United States Eventing Association

Four eventing athletes have been awarded partial grants to provide financial support for their travel to CCI4*-L competitions in the fall of 2020.

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation has awarded the Jacqueline B. Mars National Competition & Training Grant to Liz Halliday-Sharp, and her mount, Cooley Quicksilver (Womanizer x Kylemore Crystal), a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by The Monster Partnership.

Tamie Smith is your overall FEI division winner the Woodside International Horse Trials. Smith continues to prove she is a force to be reckoned with and this weekend was no different. With nine horses in the FEI divisions and one horse in Training, she was non-stop all weekend.

It was another great day of competition with even better weather here at the Woodside International Horse Trials, with the CCI3*-S through Introductory levels finishing up their dressage followed by some late afternoon show jumping for all FEI levels as well as Advanced and Intermediate.

We started the weekend off with the CCI4*-S dressage here at Woodside International Horse Trials. With 15 riders taking part in this competitive division and twelve points separating the field after dressage, the pressure is on for show jumping and cross-country. Tamie Smith has taken the early lead, placing first on Ruth Bley's Danito and second on Judith McSwain's Fleeceworks Royal.

Tickets for the 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ and the $225,000 Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute will go on sale in January 2021. Equestrian Events Inc. (EEI), which produces both world-class events, is delaying the opening of ticket sales because of remaining uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sparrow’s Nio (Grange Finn Sparrow X JB), a 15.3-hand 17-year-old Connemara/Thoroughbred gelding owned and ridden by Alexandra Sacksen, collapsed between fences while on cross-country in the Advanced division at the Morven Park Fall International Horse Trials on Saturday, October 3.

The Morven Park Fall Horse Trials Organizing Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation regret to announce the death of Sparrow’s Nio (Grange Finn Sparrow x JB), a 17-year-old Connemara/Thoroughbred gelding, owned and ridden by Alexandra Sacksen.

The national levels took the spotlight for the final day of competition at Oktoberfest. The Beginner Novice, Novice, and Training divisions completed their show jumping over Chris Barnard's course in the Outdoor Arena, and competition concluded with Preliminary, Intermediate, Beginner Novice, and Training cross-country.

After a rainy night, the footing for the FEI cross-country drained nicely and held up well throughout the morning. Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp held on to her overnight lead aboard Fernhill By Night and added 4.8 time faults to her double clear show jumping round to take home the win in the CCI4*-S. Not one rider was able to make it through the finish flags within the time allowed, but the top 28 had no jumping penalties.