by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 30, 2026
All but two of the 31 entries in Sunday’s $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic grand prix had some issues along the intriguing course set by designer Nick Granat for Sunday’s $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic grand prix. Until the last horse went at the Long Island show, world number one Kent Farrington had stood alone with a perfect trip on his 12-year-old super mare, Greya.
But 22 rides after that lone clear round, his friend and often-rival, McLain Ward, also turned in a perfect trip with a relatively new mount, Lestro vd Valckenborg. It set up a jump-off in which the crowd was treated to a duel of champions.
Kent, who had won the class twice previously, was fault-free in a time of 41.82 seconds after a strategic cut to the Brain Juice oxer, the seventh fence on the shortened course. McLain got a good angle on the obstacle before that, the wishing well vertical, but went a bit wider at the oxer, which may have been where he lost an instant to end up on 42.56 seconds and take second place.
Kent Farrington and Greya on their way to the win. (Photo by Kind Media)
He missed out on his eighth win in the class (he already holds the record for victories.) But McLain’s effort secured the Longines Leading Rider title, and offered good consolation, carrying a $20,000 check.
Third place went to the fastest of the 4-faulters in the first round, 2024 Olympic individual gold medalist Christian Kukuk of Germany on Akarad Tivoli Z. When you consider that familiar expression, “The cream rises to the top,” how much better does it get than Kent, McLain and Christian as that top three?
“I think Greya’s results speak for themselves,” commented Kent, who in April won the FEI World Cup Finals in Texas on the same horse, over a route laid out there by Nick Granat’s Hampton Classic assistant, Anderson Lima.
“I’m a big sports fan, and stats don’t lie. She is incredible,” Kent enthused.
“She’s a phenomenal athlete, and she really showed that today. Jump-offs like these are actually the most uncomfortable for me, because you’ve got a guy like McLain who can pull off something crazy at the end.
“It’s really exciting with how much risk you want to take. If I go all-out and have one down, I hand him the win, but if I don’t put enough pressure, he can take those extra risks and beat me. It’s really a measurement of how much risk to take. I tried to measure that well today, and luckily, it paid off. But it was still too close for my comfort.”
McLain, who had won Friday’s qualifier on a different horse, said, “I’m thrilled with Lestro. He’s a young, up-and-coming horse. This was his biggest Grand Prix start of his career. Less than a year ago, we were jumping 1.45 meters, so his progress and the way he performed today were brilliant. This is a 5-star for a great deal of prize money at one of the best venues in the world; it should be hard.”
Yup. Six riders retired after the route got the better of them and their horses.
“Arguably the best horse-and-rider combination in the world right now was the only other clear,” McLain noted,, “and I found that quite motivating.
“I had nothing to lose in the jump-off in some ways, but at the same time, my horse is a little less experienced. I had a plan and in a couple of places didn’t pick up on the stride, which maybe would have brought things a little closer, but I’m thrilled to be second to that combination.”
Christian said about making his debut at the traditional end-of-summer competition, “I talked to a couple of people, including Kent, and they were already excited about coming here.
“So I made a plan to join them, and I’m super, super happy I did that. I was impressed by the atmosphere, by the sport, by everything around the event. To be honest, even if I’d jumped clear, I would have sat in the same position,” he pointed out.
He could not have won, he believes.
“There would be no chance. I’ve only had this horse for six months, and he’s quite green at this level. It’s just his second Grand Prix, so we are not as experienced in a jump-off like that. We had some fantastic sport today, and I think the crowd was thrilled. That’s what we aim for in shows like this; the excitement and the atmosphere are what make it such a special event.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 31, 2026
An FEI Tribunal panel has determined that Australian dressage Olympian Heath Ryan committed abuse by whipping a horse 42 times in a row during a training session, then delivering blows nine more times, as seen in a May 2023 video.
Ryan, also a three-time Australian three-day event champion, had been provisionally suspended by the FEI in June 2025. A decision in the matter that was released last week stated the suspension would end on Dec. 12, 2026, 18 months after its inception.
The punishment also included a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs, as well as 3,000 Swiss francs in court costs.
Another whipping case that drew attention was the suspension of British dressage multi-gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin, who was suspended for striking a horse with a longe whip in a private training session. She missed the 2024 Olympics as a result.
Calling the Ryan whipping process “constant and consistent,” this month’s FEI decision stated “each strike followed the last with no pause and no hesitation, leaving the horse no opportunity to respond. Even a single whip may be excessive if applied with too much force.”
In his response, Ryan contended the use of the whip was justified because “the horse had developed extremely dangerous behavior. It had attacked and severely injured its owner and placed her in intensive care. The owner had decided the horse should be euthanized unless it could be re-educated.”
The videotaped session was the first occasion on which Ryan rode the horse, describing the animal as being “on the verge of extreme aggression.”
According to an expert report presented to the FEI by Dr. Rachel Murray, the first video shows at least 41 whip strikes, delivered at an average
of 1.3 strikes per second, with only about 0.75 seconds between impacts, “applied with high power by a large rider to the same location, continuously and without allowing the horse time to respond, such that the whipping had no rational training value.”
Dr Murray concluded that the whip was used excessively and as punishment, without release and contrary to recognized learning theory. She also identified “signs of stress, pain and conflict in the horse.”
Ryan responded that he had applied recognized Equitation Science principles, including negative reinforcement with progressive escalation of aids and immediate release upon response. The videos showed only the escalation phase after lighter aids had been given and ignored, and that the assertion in the FEI claim of “no interruption” was inaccurate.
Ryan added the whip was “applied carefully with close attention to timing, duration and release,” and he was “careful not to cross into a fear-state.”
The whip was in his left hand. Ryan noted he was right-handed, contending if he had been trying to hit the horse with strength, the whip would have been in his right hand.
Denying the charges, Ryan maintained the conduct alleged did not meet the threshold of abuse under Article 142 of the FEI’s general regulations, “whether assessed legally, scientifically, or by reference to accepted equine-welfare principles.”
Calling the penalty disproportionate and punitive, he maintained it failed to account for the substantial punishment already suffered through
reputational, professional and financial losses arising from the interim suspension.
Noting he had produced 15 Grand Prix dressage horses over his career, Ryan calculated he had spent a minimum of 1,930,500 minutes training and
competing Grand Prix dressage horses, during which time he had never been accused of abuse, abusive training methods, misuse of aids, horse welfare
issues, or bringing the FEI or the sport into disrepute. The 60 seconds of video represented 0.0000518 percent of the time he had spent riding, training and caring for horses.
Some prominent people in the sport submitted comments in support of Ryan.
Among them was U.S. eventing star Boyd Martin, who trained with Ryan before coming to America from Australia. He made the point that the footage omitted “30 minutes of patient work beforehand and the horse’s compliance at the end. There was no pattern, history or prior complaint.”
Australian Wayne Roycroft, a four-time Olympian and a former chair of the FEI Eventing Committee, stated that he was initially concerned by the video. However, he pointed out the context was a horse that had seriously injured its owner and faced euthanasia. In his view, the video shows Ryan asking the horse forward with consistent aids and no conflicting signals. He noted the horse has since been ridden without incident.
Roycroft, who has known Ryan for 45 to 50 years, was troubled that testimony may have been sought to support a predetermined narrative. He stated that he would trust Ryan with his own horses.
The FEI Tribunal panel that issued the ruling was composed of Canadian Brian Ward, the chairman; Armand Leone of the US. and Yuri Yagi of Japan.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 29, 2026
Two years ago, Liz Halliday suffered a traumatic brain injury when Shanroe Cooley fell on the cross-country course during the American Eventing Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park.
On Friday night, she was back in Lexington, Ky., at the championships, congratulating Boyd Martin, who guided Shanroe Cooley to victory in the $60,000 Adequan® U.S. Eventing Association Advanced Final.
“To ride him here in Liz’s hometown in front of Liz was very, very rewarding for me,” Boyd said, “because Liz put her heart and soul into this horse, and nothing made me happier than seeing her patting and smiling and hugging her champion horse.”
Liz, whose life-changing fall happened a month after she rode another horse in the 2024 Paris Olympics, is riding again, but in a different discipline. She is eligible to compete in Para Dressage at Grade II.
Liz had worked hard at developing Shanroe Cooley, who is known around the barn as Dallas. He was not injured when he fell at the 2024 AECs. But after the accident, Liz had to put all her effort into her rehabilitation, and Boyd took over the ride.
Dallas put in a clear round over the fences during the advanced section’s show jumping finale to take the title.
“He’s brilliant,” Boyd said of the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Dallas X Shanroe Sapphire).
“He’s a fantastic jumping horse. For all the big shows that are really important, he seems to prance out there and jump like a stag. I felt like he jumped the course really well. We had a good warm up, and I’m very pleased with him tonight.”
Only two of 18 starters were penalty-free over Bobby Murphy’s course in the Rolex Stadium — Bess Davis and Imperio Magic, the reserve champions, and Elisa Wallace with Lissavorra Quality, fourteenth. Although Dallas added 0.4 time penalties, he still had a margin sufficient for victory.
Boyd and Dallas were third at the Luhmühlen, Germany 5-star in June. At the AECs, they were third in dressage but gained the lead with their fast cross-country trip.
“I think he’s evolved and matured and developed a lot since Luhmühlen, and I think that was a great turning point in our career, just because it’s one of the toughest events in the world, and he finished strong there,” said Boyd, who returned earlier this month from competing on the bronze medal U.S. eventing team at the world championships in Aachen, Germany.
“Sometimes, when you do those big five-stars, it can rattle a horse,” Boyd observed.
In the case of Dallas, however, “it’s made him stronger and more seasoned. So I must say, all three phases this weekend with Dallas, he just felt like a more established, mature horse.”
Summing up the AECs, Boyd compared to being “like the Olympic Games for a lot of the younger riders and the amateur riders. The sport of eventing is thriving in this country,” he said.
“When you walk through the barns here and see the passion in all the people that are obsessed with this sport, it’s really, really exciting. I love coming here just because there’s a lot of faces that remind me of when I was 15 years old, dreaming of what could be in this sport, and I love coming down here just because obviously, Kentucky’s the mecca of all horse sports, and it’s great being around people that share the same passion as you.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 27, 2026
After Oliver Townend won the MARS Maryland 5-star Three-Day Event in 2024 with the magnificent Ballaghmor Class, the British rider said of the 17-year-old Irishbred gelding, “I wish he could carry on for another 10 years so we could retire together.”
When someone wondered if he would retire the horse from 5-star competition following his fourth win at that level, Oliver snapped, “Would you?” calling it “the most ridiculous question I’ve been asked all week.”
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class at Maryland.
But that would turn out to be the last of the four 5-star wins from the clever, sensitive gray known as Thomas. At his final 5-star outing in 2025 at Germany’s Pau competition, the campaigner finished twenty-first. It was time to stop. His retirement was announced in January.
Now 19, Thomas will be the center of formal retirement ceremony next weekend at Britain’s 5-star Defender Burghley Horse Trials, an event he won in 2017 and 2023. His other 5-star victory was in the Defender Kentucky fixture in 2021, when because of Covid, the public was not in the stands, only photos of people.
Sadly, the stands were empty except for photographs of spectators at Kentucky in 2021.
That was, however, the year Oliver and Thomas hit another milestone, team gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Although Oliver is one of eventing’s biggest winners, he is most closely identified with Thomas, who has not been ridden by anyone else in competition.
Oliver Townend was grateful to his final 5-star victory with Thomas in Maryland.
By the Holsteiner Courage II out of an Irish mare, Kilderry Place, Thomas is owned by Karyn Shuter (U.S. Eventing high performance adviser), Angela Hislop and Val Ryan.
But his name is inseparable from Oliver’s, and the two will continue to carry on together as the best of friends.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 28, 2026
McLain Ward won the grand prix qualifier Friday at the Hampton Classic Horse Show, a competition where he has enjoyed many victories for decades.
He was aboard Robin Parsky’s First Lady with the fastest time in the jump-off of the $116,100 Douglas Elliman 5-star Grand Prix presented by Longines. The feat was memorable because he had to go first in the 12-horse tiebreaker, an unenviable position. But his 43.930-second effort was enough to edge Nayel Nassar on Orphea HQ in 43.950.
McLain Ward and First Lady (Kind Media Photo)
“It’s always nice to be in the winner’s circle here,” said McLain of one of his favorite destinations at the Long Island show. He just returned from a stint with the U.S. team at the World Championships in Aachen, Germany, where he rode High Star Hero.
Calling First Lady “a great partner,” McLain noted, “she’s a very quick horse and very reliable, so I didn’t mind going early in the jump-off.
“Being the first can be extra challenging if you haven’t seen (how others ride) the track, and I knew with the number behind me, there were some very fast ones. I did the best I could everywhere and hoped things would fall a little my way. There are certainly some moments in certain competitions when you want to be at the end, where it becomes a ‘take every risk’ situation, but a lot of the time, going early isn’t such a disadvantage when you know your horse well.”
There were 39 entries tested over the course designed by Nick Granat, as their riders sought berths in Sunday’s featured $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix.
First Lady is staying on the sidelines for that class. McLain instead will be aboard what he called, ” a relatively inexperienced horse here this year, Lestro VD Valckenborg, owned by a great supporter of ours, Marta Mattox from Texas.”
He commented that Lestro has “performed well at some big events already. He’s a big jumper, and I think he’s ready to perform here on Sunday. The Hampton Classic always has a challenging Grand Prix. It’s a 5-star level, the highest in our sport, and we have a pretty strong group of riders here this year. I think it’s going to be a good challenge.”
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by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 21, 2026
Seven-time Olympian Phillip Dutton, who helped U.S. eventing win team bronze last week at the FEI world championships, has been appointed as the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Development Program Advisor.
But the 62-year-old veteran emphasizes he won’t stop his own riding career.
Phillip Dutton in action.
In the advisory role, the Pennsylvanian will work with Eventing High Performance Manager and Chef d’Equipe Leslie Law, starting next month.
Leslie, an Olympic individual gold medalist who held the development position for more than a decade, said, “The selection of Phillip in this new role carries a level of excitement and promise for an even brighter future for our Development and Development 25 programs. I believe with the combined experience of myself, Karyn (Shuter), and Phillip, the U.S. will have an even stronger pipeline of combinations progressing up the levels.
“Consistency and excellence, both demonstrated and expected, are the qualities that will bring the U.S. to where we are aiming over the next two quadrennials,”
For his part, Phillip, an individual Olympic bronze medalist in 2016, said “I’m really excited to begin as USEF Eventing Development Program Advisor. I think the U.S. has a big and bright future ahead, with some very talented up-and-coming athletes and horses.
“I’m looking forward to working with this group to help develop strong team combinations for our programs and country. While I still hope to contribute to the programs with my own riding career, this role offers a great opportunity to build on the success of the Development and Development 25 programs and give back to the next generation of eventing in the U.S.,” said Phillip, who rode for Australia at the beginning of his career.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 26, 2026
Remember your favorite horse show from the past, the one that ran for a weekend, or perhaps a day or two longer, located just a short trailer ride from your barn? For people in the area, it was a special event and often a first opportunity to watch horses competing.
Chances are, that show isn’t there anymore. Aside from the nostalgia factor, its absence means there’s one less place for riders to start showing close to home. Except that’s not just one place at this stage.
“In the old days,” U.S. Hunter Jumper Association President Britt McCormick said during an Open Discussion Town Hall this month, “We went to a different venue every week, and I think that’s what people have a fond memory of. But that’s just not the world we live in anymore.”
It isn’t, and the subject is a topic of very engaged discussion across the country about the future of the sport’s base. The upper end, where money is no object, is doing just fine.
Britt asked show manager Allen Rheinheimer for his perspective on the situation and got quite a response. Why did we make this a featured story? Because Allen’s observations deserve a wider audience than just those who tuned in to the Town Hall; so many in equestrian sport are looking for answers. But they aren’t easy to come by.
“I see these smaller shows, these boutique shows, that are across the board going away due to these large mega shows, where people can go and stay for several weeks at a time,” Allen commented.
Giving an example, he said, “We struggled at Lake Placid, a two-week U.S. Equestrian Federation Heritage Competition he manages in upstate New York.
“It was a dying horse show. We spent a tremendous amount of money to bring that show up to date.
“Now we’re over-subscribed, we’ve got the opposite effect of what was happening before. But when those small shows, the boutique shows, go away and everybody has to go to these big box shows, I think it’s going to be a very tough industry to be involved with, not having the variety. I think expenses will probably rise again, because those boutique shows will start going away.”
Already, “They have gone away quite a bit across the board. The whole East Coast has changed quite a bit. A lot of shows have dissolved over the years, the Midwest as well. It’s a problem.”
Exhibitors at smaller shows may have come to expect high-end footing, fancy jumps and some of the amenities that come with a higher-price point, but then they can’t afford their entries if a competition raises fees to cover such costs.
So what is the answer?
According to Allen, “We have to spark interest in this industry, somehow to give back to the consumer. What are we going to do for sparking interest back in this game that we play every day, and how do we give these people something back as a true finals?
“There’s a lot more industry players out there that need drive to continue on, I think we’re losing that drive in this industry. How do we do that? I’m not sure.”
Allen, production manager of the perennially sold-out Wrangler National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas each December, said, “I see how that works and how they have a large event at the end of the year that sparks a lot of interest to the drive of the grassroots. We don’t have that in our sport.
The National Finals Rodeo is always a sellout.
“Our indoor shows are gone. Basically, they’re not what they used to be. and that’s due to the cost of the industry as well. How do we handle that in moving forward?
“We all have to be together and figure out what does that for the group as a whole, not just as the organizers trying to make their shows affordable and unique enough that people want to come.”
Britt emphasized, “We as an association don’t want to compete with the organizers. But at the same time, we have to come up with those products that give people that carrot.”
So what about that carrot?
“All the different lower-level or equitation divisions that are created and all these young horses and all these year-end championships for them, I don’t know that’s the way to go,” Allen observed.
“I think we need to reduce some of that, because I think there’s too much of that now.”
He pointed out that at the Lexington National Horse Show, which he runs in Virginia, there is a full page of equitation classes that are offered.
“We’re getting away from the bigger picture of where we want these people to move to, and I think we’re just making it less attractive for people to move up. I know it’s easier to move down all the time and stay down there,” he commented.
“I think we need to make it more attractive to move up and I think that’s part of the problem you have now.”
So we know the problem. It’s a situation that requires a lot more thought, and a lot more work. Keep the discussion going.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 23, 2026
Australia’s Boyd Exell wore out the superlatives. What can you say about a man who has taken eight consecutive world four-in-hand driving titles?
Boyd Exell on the podium for his eighth individual medal with Dries Degrieck and Chester Weber. (Photo © FEI / Wilco van Driessen)
Yes, he did it again at the FEI World Championships on Sunday, collecting only 0.3 penalties in the concluding cones segment to stay comfortably ahead of Belgium’s Dries Degrieck, 142.64 penalties to 148.85. Chester Weber of the U.S., who won the dressage phase last week, finished with the bronze medal despite 3 cones penalties that brought his total to 156.77.
Boyd missed out on another gold, however, as the Netherlands took the team title on 315.13 with a boost from a winning cones effort by Bram Chardon, while Australia settled for second with 317.25 after Tor van den Berge, the other member of the two-man team from Down Under, collected 8.89 penalties in cones.
Belgium finished third on 325.52, while the U.S. team that also included Taren Lester and Jimmy Fairclough in addition to Chester was fifth of 13 nations with a score of 354.91. That was just behind fourth-place Germany on 334.35.
So what was Boyd’s reaction after his victory: “I feel relief. We’ve got good horsepower and I brought my old horses to this World Championship.
“I’d like to pay tribute to a horse called Celviro who was injured at Royal Windsor this year and wasn’t able to come. He was a three- ay leader for me, so there was a bit of a change around for the rest of the season. But I brought my favorite old horse, Checkmate, and he’s so good in dressage and cones, and he’s 19, so he gave me a lot of confidence to be strong for the Aachen World Championship.”
Boyd added, “Daan, who is 18 now and has won medals before, was brought in this year because he’s renowned as a fast cones and marathon horse.”
Discussing Australia’s team success, Boyd reflected on his work with teammate Tor van den Berge.
“With no drop score, everything counts, and Tor and I have been working together and practicing for this occasion and that’s paid off.”
The world champion paid tribute to the Australian fans who were vocal in their support at every stage, plus course designer Alexander Flocke of Germany and the grounds team at Aachen, who overcame extreme weather conditions to keep the going as good as possible.
Chester, who also won bronze at the championships in Hungary two years ago, knocked a cone early on the course.
Chester Weber on the cones course. (Photo © FEI / Wilco van Driessen)
He gave credit to his equine partners, saying, “I’m super pleased with the horses. It was a great way to start off the event with an impressive win in the dressage. I was also happy on the cross-country and we had a great team of supporters around.
“I knew what I needed to do to stay in medal contention, knowing that Dries and Bram were going out there fighting too. We tried to drive as cleverly as we could yesterday and it all worked out.
“I had an unfortunate cone number two down, which was my fault and definitely not part of my plan. So I thought, ‘Now I’ve got to make it happen,’ and my horses did a fantastic job. My support staff helped so much, too, because this is a team sport; you just can’t do it alone and you need people around you who are passionate. It takes such a huge level of care to get five horses ready for a World Championship.”
Click here for cones results Click here for team results Click here for individual results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 23, 2026
The glitter kept coming on Sunday for the U.S. Para Dressage riders, all part of the squad that earned team gold Saturday at the FEI world championship.
They picked up three more gold medals Sunday in the Grades I, II and IV Freestyles. Fiona Howard, Marie Vonderheyden and Kate Shoemaker were crowned Freestyle World champions, with Marie and Kate sweeping Individual, Team and Freestyle honors, while Fiona added Freestyle gold to the Team title for which she contributed.
Fiona did not make the Individual podium last week, but came back strong to win the Grade II Freestyle gold with Diamond Dunes on a score of 81.866 percent.
Fiona Howard and Diamond Dunes. (USEF Photo)
“He went in there today and really gave me everything. He’s just such a special horse. I’m so proud of how he’s handled this week. My muscles are a little bit tighter today, but Dunes just took such good care of me,” Fiona said about the 13-year-old Hanoverian stallion.
Marie’s third title of the week was claimed with 80.540 percent on Fan Tastico H.
Marie Vonderheyden and Fantastico H. (USEF Photo)
“The composer designed the music just for him and I love it; it suits him very well,” Marie said of her compilation of show tunes.
“Today ended my week on a super note at an amazing and well organized event.
Kate claimed her third victory with Vianne, scoring 83.305 percent. Their floor plan included a four-loop counter-canter with a flying change in the middle section and an extended trot down the final center line.
“There are no words, really. It’s just amazing to have the ride on a horse that feels like she enjoys it so much,” Kate said of the 10-year-old Hanoverian mare.
Kate Shoemaker and Vianne (USEF Photo)
“None of this has sunk in whatsoever. To be on the hallowed showground that is Aachen and to come away with three gold medals is beyond what I could have hoped for.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 23, 2026
Switzerland’s genius show jumper Steve Guerdat crowned his brilliant career Sunday by earning individual gold, as the FEI World Championships ended its remarkable two-week run with a fabulous flourish.
For the final act, how appropriate that Steve’s stellar record of an Olympic individual gold, European Championships individual gold and three World Cup finals finally was joined at Aachen by the elusive piece he had been unable to capture, the World title.
Tied on 0.86 penalties before the class started with Germany’s Daniel Deusser, who wound up incurring four faults in each round, Steve became the only rider who did not drop a pole during the course of the championships. He actually had a rail in hand when he cantered into the arena for the last time, but he didn’t need it.
Asked for his thoughts on the victory, Steve responded, “I don’t have the words,” as tears made their way down his face.
The man who has had two back surgeries in recent years showed his prowess was unaffected by that affliction, as he rode the 13-year-old Selle Francais mare Dynamix del Belheme (Snaike de Blondel X Cornet Obolensky) to Switzerland’s only medal of the championships.
Steve Guerdat on his way to victory (FEI Photo)
“I was very nervous all week,” revealed Steve, who finished on his score from Wednesday’s first round .
“I thought, `World championships is every four years. It’s not every four years that you have a horse like Dynamix,’ ” Steve commented.
“It’s not every world championship that you are in a situation where you can bring a medal, and maybe the gold, which I was dreaming of. I kept getting very nervous about my last chance to get it.
“I never wanted to finish my career before having won Aachen. There’s not a day in my life where I don’t think about Aachen. To win the world title, the one I was missing, in me Aachen — I don’t think it gets any better than that.”
When he was on the podium, Steve held up his medal and kissed it with heartfelt gratitude, pressing it to his lips for an extra few moments. He got what he came for.
Unless the planet Mars starts putting on horse shows (are you paying attention, Elon Musk?), Steve now has nothing else to conquer on the highest level in this equestrian universe.
But there is still plenty to conquer for the two members of the younger generation who joined 44-year-old Steve on the podium. Belgium’s Thibeau Spits, only 25 and ranked as the number one in Young Rider, took individual silver, while Harry Charles, 27, of Great Britain earned bronze — rocketing from fifty-ninth place at one point last week.
Thibeau (5.60 penalties) and Harry (7.17) were both double-clear as they claimed silver and bronze in the deciding two-round test set by Aachen’s resident course designer, Frank Rothernberger.
They will be among other rising stars we saw at Aachen who insure a bright future for horse sport.
Steve Guerdat (center) with Thibeau Spits and Harry Charles. (FEI Photo/Leanjo de Koster
Thibeau, a member of his country’s European gold medal team last year, said, “I can’t believe what just happened. Silver at the World games in Aachen. It’s unreal.”
He had been afraid that a rail on the second day “was going to be very expensive.” But he and the Zangersheide stallion Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z (Indoktro K van’t Kattenheye Z X Vagabond de la Pomme) didn’t let that stop them.
“It’s unbelievable what he’s done for me. I can never give back to him what he’s done already for me, the horse of a lifetime. This is what I always dreamed of.”
He followed the lead of two other Belgians who medaled years ago in the World meet; Jos Lansink, the champion in 2006 and Philippe LeJeune in 2010.
Harry, part of Britain’s 2024 Olympic gold medal team and its bronze medal squad in Aachen, has only been riding LT Holst Freda for 10 weeks. She was purchased by Harry’s wife, Eve Jobs (daughter of Steve Jobs) after Harry took a liking to the New Zealand warmblood mare (Colman X Casall) when he saw her at the FEI World Cup Finals in Texas last April.
“Roller-coaster of the week,” Harry said about his experience in Aachen, then added about his beautiful gray mare, “She has been incredible.
“Started off, I blew it the first day, knew I blew it the second day. Managed to pull a clear out on Friday. and honestly wondered if it was the right thing even to jump today.
“I was twenty-third starting today. You never know what can happen. She felt so fresh. Still a massive longshot, going into the second round, it was enormous. I thought I’d let her do her thing. Can’t believe the feeling I got and can’t believe the horse I have. She got this bronze and I was just lucky to be sat on her. She really deserves the medal. I’m so happy to have given it to her.
“Never did I dream after the first couple of days an individual medal was possible. It was something I dreamed about as a kid.”
Harry did better than his more experienced compatriots. Ben Maher’s Point Break had a stop at the wavy planks in the first round and collected time penalties. Scott Brash made it into the second round, but Hello Mango toppled a rail in the A element of the triple combination, swam through the B element as Scott was unseated and jumped the C element on her own. Her rider was unhurt.
And for Germany, the short odds before the competition likely would have been on Richie Vogel to take the gold, but he didn’t even make it to the second round. A short turn to the wall meant Untied Touch S ran out of ground and the resulting refusal put an end to his quest. He jumped it easily on his second try, leaving the crowd thinking about the ending that might have been.
The first round of the individual finals was down to 25 riders from the field of 142 who started for the discipline. on Wednesday. They were the best after three days of jumping that secured the team medals for Germany, Belgium and Great Britain.
Sunday’s first course
The U.S., which finished just off the podium in fourth place, had two competitors come forward on Sunday, but they did not make it to the second round.
McLain Ward, who had been twenty-first after the team competition with High Star Hero, had a rail at the second fence of the first round, an orange and white oxer 1.55 meters high, and another at the Longines oxer two obstacles before the end. He finished his participation in the same placing.
“Hero gave so much in team rounds, maybe (he was) a little out of gas,” McLain commented.
“I didn’t expect the second jump. I think he was a bit surprised by how big it was. I think the horses performed great this week. We should have had a team medal.”
He added, “The ground’s taking a beating, no doubt. This is for me the greatest venue in the world…but I think on reflection, 150 horses this many days in a row on the turf, I think it’s not something that’s great.” He suggested the footing situation is a matter that should be considered for the future.
Laura, twelfth going in with Baloutinue, had an uncharacteristic fault at the water that scuttled her chances of making the final round. She wound up fourteenth.
“It’s very disappointing because he jumped outstanding,” she noted.
“He thinks he had a clear round. I don’t think he has any idea he touched the tape (at the water). It’s the first time in the time I’ve ridden him he even came close to the tape. He’s been a champion all week.”
As for the rest of the course, she pointed out, “He jumped it so easily. He had plenty in the tank to come back for a second round.”
Sunday’s second course for the top 12.
What the sport is capable of was on display this month in a style that only Aachen could deliver, offering a brilliant panorama over six disciplines.
Aachen is always a very hard act to follow. Its show jumping world championships in 1986 were an experience I will never forget on my initial visit to the venue (writing about the first female world champion, Gail Greenough!) and its 2006 World Equestrian Games was even more memorable. This month’s tour de force another 20 years later set a standard that likely cannot be emulated elsewhere.
It was a fabulous success, and the closing ceremonies were emotional as always; I wasn’t the only one with tears in my eyes.
From Isabell Werth repeating her musical freestyle on Wendy de Fontaine (for me, it was even better than her bronze medal outing last week), to a liberty horse performance and then dancing horses with purple-clad riders, it offered entertainment.
But that was only a prelude to the heart of the Aachen farewell, the traditional parade of smiling athletes, including all the gold medalists, something that pulled on the heartstrings of the spectators.
The crowd as always enthusiastically waved goodbye with white handkerchiefs, while joining in the nineteenth century folk (drinking) song, “Muss i Denn,” as the show jumpers, vaulters, Para participants, dressage riders, eventers (yes, Michael Jung was there) and drivers walked out under the sign that read “Aufwiedersehen Aachen.”
I comforted myself with that old saying, “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.”
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