and heart to be competitive at 5*, and her tidy 29.8 dressage score showcased the kind of polish she can bring to the first phase. Though still developing at the top level with other 5* attempts not exactly going to plan, the tenacious mare has flashes of real brilliance — like her top-ten finish at Bramham in 2022 — and benefits greatly from Olympian Tiana’s deep well of experience. And who doesn’t love a Facebook find turned 5* contender?

[View Cancaras Girl’s full profile here]

7: Cosby Green (USA) and JOS UFO de Quidam

This Argentinian Sporthorse was piloted by American Heather Morris through Young Riders to 3* before turning the ride over to Cosby, with whom he’s continued up the levels to the top of the sport. Having most of 2024 off held him back from making his 5* debut sooner, but the pair gained extensive experience at the 4*-L level before making the step up at Luhmühlen, where the gelding showed just how ready he was when he crossed the finish line on cross country day just one second over the time and ended up in 8th place. First phase scores trend in the mid-30s, but they’re unlikely to add much on cross country day, although they do tend to have a pole in the stadium. A true eventer, this guy’s as solid as they come and those quick clears across the country are a valuable asset to have in a horse who’s competing at the top of his game.

[View Jos UFO de Quidam’s full profile here]

8: Padraig McCarthy (IRL) and MGH Mr Messack

This gelding’s 5* debut at Burghley didn’t quite go to plan when Padraig took an early exit over Zak’s shoulder after a green mistake at bounce combination early on cross country. Nonetheless, the horse has shown a natural aptitude for cross country right from the beginning of his career, with nary a fault on his record and some very quick rounds at the 4* level to boot, including coming home inside the time at the 4*-L at Blenheim in 2024. Dressage is still a bit of a work in progress, with scores trending in the mid-30s, but this is an improvement and there’s surely more to come as he settles into his top-level career. It’s a similar story for show jumping, with a couple of poles the norm at this point in the game.

[View MGH Mr Messack’s full profile here]

10: Bill Levett (AUS) and RNH Tom Tom R

RNH Tom Tom R has provided Australian eventing stalwart Bill a return to the very top level of the sport, proving that age is but a number in this sport! While he may not be a world beater, he is becoming increasingly reliable in all three phases, with a tidy show jumping record complementing almost perfect cross country form — and if that wasn’t enough, a first phase score that is ever improving. A dark horse to keep an eye on, for sure.

[View RNH Tom Tom R’s full profile here]

11: Helen Bates (GBR) and Carpe Diem

As careful in the show jumping as he is enthusiastic across country, “Demon” is still not infallible — he has missed out on a top 25 5* finish on several occasions after tipping a pole or two in the final phase. Still, Helen has paid particular attention to his fitness of late, in order to make sure that he is still full of running on the final day, and able to clear the coloured fences with his usual accuracy and if he can pull off the usual double clear, there is no reason why Demon can’t land he and his dedicated rider a top 25 placing.

[View Carpe Diem’s full profile here]

12: Sam Ecyrod (GBR) and Boleybawn Lecrae

Sam has taken this talented gelding all the way through from BE90 to the very top level, collecting an enviable list of results along the way. Top 20 in the 8/9 year old 4*-S at Blenheim Palace in 2024, Boleybawn Lecrae continues to impress, with an ever improving dressage score matching up well to his tendency for a quick and clear cross country, and careful show jumping ability.

[View Boleybawn Lecrae’s full profile here]

14: Libby Seed (GBR) and Heartbreaker Star Quality

“Legend” is a term bandied about a little too much these days, but if anyone has earned such a title, it is “Angel.” A familiar face at 5* level for many years, he and Libby have become one of the most consistent combinations out there, pulling off top 20 results time and again. Not always competitive after the first phase, they are still able to climb up the leaderboard after the jumping phases, and should never be discounted as ones to watch on the final day.

[View Heartbreaker Star Quality’s full profile here]

15: Aistis Vitkauskas (LIT) and Commander VG

Aistis and Commander VG have completed seven 5* events together, including Pau, where they first tackled the level back in 2020. Their most recent outing at Pau last October was cut short when the Ground Jury pulled them up on a day marred by tough conditions and multiple fence removals, but both horse and rider came out of the experience safely. And this year, they retired on cross country at the European Championships, opting to reroute instead to Pau.

While they may not be fighting for the top of the leaderboard, they’ve consistently shown determination and resilience—qualities that earned them a spot in the history books as Lithuania’s first Badminton finishers in 2023. Typically producing a mid-to-high 30s score in the first phase, this pair’s focus will be on establishing confidence and rhythm across the country, aiming for a steady and successful completion to close the curtain on their fifth 5* campaigning season.

[View Commander VG’s full profile here]

16: Yasmin Ingham (GBR) and Rehy DJ

Rehy DJ has flown under the radar a little, thanks to the illustrious achievements of his stablemate Banzai du Loir. Recent years have seen him emerge from the shadows though and he has become renowned as a solid — and competitive — 5* campaigner. His first Senior Championship cap at the 2025 Europeans did not go according to plan, with an unexpected fall on the cross country, but that would be more of a blip than a problem, and one that will easily be forgotten about as this game little horse continues to romp around the toughest tracks in fine style.

[View Rehy DJ’s full profile here]

18: Kylie Roddy (GBR) and SRS Kan Do

Kylie and SRS Kan Do are ever present at 5* in recent years, and more consistent than most, too. Their record at the level is not entirely flawless, with a few eliminations at Badminton to their name, but that is matched by several top 20 finishes — including 5th at Pau in 2023. They bounced back from their elimination on course here to finish 19th at Pau, jumping a double clear — a very helpful habit of SRS Kan Do, who has done so in all but one of his 5* starts. “George” has dipped into the 20’s in the first phase, and has an enviably tidy show jumping record, so if they can join all those dots then these two could prove to be very competitive.

[View SRS Kan Do’s full profile here]

19: Aaron Millar (GBR) and Cooley Exchange

Produced to 3* level by Khia Cadney-Moon, Cooley Exchange to Aaron mid-way through 2021, and he has since taken him all the way to the top level — albeit it with a few blips along the way. Always consistent in the first phase — he rarely scores above the mid-30’s — he is prone to a pole or two, and his cross country record is not without flaw either. Still, it is testament to Aaron’s patience and commitment that he has managed to work through any issues to produce yet another 5* campaigner.

[View Cooley Exchange’s full profile here]

20: Grace Cooper (GBR) and Cedarmount Cavalier

It is no small feat to campaign a horse all the way through the levels to 5*, and even more so when you suffer from a debilitating physical condition yourself. Such is the case with Grace Cooper, who has limited control of her hands and legs, following a traumatic head injury suffered while playing Polo. There have been other roadblocks along the way too, including a rotational fall at Floors Castle in 2023, which resulted in a chipped vertebrae. Despite these setbacks, Grace and Bertie have notched up an impressive record on their way to the top, including a win in their first 4*-L at Lisgarven in 2023 — just a few months following after that fall.

[View Cedarmount Cavalier’s full profile here]

21: Alice Copithorne (IRL) and Fort Arthur Little Dolly

Finishing just outside the top 20 at their first 5* this season was a great start to this pair’s top-level career and came after some very solid rounds as they made their way through the grades over the last few years. The first phase is still a work in progress, with scores around the 40 mark leaving them a fair way off the business end of things after the dressage, but cross country is where this mare really comes into her own, with clear jumping rounds right through the levels, including on their 5* debut. The show jumping is still a little hit and miss, with four poles down at Luhmühlen, but ordinarily they keep it to just the one, perhaps two, at long-format events.

[View Fort Arthur Little Dolly’s full profile here]

22: Tara Dixon (GBR) and Master Smart

“Fred’s” International record is by no means perfect, but he and Tara can almost always be relied upon to get the job done, even with a few extra penalties along the way. Show jumping is a particular strong suit for the pair; it is rare for them to drop a pole on the final day, though with a dressage hovering in the low 40’s/mid 30’s it is unlikely that they will sneak much higher than the top 30. Still, Tara has proven herself a talented jockey over the last few seasons, and there is a sense that there is much more to come from these two.

[View Master Smart’s full profile here]

23: Abigail Long (NZL) and Henton Audacious

One of the newest additions to Team Kiwi, Abigail and “Daphnee” arrived on the UK circuit in 2023, having previously established their eventing careers in New Zealand. A 3* horse on arrival on British soil, Daphnee has shot up the levels, showing her class — and Abby’s raw talent. Bought as a four year old by Abi and her parents, their record together is somewhat impeccable despite their relative inexperience; top 20 in their first 4*-L at Blenheim Palace in 2024, they have barely a  blip on their record, where a double clear is de rigueur, complementing an ever impressive dressage score, which averages around the mid 30 mark, and is only set to improve with experience. An exciting pair for the New Zealand team — and the eventing scene as a whole.

[View Henton Audacious’ full profile here]

24: Sam Gillespie (GBR) and But Not Till Now

“Tilly” has been with Sam throughout from the word go, and she has shown a natural talent from the off, with only a few cross country penalties to her name. Less reliable is her show jumping record; she is prone to at least one pole, if not two, which has prevented her from bringing home top placings on more than one occasion. Still, their record together is a solid one — it is rare that they don’t complete, and so it is no surprise that it is this game little mare that took Sam to his first 5*.

[View But Not Till Now’s full profile here]

25: Astier Nicolas (FRA) and Dirty Old Town

An exciting young addition to Astier’s string, although this guy doesn’t have a ton of international runs under his cinch, he’s got impressive form in all three phases. He’s squeaked sub-30 in the first phase at 4* and has proved he can be clear inside the time at both long- and short-format events. He tends to have a show jumping pole on the final day but, hey, it’s good to have something to work on. This is a horse that’ll be really interesting to follow as he continues his international career at the top level.

[View Dirty Old Town’s full profile here]

26: Alex Hua Tian (CHN) and Chicko

After a stellar 5* debut at Pau last fall, where they battled through brutal conditions to finish fourth with just time on cross country and a double clear on the final day, Alex Hua Tian and Chicko hit a blip in their momentum at Badminton in the spring, which quite literally put Alex in the running for the save of the day.

Alex, a multi-time Olympian for China, may not frequent the 5* circuit, but his polish in the dressage arena and tact across the country are undeniable. A stylish rider across the phases, he scored sub-30 in the dressage with Chicko at Pau on the horse’s first time at the level, a career best for the pair, and their cross country record is remarkably clean. Careful on the final day with many more clears than poles, this pair really are shaping up to be a triple threat.

[View Chicko’s full profile here]

27: Florian Ganneval (FRA) and Erebor de Fleyres

After collecting a completion on their 5* debut at Pau in 2024, their second time at the top level didn’t exactly go to plan, with three refusals on cross country day at Luhmühlen the following season ending their competition early with an elimination. Trending in the high-30s in the first phase at 4*, they’ve had a hoof into the 40s at each of their 5* starts, but despite those problems at Luhmühlen and picking up 11 penalties for breaking a frangible device at Pau, their cross country jumping record is pretty clean; they can be quick on their day too. They tend to have a pole, maybe two, in the stadium, but they proved they can keep them in the cups at long format when they placed 4th in the 4*-L at Kronenberg in 2024.

[View Erebor de Fleyres’ full profile here]

28: Matthew Heath (GBR) and Benedict Radau

Matthew Heath is ready to see what he’s got in newer ride Benedict Radau, a 5* first-time horse who’s run around 4*-L events such as the newly-installed Scone Palace (where he finished top 20) and Blair Castle (where he was sixth with former rider Anne Thick of Great Britain). Matthew has only had the ride on this 13-year-old gelding from this season forward, so this debut at Pau will very much be a fact-finding mission. Matthew’s got loads of experience at this level on several horses, each with their own quirk, and they seem to be getting the hang of each other as their scores tick downward over the last few FEI events they’ve done.

[View Benedict Radau’s full profile here]

30: Jonelle Price (NZL) and Senor Crocodillo

A quick glance at Senor Crocodillo’s FEI record would suggest that Mrs Price is sitting on a very talented horse indeed. Diego rarely knocks a pole and his cross country record is only marginally less impeccable, with the odd 20 here and there, but even so, there is little to cause any great concern and with Jonelle in the plate, it is only a matter of time before any issues are ruled out for good. 12th in the 8/9 year old 4*S at Blenheim Palace in 2023, Diego has also proved to be quite capable in the first phase too, rarely straying above the low 30’s, and dipping into the 20’s more and more of late, too. Top 20 on his 5* debut, this smart little gelding could well be in with a shout for a spot on the Kiwi team in years to come.

[View Senor Crocodillo’s full profile here]

31: Bubby Upton (GBR) and Cannavaro

Bubby and Cannavaro have done everything together since they joined forces back in 2017; Young Riders, Nations Cup Teams, 5*’s — you name it, they have done it. Theirs is a record littered with wins and top 10 results; winners of the British Under 25 Championships in 2021, they have also produced top 10 results at 5* too, and it was this horse that took Bubby to her first Aachen. Somewhat of a double clear specialist, Cannavaro is the real deal and a top 10 finish is easily within his remit.

[View Cannavaro’s full profile here]

32: Tim Price (NZL) and Happy Boy

A former Le Lion Seven-Year-Old champion (2019), Happy Boy took the win at Blenheim 4*-L in 2024 too, though it took a little longer than expected for him to complete his first 5*. That was at Kentucky in 2025, and it was surprisingly uninspiring, with 51.0 cross country penalties. But that is the frustrating thing about Happy Boy — he has all the potential but every now and then, he takes his eye off the ball and comes home with cross country faults. On his day though, he is one of the most promising horses out there, with sub-20 dressage potential, a tidy show jumping round, and flashes of brilliance across the country. When/if it all comes together, Happy Boy will make his rider very happy indeed.

[View Happy Boy’s full profile here]

33: Kevin McNab (AUS) and Faro Imp

Faro Imp is one of the most exciting horses to enter the McNab stable of late, showing promise from the off with a top 20 in the World Young Horse Championships as a 6 year old in 2022. His has been a smooth progression up the levels, with an almost impeccable cross country record and similarly strong form in the other two phases. Thanks to Faro Imp, we see Kevin McNab make his return to the very top level, after a few years out, and is a serious contender for a place on the Australian Olympic team, with ever improving form and natural aptitude for the sport.

[View Faro Imp’s full profile here]

34: Emily Hamel (USA) and Corvett

Emily has been a horse girl since she was a kid but it was a trip to Kentucky as a spectator of the three day event that firmly set her on the path to becoming an eventer. She got a job with Phillip Dutton in 2015 and was promoted to head rider two years later, which gave her the chance to compete his young horses up to CCI3*. And that’s where she met Corvett, a horse that arrived in Phillip’s barn as a sales prospect but whose unconventional jumping style meant he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Emily took on the ride and so began her 5* adventure with ‘Barry’. Everyone’s favorite high jumper, described by many a commentator as ‘Corvett Airlines’ due to his enthusiastic — and iconic — jumping style, Barry is one heck of an eventing horse.

The pair have completed nine top-level events, taking in Kentucky, Badminton, Burghley, Luhmühlen and Maryland over five seasons. A crowd pleasing fan favorite Barry is a gelding with an eventer’s heart and springs in his heels. No, he’s not going win the dressage, but point him at a jump and off he goes. He’s surprisingly quick for a horse with such an extravagant style over the fences and he’s equally impressive in the show jumping ring, not surprising given his jumping breeding. At 18 there will be a time in the not too distant future when Barry’s no longer in the line up at 5* and we sure will miss him and his high-flying ways. In the meantime, if they complete this weekend they will be the first pair to complete all six Northern Hemisphere 5*s including the recently-added Maryland 5 Star.

[View Corvett’s full profile here]

35: Jenny Caras (USA) and Sommersby

Thanks to the support of the Wilton Fair Fund and USEF, Jenny Caras has spent the last couple of seasons based in the UK to further her education. She’s been bringing “B” through the international levels since 2021 and says herself that he’s been a little tricky as he’s quite a spooky horse which she puts to him tending to be on the insecure side. Through patience and understanding, and lots of pats, the pair have progressed to 5* and although their first attempt at the level didn’t go to plan when she took a tumble at Luhmühlen, they have plenty of 4* experience under their belts and a successful step up will no doubt come along soon. Their first phase scores tend to trend in the low- mid-30s and although there are jumping penalties scattered through their cross country form, there are plenty of clears too. “B” really does show his talent in the show jumping ring, where he’s proved to be a careful jumper who likes to keep the poles in the cups.

[View Sommersby’s full profile here]

36: Jesse Campbell (NZL) and Cooley Lafitte

Sent to Jesse as a last resort, “Henry” has certainly turned himself around — testament no doubt to Jesse’s unwavering patience and natural  — making his way to the top of the sport. He has had a few frustrating runs at the level, but equally has proven that he can hold his own against the best of them too, with a double clear at Burghley in 2024. His dressage score may leave them a little off the pace — he tends towards the upper end of the 30’s at 5*, but should Henry hit on good form this week, and nail the jumping phases, he could still pull off a fairly competitive result.

[View Cooley Lafitte’s full profile here]

37: Andrew Downes (GBR) and Cooley Foxtrot

Another Cooley Farm graduate, Andrew has taken Cooley Foxtrot right through the levels, finally making his return to the top level of the sport with this talented OBOS Quality gelding, after a few years’ hiatus. Ever consistent in the first phase — his scores have been dropping lower in lower with each season — and a one or none kind of guy in the show jumping, the only slight question mark for this pair comes in the cross country. Though there are no serious problems on their record, Cooley Foxtrot has been known to pick up a 20 here and there, often preventing them from posting a more competitive result.

[View Cooley Foxtrot’s full profile here]

38: Mary Edmundson (GBR) and Lionel II

Mary has had the ride on Joy Soar’s Lionel II since he was a 5 year old, taking him all the way through the levels to 5*. A member of Team GB at both Junior and Young Rider level, Mary has produced him to be one of the most solid cross country horses on the circuit, with barely a blip to his name. His show jumping is not as reliable, nor are his dressage scores always the most competitive, but that doesn’t take away from an increasingly impressive list of completions, right throughout the levels.

[View Lionel II’s full profile here]

39: Stephen Heal (GBR) and Hagonda

“Holly” is one of those lovely horses who may never be a world beater, and who’s record is not without flaw, but she continues to show up and try her best. Sidelined in 2024 with a minor injury, she reappeared the following year showing no lasting signs of weakness. Capable of a smart dressage score — think low 30’s or perhaps even into the 20’s — she is not quite so reliable over the coloured fences, tipping at least one pole more often than not, which may put paid to any hopes of a competitive finish.

[View Hagonda’s full profile here]

41: Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality

Brookfield Quality tends to fly a little under the radar in comparison to his much celebrated stable mate, JL Dublin, which is a shame, for he has been incredibly successful at the top level himself. A podium place in the 5* at Pau in 2024 has confirmed his place as a 5* superstar, and we can expect a smooth, professional performance from start to finish. “Nervous Norris” is often the nickname used for this quirky guy, but he’s gained much in stature and experience at this level and could be poised for a top result this week.

[View Brookfield Quality’s full profile here]

42: Grace Taylor (USA) and Game Changer

UK-based American rider Grace Taylor — the daughter of British team selector Nigel Taylor and US Olympian Ann Sutton — has come through the eventing ranks via jobs with Oliver Townend, Karen O’Connor and Marilyn Little. She made her 5* debut with Game Changer — a horse she calls “just perfect” — turning heads at Burghley in 2023 when the pair scored a personal-best of 28.9 in the dressage to sit inside the top ten, then jumping clear across the country before unfortunately having to withdraw before showjumping. They followed that up with a top-20 finish at Badminton in 2024 before their 5* form became a little more tricky. Competitive in the first phase, and on their day quick and clear on the cross country, there may be a pole to add in the stadium but this pair have all the makings of a class 5* combination.

[View Game Changer’s full profile here]

43: Sarah Bullimore (GBR) and Corimoro

After some seriously competitive results at the 4* level, including three 4*-S podium finishes and a top-5 4*-L finish at Boekelo, Sarah Bullimore is testing the next level up with this half-sibling to her well-known partner, Corouet. This 9-year-old gelding shares the same dam, Lilly Corinne, and is now in place to become Sarah’s next big thing. But first, that all-important first 5* start at Pau. Sarah and “Milo” are coming in on great form, having just podiumed at the 8- and 9-year-old 4*-S division at Blenheim this summer and really throwing some nice scores on the flat. They should be fairly competitive in the first phase if they can replicate that recent form, and while Sarah has been producing this horse with this in mind, she’ll also be looking out for his future as they navigate would could be sloppier going in this next challenge.

[View Corimoro’s full profile here]

44: Tom Jackson (GBR) and Plot Twist B

Plot Twist B is the latest superstar to emerge from the Jackson stable with a top 20 placing in his first 5* at Pau in 2024. 7th in the 8/9 year old 4*S at Blenheim Palace in 2023, “Blue” has long since shown his potential to be competitive at the top level, and Tom is an experienced 5* campaigner himself, having finished in the top 5 at both Badminton and Burghley on more than one occasion.

[View Plot Twist B’s full profile here]

45: Alex Bragg (GBR) and Ardeo Premier

“Eddie” is a horse that tends to go a little unnoticed, which is wholly unfair, as consistent is his middle name, finishing well within the top 20 time and again. His first phase score might not be too troubling for the leaders, averaging as it does around the low 30’s, but he can be relied upon to put in a nigh on foot performance in the jumping phases, which will only help their efforts to climb back up the placings. After a solid start and subsequent retirement after some trouble on cross country at Burghley, this pair will be back looking to make good on all of that prep — don’t discount them entirely. They may not make the podium, but we could see them edge into the top 10.

[View Ardeo Premier’s full profile here]

46: Selina Milnes (GBR) and Cooley Snapchat

Impressive at every stage of his career, from a 3rd place in the 7 year old Young Horse World Championships in 2021, to 15th on his 5* debut at Pau in 2024, “Casper” has an enviably consistent record at every level. His 5* career has suffered the odd blip here and there — he retired midway round the cross country at Luhmuhlen in 2025 — but he usually comes back even better the next time out. Don’t be surprised to see his name right up there with the best of them on the final day; this is one classy horse.

[View Cooley Snapchat’s full profile here]

47: Sebastien Cavallion (FRA) and Black Pearl Z

“Blacky” and teamed up for Sébastien Cavaillon’s first 5* ride since 2022. They had an educationally successful weekend there, finishing 20th overall. They encountered just a minor blip of trouble late on cross country there, after conquering most of the course with the horse looking absolutely thrilled with the new challenge. This was literally their only cross country jumping penalty in 21 starts for the horse, so a more competitive finish at Pau this fall will not be out of the question.

Together, this pair have done their fair share of Arena Eventing in the winters, and the level of adjustability a horse needs for this type of competition should set them up well for these technical European 5* tracks.

[View Black Pearl Z’s full profile here]

48: Benjamin Massie (FRA) and Filao de Perle

A DNF result on the horse’s 5* debut at Pau last fall can be forgiven under the circumstances (less than ideal due to the tricky weather conditions, to say the least), and this young horse went on to really show his mettle at the top level with a solid top-20 finish at Luhmühlen the following season. They picked up a green 20 on that occasion, but prior to that they’d been consistently clear across the country, and quick to boot. There’s still some development happening in the first phase, although a low-30s score at Pau shows all the promise, and they proved they can keep the poles in the cups with a clear show jumping round at Luhmühlen, although their form suggests they’re more likely to have one than none. Keep your eye on this one as he continues his career at the pinnacle of the sport, there’s lots to like and lots more to come from this guy, for sure.

[View Filao de Perle’s full profile here]

49: David Doel (GBR) and Galileo Nieuwmoed

One of the most seasoned combinations in the field, and one of the most consistently well placed, too. There has been many a near miss for the top of the podium, and it seems that everyone is rooting for them to pull off a big win. Galieleo is renowned for being fast and clear cross country and his show jumping record is similarly clean — barring a pole here and there. If this horse had a chink in his armour, it would be the dressage — he rarely dips into the 20’s, and has done just once at 5*. They are working to shake off two uncharacteristic eliminations at Badminton and Burghley this year to cap off their season on the high note we know they are capable of.

[View Galileo Nieuewmoed’s full profile here]

50: Oliver Townend (GBR) and Ballaghmor Class

Winners of multiple 5* titles, Olympic medals — there is very little that Oliver and his faithful campaigner have yet to win. Now in the twilight of his career, Thomas has cemented his place as one of the legends of the sport, and is the term “5* stalwart” has never been more appropriate. His dressage marks may not be quite so fancy as some of his younger counterparts, but he will make up for that on the cross country, easily his best phase.

[View Ballaghmor Class’ full profile here]

52: Arne Bergendahl (GER) and Luthien NRW

This bold Westphalian mare’s 5* career may not have continued as Arne would have hoped, given the confident start she made with 14th place at Luhmühlen on her debut following a bunch of competitive runs at 4*, making the two subsequent DNF results at Pau and Badminton a true anomaly in her form, but things got well and truly back on track at Luhmühlen this season when she replicated her 2023 result.
While they aren’t yet laying down competitive dressage marks (expect something in the mid-to-high 30s), this pair comes alive once the jumping starts, particularly across the country where Luthien’s quick footwork and grit shine. Not only are they well capable of clear rounds, they’re swift too, which they showed in fine form when they came home just two seconds over the time on the horse’s 5* debut. Although she had a a pole in each of her two top-level completions thus far, she’s a careful jumper and there’s no reason to think those clears won’t come as she continues her career at the top of her sport.

[View Luthien NRW’s full profile here]

53: Emily King (GBR) and Valmy Biats

As back-to-back winner of the Grantham Cup at Thoresby Park in 2022 and 2023, Valmy has as good a shot as any at a podium place this year, if he hits top form. On his day, he can challenge the leaders in the dressage, and is one of the very best cross country horses too — and fast. His show jumping record could never be deemed to be erratic, but he is not as much of a sure thing in this phase and is just as likely to fault on the final day at 5* as he is to jump clear, which could damage their chances of taking the win.

[View Valmy Biats’ full profile here]

55: Tiana Coudray (USA) and D’Artagnan

Newcomer to the level, D’Artagnan has been competing internationally with UK-based US Olympian Tiana Coudray since 2022. The gelding’s been gaining experience at 3* and 4* on his way to making the step up to the top of the sport, taking in the likes of the big 8- and 9-year old class at Blenheim and the 4*-L Nations Cup event at Boekelo along the way. Trending in the mid-30s in the first phase at 4*, the horse’s cross country record is impeccable, with fast clears around some of the UK’s beefy 4* courses standing him in good stead for things to come. His stadium jumping’s not on par yet, but there’s still plenty of time to work towards those clears as he sets out on his top-level career.

[View D’Artagnan’s full profile here]

56: Cosby Green (USA) and Highly Suspicious

Supportive funding from the USEA helped Cosby to relocate to the UK to train with Kiwi power couple Tim and Jonelle Price in 2023 after graduating college and she’s been gaining ground in the sport ever since. “Puff” made the trip with her and the pair have been continuing their progression up the international levels both in the UK and Europe with some great results, including finishing 4th at Luhmühlen where they added just one second of time on the final day to their dressage score across the competition. They proved they could go sub-30 in the first phase on their homecoming 5* debut at Maryland, where they posted a PB of 28, and although there’s the odd mistake out on cross country, when things go to plan, they can be quick on their day. A clean and careful jumper in the stadium, this horse is shaping up to be something of a triple threat — watch this space.

[View Highly Suspicious’ full profile here]

57: Padraig McCarthy (IRL) and Lady Ophelia

The mare’s 5* debut in 2024 didn’t exactly go to plan with wet breeches for Padraig after he took a dunking and had an early bath. But that doesn’t deter from this horse’s potential at the level as it was a rather bold effort from the mare as they dropped into the water which catapulted Padraig out the front door, rather than a mistake. She clearly relishes the cross country phase, with a whole bunch of clear jumping rounds at 4* on her record, including a spin round the 4*-L at Bramham inside the time. First phase scores are generally mid-30s, although she put down a personal best of 33.9 at Burghley on her first time at the level, indicating that this mare really does show up to the big events. Show jumping has been a little more hit and miss recently, but she’s plenty of clear round form, with the odd pole, so we can put her last couple of results down as blips rather than the norm. This is obviously an exciting prospect for Padraig and it’ll be interesting to see how the mare’s career develops as she really gets her hooves into the big time.

[View Lady Ophelia’s full profile here]

58: Boyd Martin (USA) and Cooley Nutcracker

Boyd may come across as quite the character as he jogs along the strip in his USA suit at horse inspections, officiates weddings at Kentucky and sends out video messages to his many fans, but underneath all the pizazz is one heck of a competitor. He’s in the elite club of having competed at all seven of the world’s 5* events, has won two of them — one being the last ever long-format event at Adelaide — and has close to 30 top-10 finishes to his name. “Bali” entered his string for the 2025 season when he took guardianship of the gelding following Liz Halliday’s accident. Originally campaigned in Europe by French rider Astier Nicolas, this impressive gelding made the trip to the States in 2022 and made Liz’s dreams come true when the pair represented the USA at the Paris Olympics and finished in the top-20 individually, with the team taking 6th place; earlier in the season he was 8th on his CCI5* debut at Kentucky following a run of top placings as he made his way to the top of his sport. It’s still early days in his partnership with Boyd, but the pair have had some excellent 4* results together and there’s nothing to indicate that the gelding’s exceptional form won’t continue as he continues his career at 5*.

[View Cooley Nutcracker’s full profile here]

59: Jonelle Price (NZL) and Hiarado

Seventh on her 5* debut at Pau in 2023, Jools has since been to the Olympics although an uncharacteristic stop cross country put paid to a top finish there. A sharp, consistent mare with plenty of class, she’s steadily climbed the ranks since joining Jonelle’s string in 2022, having previously been campaigned by Grace Taylor. Known for her elegance in the first phase and boldness across the country, Jools is usually pretty reliable in the final phase too (with the exception of Paris, where they had 3 down).

[View Hiarado’s full profile here]

60: Bubby Upton (GBR) and Its Cooley Time

Talented from the very start, Bubby has made no secret of the fact that It’s Cooley Time has also been one of the most challenging horse that she has produced to date. Still, her patience with him paid off; he won his first 4*L at Bramham in 2025, and has an admirable collection on winning results right through the levels, thanks in no part to his impeccable jumping record which is matched only by his ability in the first phase.

[View Its Cooley Time’s full profile here]

61: Tim Price (NZL) and Jarillo

Once touted as a rising star Jarillo — aka “Milo” — has since cemented his superstar status, with a top ten result on his 5* debut at at Pau in 2024. Easily capable of a sub-30 dressage scores, cross country faults are few and far between for this horse, and the same is true of his show jumping. Easily a contender for a place on the Kiwi team in the coming years.

[View Jarillo’s full profile here]

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