May 10, 2023

MARS Bromont Rising U25 Grant Recipients Announced for MARS Bromont CCI

Lea Adams-Blackmore and Frostbite. USEA/Lindsay Berreth photo

The MARS Bromont Rising U25 scholarship program, administered by the USEA Foundation, is pleased to announce the first recipients of this year’s grant funding for riders aiming to compete in the MARS Bromont CCI (Quebec, Canada) taking place June 7-11, 2023. Each will receive $2,500 toward their travel and competition costs and participate in an extensive educational program during the event.

The brainchild of Bromont organizer Sue Ockendon and the late Steve Blauner, the scholarship program was first offered in 2019 for riders competing at Bromont and at the time Ocala, and was expanded to include Galway Downs in 2022.

Highlighting this year’s program is the return of three-time German Olympic team member Bettina Hoy as a guest coach for 2023. Hoy will be coaching athletes on dressage days as well as providing course walks for cross-country and show jumping.

The recipients are:

Lea Adams-Blackmore (Summit Point, West Virginia) with Frostbite

Elle Choate (Clemson, South Carolina) with Paddrick

Maya Clarkson (Santa Cruz, California) with Maks Mojo C

Jack Curtis (Chester County, Pennsylvania) with Luska Candy Clover

Sam Curtis (Chester County, Pennsylvania) with Blyths Centurion FE

Samantha Homeyer (Markham, Virginia) with Final Notice

Cassandra Leblanc (Quebec City, Quebec, Canada) with Riffel

Caitlin O’Roark (Centerville, Virginia) with What The Devil

Nadia Sabot (Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada) with Neverquitdreaming

Sara Schulman (Purcellville, Virginia) with Cooley Chromatic

Program director, Olympian and FEI 5* eventing judge Peter Gray also acts as a clinician at each event, including his “centreline sessions” on how to make the most of your warm-up and exactly what the judges are looking for movement by movement.

Upon releasing the names Gray commented: “I was thrilled to receive so many top tier applications from athletes around North America; this emerging group of talent is the future of our sport! There is such a fantastic international atmosphere at Bromont and with world class coaching from Bettina Hoy, it should be a memorable weekend! Thank you to Dr. Mark Hart and Carol Kozlowski for joining me on the review committee to select funding recipients.”

A second round of funding continues for those looking to compete at Galway Downs (Temecula, California) in November. Applications are open through Sept. 1, 2023.

Canadian and U.S. U25 riders competing at any level of FEI competition offered are eligible to apply.

For more information on the MARS Bromont Rising program visit www.bromontcci.com

Apr 26, 2025 Competitions

The 2025 K3DE Daily: Cross-Country Day

If you are wanting to get a good parking spot at the Kentucky Horse Park this morning, you better be on your way as early as possible! Cross-country day at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is easily the busiest day the Kentucky Horse Park sees each year, so it's time to grab your coffee and go ensure you get the viewing spot you want for both the CCI4*-S and CCI5*-L divisions today.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

2025 K3DE Rider Talk: What Are They Saying About Cross-Country?

Riders in both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L are sharing similar sentiments about this year's cross-country courses: course designer Derek di Grazia didn't play around this year. Here is what some of the riders across both divisions had to say about the tracks they will aim to conquer on Saturday.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

Off the Record Breaks Records in Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S at Defender Kentucky

Off The Record decided not to let Michael Jung be the only record-breaking entry at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this week and delivered a career-best score in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S on Friday morning. He and Will Coleman delivered a test that received a score of 21.8, not only marking a personal best for the horse but also securing their position at the top of the leaderboard going into cross-country tomorrow.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

Soaked, but Not Shaken: Boyd Martin Flies the Flag for the U.S. at Defender Kentucky in Second

Boyd Martin and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Commando 3 were the last pair to go in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L field on Friday afternoon and were warmly greeted to the bluegrass with an impressive downpour that outshined anything the other horse and rider pairs had to combat throughout the day. But that didn’t stop this pair from putting their best foot forward and impressing the judges enough to earn them a score of 26.0, just 0.2 points ahead of second-place pair Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality.

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