by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 28, 2025
There were several hot-button topics during the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s rule change webinar Monday, with more than 200 people on line during the three-and-a-half hour session. But one of the most intense reactions was to a proposal involving a 60-day provisional suspension not only for the trainer of a horse testing positive for “certain designated (prohibited) drugs,” but also the owner and riders.
A hearing would be available subsequent to the provisional suspension and time served during the temporary hiatus would be credited against any suspension imposed. These measures are intended “to reinforce accountability and deter violations, while ensuring due process and the continued confidence of all stakeholders in the fairness of the sport,” according to the language of the proposal.
USHJA President Britt McCormick explained, “these drugs they are talking about making an automatic suspension are substances that should never be in a horse. These are Class III and IV drugs, not your everyday NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) and not Robaxin. This is not a gotcha…if somebody does this, it’s found in the animal, you’re done for 60 days and I don’t see how anybody can argue with that.”
Including riders and owners in the suspension is designed to prevent suspended trainers from carrying on business as usual, even if they can’t come to the showgrounds;.
“This is one of those things we have to have a `no tolerance’ for, or else we’re never going to get past it,” added Britt, noting the new hair testing is part of the protocol on these forbidden drugs.
“We have to get behind the rules that will allow us to punish those people that are putting substances into the animals that should never be there, and it’s just that simple.”
However, a rumor that an euthanasia drug was being used to calm show horses turned out to be a lie that caused “a knee-jerk reaction” in drafting the rule, as one person on the call noted.
Meanwhile, the 60-day suspension concept is far from acceptable for some members.
Spencer Chapin, a horse show judge, spoke against it.
“This is such a group condemnation, and with no process. No one will ever catch-ride for anybody else again. You can’t make rules that are so arbitrary to say `60 days’ and the whole group is indicted,” he observed.
“Some kid is going to miss riding for 60 days and they had nothing to do with it. I don’t understand how process ceases to be important in enforcing rules.”
In many cases, comments made online about the rule were even more vehement in opposition. It was pointed out that catch riders do not usually know how the horse they are showing was prepared, and owners often are not present or involved with preparations.
Another concept that drew criticism was the “collapse rule.”
Britt explained it is designed “to give the Federation the ability to help a horse that has fallen for no apparent reason and that the animal receives the care it needs immediately.”
It calls for having the horse leave the showgrounds for seven days, which was seen by commenters as impractical in many instances, such as if a stable’s personnel were 500 miles from home and did not know a place where the horse could be taken in the area of the show.
“Even if the language is not perfect, the intention is correct,” said Britt.
He believes the rule is designed to put a burden on the owner.
“You want the owner to know the horse collapsed…and get it to the appropriate veterinary location. How many of these do we see a year? Maybe two?”
Vanessa Brown said if her horse collapses, “I don’t want the horse taken out of my care,” noting the people who know the animal can recognize abnormal signs, which is important to insure it gets the best care.
“This shows so little faith and paints us as criminals and animal abusers. Honestly, I’m sick of being treated like that. It’s a very small percentage that are very bad actors, and the rest of the membership is being painted this way. It’s not just hurtful, it leaves a terrible taste in our mouth,” she emphasized.
There have been concerns about horses being over-jumped and over-shown, so tables have been drafted to define the possibility of limits on the number of times ponies, hunters, jumpers and equitation mounts can compete at a show.
Other topics included a discussion about allowing mules in hunter classes, and bitless bridles in hunter classes as well (though not necessarily on the mules!)
But here’s the context on the mules, and it makes sense:
“Since 2004, mules have proven themselves in multiple USEF disciplines—dressage, endurance, combined driving, and most recently, jumpers in 2022. Hunters are the natural next step. Dressage set a precedent for successful subjective scoring of mules and horses in the same classes, allowing judges to apply the same standards without any additional training. Research shows that mules competing under horse-specific medication rules have no competitive advantage. Mules are already subject to the USEF Equine Drug and Medication Guidelines in all other USEF disciplines that permit them.
“USEF’s restriction on hunter mules limits access to the sport at unrecognized and local levels of competition, so allowing some level of participation within USEF will encourage growth within the sport, especially in the grassroots where mules would most likely compete. Identifying restrictions at the upper levels will then protect and preserve the historical tradition of show hunters valued by traditionalists.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that there has been large member support for the inclusion of mules in hunter competition, and it is notable that the USEF affiliate approved a similar proposal in the past. USEF’s restrictions on mules limits access at the unrecognized shows and lower levels so allowing mules in these classes and competitions will encourage sport growth among the grassroots.
Hunters celebrate and focus on a strong partnership between equid and rider, good training, and form over fences. Mules are very capable over fences and have proven their versatility, stamina, and athleticism in many sports. These characteristics make mules well-suited to the hunter discipline, and it’s time for USEF to welcome them into a broader base of USEF membership and supporters. USEF has an opportunity to create more accessibility for mule owners and encourage participation, fun, and the spirit that lives within many people within the equestrian industry.”
To see all the proposals, click on this link. Comments may be made with USHJA until Oct. 31. The rule changes will be discussed at the USHJA’s annual meeting in December, and then go to the USEF for action at its mid-year meeting in June 2026.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 31, 2025
Two New Jersey riders, who often have been winners at the U.S. Dressage Finals, continued their success as the competition moved its full schedule to a new venue, the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio.
Since the competition there this week is in several indoor arenas, participants were able to avoid the cold and rain that are prevalent in November in Ohio and neighboring Kentucky, where the competition presented by Adequan was held previously.
Lauren Chumley of Pittstown and Leeloo Dallas won the Intermediate II Open Championship with 68.48 percent to top a class of 14 starters. The combination won the Prix St. Georges title at the 2023 Finals and the Intermediate I Freestyle last year, so there has been a measurable metric of their progression.
“This is Leeloo’s first year at I-2, and I’ve had some really good and some not-so-great rides,” said Lauren about her efforts with the nine-year-old mare (Gaspard De La Nuit DG X Negro).
“She’s never naughty, but she’s green at this. She’s only been doing this level for, like, 30 seconds. She was good in the test, but she was amazing in the warm-up, so that was a feeling of what’s to come. I can’t wait until I can have it all in the ring.”
Lauren has trained Leeloo Dallas up the levels herself since buying her sight-unseen as a foal from her breeder Racheal McKinney in Arizona. Initially, she couldn’t afford her, but when her price was reduced, she was able to cobble together the funds.
“When she arrived, I realized I’d never asked how big she was,” Lauren recalled.
“She’s a hair under 16.1 hands now, which is actually fine as I’m not that tall.”
Lauren is “endlessly grateful” to her coach, Michael Bragdell, who finished fourth in the same class.
Lauren Chumley and Leeloo Dallas. (Susan J. Stickle photo)
The venue earned high praise from Lauren.
“The decorations are incredible, and they’ve created a super atmosphere here. I’m just wondering what the pumpkin budget is as I think I’ve seen about 3,000 of them,” she laughed.
“I love that everything is indoors because it’s been pouring with rain. Plus, the footing is phenomenal.”
Since coming to prominence with Finals wins, Leeloo Dallas has attracted some hefty offers from potential purchasers.
“I’m not wealthy and this money would change my life, but I don’t care; she’s not for sale,” Lauren emphasized.
She called her test, “a perfect end to Leeloo’s first season at I-2. She put in a solid albeit green test and really tried her little potato heart out for me today and it was good enough for the neck ribbon. Thank you, my little Perfect Princess Potato Muffin, you make this life worth the extraordinary continued struggle.”
Lauren also won the Intermediate I freestyle on Belafonte with a score of 68.242 percent.
Heather Mason of Lebanon, N.J.,who has earned many titles at this year-end championship over the years, rode to another on the eight-year-old Manuskript SCF. She earned the Prix St. Georges Open honors with 70.392 percent.
Manuskript, who along with another horse was the youngest in the class, had the only score over 70 percent. Manuskript (Jazz X Krack C).
Heather also coached a multiple winner, Christina Morin-Graham. In the Intermediate II Adult Amateur Championship, Christina’s 66.961 percent performance on her 15-year-old Oldenburg mare, Mondlicht, was just what she needed for her first Finals win, with the reserve champion finishing nearly five percentage points less.
Christina, who has eight championship class rides, bought Mondlicht five years ago from Germany and was advised that she would not make a Grand Prix horse.
“They said she was too hot for the one-tempis and wouldn’t be able to do the piaffe/passage,” explained Christina, who topped the same class at the Region 8 Championships on her mare (Sarkozy X Ravallo).
“I was happy to have her as a Small Tour horse, but over the years, we’ve done a lot of growing together, and here we are doing Big Tour,” she pointed out proudly.
Christina Morin-Graham and Mondlicht. (Susan J. Stickle Photo)
A week before leaving on the nine-hour journey to WEC from her home in Malvern, Pa., Mondlicht pulled a shoe and had a slightly swollen leg. Christina, who works full-time as a partner in a private equity firm, decided to give her a full week off, only schooling the day before the championship test.
“I got on yesterday, and she felt super,” noted Christina.
“She loves getting ridden; she loves work. I adore her, though she’s definitely an alpha mare and very opinionated. You have to get her on your side and then she really gives you her best.”
The very busy Christina had another win on Friday in the Intermediate I Adult Amateur class on Ici de la Vigne, with a score of 66.912 percent. In the Amateur Grand Prix that day, she also was tops with DSP Dauphin on 68.696 percent and was second with Mondicht (66.920).
In the Third Level Open Championship, Coloradan Taryn Anderson, was first to go in the Third Level Open Championship, and her 71.625 percent on seven-year-old Figardo proved unbeatable.
Figardo, owned by Taryn’s mother, Tammy, gave Taryn “a magical ride” to win with the day’s highest Finals score.
“He warmed up kind of tight in this big atmosphere, so I didn’t know what to expect. I went in the ring, and he was just so lovely,” said Taryn.
“Everything I asked him to do, he was right there, and his back was soft. He gives me a magical feeling, and it was a magical ride. I could think about each movement, and it felt like ‘Ta-da!’”
Figardo (Fürst Wilhelm X Fürst Piccolo) was found by Anderson’s friend Jenny Wetterau as a four-year-old, and she has produced him through the grades with help from her Colorado-based trainer Petra Warlimont and Florida-based trainers George Williams and Lars Petersen.
“He’s super special to me because he was only walk, trot, canter when I got him. I put all the movements on him, and he’s the first one that I feel I’ve brought along and been successful with it. I’ve had horses before, but we made mistakes, and I learned a lot. Now, I feel like I’m starting to understand how to make a grand prix horse,” she said.
Coupled with his athletic ability, Figardo’s unflappable nature has helped him flourish.
“We have our own farm, and I take him out in the field. I can hack him by himself and train him on the hills,” she continued.
“He’s a happy-go-lucky guy.”
She also praised the new venue.
“I love it,” she said. “I haven’t been to Finals for years, but I remember getting drenched in the rain. When I heard Finals was going to be at WEC, I really wanted to come. I’m very much impressed; the decorations and the shopping are awesome, and the footing is perfect.”
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 31, 2025
It wasn’t a personal best, but Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus kept a narrow margin over Becky Moody and Jagerbomb from Great Britain to take the dressage freestyle at the Equita Lyon show in France on Friday. The class is a qualifier for the FEI Dressage World Cup Final, which will be held in Ft. Worth next April.
Justin didn’t match the score from his European Championships individual gold medal ride, earning 87.075 percent highlighted by an artistic score of 92 percent, with his 9-year-old Rheinlander stallion flowing effortlessly to gentle background music. The picture was marred only by mistakes in the tempi changes (he was scored as low as a 5 for the changes every stride), but the rest was buoyed by individual marks of 10 for choreography, music and a textbook canter pirouette right.
Freestyle winner Justin Verboomen on Zonik Plus at Lyon, France, and runner-up Becky Moody on Jagerbomb.
Modest and soft-spoken as always, Justin said the feeling was amazing in his Thursday Grand Prix, where he set a personal best for that test.
“Today he was maybe a little bit tired and I did some mistakes, but he was still really good” said Justin after his freestyle.
“Step by step, I think it will improve and improve and improve,” Justin suggested, noting he wasn’t “really used to” an atmosphere like the packed house he encountered in Lyon.
As he continues to develop his horse, who he purchased in Portugal when the colt was two-and-a-half, Justin said, “The only thing I want is really to improve the suppleness and his confidence in the ring.”
Becky’s ride on her 11-year-old homebred gelding was presented to a medley of Beatles tunes, most appropriate considering her country of origin. The judges thought so too; Becky and her Dutchbred mount got three marks of 10 for music and its interpretation.
“I was smiling all the time,” Becky said about her test.
“The crowd here was amazing. I’m so lucky to ride Jagerbomb, I always enjoy riding him. He is very consistent, has an incredible temperament and is very trainable. He makes my life easy, but you can always have a good or bad day. In the Grand Prix, I was a bit frustrated with myself, not with Bomb. Today everything felt super.”
Third place went to another Belgian rider, Larissa Pauluis, with Flambeau, on 79.560 percent.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 24, 2025
Lu Thomas, a pillar of horse sport in Northern California, has passed away after years spent battling cancer. She was 79.
Equally successful in the jumpers and the hunters, she and her husband, Graeme (Butch) Thomas, were a formidable training combination. Their best-known students included Gail Greenough, world show jumping champion in 1986, top trainer Carleton Brooks and Karl Cook, now a pillar of the U.S. team.
Butch and Lu Thomas
The couple’s son, Guy, rode in the FEI World Cup finals, as they both did, and also competed on the New Zealand Olympic team (Butch is a native of New Zealand.) In September, Guy won the Morningstar Sport Horses Grand Prix in Sacramento, with both his parents present.
In 2018, Lu and Butch, received the Sacramento International Horse Show Lifetime Achievement Award; three years before that, they earned the USHJA’s Lifeetime Achievement Award. They always worked as a team..
Lu and Butch Thomas receiving their Lifetime Achievement Award. (McCool Photo)
Jimmy Lee, president of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, called Lu “an extremely talented rider.
“She showed many top horses at the highest level of competition. Lu was not only a brilliant hunter rider, but she did it with style and class. She was a very special person in and outside of the ring who set a great example of how it should be done, particularly for the youth in our sport to emulate.”
This week, Lu’s husband, offered a tribute to her:
“After four days of Lu’s passing, I’m finally game enough to give my insight on our lives together. She was the kindest, easiest woman a guy could live with- we’ve been married 54 years and 10 months, and I don’t remember ever having an argument. We must’ve had, but they were too small to remember.
“Not only a fantastic wife and my best friend, but a brilliant rider. She made every horse better. She could ride a hunter better than anyone in the country, but so humble she never thought she was any good. When I quit riding the jumpers, she said, “Can I try them?” She then became Rookie of the Year at age 59. She won many Grand Prixs and went to Geneva World Cup Finals.
“Lu spent her life worrying about others. She looked after her son, Guy, incredibly. And she always said to me – “I have three sons: Ilan Ferder, Mark Laskin and Guy. I have two daughters: Callie Layland and Natalie Dean.” She never stopped looking after them. She never made an enemy, she gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. If someone said something rude about her, she’d say, “They didn’t mean it.”
Lu loved animals- she’d be out in the stall bandaging Cody at 9pm because she wanted to be sure it was done properly. She’d say “They’re good to me, I’ve got to be good to them.”
From dogs, to horses, to humans- she enriched the lives of everyone she knew. From the bottom of her heart, Lu cared.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 26, 2025
Nearly 50 years after she made her debut on a pony at the Washington International Horse Show, Laura Kraut won its marquee President’s Cup Saturday night for the second time.
Aboard Tres Bien, she took on the Nick Granat-designed course with a key decision early in the route.
“I didn’t think that seven strides was possible from fences two to three, but Lillie Keenan did it right before I went, so I thought, ‘I’ll see how I jump fence two and give it a go,’ ” Laura reported.
“He grew wings to do that, because it was very far away, and I can’t believe he did it,” she said.
“Then, I just went as quick as I could go with him. He’s a handy horse. It was one of the reasons why I thought it would be good to bring him indoors, and he just tries really hard.”
Laura Kraut and Tres Bien at Washington (Shawn McMillen Photo)
She went through the timers in 40.83 seconds to top the eight-horse tiebreaker.Her closest rival was Ireland’s Daniel Coyle, second in 41.14 on Incredible.
Laura’s sponsor, St. Bride’s Farm, bought Tres Bien from British show jumper Tim Gredley, who also sold Imperial HBF to Michael Smith, a sponsor of Laura’s U.S. teammate, McLain Ward.
The $340,000 grand prix was a qualifier for next April’s FEI World Cup Final in Ft. Worth, Texas, and Laura, who turns 60 next month, hopes to be there. The Cup win gives her a leg up.
Washington has always been a “must” stop for Laura.
“I’ve come to Washington for many, many years, and I really feel like it’s one of the goals of the year, particularly in the United States, for everyone — jumpers, hunters, and equitation,” she said. “I hope that it stays that way. I think it’s a goal that every rider should look to work towards,” she said.
Daniel won the Leading International Rider title, while Laura was Leading Lady Rider. Tres Bien was the champion open international jumper.
The WIHS Equitation honors went to Olivia Sweetnam, while JJ Torano was second
Click here for results of the grand prix and here for results of the equitation.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 26, 2025
Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker moved up from tenth place to third as the season’s last 5-Star event ended at Pau on Sunday.
New Zealand’s Tim Price won with the Dutchbred Jarillo, going from fourth in dressage to third after cross-country. He was then double-clear over the show jumping course designed by Yann Royant for the French event and finished with 30.9 penalties.
Great Britain’s Tom Jackson, thirty-first after dressage with Plot Twist B, improved his standing to eighth following a double-clear aboard the Irish Sport Horse on cross-country. He had no penalties in the show jumping to wind up second on 33.2 penalties after quite a climb through the ranks.
Boyd logged just 0.4 time penalties to make the podium aboard Cooley Nutcracker. His mount is the horse Liz Halliday rode in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Boyd took over part of her string of horses after she suffered a traumatic brain injury in a cross-country fall in August 2024. Liz was on the phone cheering for her horse and its rider as they show jumped.
Tenth after both dressage and cross-country, Boyd rose with 33.9 penalties in total. It was his second third-place finish in a row. He had the same result last weekend in the Maryland 5-Star with Commando 3. The second-best American was Cosby Green, eleventh with Highly Suspicious (39.7).
But Emily Hamel of the U.S. and Corvett set a record as the only horse-and-rider combination to complete all six of the 5-Stars in the Northern Hemisphere. (There is only one 5-Star in the Southerrn Hemisphere). Corvett, an 18-year-old Holsteiner by Corrido, was forty-second in dressage, and clear of jumping penalties with only 7.2 time penalties on cross-country to rise to twenty-fifth.
In show jumping, he produced one of only 10 clears to move up another 11 places to end in the fourteenth spot.
Sarah Bullimore of Great Britain, in first place after cross-country with 5-star debutante Corimiro, dropped to fifth, just 0.1 time penalties behind Tim Price and Happy Boy (34.2) after toppling a pole in show jumping and collecting 0.4 time penalties. Sarah wrapped up on 34.4 penalties.
The leader after dressage, Cannavaro, who was second following cross-country, was not re-presented after going to the hold box in the final horse inspection. Bubby Upton’s ride for Great Britain is 18 years old.
Oliver Townend’s great campaigner, Ballaghmor Class, finished twenty-first after a frangible pin penalty on cross-country and a difficult show jumping round. Another 18-year-old, this horse had three rails in the final segment to end on 50.3 penalties.
Click here for results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 24, 2025
Barns, stables and related agricultural buildings have a distinctive tale to tell, wherever you can find them. They may be landmarks. Or perhaps they are hidden in plain sight; you just have to discover their charm.
A variety of these iconic structures will be on the Peapack & Gladstone, N.J., Historic Preservation Committee’s Barn Tour Nov. 15 (rain date is Nov. 16), highlighted by a visit to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation’s stable.
The interior of the USET Foundation stable.
At the end of the tour, historian Barry Thomson will offer a talk about the landmark building, erected by financier and horse breeder James Cox Brady at Hamilton Farm in 1917.
During its era as a team training center, the USET stable was a base for some of the country’s most famous Olympic horses and riders. The trophy room will be open to visitors so they can see horse show ribbons from around the world and photos of competitors, such as show jumping medalists Frank Chapot and William Steinkraus
The USET Foundation stable still is the venue for competitions, such as the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search.
This is the first time since 2008 that the committee has offered an opportunity to visit these types of buildings in the Somerset County borough.
Admission is free. Those who want to take the self-guided tour must register at Liberty Park on Main Street, starting at 10:30 a.m., where they will receive a map and a route guide to the various stops. It will be available in print and a digital version.
The main part of the tour, which begins at 11 a.m., goes through 2 p.m. The opportunity to see the USET Foundation stable runs 2-4 p.m., with Barry’s talk taking place at 2:30 p.m.
Historian Barry Thomson will give a talk at the USET Foundation stable.
Margery Schiesswohl, the Historic Committee’s chairman, has worked for 30 years at Gill-St. Bernard’s School in Gladstone, where she is director of alumni relations. She takes special pride in knowing the history of the school and the property around it.
“That’s what got me interested into digging into the broader history of the town and connecting some of the dots,” Margery said.
“I like to know where we came from, so I can better understand where we’re going.”
She wants people to enjoy a new insight they can take from the tour.
“I hope that people walk away with a better understanding of the fundamental foundation of our community, which was farming and agriculture. It was a community of business and growth and people.”
Tour-goers will be “hearing stories about not just the structure, but imagining the people who lived here. It wasn’t a museum. It was a community,” she pointed out.
The Tiger family was one of the pillars of that community, where John Jacob Tiger bought a farm in 1862. His son, Ellis Tiger, was a co-founder of the Peapack-Gladstone Bank.
The five-level Tiger lower barn, which once housed dairy cows, will be on the tour. Its posts and beams are American chestnut, a now-extinct variety of tree. It was constructed before Tiger purchased it, as there is evidence that it was rebuilt and expanded around 1855. The cows are believed to have grazed in fields across the street that are now part of Natirar, a county park.
The barn is owned by Stephan Yelenik, the lead person on the barn tour subcommittee. He called the tour “a real juxtaposition between working farms and the Gilded Era” from a historic standpoint.
“The overriding message we want to send is you’re going to get to see some fancy stuff and some working stuff, and some fancy stuff that was working.”
Discussing his barn, he said, “Everybody drives past it every day, coming and going from Peapack & Gladstone. I don’t think there’s anybody who doesn’t know our barn and saw the renovations through the years,” said Stephan, who has owned the property for 21 years.
The old Tiger barn on Main Street in Peapack.
He rescued what had been a structurally unsound building and spent six years restoring it. Now it’s so sound that he believes, “it will be there for another couple hundred years.”
A second Tiger barn on the tour is on Mendham Road. At one time, it was a tack shop run by Doris Tiger Studer. Later, Tom Rossiter had his classic cars “stabled” there.
Another familiar name in the area is Melick. Andrew Mellick Jr. (who spelled his name with two L’s) wrote the classic account of local rural life in the 18th Century, published in 1889, “The Story of an Old Farm.” His farmhouse, now a private residence, is not on the tour.
The old grist mill.
However, the neighboring mill barn, alongside Peapack Brook, and its corn crib will be one of the stops.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 21, 2025
I wasn’t around for the first Badminton Three-Day, or even the first Kentucky event. But I have covered every MARS Maryland 5-Star at Fair Hill since that fixture started five years ago.
So I’ve monitored first-hand the impressive annual evolution of the world’s newest 5-Star. The 2025 edition convinced me that there is even more promise ahead.
The biggest change was Paris Olympic course designer Pierre Le Goupil giving a different look to the cross-country in his first 5-Star effort, where the footing was superb and intriguing fences built by Tyson Rementer and his team added visual enrichment. While some riders were quite apprehensive after walking the route, it turned out well.
Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle tackle the cross-country course.
Each year at the event, I have a chat with Terry Hasseltine, executive director of the Maryland Sports Commission, and also the president and chairman of the Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland. So he’s the man who knows what’s going on in Maryland, which has more horses per square mile than any other state.
Terry doesn’t make empty promises. In the past, he told me there would be betting on the event (there is) and that racing would resume at the site (it did).
So I asked him what’s next for one of the country’s most scenic equestrian venues.
“We want to continue to strengthen the level of competition for both the Young Event Horse, the 3-Star and the 5-Star,” he responded.
“Working with a new cross-country course designer changed perspective on what the course can do, looking at it from a different lens. We’re really curious as to what Year Two looks like under Pierre’s guidance on the course.”
Priorities involve promoting growth during the Thursday and Friday portions of the 5-Star event, as well as bringing additional marquee activities to the facility — perhaps stand-alone dressage and show jumping competitions at various times during the season, and maybe a concert. Along with that, there could be an opportunity to have more permanent structures at the site.
“It’s just a matter of fine-tuning the expectations of what we can do on the grounds,” Terry said.
Here’s the big issue though: “In the 5-star, we still get really great competitors,” the executive observed, then asked, “How do we get back to having 40-plus 5-star (entries)?
The answer?
“That’s sometimes an adjustment on the calendar,” Terry believes.
There were 45 entries at the first Maryland 5-Star in 2021, but that was a different time, after the Covid blackout when people were eager to get things back to normal, and the idea of participating in a brand new event was intriguing.
Terry is seeking “serious conversations” with the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the FEI (international equestrian federation) “about logistics leading up to our event. Are we on the right calendar environment, are we sitting in the perfect space to make sure we can have bigger fields or grow our competition level?
Terry Hasseltine
“I know they’re trying to do something new to grow the sport, foster new riders, foster long-term support of eventing in general. We want to be open and receptive in supporting that process, but we’d like to also be in a position where we are part of the narrative.
“How do we support Fair Hill International (which presents horse trials on another side of the property) and the work that they’re doing on the grass roots level to get more kids on the back of horses, learning the trade and what is involved in being a rider?” asked Terry, praising the efforts and cooperation of that organization.
In the quest to boost the base, he added, “You need the highest standard of your sport being the thing that gets the benefit of calendar dates and the benefit of fiscal support. Sometimes, when those things don’t align, it creates challenges. We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, we want to be a sustainable event that grows year and year after helping to grow the sport, but also helping to grow what is an economic festival for the northeast region of the state of Maryland.” And in the bigger picture, it “really is a Mid-Atlantic event.”
Entries are strong for the Maryland 3-Star Long and the Young Event Horse sections, so there’s plenty to watch on the 5-Star weekend, where Joanie Morris is competition manager. And ticket-holders also can enjoy attractions such as the Corgi races, Shetland pony racing and the Real Rider Cup for off-track thoroughbreds, as well as rows of vendors and lots of food trucks.
But while the 5-star division is the foundation on which the rest of the event is built in terms of crowd appeal and prestige, it hasn’t been overwhelmed with entries, as Terry pointed out. This year, there were 22 starters, with 13 making it to the final show jumping phase. That was five more for the finale than in 2024, but the feeling is, that’s still not enough on Sunday afternoon.
The best-known foreign riders who were Maryland regulars, such as Britain’s Oliver Townend or New Zealand’s Tim Price, did not come (they’re headed to the Pau, France, 5-Star this week). It’s expensive for riders and their horses to cross the Atlantic, so travel grants have helped to a limited extent (including for the winner, Felix Vogg of Switzerland) but the organizers can’t pay for everyone’s trip.
Boyd Martin and the victor, Felix Vogg.
We also were missing such U.S. stars as Will Coleman and Tamie Smith, who were riding the week before the 5-Star in the first U.S. Open 4-star. Why schedule that just before the 5-Star?
As Terry pointed out about the Maryland effort, “This is a heavy lift and a significant investment, and you need to make sure you’re providing the best quality of competition and the best quality of services. We want to continue that world class environment and world class destination experience. It’s hard to do when we’re having to look at what your last day might come down to,” he said, referring to the number of competitors in the 5-Star show jumping finale.
There are several issues linked to recruiting more 5-Star participants. One is the calendar, as Terry mentioned. Another is the dearth of 5-Star horse/rider combinations in this country.
You’ll hear different takes on that subject.
“I don’t think there are that many professional event riders in America, compared to overseas,” suggested Boyd Martin, who won the first Maryland 5-Star.
“I think the country’s more based around amateurs and 20 percent what you’d call professionals, and the opposite in other countries, where there are 80 percent professionals and 20 percent amateurs.”
At the same time, he pointed out, for anyone who aspires to someday ride at the top level of the sport in a 5-Star, “You basically need a number of horses, knowing some aren’t going to make it — some might not be sound enough, some can’t jump high enough, some get injured — to get to the 5-star level. To have America have more horses, we need a bigger depth of professionals.”
At the same time, “It takes a unique animal to be able to do this (cross-country) course,” he said of Maryland’s 5-Star.
“It’s a long trip, big hills, big jumps; you need a real athletic horse.”
That’s another reason some riders feel the twisting but flatter course at Pau is a better choice for their horses.
Then there is the fact that the Olympics and Pan American Games are not at the 5-Star level (they are 4-star and 3-star respectively for cross-country), so people can pursue their championship dreams without ever riding in a 5-Star.
“Worldwide, with the 4-star being the championships, there are people who don’t do as many 5-stars as they used to,” pointed out David O’Connor, the USEF’s chief of sport.
USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor
However, he doesn’t see a permanent shortage of American 5-Star riders, noting, “We’ve got a bunch of young riders coming up through the levels that are very, very good and have the desire to do 5-stars.”
Regarding the number of entries at Maryland, he mentioned, “There are always not as many horses in the autumn as there are in the spring.” In that regard, someone else mentioned that at Britain’s iconic events, there tend to be less entries at Burghley in September than at Badminton in May.
In terms of Maryland’s future, David said, “I don’t see it growing exponentially in the 5-star. But they do a great job here with a full eventing weekend. Is this (the 5-Star) going to be 50 horses? No, it’s too expensive a lot of times for the Europeans to come over.”
While the grant system will help to some extent for a few riders, he pointed out that so many riders are going to Pau, and compared the price to competing at Maryland for Europeans.
If it’s a financial decision, “You have something that costs you $5,000 to go to and you have something that costs you $40,000 to go to,” he said.
Leslie Law, Olympic gold medalist, chef d’equipe and high performance manager for the U.S. eventing team, noted the shorter format events that two decades ago replaced the classic format’s speed and endurance segments meant there are fewer thoroughbreds or horses with significant amounts of thoroughbred blood competing. But a few thoroughbreds are still heard from occasionally; Monica Spencer’s Artist, a thoroughbred, was second in Maryland.
“With where eventing is right now, dressage and show jumping (segments) are extremely influential,” said Leslie.
That format favors warmbloods and their way of moving and jumping..
“You could be successful with a different type of horse, but those horses don’t always materialize into the 5-Star horses of today,” Leslie commented.
“We’ve almost got two sports, in a way. It’s a little bit like the jumpers. They have their grand prix horses but they also have their speed horses. The speed horse will never be a grand prix horse, probably, and the grand prix horse is probably not a speed horse.
“You’re seeing a wider range of horses (in eventing), but perhaps they’re not all 5-Star horses,” said Leslie.
U.S. Eventing Chef d’Equipe Leslie Law. (Photo by Devyn Trethewey/U.S. Equestrian)
On the other side of the Atlantic, the numbers indicate a different situation because of how many countries are involved in the sport there.
“They’re drawing from across Europe and you’ve got a lot of New Zealand and Australian riders based in the UK,” Leslie explained. It should be noted that there are also six Americans at Pau, including Boyd.
“The pool they’re drawing from is really much greater. Every European country is going to have its riders and they’re pushing their system. If you look at Pau, there’s probably not much more than (four) French riders there, but they’ve (the event has) got a big entry.” The British tend to flock there, with 28 competing at Pau this month.
“If that was a standalone event, like we have here, then it starts to look much more comparable,” Leslie said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 13, 2025
He’s not an American, but Alan Wade spends a lot of time in the U.S.
So he will be a very familiar face as the show jumping course designer for the 2028 Olympics at Santa Anita. The Irishman laid out the routes for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2017 in Omaha and the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon, N.C. He has Olympic mileage, too, as the assistant course designer at the London 2012 Olympic Games alongside Bob Ellis.
At LA28, Alan joins Alec Lochore of Great Britain, who has been named the cross-country course designer. Sad not to have U.S. designers in those roles. but that would seem to point to a dearth of U.S. officials at the level required for an Olympics.
Alan Wade grew up immersed in equestrian sport and began designing his first tracks at age 12 at the local gymkhanas in County Tipperary. He is the son of jumping great Tommy Wade, part of Ireland’s winning Aga Khan Cup team in 1963 and 1967 aboard the legendary Dundrum.
In 2009, Alan began designing in the main arena of the Dublin Horse Show for the first time. Since then, he has officiated in Dublin over a dozen times. He has designed in Rotterdam, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Lisbon, and Rabat. His reputation for excellence has crossed the Atlantic and his popularity has grown in North America. Currently, the majority of his designs are created for shows in the United States alongside some in Canada and Mexico.
“I would like to congratulate Alan Wade on his appointment as the Jumping Course Designer for the Olympic Games LA28,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “This is a crucial role for the success of equestrian in Los Angeles and I’m convinced that we have made the right choice. Alan Wade is hugely experienced and has a profound understanding of the sport. He is well known for his subtle designs, which are challenging but set a fair test for the athletes and the horses and reward skill and horsemanship. I’m looking forward to world class Jumping at the LA28 Olympic Games.”
“I am honored and grateful to accept the role of Jumping Course Designer for the Olympic Games LA28,” Alan said. “I would like to thank the FEI Board and Olympic Games LA28 Organising Committee for entrusting me with the important role of creating the courses and fence designs. I look forward to designing courses that produce good competition and present our sport in the best way possible on the world stage that is the Olympic Games.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Oct 6, 2025
Anderson Lima, who did such a good job laying out the route for the Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon last spring, has been named as the course designer for the April 2026 FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals in Ft. Worth.
Anderson Lima walking his course at Devon.
The Mexican designer has been part of the design team at the Olympics and several FEI World Cup Finals, as well as the Pan American Games and other international championships. He will be joined by Bernardo Costa Cabral of Portugal as the foreign technical delegate.
Anderson thinks that in this era, the riders, more than the horses, are tested by the courses. He is known for being fair.
“I like to create nice lines and a balance between forward distances and a little bit shorter distances and normal size jumps. For sure when you talk about grands prix, being fair means creating the right dimensions. But I do like to challenge horses and riders with colors, jumps with a little bit more open space, jumps that are a little bit more solid, or by having planks and walls.”
Using a variety of options, he pointed out, he can keep testing riders and their mounts in new and different ways.
