Eventing fans gathered around the infield of the steeplechase track at Fair Hill in Elkton, Maryland on Wednesday afternoon for the first horse inspection at the 2022 Maryland 5 Star. In the CCI5*-L there were 25 horses presented to the ground jury of Angela Tucker (GBR), Martin Plewa (GER), and Mark Weissbecker (USA), but only 24 horses were accepted.
Liz Halliday-Sharp presented Ocala Horse Properties’ Deniro Z (Zapaterro VDL x Zonne-Trend), but the 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was sent to the hold box. Sadly, upon representation, Deniro Z was not accepted. The remainder of the field was accepted upon first inspection and all horses were on their best behavior on this beautiful, sunny afternoon in Maryland.
Dressage gets underway for the five-star at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Helpful Links
Don't forget to follow the USEA’s event coverage on social media!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Riders in both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L are sharing similar sentiments about this year's cross-country courses: course designer Derek di Grazia didn't play around this year. Here is what some of the riders across both divisions had to say about the tracks they will aim to conquer on Saturday.
Off The Record decided not to let Michael Jung be the only record-breaking entry at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this week and delivered a career-best score in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S on Friday morning. He and Will Coleman delivered a test that received a score of 21.8, not only marking a personal best for the horse but also securing their position at the top of the leaderboard going into cross-country tomorrow.
Boyd Martin and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Commando 3 were the last pair to go in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L field on Friday afternoon and were warmly greeted to the bluegrass with an impressive downpour that outshined anything the other horse and rider pairs had to combat throughout the day. But that didn’t stop this pair from putting their best foot forward and impressing the judges enough to earn them a score of 26.0, just 0.2 points ahead of second-place pair Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality.
Please always remain vigilant when it comes to sending any personal communications via email or text. Every year we receive reports of members and leaders of our sport receiving phishing attempts both online and by phone. These are often communications disguised as being sent from USEA staff or other leaders. As the years go on, the phishing attempts appear to be more directed and tailored.