United States Eventing Association

Two identical scores of 28.4 put both riders at the top of the leaderboard after the dressage phase of The Estates at TerraNova & Laughlin Tanner Group CCI3*-L, judged by Marilyn Payne and Robert Stevenson.

Alexandra Baugh and Altorac Farm's 12-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding Hubert Des 3 Arbres (Troubadour D’Aurel x Ulm Du Bouly), known as “Frenchie” in the barn, were the first of the two tied leaders to enter the ring.

The pair has been on quite a journey together since Phillip Dutton helped connect Baugh with Frenchie, whom she acquired in July 2023.

“We started at the three-star level together, and our third event was the Maryland three-star long [Elkton, Md]. We finished fourth, which was incredible considering we hadn’t had much time to build a partnership,” says Baugh. “He showed me his true colors that weekend—he just blazed around and was absolutely fantastic.”

While Baugh and Frenchie tested a move up to the four-star level, she ultimately decided that staying at the three-star level was the right choice for them right now. “It didn’t go quite the way we hoped—he just wasn’t quite ready yet, so we stepped him back down,” says Baugh. “But after that, last fall was pretty smooth sailing.”

However, the road to today’s impressive, first-place-tying dressage test wasn’t without its challenges. Baugh and Frenchie faced several setbacks earlier in the season before finding their rhythm again.

“Unfortunately, even though he ran great around the Advanced at Pine Top this spring, I had a fairly nasty fall off a different horse,” says Baugh. “He had most of the summer off and didn’t have many events under his belt when we came back in early fall. Our first event back was the Kentucky Classique Horse Trials [Lexington, Ky] in August. I wish I could say I had a concussion from the earlier fall as an excuse, but I didn’t—when I missed a cross-country jump, that was completely my fault. Dressage and show jumping went well there, but afterward, we found out he was dealing with what was likely an impaction.”

After Frenchie recovered, the pair had a fantastic run at the Intermediate level at the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event [Lexington, Ky] in mid-October. “He also just finished fifth in the Virginia CCI3*-S [Lexington, Va] at the beginning of November, where we planned to run slow as his final prep before TerraNova.”

Despite topping the leaderboard in dressage today, Baugh admits it has been a developing part of her partnership with Frenchie.

“We’ve put a lot of work into the dressage phase,” says Baugh. “It’s not that he dislikes the phase—we’ve just been figuring each other out. Sometimes I lose a bit of his relaxation, but this week he’s come out so supple and willing. Honestly, those five months off did him a lot of good. Now, I can really go in and ride the movements.”

After walking the cross-country course, designed by Alec Lochore, Baugh was impressed by both the design and the atmosphere at TerraNova, especially since this is her first time competing at the venue.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never been here before, and I’m really impressed. The team behind this event has done a lovely job. Everything is running smoothly, and the competitors are well informed—they’ve put on a fantastic show,” says Baugh. “The cross-country course is tough, but it’s exactly what you’d expect and want from a three-long at the end of the season. The terrain is great, and the footing is well prepared—I think it’ll be a great course for him. He’s fit, and we chose to run here instead of Maryland to give myself more time to heal.”

As for the show jumping phase, Baugh feels confident heading into Saturday, knowing it plays to Frenchie’s strengths.

“He’s a fantastic jumper, and he wants to keep the poles up,” says Baugh. “We really haven’t had many rails together—and if we did, they were definitely my fault.”

Caroline Pamukcu and the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding HSH Sebastian (Silvano x My Rochestown Lady) delivered an equally impressive, polished test from start to finish, with seemingly effortless transitions. Both judges scored the pair nearly identically—71.30 and 71.85—giving them a final mark of 28.4, which put them in a tie for the lead with Baugh.

Pamukcu’s partnership with HSH Sebastian, co-owned by Gayle Davis and Sherrie Martin, began a little over a year ago. Since then, the pair has continued to strengthen their connection and typically stay at the top of the leaderboard. They’ve been delivering consistent results in CCI4* competitions over the past few months.

They recently had an impressive 26.9 score in the dressage phase at the Virginia Horse Center, finishing 2nd overall. Before that, they secured 3rd place in the CCI4* at the Stable View Oktoberfest in Aiken, SC, where they posted a dressage score of 27.8.

The dressage phase of the B&D Builders CCI4*-L also kicked off Thursday with the first seven competitors. Hayley Frielick and Sportsfield Lumiere currently lead by about a point over Kimmy Cecere and OS Hermintage.

Caroline Pamukcu, who has multiple mounts in the four-star long, is also sitting near the top of the leaderboard at this level, holding third with King’s Especiale on a score of 34.8.

The CCI4*-L dressage continues tomorrow, November 14, 2025, along with both the dressage and show jumping phases of the CCI4*-S. Livestreaming is available at www.terranovaequestrian.com/streaming and is free to watch, sponsored by Key Performance Feeds.

See the full results so far here.