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 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.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Feb 11, 2026
Even the best intentions and the greatest of care cannot save every horse who has severe medical issues.
McLain Ward announced that Imperial HBF (“Paddy”) was lost Sunday due to complications from colic.
“Paddy suffered a bout of colic and, despite two surgeries and every possible effort to save him, the incredibly difficult decision was made—by his owner Michael Smith, myself, and a devoted team of caretakers and veterinarians—that the kindest and most humane choice was to let him go,” McLain announced on social media.
“Paddy fought tirelessly, just as he did throughout his career as a competitor, and our entire family and team are devastated by his loss.
During this challenging time, his owner, Mike Smith, exemplified true horsemanship—spending countless hands-on hours by Paddy’s side, doing everything possible to support his recovery, and never wavering in his trust in the team caring for him.”
McLainn went on to thank veterinarians and support staff at Rood & Riddle Wellington, along with Dr. Tim Ober, saying they “were nothing short of extraordinary. As always, I am deeply grateful to my own team for their unwavering dedication and compassion throughout this process.
“Godspeed, Imperial.”
Michael said he was “so sad to loose this champion. Wish I could have owned him longer. He gave so much in the ring and brought that same spirit to his health challenge.”
The horse was developed by Tim Gredley of Great Britain, who bought him in 2022. McLain started competing the 13-year-old KWPN gelding by VDL Glasgow VH Merelsnest last April and was on the winning U.S. Nations Cup team in Rome a month later.
Bred by Laura Tinto of HBF Equestrian, Imperial was ridden by Scottish show jumper Alex Barr prior to Tim’s time with the horse..
“We started quite small and worked our way up,” said Tim. “It was a bit testing at times – I remember walking out of the grand prix at Wellington on my feet because he jumped so high – but when you know horses have that kind of quality and you have that belief in them, you’re always willing to put the time and effort into them. In the end, he came good.”
