There’s much to look forward to this weekend as the Morven Park Fall International & H.T. prepares for take-off, hosting a slew of championship divisions and a qualifier leg for the new US Equestrian Open. Let’s take a look at what’s on tap in beautiful Leesburg, VA.
Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Sally Spickard.
The Offerings
Morven Park’s CCI4*-L is a major fall destination for horses needing an MER qualification. It’s a tough track on par with its counterpart at Bromont with a Derek di Grazia-designed cross country that takes full advantage of the rolling terrain and expansive space found on the property. Truthfully, there’s certainly enough room on this property to host a CCI5*! Derek di Grazia took over designing here after the tragic passing of former designer Tremaine Cooper in 2021.
Also on offer this weekend is a CCI4*-S division as well as FEI divisions from 2*-S up, and National divisions from Novice through Preliminary. Within the CCI3*-S and CCI2*-S are the USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championship for 6- and 7-year-olds. Want to learn more about the field? Click on over to the USEA’s Fast Facts here.
Within the two 4* divisions, a trophy for the top-placed American-bred horse will be awarded by MARS Equestrian, with an additional $15,000 in prize monies up for grabs for this prize.
For the 4*-S division, we’ll see the first Qualifier leg for the brand-new US Equestrian Open, a circuit aimed at promoting the three Olympic disciplines ahead of the LA Olympics in 2028. $2 million in prize money is on offer across the three disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and eventing, and $250k is up for grabs in eventing alone. Morven Park is the first of 18 qualifier legs spanning the country. Riders are given points based on their placing at event qualifier leg they complete, putting them in the running to earn the season points bonus as well as qualify for the final, which will take place here at Morven Park in October of 2025. Qualification for the final, which will be at CCI4*-L competition, is achieved by earning at least one MER from a qualifier leg. For the series bonus, riders’ six best scores will be factored in for the final ranking. You can see an explainer of the series here.
The Piedmont Equine Practice will award prizes to the top-placed U25 riders in the CCI3*-S and the combined 4*-L and 4*-S divisions. The Rockview Mr. Diamond Award will be given to the top-placed rider in the Preliminary Rider division. Finally, the Sparrow’s Nio Award will be given to a pair in the CCI3*-S, selected by the Ground Jury, who demonstrates incredible partnership with their horse throughout the weekend.
The Schedule
Beautiful Morven Park! Photo by Sally Spickard.
We’ll kick things off with the First Horse Inspection for the CCI4*-L division on Thursday, October 10 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
Dressage will begin on Friday, October 11, with the 4* divisions going first and concluding with 2*-S dressage. National divisions will start their competition with dressage and show jumping on Saturday, October 12.
On Saturday, we’ll see the FEI divisions tackle cross country, starting at 9:00 a.m. EST with the 3*-S, followed by the 4* divisions and ending the day with the standard 2* divisions, which will have show jumped earlier in the day on Saturday.
Sunday brings about our Final Horse Inspection for the 4*-L, followed by show jumping for all FEI divisions except the standard 2*-S and National cross country. Show jumping begins with the 2* Young Horse competitors and concluding with the 4* divisions.
How to Watch Live
Dana Cooke and FE Quattro. Photo by Sally Spickard.
You’ll have two opportunities to watch live all weekend, including one option to catch at least some of the action for free by accessing the Morven Park YouTube channel. USEF Network on ClipMyHorse.TV will also carry CCI4*-L and CCI4*-S dressage, all cross country on Saturday, and all show jumping on Sunday. You can access this live stream using your ClipMyHorse account or by linking your USEF account for free access. You can find instructions on how to link your accounts here.
Who’s Competing
The Morven Park Leaf Pit. Photo by Sally Spickard.
18 horses and riders are entered in the CCI4*-L and 16 are entered in the CCI4*-S. The list for the 4*-L includes Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo with both Dyri (who just won the 4*-S at Stable View Oktoberfest) and Tremanton, ticking off more boxes as she aims for a potential 5* next spring. Buck Davidson’s ride, Cooley Candyman, was second in the 4*-L here in 2021 and will be looking for a clean finish this weekend after picking up a pesky 20 on cross country at Tryon’s 4*-L earlier this year. Ariel Grald’s stunning Isla de Coco, who’s not finished worse than third in FEI competition since competing here as a 7-year-old in 2021, will tackle her first 4*-L after some intentional prep and solid finishes in her three previous 4*-S starts. Canadian Olympian Colleen Loach will bring forward FE Golden Eye for his major fall goal. Allison Springer will bring back her Bromont 4*-L winner, No May Moon, for another crack at the level after showing us all how it’s done in fine fashion at the tough Canadian venue in June. Arden Wildasin and Sunday Times are also inching toward a 5* debut next year, having competed well at Bromont this spring and now aiming for an equally strong finish at Morven Park.
In the 4*-S divisions, we’ll see riders such as Mia Farley, bringing her younger horses Invictus and BGS Calculated Chaos for a crack, Hannah Sue Hollberg and former Allison Springer ride Business Ben, Erin Kanara with another OTTB in Charmed Victory, Ema Klugman and RF Redfern, Emile Beshear Mastervich’s VHC Eventing 3* winner Rio de Janerio, and a slew of other competitive combinations both early on in their 4* career and carrying more experience.
This is, of course, by no means a full list, so you can view all of the entries across divisions here.
I will be our eyes and ears on the ground this weekend as I arrive on Thursday evening, so stay tuned for daily reports from the action! Also, if you’re grooming at Morven Park — or if you know a #Supergroom working here this weekend — please nominate yourself or someone you know for our Achieve Equine #Supergroom Award! Nominations close on Friday, October 11.
Morven Park Fall International & H.T. (VA): [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [YouTube Channel] [USEF Network] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
