As I was on the rail taking photos of the jumpers at the Devon Horse Show, I heard an older woman in the seats behind me telling her friend as a certain star rider entered the arena, “That’s McLain Ward. I saw him on TV at the Olympics, and now he’s at Devon!”
McLain has fans in many places, but nowhere more so than Devon, where he gets the loudest cheers when he enters the ring and also when he leaves, win or lose.
Wednesday night, it was a win, as he and a newer horse, the Holsteiner La Serra “a very nice, careful mare,” finished ahead of 34 other starters in the two-phase $38,700 Main Line Challenge Stake, which we used to call a power and speed. The fences were set at 1.45 meters (as opposed to up to 1.5 meters for Thursday’s 4-star Grand Prix) and both segments were timed. La Serra was fault-free in 31.32/31.05 seconds.
The complicating factor was the drenching rain and cold, very uncharacteristic for late May in the Philadelphia suburb. McLain was totally soaked, and still dripping after he dismounted. You can see the downpour in the lead photo on this website.
I asked about the weather as a factor affecting the competition and Mclain said, with a smile,”It’s part of the game. Cold and wet, but we have to make a living. So…”
For awhile, he was first and second. Snapchat van de Broekkant Z, a 9-year-old Zangersheide finished just behind his stablemate (0/0, 30.78/32.76). But Kaitlin Campbell had something to say about it and ended as the runner-up on the Oldenburg gelding Bull Run’s Hesed (0/0,32.20/31/76).
Jessica Springsteen, appearing at Devon for the first time in 10 years, was third with the Swedish warmblood mare Galaxy Girl (0/0,31.88/31.91).
McLain is in the process of building his string of horses. His longtime partner, Contagious, will be retired, he revealed, but he has a new star in Imperial HBF, who put in the crucial clean anchor round last weekend at the Rome Nations Cup to insure victory for the U.S.
Even though he will be on the team in La Baule, France, next week, McLain flew home to be part of Devon.
“These are important events and I enjoy them. It’s good for developing horses to get the experience as well,” he explained.
The grand prix is named in memory of Sapphire, the mare who won it twice with McLain in the saddle. She also retired at Devon, which strengthened her connection with the show.
His 10 employees are divided between Europe and the U.S., so he has excellent strings of horses both here and abroad.
Kaitlin is used to winning at Devon, where she was an achiever in the junior jumpers. She has been riding Bull Run’s Hesed since last fall and called him “a very fast horse, very elastic. It took a little bit of time for him to get to know me and me to get to know him, but it’s really come together in the last couple of months.”
Based in California where she finds the shows at Thermal a good place to “put all the pieces together” and bring horses along, she is originally from Doylestown, Pa., and rode with Patty Miller.
Thinking back to her pony days at Devon, she said riding in the show “definitely feels like coming home.”
A new owner, Mirasol Equestrian, has invested in horses for her, so she’s putting a string together with horses available for every type of class. She did the World Cup finals in April, her first senior championship.
“It was definitely eye-opening, the level of competition and the size of the fences,” she commented.
Kaitlin is hoping to qualify for the FEI World Cup Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, next year.
Jessie never had competed in the open jumper division at Devon, and always wanted to do it. She has had her horses stabled at her family farm in Colts Neck, N.J., a short commute from Devon. Her parents, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, have their own horses at the farm, and like to ride western on the trail.
“I’m so glad to be back,” she said, noting she has had flashbacks to when she competed in the ponies at the show.
“It was so much fun.”
In the grand prix, Jessie will be riding her 2021 Olympic team silver medal mount, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, who was out for a while with an injury. She has been building him back up so he can compete in shows at the level of Devon.
The Bluman cousins made a real statement in the Devon Horse Show’s opening show jumping competition, sweeping the top placings for the Jet Run Devon Welcome Stake.
Daniel took the one-round class on his longtime partner Gemma W., while Mark finished as runner up with Ubiluc, less than a second behind the winner’s clocking of 56.21 seconds over the Anderson Lima-designed course.
Another Bluman, Ilan, was further down in the 43-horse field, winding up thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth with his two mounts.
There is naturally a bit of rivalry among the cousins, who grew up like brothers in Colombia, but they’re all part of the same business, so a winning finish by one is a winning finish by all.
“It’s probably the first time we’ve been 1-2 in a class. It’s always nice to have a family win, it feels great,” said Mark.
“We really love this show, we try to come every year,” noted Daniel. “We all want to be competitive, so we’re just having fun, doing what we love.”
Daniel became an Israeli citizen nine years ago. His cousins are still Colombian, but are working on switching their citizenship.
More than a dozen of the riders entered the class on two horses, with a goal of being competitive on one mount and giving the other a look at the arena and the spectators, who are always numerous and appreciative.
Daniel took it easy with Hummer Z, his mount for Thursday’s featured Sapphire Grand Prix, but he went for it with Gemma, who will have a few days off until Saturday night’s closing jumper class.
“We’ve been together for many years we know each other great,” he said of the reliable grey mare, “so for me to go at that speed doesn’t take much of an effort. She’s a fantastic horse, she’s won so much. I thought I could win the class without her making a huge effort.
“It’s always fun to beat Markie,” Daniel added slyly.
“He’s a fantastic rider. We’re all competitive. Actually, his plan was not to go fast. I think when he saw I had been fast, he got a little extra competitive and went for it. He was just not enough today.”
“There’s always a rivalry, but a healthy one,” Daniel explained.
“We all work together. We run the business together, we live pretty much together, so it’s a very healthy rivalry. But of course we want to win.”
Even so, “if it had been the other way around — I’m second, he’s first — I’m just as happy. I beat him, maybe tomorrow he beats me.”
Daniel makes Devon a regular stop on his circuit.
“I think the atmosphere is lovely, the people are very nice, the crowd knows it’s like a tradition to come and be part of the horse show. It’s our responsibility as riders and professionals to support and come to these events. It’s what really keeps the sport alive. I love being part of it.”
The class is named in memory of Michael Matz’s famous horse, Jet Run, many times a winner at Devon. Michael’s son, Alex, rode Ikigai in the class, finishing thirteenth, just out of the ribbons.
A perfect round under pressure–which is the trademark of anchor rider McLain Ward–avoided a jump-off and clinched the first U.S. victory since 2009 in the Rome Nations Cup on Friday.
McLain Ward and Imperial in the midst of one of the world’s most beautiful venues.
Aboard his newest mount, Imperial HBF, McLain’s performance in the 5-star Nations Cup Intesa San Paolo assured America its 4 penalty score could hold off the French team, which had to settle for second on 8 penalties.
After the first round over the course designed by Uliano Vezzani on the grass field of the scenic Piazza di Siena, the U.S. was tied on 4 faults with France and Germany. But the second time around, the latter dropped to fourth behind the home team, Italy, which claimed third place on the podium with 20 penalties.
McLain, who took over the ride on Imperial in February from Great Britain’s Tim Gredley, was double clear, as was his teammate and protege Lillie Keenan aboard Kick On. Laura Kraut, who was on the 2009 team with Cedric, dropped a rail on each trip with Bisquetta. Karl Cook had a rail in the first round with his Olympic team silver medal mount, Caracole de la Roque, but was fault-free on his second go to help secure the USA’s sixth victory in the history of the class.
After lifting the silver trophy above his head, U.S. Coach Robert Ridland noted his riders have been on a real winning streak.
U.S. Coach Robert Ridland and the trophy, with team members McLain Ward, Laura Kraut, Lillie Keenan and Karl Cook.
“Three in a row sounds pretty good,” he said with a grin, referring to team victories this spring at the Longines FEI League of Nations in Ocala and the Nations Cup in Wellington, Fla.
He also pointed out that not only McLain, but also Laura and Lillie were on horses they had never ridden previously in a Nations Cup. Karl was the lone rider who had Cup experience with the mare he rode Friday.
The Cup “was a tough slog from the very beginning,” Robert continued.
“We drew first in the order and we were hoping that would stay true in the end, but it certainly wasn’t easy. After the first round, we knew what we had to do in the second round, and as that was unfolding, we weren’t really creating much of a gap. So we were prepared for a jump-off, but one way or another we were going to try to win this thing!”
Mclain, a member of the winning team in 1997, noted that Vezzani’s style of course designing “always allows us to ride, it’s not about tricks and it’s not hiding jumps. But you had some bold fences, the wall (centered with a statue of a wolf nursing Rome’s founders, Romulus and Remus), the triple out of the corner with the chariot in the way. And then the last line was shifting away from the side, very delicate and that’s always a challenge. This is Rome, an iconic event, and it should be difficult,” he added.
Not only had he not jumped a Nations Cup previously with Imperial, this was his first 1.60 meter class with him.
“Tim Gredley did an incredible job bringing this horse to the highest levels of the sport”, he pointed out.
And he was delighted that his pupil, Lillie Keenan, was the other double-clear. He was surprised, however, when she told the story of how Kick On received his barn name of Ken.
“I got him around my twentieth birthday, when the Barbie movie was coming out and it just seemed right,” she explained. (For those who don’t know, Barbie’s boyfriend was Ken.)
She went on to say how well he is evolving.
“He’s really gone from strength to strength, I took him to the World Cup Finals not long ago and that was at that stage the biggest thing he’d ever seen, and really going into today, he rose to the occasion and I’m so proud of him!”, she said.
Karl Cook, who won the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome with Cara in 2024, said, “Between last year and this year, it’s completely different. When I was here last year, I more or less had no expectations. I remember in the jump-off last year, I just decided whatever was about to happen was just going to happen. That kicked off my whole summer. Without this show last year, the rest of the summer would not have happened,” said Karl, for whom Rome was a precursor to his Olympic experience.
Laura noted that Bisquetta “took a little look at the wall (fence 3) which surprised me, normally she’s super-brave, so I rode her very strong and that made her very strong, so I think that first fence in the middle of the combination (fence 4) came from that. She finished very well and I thought the second round she jumped beautifully. Maybe I was a little free to the plank (fence 9) and she lightly touched it.” The top element went down as a result.
“I could have been better today, but I had great teammates to back me up and I’m excited about Sunday,” she said. Laura will ride Bisquetta in the Rolex Grand Prix while Karl tries for two in a row with Cara. McLain will ride his Olympic horse, Ilex, while Lillie has entered Argan de Beliard.
The stories are amazing. Even those who weren’t in Gladstone, N.J., for the 1993 World Pair Driving Championship have heard what a spectacular competition it was, with a record 23 countries participating at Hamilton Farm, home of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation.
Although there had been other good combined driving events at Gladstone before and after the championship, nothing else held there ever could match the championship, where the marathon segment was watched by 15,000 spectators. That was a unique experience.
But as time went on, the importance of the driving event in the Pine Meadow section of the property diminished. That’s what happens when supporters move, retire or pass away.
The Gladstone Equestrian Association, founded by the late Finn Caspersen and now headed by James C. Brady III, has sought to rejuvenate competition at the site. Over the weekend, its horse driving trial and combined test (dressage and cones without the marathon) drew 40 entries, the maximum it could handle logistically.
“We’re super-excited because for the first time in probably 10 years, we were completely sold out,” said Christine Siracusa, a volunteer and sponsorship coordinator.
The ground was soaked by torrential rain during the week, so some drivers opted to scratch the marathon and compete in the combined test instead due to mud.
But others, from those driving mini horses (also known as VSEs — very small equines) to pairs of horses, opted to forge ahead in the best sporting tradition.
A small but mighty volunteer base, several of whom had been lending a hand to Gladstone driving events even before the Pair Championship took place, did yeoman work to make the 2025 competition happen.
“Mother nature was not our friend this week. We ended up having three course changes, but our course designer (Bruce Jones) and officials were amazing,” said Christine Siracusa, a coordinator of volunteers and sponsorship.
“The weather couldn’t have been any better” on Saturday and Sunday.
Having some time to dry out, the marathon course “was not as mucky as we thought it would be,” she pointed out.
“I was at the finish line and saw everyone smiling. They were excited, they kept on thanking us for putting on a fabulous event and hopefully, they’ll keep coming back and supporting this event.”
John Layton, the GEA Gladstone Driving president, was thrilled by the number of entries and has big plans for next year. He hopes to reopen and re-do the former George’s Gorge marathon obstacle, fixing it up and renaming it the Gulch of the Northeast. John also wants to see a tailgating destination near there for optimum viewing of the action..
Amie Bauman, who handles the same duties as Christine for the GEA, is a driving professional from Pennsylvania who teaches and trains, as well as competing.
She guided Lois Kennedy’s 5-year-sold VSE stallion, Sundance, to victory in the VSE Single Preliminary, with 113.77 penalties, the best score in any of the Preliminary divisions.
“He’s a natural at it. He has so much talent. He just loves it,” she said of the bold little stallion, who handled the marathon obstacles with energy.
Amie has been coming to the driving event since 1983, the days of fellowship when local legends Bill Orth, George Hoffman, Joe Urso, Norm Sutton and George Millar — all gone now — were competing.
Looking to the future of the event, she said, “It absolutely has to keep going. It’s such a historic piece of property and we don’t really have many driving events in the North anymore.”
She works with the GEA and helps keep up the property for the event.
In that regard, she cited the assistance of Paul Miller Land Rover in fixing roads and cutting down some trees; the USET Foundation and its facility manager Maureen Pethick, who “have been incredible,” hiring a company to fix the roads and helping wherever needed, and the Hamilton Farm Golf Club, which also cut down trees and loaned equipment to the volunteers readying Pine Meadow for the competition.
Amie added, “I just need to give a shout out to the Gladstone Equestrian Association and all the people that are on it, and also all of the volunteers who help. Without them, none of this would happen.”
Shelly Temple, president of the ground jury, believes it’s important for the GEA driving trials to continue.
“The history of this place is incredible. We’ve all competed here every year. The obstacles are still very workable. I think it’s a great show. You have a lot of dedicated people who want to keep it going, a good group to bring it forward and they’re getting sponsors, so I think there’s a lot of potential. There’s a lot possible here. There were new competitors, I didn’t know a lot of them; a lot of young people were here, which I love.”
But she added, “more people need to step up and help this crowd that has kept it going. It’s very important for our sport.”
Competitors’ horses were able to stay in the historic USET stable, elegant with its tile floors and polished brass.
“That’s a great benefit to showing here,” mentioned Shelly, a 2007 team bronze medalist in the World Pony Driving Championships.
Another judge, Lisa Singer, was equally as enthusiastic.
She was National Pairs Champion nine times and a member of the U.S. team at eight World Pair Championships. Lisa no longer drives competitively, but teaches, trains, runs shows, gives clinics and designs courses.
Looking at the roster of competitors on her clipboard, she said, “What was neat was that I only knew three people on this list. There’s a lot of new people, a lot of young people coming. That’s awesome.”
Click here for Horse Trial results. Click here for Combined Test results.
It was a great day for the Irish at the $135,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix on Sunday in New York.
But it wasn’t the luck of the Irish that had riders from the Emerald Isle finishing first through fourth in the class, according to course designer Alan Wade — who also happens to be Irish.
“I think they just rode better on the day,” he said of winner Jordan Coyle, runner-up Darragh Kenny (who was third as well) and Philip McGuane, in the class presented by the Kincade Group/UBS Financial Service Inc.
“Nationalities don’t come into it. They were three good riders and they’re very hard to beat when they go double clear. They’re riding some nice horses, too,” Alan pointed out.
Jordan was second to go in the 11-horse jump-off, culled from a first-round group of 34 entries from seven countries, but neither his countrymen (or anyone else) could match his slick time of 34.67 seconds on the 10-year-old Dutchbred mare, Keep Me With You NC. Darragh was closest but still far away with Amsterdam (36.33) and just a little slower on Zero K (36.80), while Philip McGuane clinched fourth on Orphea HQ (37.28).
Jordan suggested that Darragh hadn’t proceeded at top speed in his round against the clock with Amsterdam.
“I don’t think he gave it 110 percent, like we normally do, but he was also with a very good horse. He’s probably thinking of very good days to come, too,” Jordan said.
After the victory gallop, Jordan reminisced about his ties to Old Salem, where he had worked at the beginning of his career and lived in a bedroom above the barn. It’s a real Cinderfella story. But let him tell you about it: click on this video clip.
Announcer Peter Doubleday offered a tribute before the class to the late announcer Mike Moran, who died earlier this year. It was pointed out that Mike, who also had Irish roots, would have been thrilled with the results.
Alan, who was assisted by Paul Jewell in laying out the route around Old Salem’s massive arena, noted that since it was transformed from a grass ring to an all-weather surface, “the ground is excellent.”
That was proven when torrential rain on Friday led to cancellation of classes, but by Saturday, the footing was perfect again. The last time I visited Old Salem, the arena had a grass surface, which was more problematical in heavy rain.
Scott Hakim, the president of Old Salem, explained his thoughts about the transformation of the arena in this video clip.
The grand prix course had what I call a dog leg, a line that went off to the side on an area that juts out, because the ring is a unique shape.
“It’s different,” Alan agreed, explaining it couldn’t be a more conventional shape because the giant oak tree on one side had to have its roots preserved. Hence the detour.
Fabulous buffets are a VIP tent trademark at Old Salem.
It was a great day not only for the Irish, but also for everyone else who came to watch the action at the spectacular facility nestled in the heart of Westchester County’s stunning horse country.
The weather couldn’t have been better, with sparkling sunshine and a perfect temperature of 72 degrees.
The flowering trees and people watching from the grassy hillside along the ring made a lovely picture.
Admission is free, which is an enormous plus in terms of bringing in more people to appreciate horse sport.
Old Salem means a lot to many people, because so many riders still in the area started their careers there.
Katie Dinan, the highest-placed U.S. rider at the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals last month, recalled her earliest memory of Old Salem as we chatted outside the arena during a break in the grand prix.
“I must have been about six, and I did my first walk-trot here. And I never trotted, I couldn’t get my pony to trot, it was really a walk class for me. That was my big debut; I wasn’t successful, but I still loved it,” Katie smiled, as she told me about it.
She added, “It’s a regular stop on our calendar, probably since 2001. The show is great; the ring now is great. They’ve stepped up every year, FEI level. It’s just a pleasure to be here. It’s really nice that we can compete at such a high caliber that close to home. There are so many great horses and riders in this area.”
Scott Hakim also grew up riding at Old Salem, and naturally the place is close to his heart. Click on this video clip to find out more.
Since it was founded in 1964, Old Salem has had quite a history, along with several different names. Former owners of the 120 acres included actor Paul Newman and his wife, actress Joanne Woodward.
With so much open land in the New York metropolitan area falling prey to development, it’s wonderful see a place like Old Salem not only persisting, but also excelling; bringing top riders to a facility worthy of them and their horses, while welcoming the community to enjoy equestrian sport.
Since the 1960s, there have been a few different versions of the Essex Horse Trials, though its name has always meant something in the world of three-day eventing.
It started as a local event in New Jersey, growing to become one of the country’s best competitions at U.S. Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, then taking a long nap after its 1998 edition when construction of a golf course put a dent in the land available for cross-country.
After a decision was made to revive Essex with new energy, it reappeared in 2018 at Moorland Farm in Far Hills, home of October’s popular Far Hills Race Meeting.. A few years later, Essex divided its time over two days, between the USET Foundation for dressage and show jumping and the impressive terrain of Moorland for cross-country.
On June 1, it will be a one-day event, with every phase at Moorland. As organizer Marilyn Payne points out, once the action gets under way, spectators can view each segment of the competition just by taking a short walk between the arenas and the course at any time.
“It will be a three-ring circus,” she chuckled.
Prime spots by the water jump are available for tailgating. Make arrangements at essexhorsetrials.net.
Marilyn rode in the first Essex 57 years ago, and ever since hasn’t missed being part of the event in some capacity, whether it’s as a competitor, trainer or official. When the two-day format became too difficult for both participants and organizers, it appeared the event might once again fade into the mists of history.
But Marilyn wasn’t going to let that happen and stepped up with the one-day concept.
Although some of the country’s best eventers have competed at Essex since its founding in 1968, the emphasis in the new iteration involves helping build the base of the sport.
Marilyn pointed out that Essex is “a stepping stone for people. They use it as part of their program. You need an event here; you don’t want a gap. It’s convenient because you can come and go in the same day. I’m so excited to be able to offer it to all these younger riders and horses to get started. There aren’t enough places to do that.”
The upper ranks of eventing have to build on the lower levels, but the opportunities to establish a base of competitors too often are lacking in an era when open land is more valuable for development than for equestrian purposes.
“We’re losing events a lot of times just because good land is being developed,” Marilyn pointed out.
Consider that the only two riders representing the U.S. in the top 10 at the Defender Kentucky 5-star last weekend, Boyd Martin and James Alliston, started eventing in Australia and England respectively. So it’s significant that Essex is adding a starter division for people and horses seeking an introduction to a discipline that might seem intimidating at the higher levels, but is very welcoming when the test is simpler.
“We have fox hunters, trail riders and show jumpers coming; it’s exciting for them to try it and see what it’s all about,” said Marilyn.
“Once you get hooked, you get hooked. It’s so much fun.”
Since the event, which has Preliminary as its highest level, will be limited to 150 entries, Marilyn urges people to register early to make sure they don’t get shut out. Courses will be designed by Morgan Rowsell, who builds cross-country routes all over the country.
Fundraising for the starter division’s cross-country fences is ongoing, and those who wish to contribute can contact Marilyn directly at applewoodfarm@comcast.net or go to the website at essexhorsetrials.net. Anyone interested in volunteering for a host of different jobs, whether as fence judge, ring steward or other positions should get in touch with Marilyn or apply on the website.
“They don’t have to know how to do anything; we will teach them,” said Marilyn about new volunteers.
Presenting sponsors for Essex are Pure Insurance, which is returning to support the competition, and Land Rover of Parsippany, a full-service dealer of luxury brands that is expanding its involvement. Other sponsors include Kienlen Lattmann Sotheby’s International Realty, Hunt’s End Farm, Hewitt Home Heating, Purina Animal Nutrition in conjunction with Somerset Grain & Feed and Sergeantsville Grain & Feed, and Corcoran Sawyer Smith real estate.
Dr. Greg Staller’s Running ‘S’ Equine Veterinary Services sponsors a riders’ tent that is also open to horse owners and grooms, so they have a place to take a break and help themselves to food.
Those who compete at Essex, Marilyn pointed out, “are going to be treated like big-time riders, even though they’re just starting out.”
Essex gives back beyond the equestrian scene, benefitting the Life Camp in Pottersville, which provides an enriching summer day camp experience for 300 youths daily for six weeks during July and August. Campers between the ages of 6 and 13 come from the greater Newark public school system, as well as from Newark Charter School Programs. A group of the children attend the horse trials and have a ball with a picnic by the water jump. There’s even a pony available for petting, offering most of the youngsters their first equine contact.
