by Nancy Jaffer | Mar 1, 2026
As is so often the case, team anchor McLain Ward produced a must-do clean round to clinch victory for the USA in the $150,000 FEI Nations Cup Wellington Saturday night.
USA center stage on the podium with second-place Ireland (left) and third-place Canada
This time, however, the stress was on from several directions. But if anyone has mileage sufficient to handle such challenges, it’s McLain. Even so, several factors made the situation more intense than usual.
The U.S. had won the country’s only Nations Cup 10 times previously, which meant history exerted expectations for the eight-team match.
As Coach Robert Ridland put it, “This is always an interesting Nations Cup because the pressure is on us to win. It’s a home Nations Cup; it’s a really big deal.”
And McLain’s mount, Jordan Molga M, is relatively new to him. How would he react to the electricity of an arena surrounded by a capacity crowd that cheered loudest for the Americans?
In the first round, McLain had a decision to make after his teammates produced three clears over the Steve Stephens team-designed 4-star course. His initial effort wasn’t needed, since only three scores count in each round.
He considered going in the first round and just jumping the first line of fences to give the horse a look-see, which could have worked, since that round wouldn’t affect the score.
McLain’s student, Stella Wasserman, began riding Jordan, a 12-year-old Dutchbred, last September, taking over from Nicolas Delmotte of France.
But it wasn’t the perfect match, so McLain traded one of his horses with Stella, picked up Jordan and started showing the horse in December.
McLain Ward and Jordan Molga M
He had yet to log a victory with Jordan. And the gelding had never shown under the lights at Wellington International.
“He’s a very, very sharp horse,” said, noting he was gelded late and “has a little bit of almost stallion energy.
“With a new horse that’s sharp like that, you always want to monitor and make sure you make safe choices. That’s why I was flirting back and forth whether I should jump the first round or part of it.”
In making his decision to skip the opening round, McLain noted that while Jordan is green, he’s “answering every question I asked well.”
So he took a risk and passed on the first round, introducing the horse to the buzzy scene when it really counted in the second round of the class presented by Florida Coast Equipment.
Although teammates Marilyn Little (La Contessa) and Callie Schott (Garant) had turned in clear trips in both rounds, on his second appearance, Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque uncharacteristically tumbled a rail at the A element of the triple combination, which meant the outcome was all up to McLain.
Before he entered the arena, the U.S. was looking at the prospect of a 4-fault tie with Ireland after that country’s Shane Sweetnam dropped a rail at the last fence. Coach Ridland planned ahead for a worst-case scenario if McLain had a knockdown, and already had decided to send in Karl as the designated rider on his speedy mount if a jump-off to break a 4-fault tie was needed.
But McLain came through in classic style to secure the win. Ireland settled for silver with four faults in the eight-team competition, while Canada collected the bronze on eight.
Although he is comfortable as the anchor when that role really counts, McLain conceded that this time, “I think I felt more pressure because it’s a new relationship with this horse,” he commented noting Jordan, owned by Michael Smith, has championship potential.
The winning U.S. team: McLain Ward, Callie Schott, Marilyn Little, Karl Cook and Coach Robert Ridland.
McLain is always quick to give credit to others, which demonstrates how he works well with them.
“I’m very lucky to have such a strong team—they put me in a pretty nice position,” he said.
McLain’s daughters, Lilly and Madison, showed up to support him at the post-competition press conference.
As the coach noted, “Our two double clears, just phenomenal. That’s the way you win Nations Cups, with double-clears.”
Callie Schott was double-clear on Garant in her first Nations Cup appearance at home.
While he discussed strategy, Robert noted it’s still quite early in the season which includes, importantly, a world championships.
“We’re trying to put the pieces together for the long haul, and it worked,” he pointed out with a smile.
Marilyn Little and Contessa were double clear.
“To a degree, this is the beginning of the year, so things start ramping up. You can’t do everything at the end,”
Of the Wellington effort, he said, “This will have played a role for sure,” then added, “More important is what a great event this is. It’s great for the public.”
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 28, 2026
New Jersey trainer Nicole Delgiorno has taken over as president of Dressage at Devon, the special autumn show that offers educational opportunities — such as a popular master class — as well as a variety of competition and lots of shopping..
She succeeds Anne Moss, who presided over the show’s fiftieth anniversary last year. Nicole, who has showed at the Pennsylvania fixture since she was a junior, is 34 years old, representing another generation that will guide the iconic institution on Philadelphia’s Main Line into new opportunities.
While a priority naturally involves appealing to an equestrian audience, one of Nicole’s goals as she stated during an interview is that “we start to bring in more of a non-equestrian audience.”
She pointed out, “It’s the only place where a kid who had never touched a horse before can sit five feet away from a horse that is piaffing and have that moment of `Oh my gosh, that is what i want to do.’
“There aren’t many (dressage) spectator experiences on the East Coast outside of going to Florida, especially in our area, that are so welcoming to a non-equestrian audience,” Nicole said.
As she pointed out, Devon is “very accessible from Philadelphia, a very highly populated area.”
With “Lots of young families looking for ways to get their kids out and about, It would do our sport, especially locally, such a good service to be able to lean into those audiences and try to get them more involved and feel like they also belong at Dressage at Devon.”
In honor of the show’s half-century anniversary, $160,000 was donated, money that will go toward its long-term sustainablity.
A Grand Prix rider who is a U.S. Dressage Federation gold medalist, Nicole runs The Dressage Academy in Cream Ridge, N.J. She has been on the Devon board for three years, and a new group has been recruited for that panel to offer a forward-looking perspective and raise funds. Nicole also has experience in the fields of fundraising, strategy and technology.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 28, 2026
As she came to a halt at the end of her 4-star Grand Prix Freestyle performance on Hyatt, after a dramatic one-handed passage down centerline, Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén broke into an enormous smile.
A bright chestnut daughter of Apache, Hyatt seemed to share her rider’s joy in the moment, which resulted in a 78 percent tally from the judges and a victory in the Donato Farms class at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival on Friday evening. It was a fitting conclusion to a fun and energetic performance featuring ’60s Beach Boys tunes such as “God Only Know” and “Good Vibrations.”
The soundtrack had sentimental connections, because it was from a freestyle designed by the late Cees Sling for Tinne’s special mount Don Auriello, who partnered with her in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Tinne, a regular visitor to the Wellington, Fla., facility, rightfully considers the Friday Night Lights feature a goal whenever possible. But with Hyatt, second in Thursday’s Grand Prix, that wasn’t always the case.
“Last year, I didn’t dare to compete Hyatt in the Friday night class because she is really motivated and very awake,” the seven-time Olympian explained.
“Over the past year, I started to think it could work. I took her in the 5-Star and she got really excited, but today she was super.”
With the sensitive mare, she noted, “I’m always searching for the balance between power and relaxation, and I don’t always succeed. What horses need is to have trust in you and to like their work. You need a smart set-up for every horse, which is different for every animal, so you figure out what’s good for them. For sure, the chance to ride here in the winter, at this show with perfect atmosphere, is a super opportunity to teach the horses how to go.”
When Tinne returns to Europe after the Florida circuit, she will be working toward an opportunity to represent her country in this summer’s world championships in Aachen, Germany.
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén and Hyatt had the winning freestyle.
Although only three horses competed in the Freestyle before an enthusiastic packed house, the efforts made by the entries were worthy of the crowd’s appreciation as the conclusion to a day packed with interesting competition.
The youngest horse in the freestyle, the 12-year-old Harmony’s Fado, scored a personal best of 74.77 percent under Michael Klimke of Germany to finish an honorable second. Michael is the son of Reiner Klimke, a legendary figure in global dressage. Third place went to Susie Dutta on Don Design DC with 72.895 percent.
Earlier in the evening, U.S. rider Jennifer Williams topped a nine-horse field for the 4-Star Grand Prix Special with a 70.128 percent on Joppe K that was her initial victory at that level.
Jennifer Williams and Joppe K taking the Special.
The rider, who owns Joppe with Lisa Nordling, said the 11-year-old Dutchbred by Harmony’s Rousseau was purchased six years ago.
“Quickly, I fell in love,” Jennifer said of the horse, who has been doing Grand Prix for four seasons after she brought him up through the ranks.
“This is my first-ever win at Friday Night Lights, so it’s really special. I’m living my dream and I’m really grateful. He loves his job, he’s super motivated he’s the sweetest, kindest horse.”
Megan Davis, who scored a personal best Thursday to win the Grand Prix with Toronto Lightfoot, wasn’t able to meet that standard and crack 70 percent again. She wound up on 69.192 percent. So did Ashley Holzer with Hawtins San Floriana, but Ashley got the nod for the runner-up spot based on a higher average of the harmony marks.
German judge Katrina Wüst, a vocal advocate for horse welfare, remarked that judging has changed and is less tolerant, for instance, of tail swishing that indicates equine discomfort.
“We are harder on this and this definitely has also changed the riders’ way of presenting them.”
Suppleness, she said, can compensate in the marks for horses without “the top, top, top gaits” because it is preferred to “horses with bigger gaits and stiffness. You see better contact, the mouth is more closed. I think the sport is moving forward.”
The judge was impressed during the daytime competition by Adrienne Lyle’s mount, My Vitality, in the Lovsta Future Challenge. The promising talent is a brother of the well-known stallion Vitalis.
My Vitality and Adrienne Lyle
The 9-year-old Dutchbred stallion by Vivaldi won with a total of 71.265 percent, despite what the rider called “big mistakes in there in the pirouettes, which has not been normally an issue with him. I think he just got a little bit impressed at the stadium and a little tight in his back. It’s all still very green with him so now we know our homework to go home and work on.
“He’s still a very new ride for me. I still feel we are getting to know each other. I think he’s such a quality horse. I’m so excited about his future.”
Judge Katrina shares that enthusiasm.
She believes My Vitality’s potential is such that he has the ability to be the top U.S. grand prix horse ever, even citing such stars as Laura Graves’ Verdades, whose rider became the only U.S. competitor to be number one in the world.
The daytime drama was dominated by Adrienne, who also won the 1-Star Intermediate I, topping a field of 10 with Hussmans Topgun on 72.06 percent. She also won her Thursday class with the horse, who showed a little more power in the trot on Friday, along with pirouettes that were “quite good.”
Hussmans Topgun and Adrienne Lyle
The rider noted “I’m feeling a little under the weather, so he took good care of me.”
The show was presented in memory of Mary Anne McPhail, who with her husband, Walter, established a fund to provide support for the U.S. Dressage Federation’s judge education initiative.
Mary Anne was instrumental in making Wellington a center for dressage and was the guiding force of the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, which has a unique format.
Riders perform the Prix St. Georges test on an unfamiliar horse with only a five-minute warm-up for them to familiarize themselves with the animal.
On Friday evening, it was won for the second time by Chris von Martels of Canada. Jennifer Williams, who had a busy evening, was runner-up in the final ride-off.
In Saturday’s 3-Star Special, the order of the top two from Thursday’s Grand Prix was reversed, with Christian Simonson taking the honors on Fleau de Baian (71.255 percent.) That entry was the only one to be marked over 70 percent, and it was a personal best.
The winner from the Grand Prix, Endel Ots and Zen Elite’s Bohemian, was second with 69.981 percent, just ahead of Michael Klimke and Harmony’s Dante’s Peak (68.915 percent).
“Today ‘Felix’ let me ride him, gave me his back, and tried really hard,” said Christian, 23, who only rode his first senior international big tour test in May of 2023.
“He let me keep asking for more and more.”
After a mistake in the one-time changes on the diagonal, Christian refocused Felix to ensure the pirouette-changes/pirouette sequence on the center line remained fault-free and powerful.
“I knew because of the mistake that I had to make up a lot of points there, so I thought, ‘Okay, let’s try to get eights on everything here for the double coefficient,’” said Christian, who first stepped into the CDI ring with Fleau De Baian nine months ago.
“I’ve learned a lot from this horse, and he’s taught me a lot, too. He was basically my first senior grand prix horse. He’s telling me a lot about how to school lines, and we’ve grown a lot in the piaffe/passage work.”
click here for Grand Prix Special results
click here for Grand Prix Freestyle results
click here for Palm Beach Derby results
click here for 1-star Intermediate I results
click here for lovsta Future Challenge results
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 26, 2026
A development proposal on the Isla Carroll property featuring a country club, a 10-stall barn for use by residents and a polo field was turned down by the Wellington Village Council this week. The count was 4-1, with only councilwoman Tanya Siskind voting in favor.
This was the second reading for the concept. Although a previous iteration eked out a 3-2 approval from the council on first reading in January, both Mayor Michael Napoleone and Councilman John McGovern, who reluctantly voted in favor of the plan, indicated they would not vote for it on second reading without changes. They wanted the project to be fashioned more in keeping with requirements of the municipality’s Equestrian Overlay Zoning District.
The original plan for the property presented last year called for using a 24-stall stable on site for animals that included rescue horses and offered a wide-ranging group of disciplines. After the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board indicated it would reject the project, it was withdrawn.
It returned as a Planned Unit Development with forty 0.43-acre homesites, a country club with a gym, restaurant and pool, and a polo field, one of two currently located on the site.
Under an agreement between property owner Frank McCourt, one of the founders of the show jumping Global Champions Tour, developer Discovery Land Company and the U.S. Polo Association, the latter would pay a $1 annual fee for a 45-year lease of the field (with a 10-year renewal option).
In this week’s presentation, it was reported that 13 of the homesites had been deleted from the plans and there would be four, two-acre lots suitable for those who want to keep horses on their property.
But even with the addition of the 10-stall barn, the mayor said the internal focus of the project is “the country club…not the 10-stall barn.”
McGovern noted “improvements have been made,” then added “we’re closer, but we haven’t gotten there yet.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 26, 2026
It has been two years since Zen Elite’s Bohemian, the reserve mount for the 2024 U.S. Olympic dressage team, has gone down center line in an FEI competition.
There were times when his rider, Endel Ots, worried that sinus issues might keep the horse away from the big classes permanently.
But on Thursday at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla., Bohemian showed he was ready to roll again, putting in a competent test that won the 3-Star Grand Prix with a mark of 69.261. Three of the five judges marked the 16-year-old son of Bordeaux 28 at over 70 percent.
“After two years of not being in there, I was really happy with him,” said Endel, after riding the canter one-handed in his victory pass.
“He was almost a little bit spooky and looky in there,” noted the rider. That behavior probably could be attributed to an increase in grain of the high-energy variety.
“I had a lot of power I had a little hard time kind of directing it and kind of positioning him on the places I’d want to,” Endel said.
Even so, he emphasized “He really tried.”
Endel felt the piaffe/passage was a highlight of his test — “I didn’t have to push it at all.”
Controlling the horse’s frame and keeping the poll as the highest point “has always been a struggle,” but Endel knows how to handle that issue.
There were distractions during his test, flapping noises, and something that was dropped in the VIP tent.
“His eyes were very much looking around on different places, which was different. I like him with that much energy; I just have to control it a little bit better.”
Endel is hoping to ride in the U.S. National Grand Prix Championships during May at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. And he would like to compete in the World Championships this summer.
Endel Ots and Bohemian on their one-handed victory pass.
While he felt a lot of pressure in 2024, now “I ‘m really trying to have fun and enjoy it and enjoy the time with him,” Endel commented.
As is so often the case, it was a big day for Zen Elite, Heidi Humphries’ stable based near Fort Lauderdale, with a new facility being constructed in Wellington.
Christian Simonson, the USA’s top-ranked dressage rider at number nine in the standings, finished second to Endel on another Zen horse, Fleau de Baian. His score was just a bit behind Bohemian’s, at 69.065.
Christian Simonson and Fleau de Baian.
“I have so much fun working with him,” said Adrienne Lyle, Christian’s coach, when asked what kind of a student he is.
She compared him to a sponge; but in a good way.
“I can just tell him something and you can see it go in and process it and apply it,” she said.
“Watching him on a bunch of different horses has been great. I’m always harping on this with the horses and the people, too. We build them up slowly, we build them up methodically. There have been a few times where people were like, ‘Send him in now,’ and we said “un-uh he needs more time, he needs more experience.'”
Now, however, “I feel very comfortable turning him loose on any horse in any venue,” said Adrienne.
Christian’s biggest splash has been with Indian Rock, who was a mount for the Dutch Olympic team in 2024 before he took over. The two have qualified for April’s FEI World Cup Finals (sponsored by Zen Elite) in Texas.
Being the top U.S. rider isn’t something for which Christian takes credit.
“I don’t think of personal accolades. This is a reflection of the team and the amazing horses we have,” he said.
As Adrienne put it, “You just kind of keep putting in the work, and then all of a sudden, you’re like, `Wow, ‘m scoring here.’ ”
She did some scoring of her own before Christian rode, winning the 1-Star FEI Prix St. Georges with Hussmans Topgun, a nine-year-old by Totilas. It was the first FEI start for the personable bay gelding, marked at 71.872 percent.
Adrienne Lyle with Georgia Morgan, Heidi Humphries, and Christian Simonson.
He handled everything really well. It’s been a slow build-up process,” said Adrienne, who is working with Katie Duerrhammer, Ali Brock and Olivia Lagoy Weltz, as well as getting tips from various visting experts, such as Isabell Werth.
“He’s a very powerful horse, He’s a very elastic horse but his challenge has been that sometiems he overpowerfront end.s himself and gets tension slipped in.
So the goal is to get rid of that tension and eventually move to the next step.
While Adrienne observed he inherited the Totilas front end, “our job is to try to make the hind end match that and tame the front end a little bit and bring along the hind end. I’m always learning more about him each day.”
She hopes to spend this year giving him exposure, then start with Grand Prix next year.
Click here for results of the 3-Star Grand Prix
Click this link for results of the 1-Star
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 12, 2026
The National Horse Show is adding another chapter to its storied history by relocating to North Carolina’s Tryon International Equestrian Center this autumn, pending approval from the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
During 142 years spread over three different centuries, the iconic show has had several homes. It is most identified with its reign in both the old and “new” Madison Square Garden arenas, which ended in 2001, but it has also been held at New Jersey’s Meadowlands, on Pier 94 by the Hudson River; in Wellington, Fla., and Syracuse, N.Y., before moving to the Kentucky Horse Park in 2011.
Organizers are hoping the shift Southeast to a different venue will be “a breath of fresh air,” said Jennifer Burger, the show’s president.
“I think people just needed a fresh outlook.”
Lexington can be a difficult location for a late autumn horse show. In 2025 “We had some tough weather…in Kentucky,” Burger noted.
“I can’t thank the Horse Park enough for being an incredible home for us.”
However, “Being the last on the line of indoor shows, people are so tired and they push themselves,” she said, adding it becomes really difficult when “you throw bad weather on top of that.”
“Kentucky was not ideal to be having the National Horse Show in November,” said Don Stewart, who was among a group of trainers that went to the organizers seeking a change.
“I think it’s a positive move,” said Stewart of relocating to Tryon.
While “everyone loved the (Alltech) arena,” said show chairman Bill Weeks, there were other issues.
Stabling in the shedrow-style stalls at the Horse Park is uncomfortable in cold and rain, as is being able to warm up horses outdoors in inclement weather. The U.S. Dressage Federation, whose championship used to run the week after the National at the Horse Park, moved to a facility in Ohio where everything could be run indoors.
A group of trainers approached the National’s organizers last year to ask for a move.
“We had to be responsive to our exhibitors,” said Weeks.
“We got the message that it just wasn’t working.”
Burger said the professionals will have a voice in how the National runs. The equitation and hunter committees, along with a West Coast rep, are all being given seats on the board.
“We want a constructive pathway, weaving the professional thoughts and opinions more directly into the board. It takes both groups to produce a quality event,” Burger explained.
Trainer Greg Prince, among those who will be on the board, said of the move, “I’m very excited about it. I think it will be fantastic.”
He believes the staff at Tryon “will move heaven and earth to get a fabulous horse show. I believe it is the right thing to do for the National Horse Show and they will gain a great deal from it. It shows incredible motivation on everybody’s part to try to make it what it should be.”
Stabling is all-weather at Tryon, and the indoor arena can be divided in half to serve as both a competition ring and a warm-up, as well as for schooling, Burger said.
Spectators didn’tt turn out strongly for the National in Kentucky. Attendance was a problem on days when there was racing at Keeneland, or the University of Kentucky was playing football or basketball.
But beyond that, as Weeks noted, “Lexington is a thoroughbred market, not necessarily a hunter/jumper (market). We could never really build a following there. That makes it hard to attract new sponsors.”
While dining and lodging options were not close to the Horse Park, restaurants and lodging are on-site at Tryon. That is a plus for both the National’s exhibitors and the show, which will benefit from the extra business as it extends the facility’s season during the three-year lease.
“We’re bringing a lot to the table,” said Weeks, noting the show/venue relationship is “more of a partnership” at Tryon, which hosted the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.
“Because our interests are aligned, I think they’re going to be very helpful in trying to turn people out to come to the show, because they obviously benefit from it, as well as we do. I’m excited about the move and I think it will create a lot of new energy at the show.
“This move gives us the best opportunity for a financial model and for the success of the show. We had a good run there (Kentucky) and we feel it’s the right time to try something new.”
He hopes that because competitors can eat and stay on site, people will be more apt to return to the arena to watch the show after their classes, rather than catching the action remotely on the live stream from their hotels.
The Oct. 21-Nov. 1 show, previously managed by Stephanie Lightner, will be run by Tryon’s JP Godard.
“Exhibitors will appreciate the improvements at Tryon since WEG,” said Glenn Petty, Tryon’s general manager for equestrian operations.
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 16, 2026
Following a multi-day binding arbitration before an independent and neutral arbitrator, veterinarian Dr. Chris Newton was found to have fully prevailed against charges made against him by the US Center for SafeSport, according to a release from the law firm of Sparrow & Fairchild.
“As a result, the decision previously issued by the US Center for SafeSport was vacated, and the arbitrator determined that Dr. Newton can participate fully in all aspects of equestrian sport in the Olympic and Paralympic movement. All restrictions imposed upon him by the US Center for SafeSport have been lifted with immediate effect.
“In reaching this decision, the arbitrator noted that there had been a complete failure of proof, and specifically found that the claimant who made the accusations against Dr. Newton was not credible. The arbitrator also noted that the US Center for SafeSport withheld evidence, which impeded a full and fair adjudication of the matter until the US Center for SafeSport was ordered to disclose this withheld evidence shortly before the start of the arbitration hearing.”
Newton, who was suspended last June, has served as the team veterinarian for the North American Junior Young Rider Championships and as the treating veterinarian for the Kentucky Three-Day Event. He also competes in eventing.
Responding to the decision, Newton stated:
“Throughout this long and difficult process, I have maintained my belief that the truth would eventually come out, and that a just decision would be reached My faith in the process was tested by the campaign against me, which the arbitrator described as an attempt to defame me. But in the end, the truth prevailed, even if it took much longer than I wish it had. I would like to thank my lawyers who have stood with me and believed in me from the beginning. I have missed attending, working at and participating in equestrian sport, and I look forward to returning as soon as possible.”
Dr. Newton was jointly represented by Howard Jacobs and Roland Wiley from the Law Offices of Howard L. Jacobs (Westlake Village, CA); and Lee Fairchild from Sparrow & Fairchild (Ocala, FL).
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 17, 2026
La Biosthetique Sam FBW, the only eventing horse to claim the Olympic, world championship and European gold eventing titles in the same time frame, has died at the age of 25.
Michael Jung and Sam on their way to gold at the 2010 world championships. (Photo © 2010 by Nancy Jaffer)
He and Germany’s Michael Jung, his equally great rider, became a match early in this century and continued as a magnificent combination until Sam’s retirement in 2018. Sired by Stan the Man, an Irish thoroughbred, and out of a mare named Halla, Sam was rejected by a stallion licensing committee because he lacked quality.
The committee observed, “He is nondescript, his head is too big, he has no presence and a funny jumping technique.” Shows how much they knew.
But that conclusion made him a $10,000 bargain for Sabina Kreuter, who paired him with Jung, a promising rider on the way to becoming an international star. The horse eventually was purchased by the German equestrian federation, the Jungs and a friend of that family, insuring after a brief period of uncertainty that Michael would keep the ride.
Michael Jung and Sam were golden at the 2012 London Olympics. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
Sam and his partner started winning with the world championships for six-year-olds, then went on to gold at the 2010 world championships, the 2011 European championships and the 2012 Olympics. He won Burghley in 2015. Then a victory at Badminton in 2016 gave him the elusive Rolex Grand Slam in a year when he took another Olympic gold.
The Badem-Wurttemberg gelding was buried on the German farm where he spent his retirement.
“We reached every milestone side by side, and for years I found daily happiness in seeing you grazing in the field,” Jung said of his legendary mount.
“Thank you for 20 years together. You will be deeply missed by all of us. Rest in peace, my friend.”
This was a horse for the ages, fluent in every phase of eventing, a joy to watch. He wasn’t flashy, but knew how to get the job done correctly and with stye.
Jung said it all when he declared about Sam, “He is a special personality and a very good friend to me. I think no horse is better than him.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 22, 2026
The 2026 season didn’t start off well for McLain Ward. A special mount, Imperial HBF, was injured, then colicked and could not be saved. (read his story here)
McLain mourned but as always, he kept going forward. Saturday night, less than two weeks after Imperial passed, the Olympic multi-medalist rode High Star Hero to victory in the $500,000 Modon Grand Prix at the Winter Equestrian Festival. It was the fourth time McLain won that 5-star, having done it three times previously on another memorable horse, HH Azuur.
McLain Ward and High Star Hero
What made this victory even better was the fact that like Imperial, High Star Hero’s owner is Michael Smith, a great supporter of McLain and the sport.
It wasn’t an easy way to win, because McLain went first in a five-horse jump-off the son of Zazu. Speedsters including Gangster Montdesir, ridden by McLain’s close friend, European Champion Richard Vogel of Germany, able to take a shot at the leading time of 39.14 seconds over the route designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio.
Richie had won a $500,000 class two weeks earlier with the Selle Francais stallion and sure enough, he handily beat McLain’s mark, finishing in 37.34 seconds.. But the back rail of an oxer fell to short-circuit a possible victory, putting him fourth.
Riding a former Kent Farrington mount, Landon de Nyze, Mark Bluman of Colombia came close to McLain, but not close enough, clocked in 39.71 seconds for his clean trip. Taking the final place on the podium was Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam with the most experienced horse in the class, James Kann Kruz,who, like Richie’s horse, is by Kannan.
Mark Bluman, McLain Ward and Shane Sweetnam
Going first in a tiebreaker isn’t everyone’s favorite position, but McLain didn’t mind.
“I don’t think it was the worst spot to be in with those guys coming behind me. I kind of rode my round and let them chase me. Tonight it worked out for us; sometimes it goes the other way.”
He and Richie are rivals as well as pals, and when they face off against each other, there are no holds barred. Richie liked riding after McLain in the tiebreaker.
“I definitely prefer to have him in front of me, rather than after me. It’ll be on us to catch him,” said Richie, who did beat the clock, but not McLain.
“It’s incredible sport,” said McLain, ranked tenth in the world.
“Almost every week, they just get faster and faster. Hats off to the horses and the competition and the level of the sport.
“We’ve had a bit of a challenging start to the year with a few things,” he mentioned, in addition to the loss of Imperial.
“I think for me and all the people that are beside me, it’s a great win, it means a lot.
McLain Ward and High Star Hero. (Photo ©Sportfot)
“I always start the year, I think, a little rusty, and then give myself a wake-up call. Maybe that’s why this grand prix has been great to us.
“I had to do what I thought was the winning plan, and the horse responded beautifully. He’s been jumping great for the last six months, and I couldn’t ask for more. Tonight, it was inches—it was phenomenal competition, and once in a while you end up on the top end.”
He added, “My team has rallied and put their heads down—it’s been a grind, and I’m proud of them, proud of the horse and proud to bring this home tonight.”
It was Mark’s first 5-star with Landon, but even so, he admitted, “I’m not competing to be second, so I was a little disappointed with myself—not with the horse—because I could have taken more of a risk going into the double.
“In the qualifier (Thursday], I took a risk to the double and had it down, so I was cautious.”
Mark noted, “I come from Colombia, and it’s not a country with a horse background, so to be sitting here with people that I grew up watching riding horses, it means the world.”
The class drew 30 starters, but Kent, last year’s winner of the class who is the world number two, and Britain’s Ben Maher, world number three, sat this one out. They will have their shots; there’s a lot of jumping to com at WEF, with the $1 million Rolex class the finale at the end of March.
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 16, 2026
Any lucky lady who had the opportunity to ride Kudra, Katie Ortepio’s beloved dressage mare, cherished their time with an expressive mount who was small in stature but considerable in charisma.
“Everyone called her the princess. She just had so much personality when you rode her. She always let you know exactly how she felt about everything,” recalled Erin Laurent, one of those who was able to earn U.S. Dressage Federation medals on Kudra, along with her sister, Carolyn, a professional trainer, and of course, Katie, among others.
Erin commented on the Ortepio family’s generosity in terms of how many people were able to enjoy the Dutch warmblood daughter of Rampal. Kudra help Erin achieve her silver medal and was her ride for all of her gold medal scores. Erin was aboard Kudra in her last show at the 2011 USDF Regional Finals in Lexington, Va., when the mare was 19.
“It was the amateur Grand Prix and we won,” Erin recalled.
“It was almost like she knew that was going to be her last test, and she gave me everything she had. It was awesome.”
Kudra’s thirtieth birthday party got all some of her biggest fans together — Sharon and Katie Ortepio and Carolyn and Erin Laurent.
Kudra’s retirement after that was long and happy at Mountain Manor farm in Readington, N.J., where she passed away this month just short of her thirty-fourth birthday.
Katie’s mother, Sharon Masar Ortepio, and those who loved Kudra wanted her to go out with dignity. After she stopped eating and started declining, they called the vet and the mare went peacefully. Kudra left behind many cherished memories.
“She had an amazing life,” said Sharon.
Erin observed that Kudra “was challenging, but so many riders were able to learn from her and get their medals, which is incredible,” noting how wonderful it was that the mare was sound throughout a long career.
“Once you got her working with you, she was a blast. When she clicked into gear, she was phenomenal and so much fun.” Oh, and she loved bananas, Erin pointed out.
“We had her 27 years,” said Sharon, who took care of her in retirement at Mountain Manor Farm for more than half that time.
“She was like my best friend,” commented Sharon, who works in real estate and is known for horse farm sales. While there were opportunities to sell Kudra, she wasn’t going anywhere. She was too valuable to her family.
New Jersey trainer Sara Schmitt first saw the mare on a video cassette. She and Katie Ortepio flew to Plano, Texas, where Kudra was being campaigned at Fourth Level, and knew they had located the right horse. In fact, Sharon chuckled, Sara and Katie were so excited about their find they forgot their riding boots in Texas and had to have them shipped back to New Jersey.
Sharon, who started the Readington Trail Association, remembered Kudra was “pretty sassy, pretty spunky, pretty spicy, but the great Grand Prix horses usually are.”
Katie showed her from Training Level all the way to Prix St. Georges and was a winner in the juniors during Dressage at Devon. She earned the Lazelle Knocke trophy, quite a coincidence, since Lazelle — founder of the Eastern States Dressage Association (now ESDCTA) — had been the Ortepios’ neighbor in Readington.
When Katie went to college, Sara trained and showed Kudra to Grand Prix. Kudra performed that test in competition more than 30 times over six years.
Although Sharon never showed Kudra, on a special occasion just before Christmas one year, Sara told Sharon to get on the mare.
“All we did was passage and piaffe,” Sharon recalled It was a revelation.
“This is how you do it,” she said, “and this is what it feels like.”
