United States Eventing Association

Raeford, N.C.—March 19—Diabolo and Will Coleman hit their stride in 2024, winning the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final, and the Plantation Field CCI4*-S, but a minor injury that fall meant the gelding was laid up for most of 2025.

Coleman brought “Dab” back slowly at the end of last year, winning two Intermediate classes and the TerraNova CCI4*-S, and now they’re back on track for the 14-year-old Holsteiner’s (Diarado x Roulett M) planned five-star debut at Kentucky next month.

Today at the Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International CDP Stables CCI4*-S, Coleman and Dab, who’s owned by the Diabolo Group, jumped to the top of the 39-horse field, scoring a 24.3 from judges Andrew Bennie (NZL) and Valerie Pride (USA).

“Just trying to improve across the board,” said Coleman after his ride. “He's a wonderful horse. He's a real trier, and sometimes that makes him get a little bit kind of anxious. He's trying so hard to do the right thing. So, a big part of our program with him is just trying to help him find a bit of relaxation in his work and teach him to sort of trust his balance a little bit. And he's getting better. I think there's room for him to still improve. But we're sort of building through this season pretty methodically, and for our second test of the year, I'm pretty happy.”

During Dab’s time off, Coleman tried to take advantage of the extra time at home both in the saddle and on the ground. While having a year off wasn’t ideal, “I think we learned more about how to help him. I think is benefited from it,” he said.

When Dab first came to the U.S. from Australia in 2022, it took him several months to adjust, and that time also helped Coleman learn more about his needs and preferences.

“I think it took a long time for us to sort of really establish a foundation with him in his training, and I think that's starting to really be there,” he said. “He's still a high-strung horse, but we love him, and I just think the world of this horse. I think just the level of trust and everything that we're doing with him has improved, and I think his confidence is growing, and he seems fairly content, and that means a lot to us. So, we're happy. And I think this is just a little prep for us, but I think if we could keep trying to improve on the margins, hopefully we can be in a good place for Kentucky.”

Boyd Martin is sitting in second place on OHP Hammertime Partners’ 14-year-old U.S.-bred Swedish Warmblood gelding Miks Master C with a score of 24.4.

“I’m very pleased with ‘Mikki’. It's his first proper competition for the year, and to be honest, there’s still lots of improvement to be made in the test, but he's such a flamboyant mover; even if it's not a perfect test, he's still in there with a good score,” he said.

Martin and Mikki won the US Open of Eventing at Morven Park last fall, and he’s felt it was a turning point in their young partnership. He took over the ride from Liz Halliday, who is recovering from a serious fall in 2024.

“After going around that cross-country and feeling the fifth gear he's got at 8 minutes was mind blowing,” said Martin. “Obviously I loved the horse forever when Liz was riding it. But to feel that athleticism, where most horses drop off the bit and start huffing and puffing—this horse has got another gear.”

Martin enjoyed the new layout at the Carolina Horse Park, with dressage running on a new grass ring.

“I kind of like it. The horses get a bit nervous in here,” he said. “It's hard because we don't get to exercise the horses in the ring because it's grass, and they don't want to rip it up. So, you're sort of going in there with a little bit more of a tense horse than other major competitions, where you can train in the ring the day before. But that's how it is in the grass rings when we compete in Europe. Maybe in a weird kind of a way, it's good practice for us.”

Tamie Smith brought 16 horses from her barn in Southern California to the East Coast this spring, and she’s enjoying her first time back at the Carolina Horse Park since 2022.

She’s sitting in third place in the CCI4*-S with Molly Duda’s 10-year-old Holsteiner mare Lillet 3 (Livello x Princess L) on a score of 24.5.

“It’s just time getting a partnership, and getting them strong enough,” said Smith of her two-year partnership. “She's always been a real trier, and she just had to gain the strength. And I feel like I'm learning every year more and more about how to allow my horses to move and express themselves without trying to make it happen. And I think it's just a culmination of her getting stronger and me allowing her to be who she really is.”

Smith and her students are staying at one of her owner’s farms in Aiken, South Carolina. “They have a beautiful 100-acre farm that is absolutely unreal, and they've opened that farm up to us, so we have our home away from home,” she said. “It was time for all the horses to come east and see something different. You can only do so much in your own backyard; that's what this spring was to do—to just get them out and get exposure to more venues and more different atmospheres.”

Show jumping for the CCI4*-S starts tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST.

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