by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 3, 2026
GRAND PRIX Group, the company that bought the Chronicle of the Horse a year ago, has purchased the World of Show Jumping website. The site has been in existence since 2011.
Vincent Goehrs, president of GRANDPRIX Group. stated, “World of Showjumping has been built patiently on the quality of its editorial work alone, and it is followed today by the world’s best riders and by enthusiasts alike. This is exactly the kind of media outlet whose development we want to support.
“Following The Chronicle of the Horse in the United States, this acquisition allows us to cover international showjumping with a global English-language voice, and to better serve our advertising partners seeking a consistent presence across all the major equestrian markets.”
Only one member of The Chronicle’s editorial staff remains from the time of GRAND PRIX’s purchase. Goehrs said with the website acquisition, however, “The editorial line of World of Showjumping remains unchanged.”
In addition to the Chronicle, the group’s media division now covers French-speaking Europe with GRANDPRIX.info and Studforlife.com, and The Netherlands with Horseman.nl, and international showjumping with World of Showjumping.
“The online media landscape has changed significantly since we started the website,” said World of Show Jumping’s founders, Jannicke Naustdal and Jenny Abrahamsson, as they commented on the sale.
“Over the past couple of years, we have increasingly recognized the need for additional resources to ensure that the website can continue to develop, evolve, and grow.
“We believe this acquisition will provide World of Showjumping with what it needs to reach its full potential, while simultaneously safeguarding the values that have always been at the heart of the website for all the experience and knowledge we have gained along the way.”
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 | Sep 8, 2026
Equine pain management — that’s always a hot topic. It’s something that’s too often the subject of rumors and gossip, with facts going by the wayside.
For what you really need to know about the subject, listen via Zoom to the latest episode in Cornell University’s Equine Seminar Series.
“Equine Pain Management: From the Farm to the Operating Room to the ICU” will be the subject Sept. 15 from 6-7 p.m.
Dr. Jordyn Boesch will discuss strategies, from systemic medications to advanced regional anesthetic techniques used to manage acute pain in horses
The event is free and open to the public, but it requires registration at this link.
Dr. Jordyn Boesch is an associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cornell. She is also an adjunct associate professor at New York University, where she collaborated on research on the neurobiology of pain. She established the multidisciplinary, collaborative Cornell University comparative pain program to further clinical service, research, and education in pain management.
When on duty in the equine hospital, she leads a team of staff in the provision of anesthesia and analgesia to equine patients, including continuous infusion of analgesic medications, epidural injection/ catheterization, peripheral nerve blocks, and neurolytic procedures. She also coordinates an elective course for third-year veterinary students entitled Animal Pain.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 3, 2026
The USA’s Kent Farrington has been supplanted from the number one spot in the Longines Show Jumping Rankings by Germany’s Richie Vogel, who is in that illustrious spot for the first time in his career. Yet the spotlight may get even brighter for the European champion this Sunday, if he can win the world’s richest grand prix, the $5 Million CPKC ‘International’, presented by Rolex, at the Spruce Meadows Masters in Calgary, Canada.
Beyond that prize, such a victory means he would become only the second rider in history to take the Rolex Grand Slam, awarded for a series of wins in the Rolex series. More than the distinction, that achievement also carries a bonus of 1 million Euros.
And the number one rider definitely is on a roll. Even Kent’s victory in the $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic Grand Prix with Greya at the end of August wasn’t enough to hold off Richie, a member of Germany’s gold medal team at the FEI World Championships last month.
His performance in Aachen gave him an edge over Kent, who did not go to the championships. And then Richie won the 5-star Brussels Grand Prix with Gangster Montdesir on the same day that Kent triumphed at the Classic. As a result, he gained a 73-point edge over his American rival.
“It still feels very surreal to hear that I am world number one,” Richie said.
“It is a huge achievement and makes me incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve together as a team. As a rider, I am certainly far from being the best in the world, but I believe this title is a pretty good indication that I have the very best team around me.
Richie Vogel and Ganster Montdesir.
“Both the people and, of course, the horses, by my side have made this possible. There are countless people I am grateful to who have supported the young boy with big dreams and helped me get to where I am today. Every single one of you is part of this achievement.
“A very special thank you goes to the whole VW team, especially to my grooms, Felicia and Gigi. The passion, dedication and care you give our horses every single day is the foundation of everything we achieve.
“And the biggest thank you, of course, goes to our horses. Having superstars like United, Cloudio and Gangster under my saddle is a true honor, but this achievement belongs just as much to the many other horses who stand slightly in their shadows, as well as those I have had in the past who taught me so much along the way. They are what drive and motivate us every single day.”
Scott Brash, part of the British bronze medal team in Aachen and a three-time former Longines Rankings leader, has moved up a place to third on 3,274, with new world champion Steve Guerdat of Switzerland going from sixteenth to fourth.
After Kent, the next-highest-ranked American is McLain Ward, ninth. Laura Kraut is twelfth on the roster.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 6, 2026
The honor and self-confidence of Gemma Stevens were reaffirmed in dramatic fashion with a fault-free show jumping effort Sunday aboard Chilli Knight at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials, capitalizing on her cross-country lead to claim top honors.
The victory was special for more than just the obvious reason, which is having a British rider win a British event — one that is regarded as the world’s most difficult 5-star.
But it also came just three weeks after Gemma was eliminated at the FEI World Championships in Aachen following three cross-country refusals with Flash Cooley.
Gemma, 41, was a member of the British squad that won gold at August’s title meet, but her effort was the drop score under the formula where only the best three totals count. She called the experience, understandably, one of the lowest points in her career. Although she was able to stand on the podium at Aachen with her teammates, she felt “horrendous” guilt at her personal outcome.
The new champion, who won her first 5-star at Bicton in 2021, proudly was able to finish Burghley on her dressage score of 29.6 penalties. Just one percent of competitors in the last 20 years have finished on their dressage score at Burghley, according to EquiRatings, and Gemma’s winning margin was the biggest since Blyth Tait’s in 1998.
Gemma wound up with a huge distance between her and her compatriot, second-place Katie Magee and Treworra, who added a rail and time penalties in the final phase, to end on 43 penalties.
That edge would have enabled Gemma to topple three rails and incur time penalties if required to gain the victory. But she needed nothing of the kind as she wrapped up a stellar competition for herself and “Alfie,” a son of the great Chilli Morning. Alfie is out of King’s Gem, the mare on whom Gemma started her 5-star career in earnest.
Gemma and Alfie were popular winners.
Considering her achievement, Gemma said, “This represents 25 years of work and finally I have managed to win a ‘big B,’ ” meaning Burghley or Badminton.
“We so nearly won Badminton a couple of years ago, and I have just known in my heart of hearts that there was a big win in this horse. We just needed our stars to align, and everything has aligned this week.”
She received her trophy in a presentation from the 1971 winner, Princess Anne.
New Zealand’s Tim Price, number one in the world, toppled from second after cross-country to eleventh overall on Global Quest after dropping a rail at the second fence on course, then incurring knockdowns in the double and triple combinations. His 12 faults put him on a score of 48.9 penalties.
The top U.S. rider was Caroline Pamukcu, third with HSH Blake after dropping a rail at the first fence in the show jumping to wind up with a score of 44, one penalty more than Katie. Caroline was the best-placed Burghley first-timer in the competition, and the first American to make the Burghley podium since 2012.
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. (Libby Law Photo)
She also enjoyed a reclamation of her own, because she had been in a similar position to Gemma at Burghley, since Blake stumbled at a fence during the cross-country at the world championships and her subsequent fall eliminated her. But she still was able to stand on the podium in Aachen with her country’s bronze medal contingent.
The only other U.S. rider to complete Burghley was another world championships bronze medal team member Will Coleman, fault-free in jumping with Very Dignified, but slow on cross-country to end in a very respectable seventh place (47.2).
“For me, Burghley is the ultimate in our sport, the crown jewel of 5-star eventing. It’s the ultimate test. It’s a wonderful place. It’s like riding in a fairy tale and I can’t wait to come back,” said Will, adding, “But 2026 has treated me well.”
He won the Avebury trophy for the best cross-country round, as judged by two-time Burghley winner Pippa Funnell. That’s pretty special, especially considering it was the mare’s first 5-star.
Rosemary Barlow presents Will Coleman with the Avebury trophy, named in honor of her three-time Burghley winner, ridden by Andrew Nicholson.
Jennie Brannigan had been in twelfth place after cross-country with FE Lifestyle, but the horse was held, then spun, at the final horse inspection.
“Unfortunately, he pulled his bell boot off before the Trout Hatchery (obstacle 19 on cross-country) and has an over-reach on the inside and outside of his right front,” said Jennie.
While the ground jury did not pass him, Jennie emphasized the bright side: “most importantly, he is just fine.”
A total of 26 horses finished the event, from a starting field of 48. The other horse who didn’t make it to the end on Sunday was Benedict Radau, ridden by Matthew Heath of Great Britain, who was eliminated after knockdowns and a refusal in show jumping.
Switzerland’s Nadja Minder, the leader after dressage with 19-year-old Toblerone, finished fifth with a single knockdown atop the oldest horse in the competition.
Was this his last 5-star? The rider won’t commit, giving an “age is just a number”-type reply to the question. She explained any such decision should be made on what the horse wants to do, as opposed to making it based only on age.
A highlight of the day was the retirement ceremony for 19-year-old Ballaghmor Class, who got a standing ovation from the crowd. Many tears were shed at his farewell.
The Irish-bred gelding made Burghley the first of his four 5-star wins in 2017, and went on to win it again in 2023. He also was on the 2021 gold medal Olympic team.
“Kids have dreams and because of him, my dreams came true,” said rider Oliver Townend, who considers the horse he calls Thomas his best friend.
“Burghley is part of me. I first went there as a two-year-old when my dad competed as an amateur in 1984. It is something that has been a very important part of my life, the most special event you can win,” noted an emotional Oliver.
Click here for final results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 5, 2026
How fast things change in horse sport.
Just last month, Gemma Stevens was mourning having wound up as the drop score for Britain’s gold medal eventing team at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, after being eliminated for three refusals with Flash Cooley.
On home ground Saturday, it was a far different story, as she took the lead aboard Chilli Knight at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials. Going into Sunday’s stadium jumping, she stands on her dressage score of 29.6 penalties after finishing cross-country three seconds inside the optimum time of 11 minutes, 20 seconds over the route laid out by American Derek Di Grazia.
After her world championships experience, where her “dreams were completely crushed,” she said, “it is really hard to pick yourself up. But I just thought ‘Do you know what? I am coming here with this little boy — get on with it.’ ”
Reflecting on her round aboard the horse she calls Alfie, Gemma added: “It felt like a rollercoaster. It [the course] just felt like you were constantly climbing or going downhill, turning the corner to another humungous fence. It was so relentless.
“I kept being down on my minutes, and I was like ‘Oh, no, I am never going to get the time’. Then I managed to claw it back, and then I was down on the next one, and then I clawed it back again, and I went round the whole course like that.”
Gemma and Alfie below the Lion Bridge. (Defender Burghley photo)
Second after dressage concluded on Friday, she now has a great shot at the winner’s prize of £120,000 ($162,000). Gemma got a figurative leg up to that position from Piggy March, who won Burghley four years ago on Vanir Kamira.
The help was in the form of a voice message from Piggy, who advised in no uncertain terms, “get out there and get on with it.”
Gemma didn’t need to be told twice.
“I do always get out there and want to get on with it, and that is what you have to do,” she summed up.
The finale will pose a challenge from world number one, Tim Price of New Zealand. He had been touted as a possible winner with Falco, but retired that horse after a refusal at the hanging log in the Trout Hatchery, the nineteenth of 28 obstacles.
Instead, he stands second with the less-decorated Global Quest, an Irish sport horse stallion who stepped up to the big time in a big way.
“There was a lot of learning to be done here,” said Tim, calling his mount “an authentic 5-star horse.”
He is riding Global Quest in honor of the late Georgie Campbell, who developed the horse and then died after a fall while riding him at the Bicton Horse Trials in Britain in May 2024.
Sixth after dressage, Tim was promoted to second on 36.9 penalties, his dressage score plus 4.8 for time cross-country, after taking a long route at the Leaf Pit obstacle. His total means Gemma can afford to have a rail down and a few time penalties in the jumping phase with her stallion, a son of the great eventing sire, Chilli Morning.
The top American in the standings is Caroline Pamukcu, who is fifth with her world championships mount, HSH Blake. Like Gemma, Caroline had a major disappointment at the championships. She suffered a fall early on cross-country when Blake stumbled and they were eliminated. But as is often the case with this determined rider, she came back strong.
Caroline added eight time penalties to her dressage score of 32. Without the time overage, she would be second.
With her other mount, HSH Tolan King, Caroline was in the unenviable position of being first to go on cross-country. But her horse jumped the string and left the track at the Trout Hatchery, so she retired.
Next-best for the U.S. was Jennie Brannigan with FE Lifestyle, making the big leap from seventeenth after dressage to twelfth, carrying 11.2 time penalties for a total of 47.2. Right behind her was Kentucky 5-star winner Will Coleman, this time with Very Dignified, dropping from ninth after dressage to thirteenth with 14 time penalties and a total of 47.2.
Nadja Minder, the Swiss overnight leader from dressage with the graceful and aptly named chocolate-colored Toblerone, moved down to sixth place with 13.2 time penalties. The horse is the oldest in the field at age 19.
“He is such a five-star warrior now, and he helped me out so many times,” she said, reflecting on her performance.
“I wish I had given him a better ride, but it is what it is. You know, he just pricks his ears, looks for the flags, front feet up, back feet up, and on we go. He is incredible. I don’t want to say it’s his last run here because he has been so good in the build-up and everything. He is definitely the horse that has shaped my career.”
She and Robin Godel, the other Swiss competitor, are being coached by Andrew Nicholson, the intrepid New Zealander who first won Burghley in 1995.
At this special venue, Andrew feels, “It is very much about the terrain at Burghley, the constant undulating gently up and down and having to ride between the fences as much as over the fences. You have got to ride a little bit on the seat of your pants from the start to finish.”
With the results of the day, he was proven to be spot-on in that assessment.
Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro, touted as the favorite combo before the event, had been given a 21 percent win chance by EquiRatings, with a 63 percent shot at making it into the top 10. However, they parted company at the last fence, as the rider flew off and the horse galloped through the finish line by himself. Sarah first rode at Burghley 30 years ago, but had never won the event.
Of the 46 who started cross-country, just 28 finished. The others either retired or were eliminated.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 3, 2026
What a perfect name for a Swiss horse whose coat is the color of a chocolate bar: Toblerone.
The 19-year-old gelding and his rider, Nadja Minder, headed the 5-star Defender Burghley Horse Trials after the first day of dressage with 29.5 penalties. And as the second day wrapped up on Friday, Toblerone still led the way.
The oldest horse in the field has the honor of being the first Swiss entry to head the standings in the 65-year history of the British event.
The combination has been seen regularly on the Swiss team since for five years. They were the pathfinders at the European Championships last year. They were twentieth at Burghley in 2024.
“It was really cool,” said 30-year-old Nadja after her ride.
“Toblerone is a pro now and I just have to make him believe he can do good dressage. When a horse knows its job so well, it is just about getting them fit and supple and Piggy March [the 2022 Burghley winner] has helped me a lot with that.”
Having a Swiss take the lead may provide a bit of temporary solace for the team, which lost a star, Felix Vogg, when his mount, 2025 Maryland 5-star winner Cartania, was not able to compete because of a low red blood cell count.
The favorite, if you’re looking at the odds, is Falco (30.5), the mount of New Zealand’s Tim Price. He is behind British entry Gemma Stevens on Chilli Knight (29.6)
“I am a bit of a sucker for Burghley,” said Tim, who is also aboard Global Quest (32.1), standing sixth. Timm won Burghley eight years ago with Ringwood Sky Boy.
“I love it here, and maybe that comes through, because the horses have been really nice and relaxed,” Tim mused.
“I think everyone comes from a very busy year to this point and we all just take a bit of a breath, other than the very formidable cross-country we have to deal with tomorrow.”
Characterizing Burghley, he said it “has got a grandeur, It is such a lovely place to come, and we are all here giving the biggest competition in the world a go, so there is a real nice honesty here with all the riders and everything.”
Speaking about his longtime partner, Tim said, “Falco has got a really interesting story, because he is missing a few teeth and he has had a couple of issues that have had him on the sidelines over the last few years, but he looks better than ever.”
A tumor in his digestive system meant him taking off six or eight months, Tim pointed out. Another condition meant he had to have his top incisors taken out.
“But he is a good eater, and he would never let that get in the way of a good meal, and he is much happier without them in. He has been an amazing little horse for Sue Benson, who owns him, and I over the last 12-13 years, and yeah, he is just one out of the box.”
The top-placing American in fifth is Caroline Pamukcu on HSH Blake (32). Caroline also is fourteenth on HSH Tolan King (34.4), her ride on Thursday. Caroline rode Blake on the bronze medal U.S. team at the world championships last month, but had a fall cross-country and didn’t finish the course. Hence, Blake’s reappearance at Burghley.
Gemma, a member of Britain’s gold medal team at the championships, was eliminated there for three refusals, finishing her appearance in the title meet as her squad’s drop score. She rode Flash Cooley, a different horse than her Burghley mount.
Will Coleman, another member of the bronze medal team, is the next-highest-place American on Very Dignified, ninth on 33.2.
Other U.S. placings are Britain-based Tianna Coudray, eleventh on D’artagnan (33.8) and Jennie Brannigan with FE Lifestyle (36), seventeenth.
The other U.S. entry is Cassie Sanger with Redfield Fyre (38.2) in twenty-seventh place. .
Click here for results
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 Sunday 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 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.”
Click here for results
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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