Will Coleman, who had to settle for second in the 2025 debut of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Open Eventing Final, moved up on Saturday from seventh after the dressage phase to first on Off the Record, as he seeks to gain the title that eluded him last year.
He finished the 26-fence cross-country course fault-free and will defend his lead Sunday in the show jumping finale, the segment where a rail down cost him the victory 12 months ago at Morven Park.
Will Coleman heads the leaderboard with Off the Record at the USEF Open of Eventing. (USEF Photo)
Will has only a 0.3-penalty lead over second-place Isabelle Bosley and Conner. Both riders finished the 4-star Long cross-country on their dressage scores, 28.6 and 28.9 respectively.
The leader after dressage at the Virginia venue, Californian Tamie Smith on Danito, had a runout at fence 9, the leaf pit, and retired at fence 22. Sharon White on Claus 63, second after dressage, collected 4.8 time penalties to sit third on a score of 30.8. Last year’s winner, Boyd Martin, who rode Miks Master C in 2025, stands nineteenth this time around with Luke 140 (71.1) after a refusal at the same obstacle on the course as Tamie.
Will called Timmy, as his 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse is known around the barn, “A really awesome horse, he’s like a member of our family at this point. You can’t sometimes measure a horse by how well they move or how well they jump. Sometimes, it’s something deeper, and he has a lot of that.”
Will Coleman and Off the Record
The rider felt his mount “knew the track.”
When the combination started out on the course designed by Derek DiGazia, Will said, “I felt pretty comfortable once I got out there. We know each other so well. It’s pretty similar to last year, he was reading the questions well.”
His longtime equine partner is “not the best galloper,” but Timmy is fit thanks in great part to his veterinarian, Tim Ober, and the team at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.
“We’re in a good spot with him conditioning-wise,” Will said.
He gave major credit ot his wife, Katie, saying she “is kind of the foundation of everything we do. My wife is an amazing horsewoman.” He also offered kudos to Erin Jarbo, his head groom, and others on his team.
“My success, as much as anything, is about their expertise,” he emphasized.
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