Eighty-nine riders from 21 nations will compete at the FEI World Championships for eventing in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, after one horse was withdrawn at the first horse inspection.
Three horses were held by the vets and the ground jury - Christina Klingspor (SWE), Peter Gray (CAN) and Christian Steiner (AUT) - Joystick, ridden by Aminda Ingulfson for Sweden, Cecelia, the 19-year-old mare ridden for Mexico by Daniela Moguel, and Brazil’s Ballypatrick SRS (Ruy Fonseca). Both Joystick and Ballypatrick SRA were passed on reinspection, but Cecelia was withdrawn from the holding box and will not take part in the competition.
All five American horses breezed through the trot-up, which took place in a small area between the main dressage arena and the practice arenas. The three female US riders - Ariel Grald, Tamra Smith and Lauren Nicholson wore belted pink tweed skirts, knee-length boots, dark blue poloneck tops and Panama hats, while the men - Boyd Martin and Will Coleman - wore cream chinos and US team jackets.
The British squad wore black armbands to mark the recent passing of Her Majesty the Queen, as did the Australian team.
Will Coleman and Off The Record will be the first US partnership to go at the FEI World Championships They will be 11th into the dressage arena tomorrow (Thursday, 15 September) at 11:05 a.m. Italian time.
Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculous will follow them as number 33, and will perform their test at 15:35 p.m. Italian time.
The individual rider for Team USA, Ariel Grald (Leamore Master Plan) will be second to go on Friday morning as number 47 at 9:38 a.m. Italian time.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum, number 61, are scheduled to do their dressage test at 12:00 p.m. Italian time on Friday.
Boyd Martin (Tsetserleg TSF, number 86) are the final pairing to represent the USA at 4:38 p.m. Italian time on Friday. They are part of the last rotation of riders, which also includes world number one and Tokyo team gold medallist Oliver Townend from Great Britain, Australian individual bronze medallists from the Tokyo Olympics Andrew Hoy and Vassily De Lassos, Pau CCI5* winners for New Zealand Tim Price and Falco, and the Japanese combination who were fourth at Tokyo, Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci De La Vigne.
Badminton CCI5* winners Laura Collett and London 52 are drawn third for the British team at 15:51 p.m. Italian time on Thursday. Britain’s individual competitor is team rookie Yasmin Ingham, who will ride her 2022 Kentucky CCI5* runner-up Banzai Du Loir at 12:00 p.m. Italian time on Thursday.
Helpful Links
Follow the USEA event coverage on social media!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is proud to announce the first class of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Judges have completed their certifications through the YEH New Judge Education Program, which was led by YEH faculty member, Marilyn Payne.
Nazila Hejazi and her 20-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare, Tessa, may have made for an unconventional pair at the USEA Area VI Championships, held in October at Galway Downs (Temecula, California) but they didn’t let that hold them back. It’s uncommon to see a horse in their twenties still competing in eventing, and even more rare for a gaited horse to compete in a jumping sport.
Today, we pause to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the powerful moment in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision for a better future. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech was more than just words; it was a call to action that transcended time, culture, and boundaries—a beacon of hope that continues to inspire.
We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.