One Spun at First Horse Inspection for Inaugural Maryland 5 Star

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Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus. Photo by Abby Powell.

We’ve all waited for this moment for quite awhile and now it’s finally here. Welcome to the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill! With today’s first horse inspection, the competition is officially underway at North America’s first fall five-star. A grand total of 97 horses jogged this afternoon between the event’s two FEI divisions: the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship and the marquee CCI5*.

We saw two fewer horses jog up than expected for the five-star division: would-have-been five-star first-timer Lexi Scovil and Chico’s Man VDF Z have withdrawn, and Boyd Martin did not present Long Island T. 46 combinations jogged for the CCI5* ground jury of Angela Tucker (GBR), Martin Plewa (GER) and Mark Weissbecker (USA), but only 45 will move on to dressage. Unfortunately, Sharon White‘s longtime partner Cooley On Show was held and then not accepted upon representation. Voltaire De Tre was also sent to the holding box for Leslie Law, but ultimately accepted.

All entrants in the CCI3*-L breezed through their jog. The CCI3*-L ground jury of Christian Landolt (SUI) and Gretchen Butts (USA) did not ask anyone to jog twice nor sent anyone to the hold box.

Hound & Hare has crowned three riders as the recipients of their Best Dressed Rider Award: one three-star competition and a male and female competitor each from the five-star:

Meg Pellegrini won the Hound & Hare Best Dressed Rider Award for the three-star division. Photo by Abby Powell.

Lauren Nicholson won the Hound & Hare Best Dressed Rider Award for female five-star competitor. Photo by Abby Powell.

Astier Nicholas won the Hound & Hare Best Dressed Rider Award for male five-star competitor. Photo by Abby Powell.

It’s a quiet but busy day here at the brand new Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Elkton, Maryland. The new infrastructure looks impressive, the ground looks immaculate, and everyone is excited to start welcoming horses down the center line tomorrow. The CCI3*-L kicks off the competition tomorrow at 8:00 AM and then the five-star begins in earnest at 1:00 PM. Dressage for both divisions will be split over two days. A USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Four-Year-Old Champion will also be crowned tomorrow and the five-year-olds will also perform their dressage tests.

Stick with EN for your Maryland 5 Star coverage this week — there’s so much more to come. Make sure you dig into the Official Maryland 5 Star Digital Program + Form Guide, as well, which we are honored to bring you in partnership with the Maryland 5 Star.