The FEI competition at the 2024 Woodside Fall International on October 4-5 produced the first-ever win by Molly Duda and Disco Traveler at four-star, cemented the comeback by Tamie Smith and Kynan with their second victory in a month at three-star, and represented the third two-star win in a row by Gabriella Ringer and Get Wild as well as the fourth blue ribbon this season at either one-star or Modified by Amber Birtcil and Milagro.
Offering the final short-format FEI competition of the year in California in its final USEA-recognized event of the season with a 25 percent increase in FEI entries from 2023, The Horse Park at Woodside was the stage for moments that the eventing world may look back upon as having a significant impact on the future of some of the top West Coast horses and riders.
CCI4*-S: Duda and Disco Boogie to Four-Star Success
Molly Duda and Disco Traveler. Tina Fitch Photography
It’s been quite a journey for Duda and “Disco” to their first four-star victory. The 20-year-old rider and her 14-year-old bay Oldenburg gelding (Donatelli x Cadence) were in elite company when they made their CCI4*-S debut at Galway in Temecula, California, in March and finished second to Smith and Mai Baum (Loredano x Ramira), the previous year’s winner of the CCI5*-L in Kentucky. They then traveled to Kentucky to compete in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, followed by a stint overseas as part of the U.S. Eventing European Development Tour.
“Just getting the opportunity to be overseas and experience everything over there was invaluable,” Duda said. “Having the guidance from Tamie, too, over the past few months has been influential, and I just can’t wait to continue to grow and improve.”
The Horse Park at Woodside was the site of the first event Duda and Disco did together in May 2022 when they won at the Training level. On Saturday, they came into cross-country 0.1 points behind Sophia Click and Tarantino 54 (Quattro 7 x Los Argentina), and a quicker round with clear jumping gave them the four-star win with a finishing score of 57.6.
“It feels really good to see the results this weekend,” Duda said. “I think we’ve been working really hard this summer, and it’s always great to see the pieces come together. It also is incredible to think two years ago at Woodside we did our first ever event together at Training level, so it’s pretty unbelievable to be standing here today after winning the four-star.”
Their next target will be their first CCI4*-L at Galway starting on October 31.
CCI3*-S: Smith Keen on Kynan’s Future
Tamie Smith and Kynan. Tina Fitch Photography.
Smith and Kynan followed up their win in the CCI3*-S at the Twin Rivers Fall International in Paso Robles, California, last month with another victory at the level. The five-star-winning rider and the 9-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood gelding (Envoy x Danieta) led after each phase and produced one of just two double-clear cross-country rounds on the course designed by Derek di Grazia. They finished on their dressage score of 27.4.
“He’s been running at four-star level, but we took a step back and reevaluated everything, and sometimes you need to pump the breaks a little bit and figure out,” Smith said. “He’s come out this fall and feels like a different horse. He feels really confident, so I’m really excited to get moving. I did the three-star at Twin, thinking I was going to do the four-star here, and I said I don’t need to push him. I already know he can do it. I just want to see where I’m at. Derek designs both tracks [the CCI3*-S and CCI4*-S at Woodside], and they’re very challenging all the way through.”
Kynan has previously finished in the top-five in three four-stars—at Rebecca Farm in Montana, Twin Rivers, and Galway. Their win in the CCI3*-S at the Twin Rivers Fall International was their first competition in more than four months. Smith said Kynan will move back up to CCI4*-L at Galway where their competition will include Duda and Disco. Duda has been based with Smith in Temecula since returning from Europe.
“I’m coming in the latter of the development; Mickayla Howard really deserves the credit because she’s put all the foundation on Molly, but it’s been fun to be a part of the progression this last year,” Smith said. “It’s been awesome, and she rode fantastic, like it was a picture-perfect round. So, I was really proud of her.”
The other double-clear cross-country in Woodside’s CCI3*-S came from Smith’s other mount at the level, Lillet 3, the four-star-winning 8-year-old dark bay Holsteiner mare (S.I.E.C. Livello x Princess L) on whom Smith began competing this summer.
“It’s been really fun riding her and getting to know her,” Smith said. “She and I are still figuring each other out on the flat and in the show jumping, but on the cross-country, it’s just so right there. We’re both a hand in a glove on cross-country.”
Megan McIver, who rode three horses in the CCI3*-S at Woodside, finished second with the 12-year old grey Holsteiner mare Elle (Con Caletto). They won the CCI3*-L at Rebecca Farm in July.
CCI2*-S: Ringer Can ‘Get Wild’ about Get Wild’s Future
Gabriella Ringer and Get Wild. Tina Fitch Photography.
Ringer, who, like Duda, is 20 years old and a rising star in West Coast eventing, won her third two-star event in a row with Get Wild by leading after each phase and finishing on their dressage score of 23.4. That’s their best finishing score in their nine two-star competitions since March 2023. That was also the best across all of Woodside’s FEI levels.
“This was a great test for us with the terrain here at Woodside, and they provided a really nice big track,” Ringer said. “He went so well in all three phases producing one of the best scores we’ve had at the level and held it all the way to the end for the wire-to-wire win.”
The 12-year-old dark bay Dutch Warmblood gelding (Plot Blue x Cantana) and Ringer were the only pair out of 23 entries, the largest of Woodside’s FEI classes, to finish on their dressage score. There were just five double-clear rounds on William Robertson’s show jumping course and seven on Bert Wood’s two-star cross-country.
“Ace” and Ringer previously won the CCI2*-S at the Twin Rivers Fall International and the CCI2*-L at the Twin Rivers Spring International in 2024.
“He is the horse of a lifetime,” Ringer said. “Moving ahead to the rest of the season, I am looking forward to stepping him up to the Intermediate level at Ram Tap [in Fresno] and ending his season there, giving him some much-deserved time off.”
CCI1*-S: Milagro is Magnificent Again
Amber Birtcil and Milagro. Tina Fitch Photography.
Birtcil has developed a herd of promising young horses from the Netherlands through her Cellar Farm in Petaluma, California, and Milagro is proving to be a standout.
“He’s a little unassuming, like he’s a plain brown horse that doesn’t carry a lot of energy at home, but you take him to a show and he just has such a work ethic and way about him,” Birtcil said. “He really likes to go in and show. He knows the difference between ‘we’re showing’ and ‘we’re schooling.’ He just totally gets the sport, and it makes sense to him. He’s really fun to ride.”
Birtcil debuted the 7-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood gelding (Good Fellow VDL x Easter Uno M) at the Novice level in February. They’ve now collected five total blue ribbons in nine events. They won the Open Modified division at the Woodside Spring Horse Trials when The Horse Park hosted the Laughing Monk Modified Match to spotlight the level that has made a significant impact on the development of event horses and riders.
The Horse Park introduced one-star competition at last year’s Woodside Fall International. This year’s CCI1*-S represented Milagro’s first FEI win, as well as Birtcil’s first since the CCI4*-L at the 2021 Twin Rivers Spring International with Cinzano (Classe VDL x Walta). They were the only pair out of 11 entries to finish on their dressage score, winning with 26.5.
Notable National Results:
Stephanie Goodman and Elwenda DP (Westpoint x Wenderola), the winners of the CCI2*-S at the 2023 Woodside Fall International and victorious in the CCI2*-L at Rebecca Farm in 2024, won for the first time at the Intermediate level, the highest national level offered at the 2024 Woodside Fall International.
Jillian Mader finished first and second at the Preliminary level with Coolrock Wacko Jacko (Jacomar x Lux D) and Cooley Neptune (Beach Ball x Annaghmore Temptress).
The lowest finishing score of the weekend was 11.4 by MaryBeth Young and Juliette, an 11-year-old buckskin mare that is a Morgan and Dutch Harness Horse cross, to win the Senior Novice Rider division. Their dressage test included two 10.0 marks, as well as a 10.0 for their collective marks.
In 2025, The Horse Park at Woodside is scheduled to host the Woodside Spring Horse Trials from May 23-25, the Woodside Summer Horse Trials from August 9-10, and the Woodside Fall International from October 3-5.
Woodside Fall International (CA): [Website] [Results]
