Eddie Blue, trained and ridden by Devin Ryan of Long Valley, has been inducted into the Equus Horse Stars Hall of Fame.
The Dutchbred gelding was purchased by Lori Larrabee in 2013 as a four-year-old.
“The deciding factor in purchasing Eddie was primarily my trust in Devin’s instincts for the abilities of young horses. I had watched him for over seven years train and develop young jumpers. It was his special skill,” she said.
In 2017, Eddie broke into the big time with a victory in the Longines FEI World Cup Qualifier at Old Salem Farm in New York. The next year, they were second in the Longines FEI World Cup Finals in Paris, where he did not have a single knockdown. Five months later, Eddie and Devin contributed to the USA’s first show jumping world championship since 1986 at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C.
Eddie Blue and Devin Ryan. (Photo©2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
Initially, Eddie was a grumpy and bossy horse outside of the show ring. Very full of himself, he certainly was not the barn favorite, but his proud personality translated well to the show ring.
“He comes in and always gives off an air of confidence,” said Lori. Eddie has become a much softer horse on the ground, seeking affection.
“He has always been a very cheeky horse with a ton of character. We have such a relationship, though, that he always seems to be a little less cheeky with me,” said Devin.
“This truly special horse is a once-in- a-lifetime horse. His mental toughness is a key to his success, as many young horses are not emotionally mature enough to handle the technical aspects of the courses he has been asked to complete,” said Lori.
“He loves his job and he loves and trusts his rider.”
Other horses named to the hall of fame include Cobra, the once-wild mustang who was the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s National Horse of the Year for 2019; Big D, a Belgian draft horse who is part of the Baltimore Police mounted unit; Lazy Days Midnight Lightning, a mini-horse from California who works in therapy; Petey, a Medicine Hat Paint and former 4-H mount who is now a therapy mount in Cincinnati; Wandering Angus, a thoroughbred former race horse who also was an eventer before being involved with therapeutic riding in Maryland; Karsten, a versatile Friesian stallion; Ms. Dreamy, a quarter horse mare who was part of the U.S. gold medal reining team at the 2018 WEG and ridden to individual silver by Dan Huss and Brad Wolf’s Private Practice, the winner of the 2018 USHJA International Hunter Derby and this year, the $100,000 Hunter Spectacular at the Winter Equestrian Festival with Tori Colvin handling the riding duties.