by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 30, 2026
The new FEI Horse Condition Task Force met Monday to discuss horse welfare issues, particularly the subject of blood on competition horses, for which rules differ according to discipline.
“There was broad consensus across the stakeholders that Horse Welfare sits at the center of the rules under discussion and that, while complex in some circumstances, current existing rules regarding serious cases of abuse are strong,” noted a statement from the FEI.
Participants included a broad range of representatives from across the international equestrian community, among them the FEI Board, technical committees, regional groups, the veterinary and athletes’ committees and national federations, among others. They are seeking a more harmonized approach to horse condition protocols, regulations and sanctions across all FEI disciplines.
FEI President Ingmar de Vos said he was encouraged “by the constructive approach in the lead-up to this meeting and confident that we are on the right path towards developing a sustainable, harmonized framework that serves both our horses and our sport.
“By working together in this way, we demonstrate that the FEI is capable of addressing complex issues through dialogue and consensus. That unity will further strengthen our sport and reinforce its place within the Olympic Movement.”
Let’s see what they come up with next…
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 11, 2026
The new version of Wellington International will be as much a showcase as it is a showgrounds.
The finishing touches are being put on the expanded and upgraded host of the 2027 Winter Equestrian Festival, the world’s longest horse show. Dressage competition will share the revamped location with the centerpiece hunters and jumpers, who have occupied it mostly on their own for the last 14 years.
An additional 98 acres added to the once-crowded facility offers space for construction of the site’s first covered arena, new stabling, installation of the grass field, and addition of more rings both for competition and exercise, as well as facilities geared to spectators for dining, shopping and viewing the competition. Permanent restrooms, including those located by the barns, in the show office and the VIP area, will be another welcome improvement, along with shade structures offering shelter from the bright sun.
The new covered arena.
There will be an international dressage arena measuring 250 by 350 feet, with covered seating for 3,000, as well as two dressage rings for national dressage competition. While the jumpers “will be close,” they won’t be on top of the dressage horses, as they were at the showgrounds in the days before nearby Equestrian Village became a venue for the discipline.
Having a total of 215 acres will afford much more parking than there has been at the main grounds, with institution of a golf cart shuttle system for those seeking to skip a long walk between the North and South sections of the property. There also will be dedicated rider shuttles between the barns and the rings.
Wellington International President Michael Stone by the new grass field.
Meanwhile, having three entrances and exits, to the showgrounds, instead of one bottleneck access route, also should ease the traffic jams that have become a standard frustration as cars leave after a major competition. While the current Pierson Road entrance will remain, two other entrances will be available from Gracida Street on the other side of the property.
The enlarged facility was required to be open by 2028 as part of a deal to enable construction of Wellington Lifestyle Partners’ luxury housing development on what was the former Adequan Global Dressage Festival grounds, which have been in operation during the winter months at Equestrian Village since 2012.
Michael Stone and Mark Bellissimo when the Adequan Global Showgrounds was under construction in 2011.
The work on the expanded main showgrounds is being finished early, however, and will be ready for a soft opening later this year.
“We’re really excited to get going,” said Michael Stone, president of Wellington International, noting the expansion “means we have way more space.
Plantings will beautify the showgrounds as they grow.
“One of the criticisms we’ve always had is that we don’t have enough space; too many horses on a small footprint.
“But now we’re doubling the footprint. Even though we’re bringing over dressage, it only takes up a relatively small amount (of acreage). We have all these new rings and bridle paths and parking to enhance the experience,” he observed.
The abundant parking is particularly important for dressage, since many of those who compete are in “show and go mode,” heading back to their farms after competing, rather than stabling on the grounds, as most of the hunters and jumpers do.
The lack of space and parking made for a situation “that people have been justifiably critical of over the years,” as Michael pointed out. The first year the expanded grounds is in operation, he acknowledged, will be a bit of a learning experience, as competition manager and chief operating officer David Burton works on coordinating everything, a project which already is under way. The idea is a schedule that insures someone won’t be showing on the South grounds and then five minutes later have to appear with another horse on the North grounds.
One of the large exercise rings.
“We’ll refine it as we go along for the hunter/jumper side. The dressage side is pretty straightforward, with a lot more room for warm-ups. It’s a much better venue for dressage,” Michael contended.
Although WEF and other shows at the site draw riders from all over the Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, the facility is no longer one of a kind, as it was in its early days.
Florida has become the epicenter of showing in the U.S. during the winter. Not only has the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, four hours to the north gotten a share of the spotlight with its 5-star hotel, restaurants and shopping, but TerraNova, another newer development three hours west of Wellington, also has a modern facility that is an attraction.
Crowds jammed the stands for the featured 2026 Rolex US Open $1 million grand prix at Wellington International.
“We clearly have a lot of competition,” Michael observed.
But he quickly added, “We welcome competition, because the better the competition, the better we will become.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 16, 2026
Ronnie Beard, who trained some of the USA’s greatest hunters and show jumpers, died Tuesday.
Jet Run, Southside and Springdale were among the many horses with which Ronnie was associated over his decades in the industry. The riders he worked with included Katie Monahan, Bernie Traurig, Buddy Brown, Robert Ridland and Melanie Smith, among others.
Ronnie “knew how to do all the right things,” said Robert, who rode Southside in the 1976 Olympics.
At the Caine family’s lavish Winter Place Stables in Maryland during the 1970s, Ronnie assembled a group of horses and riders who became legends. That talent was so impressive it could have made up two Olympic Nations Cup teams, reminisced Robert, now the U.S. show jumping coach.
Ronnie trained both the first and second place winners in the 1981 Volvo World Cup Finals, Michael Matz with Jet Run and Donald Cheska on Southside. He started with both those horses from the age of four.
“Ronnie was a great ambassador for our sport. He was a wonderful horseman, a guiding light for Winter Place Farm in their heyday. An all-around good guy,” said Jimmy Lee, chairman of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, into which Ronnie was inducted last year.
Jimmy recalled that at the beginning of his career, Ronnie was in the Reston, Va., area and rode locally. But he always had an eye for a fine animal.
“He knew nice horses,” said Jimmy, who hired Ronnie to work at his Belcort Farm in Virginia.
“He drove the van, he took care of the horses; we all did everything, and he did too. There wasn’t anything Ronnie couldn’t do.”
Although Ronnie was a skilled rider, he felt his future belonged more to training than time in the saddle. When he won the hunter championship at the Keswick, Va., show with Gozzi, he decided to end his riding career on that high note and turned to bringing along horses and riders. Jimmy arranged for Ronnie to get the trainer’s job at Winter Place.
While that facility was known for its decor, Ronnie always emphasized, “it was a lot more than chandeliers,” referring to the massive, glittering light fixtures in the indoor ring, for which the stable became famous.
Ronnie Beard with Robert Ridland and Kathy Kusner.
“He set the gold standard for hunters and jumpers there,” Robert observed.
“He was the heart and soul of Winter Place.”
Melanie came to Winter Place when the Caines bought her mount, Mississippi Mud.
Although she would go on to win team gold at the 1984 Olympics with Calypso, Melanie recalled that in the early 1970s, “I was kind of a nobody then. Ronnie really gave me a wonderful opportunity.”
He sent some lovely horses her way, including Jet Run, a budding superstar she took from Preliminary/Intermediate to Grand Prix.
“The Winter Place era was such a magical time,” she recalled. “Ronnie had a tremendous eye for a good horse. Horses are the best teachers, and he allowed me to do what I felt was right. We stayed friends through the years after that.”
Sue Ashe often judged shows with Ronnie, who had been suffering heart issues. As she talked about her friend, she mentioned his great sense of humor. Sue recounted the time that he and U.S. Olympic show jumper Kathy Kusner went to the National Horse Show ball in Manhattan. Ronnie was in a tuxedo; Kathy wore a dress he made for her out of the curtains that had been hanging her hotel room, a la Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.
“He was a great horseman and a wonderful, wonderful person,” Sue said.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 19, 2026
Just 0.07 seconds made the difference between first and second place in the Dutch leg of the Longines League of Nations Friday, as Great Britain’s Harry Charles carried victory for his team with a 31.18-second trip on LT Holst Freda. That put him narrowly ahead of a 31.25-second effort by the USA’s Marilyn Little on the speedy La Contessa in a three-way jump-off.
At the end of two rounds, three teams were equal on 8 penalties, necessitating the tie-breaker. Switzerland’s Jason Smith, who did not ride in the first round because his three teammates were clear and he could not improve the Swiss score, appeared in the second round and had a rail over the course laid out by designers led by Bart Vonck. Despite the knockdown by Jason and Picobello van’t Roosakker, the number 254 ranked rider in the world, was selected by chef d’equipe Peter van der Waaij to be the flag-carrier for the finale. His horse, after all, was relatively fresh, having jumped only one round. His time of 31.64 for a clear trip proved just off the mark, putting his squad third.
Harry only has had Freda for six weeks, and this was the mare’s first major competition with him. Even so, he led off strongly on the 12-year-old New Zealand Warmblood. Like Marilyn, he was triple-clear under pressure.
“To walk into an atmosphere like that is so impressive. I’m very proud of her and so lucky to have her,” Harry said of his “incredible” mare.
“She finds everything so easy.”
As quick as she always is, Icon Global U.S. team anchor rider Marilyn just couldn’t catch Harry. But she has been a valuable member of the team each time she rides for the U.S., and could well be looking at a slot on the American squad for August’s world championships at Aachen.
She was double clear in the first two rounds, as was teammate Karl Cook with Caracole de la Roque. Karl was first to go in the competition because the U.S. was ranked last in the overall LLN standings, and countries go in reverse order of rank. Since he couldn’t see anyone go before he started, Karl had no idea of how tight the time allowed would be. But U.S. Coach Robert Ridland knew Karl and his mare could be clear and speedy, as they were.
Katie Dinan finished 8/0 with Out of the Blue SCF for the U.S., while Callie Schott had 8 penalties with Garant and did not appear in the second round.
The U.S. was sixth after the first round and Britain seventh, but that all “changed in a hurry” as Coach Robert put it, after the second round, when first-round leader Netherlands sank to fifth.
“It almost looked like we weren’t going to make the second round at one point,” Robert recalled.
“We really needed Marilyn’s clear in the first round and all of sudden, we’re in the second round, and that’s when that format gets great. It’s so dynamic without a drop score in the second round (where only three of four team members can compete). You can really move up the standings if you’re good and somebody ahead of you can plummet if they have a bad round.”
He also pointed out that for spectators, the second round is easy to watch, because there is no math to do in regard to a discard score.
“We started the day at the absolute bottom of the standings, and kept climbing up the ladder. It was kind of fun,” mused Robert.
The runner-up spot in Rotterdam was meaningful for the U.S. in terms of the LLN series, because it boosted the country from last place to seventh overall of the 10 teams that contest the series. In the previous LLN outing in Ocala during March, the U.S. did not even qualify for the second round, when it fielded a completely different team.
The U.S. team in Rotterdam: Coach Robert Ridland, Callie Schott, Marilyn Little, Katie Dinan, Karl Cook.
The top countries qualify for October’s LLN final in Barcelona, and there is only one more preliminary match for accumulating points, St. Tropez in September.
Harry rode with Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher, also on a new horse (Catelly). Ben was a member of the 2012 gold medal London Olympic team with Peter Charles, the father of Harry, and Harry’s sister and teammate, Sienna Charles. Harry bred Sienna’s mount, Chawton.
The fourth member of the British team in Rotterdam, Jessica Mendoza, had 8 penalties in the first round with Summerhouse and did not advance, as only three riders from each squad are allowed to compete in the second round.
The runner-up spot in Rotterdam was meaningful for the U.S. in terms of the LLN series, because it boosted the country from last place to seventh overall of the 10 teams that contest the series. In the previous LLN outing in Ocala during March, the U.S. did not even qualify for the second round, when it fielded a completely different group of horses and riders.
The top countries qualify for October’s LLN final in Barcelona, and there is only one more preliminary match to go, in St. Tropez in September, where points can be accumulated.
Click here for class results. Click here for team standings overall.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 19, 2026
Kingsview Partners Dressage at Devon’s Capital Square Masterclass Sept. 24 offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of the world’s greatest – and most popular – trainers in the discipline, bringing Carl Hester from Great Britain for a special evening at the showgrounds on Philadelphia’s Main Line.
Carl is fun and entertaining while offering an education with his characteristic showmanship that shines. Even those who have no more equestrian ambition than taking a trail ride will get something out of his presentation, and enjoy themselves in the process. He is, after all, the man behind legends Valegro and Uthopia, among other equine stars, having proved many times over that he is a master at what he does.
Carl Hester
It is an incredible coup to get Carl for the Masterclass. Dressage at Devon’s new president, Nicole Del Giorno, explained it happened because Christina Morin-Graham, Anne Gribbons and George Williams “worked their Masterclass committee magic” to bring the respected trainer to Pennsylvania.
“We are ecstatic,” said Nicole, a trainer and competitor from New Jersey.
“The team literally hit it out of the park.”
Carl is the mastermind who guided Britain to Olympic dressage gold in 2012, at the Games in London, taking the country from nowhere in the international pecking order to the top of the standings.
Dressage at Devon’s Masterclass concept over the years has included U.S. Tokyo Olympic star Sabine Schut-Kery and Catherine Laudrup-Dufour, no stranger to being ranked as world number one. Having yet another outstanding clinician demonstrates the importance of this series at the six-day show, offering another golden opportunity for improvement and understanding of dressage.
The British gold medal team on the podium at the London 2012 Olympics: Carl Hester, Laura Bechtolsheimer, Charlotte Dujardin.
The riders participating (click here if you want to apply for a ride in the Masterclass) will be from a variety of levels, with horses representing a variety of breeds. It will all be interesting, but it’s not about just the elites. Carl will make the most of how he works with the participants. He is happy to help younger riders or even someone who is struggling with a particular issue. There may be many in the audience who have had to deal with something similar and who will welcome insights on how to cope.
Carl on Hawtins Delicato as Britain won team bronze in the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.
To buy a ticket for the Masterclass, which is good for admission to the show all day, click on this link. Bargain early bird pricing is in effect only until July 15.
Carl saluting the crowd at the 2012 Olympics in London, where he rode Uthopia as part of the gold medal team.
Dressage at Devon runs Sept. 22-27. It includes a breed show as well as a wide variety of performance classes. The competition is a World Cup qualifier, and offers the Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle at the highest level. For more information about the show and to buy tickets for other days, click here.
In addition to the competition and the Masterclass, Dressage at Devon has extensive shopping opportunities, and not only for equine-related items. There are chances to investigate intriguing jewelry, clothing and decorative pieces, in addition to the latest in horse clothing and tack.
The show, which marked its fiftieth anniversary last year, started 2026 with its new president and impressive additions to the board.
They include Ellin Dixon Miller, a past president of the U.S. Dressage Federation; Cara Kettenbach, a breeder who has played several key roles with the New England Dressage Association; Marie Kohles, an audit partner at Pricewatershouse Cooper who works with Seven Stars Equine Arts, dedicated to developing riders and horses for top sport, and James Peterson, a breeder of Friesian sport horses who is a former CEO of Mercury Financial.
Teresa Uddo and Lori Kaminski are co-show managers.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 22, 2026
Aside from a well-earned second place finish in the Longines League of Nations (click here to read that story), it wasn’t the best of weekends overseas for U.S. equestrian competition efforts.
Boyd Martin did manage to come in third at the Luhmuehlen, Germany, 5-star horse trials with Shanroe Cooley. (Click here for results).
Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley.
He moved up from eleventh place in dressage. Great Britain’s Caroline Harris won with D.Day, a son of show jumping stallion Billy Mexico. The winner hasn’t had a rail down in the stadium jumping phase of any event for three years.
Caroline Harris and D. Day (Hannah Cole Photography)
Only 16 horses finished the event, which had just 20 starters and raised the question again about the future of 5-star eventing. Ypu’ll remember that entries also were thin at the Maryland 5-Star, the USA’s second competition at that level, which will not be held this year. For some insight into the 5-Star situation, read this analysis by competitor Sam Watson of EquiRatings.
In show jumping, the Rotterdam grand prix went to Britain’s Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher with Point Break. The best-placed U.S. rider was Katie Dinan and Out of the Blue SCF with a double clear in seventh place. There was an 11-horse tie-breaker, with Marilyn Little and the normally quick La Contessa missing out of the jump-off with one time fault in the first round to finish twelfth. Click here for results.
At the same time as Rotterdam, the Global Champions Tour held its Grand Prix of Paris fixture. Taking his victory gallop past the Eiffel Tower was Austria’s Max Kuhner on EIC Up Too Jacco Blue. The honor of the U.S. was represented by Lillie Keenan on Fasther, fifth in the six-horse jump-off with a rail down. Click here for results
At home, of course, it was a different story. Last month’s Devon grand prix winner, Charlotte Jacobs, scored another victory, winning the $116,500 Molon 3-star Grand Prix at Traverse City, Mich., with Rincoola Milsean.
The Irish Sport Horse resumed his winning streak after time out for injury, beating Charlotte’s mentor, world number one Kent Farrington. Charlotte was timed in the jump-off at 36.75 seconds. Kent and Nikki Angel crossed the finish line in 36.98.
Winning at Traverse City is nothing new for Charlotte and her mount. In 2024, they swept the FEI division there. Click here for results.
In Ocala, native son Aaron Vale and Helios du Moulin topped a field of 36 entries from 13 countries in the $150,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Center. They had the advantage of being last to go in a four-horse jump-off and made the most of it.
Discussing his engaging fan-favorite mount, Aaron said, “We bought him in late summer of 2024, so it’s been about two seasons now. We jumped a couple of shows with him that year as a seven-year-old, and last year, he moved into the grand prix ranks. He’s a competitive little horse.
“He is so, so fun to watch. Apparently, everybody loves him. We love him because he wins a lot for us, and he tries so hard.”
Click here for results.
