Andrea Baxter has announced her five-star horse Indy 500 died this week due to complications from foaling. She was 19.
“Indy” came to Baxter’s family farm, Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, as a 4-year-old in need of breaking and training. Her owner, Linda Miller, planned to sell her, but Baxter fell in love with the mare’s personality and made a trade to keep her.
The pair competed in the USEA Young Event Horse 4-year-old classes in 2009 before Baxter decided to give Indy some time off to mature. She bred the unraced Thoroughbred (Cromwell x Tensofthousands) to the Holsteiner stallion Linaro and got Laguna Seca, who she would go on to compete the CCI4*-L level.
In 2011, the pair competed in two YEH 5-year-old divisions (a rule at the time allowed for mares who had a foal during their YEH career to compete an extra year). They continued to move up the levels until they reached Advanced in 2012.
They made their five-star debut at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2017 and went on to complete it again in 2018 and 2019. They completed the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (England) in 2018 and 2019. Their last competition together was the MARS Maryland 5 Star in 2021. The pair spent 10 years at the Advanced level together.
Indy had recently given birth to a foal, Cha Ching 500, but endured complications after his birth.
“You were truly my horse of a lifetime and I’m lost without you. Baby Cha Ching 500 has big shoes to fill. I hope he’s just like you! I never knew I could be so upset but thank you for showing me that too,” wrote Baxter in a Facebook post.
The USEA sends our deepest condolences to Baxter and all of Indy 500's connections.
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.