United States Eventing Association

Meet the Contestants of the 2022 $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final

We are just days away from watching the first horse head down the centerline for the 2022 $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final which takes place during the 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. Nine top-notch horse and rider pairs have their eyes set on the prize in hopes of bringing home the $30,000 check allocated to the winner of this prestigious event. Second place will receive $10,000 and the remainder of the prize funds will be distributed to the other finishers.

The Advanced dressage gets underway at 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday. Cross-country begins at 12:45 p.m.. on Thursday, and the show jumping finale will get underway at 5:40 p.m. on Friday.

This year the dynamic duo James and Helen Alliston have hedged their bets with three entries for James and one for Helen in the Final. The first of the three horses which James will be riding is Nemesis (by Novalis) the Alliston Equestrian owned 8-year-old Canadian Warmblood who James has had quite the season with so far. In 2022 the duo have never placed outside of the top three at every event they have entered, including wins at the Advanced level at Twin Rivers this past April and a win in the CCI4*-L that took place at Rebecca Farm in July. Nemesis is a member of the Alliston family, having been a part of the farm since James and Helen took a gamble and purchased him sight-unseen as a yearling. Read more about Nemesis here.

James’ second entry is the other red-head in his string, Helen Alliston’s 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding Paper Jam (Paparazzo x Reely Jamin XX). Like his stablemate, Paper Jam has had an impressive eventing season thus far earning a win in April in the Advanced at Galway Downs, coming in second to Nemesis in the Advanced at Twin Rivers, and having a top-ten finish in the CCI4*-L at Rebecca Farm earlier this summer.

And lastly, wrapping up James’ trifecta of opportunities is RevitaVet Calaro (Camiros x Tanner), owned by Alliston Equestrian. The 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding has also spent a great part of his summer in the winner’s circle with three wins added to his record, two at Advanced and one at the CCI3*-L level, just over the course of the spring season. “Calaro has a big personality,” James shared. “He’s pretty lazy at home but very energetic at the shows. He’s best friends with Nemesis and likes to travel next to him in the trailer.”

The final Alliston who will be putting in a run for the money is James’ wife Helen with her own 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding Ebay (Escudo x Contessa). It’s been a busy year for Helen and Ebay, but nothing short of successful. Out of six outings this year so far, the pair have been in the top five at five of the outings, including a win in the CCI4*-S at Twin Rivers in April. As a fun fact, both Ebay and Paper Jam came from the same breeder in Georgia and were born a month apart. The Allistons purchased the two young horses at different times and loved seeing the two reunite together on their farm as they are, according to Helen, best friends!

Caravaggio II (Vangelis-S x Courtesan), owned by Arnell Sprthorses, is Rebecca Braitling’s ride for this year’s final. Consistency is the name of the game for Braitling and the 11-year-old British Sport Horse as the pair has never had a cross-country jump fault since the start of their career together in 2019. Braitling has brought the gelding along from the Training level to where they are now and had a fourth-place finish in the CCI4*-L at Galway Downs in the fall of 2021. Braitling describes Caravaggio as the grouchiest gelding that she has ever met and reflects that he “has very little time for dancing in the sandbox.” However, that grumpy nature can be won over if you share your chili limonè Doritos with him and let him jump all the big jumps.

Marc Grandia has had the ride on Team Rebecca, LLC’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Campari FFF (Camiros x Tanner) since 2016, and their long-standing partnership has seen the pair grow from the Novice level all the way to making their first trip to the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L earlier this year. Grandia shared that Campari likes to choose his own adventure when hacking. "He does a lot of walking so gets bored with the same route. We live on the Seattle water pipeline so we have lots of trails and miles of roads for walking and trotting. Sometimes we let him have the buckle and choose where he wants to go!"

And as a bonus fun fact, Campari FFF is a full sibling and big brother to Alliston’s RevitaVet Calaro. It will be the battle of the brothers in this year’s Advanced final.

Kaylawna Smith-Cook’s first horse on the roster is the 13-year-old German Sport Horse gelding Passepartout (Pasco x Preschel) who she co-owns with Gretchen Cook. The pair have spent the entire year campaigning up and down the West Coast in preparation for this summer’s Advanced Final. Since Smith-Cook obtained the ride on the horse in 2019, they have competed at nine FEI events together, with Smith-Cook’s mom Tamie Smith taking over the ride here and there for some additional trips on the international stage. Sticking true to his German heritage, “Pasco” thoroughly enjoys his post-ride snack of German muffins and knows exactly where to look for them. Smith-Cook adores Pasco and shared, “he is truly a horse that you can really feel he’s with you every step. Once in a lifetime type of feeling.”

Smith-Cook’s second entry is MB MaiBlume (Sir Schiwago x Free Lady), the Mb Group LLC’s 12-year-old German Sport Horse mare. Smith predominantly had the ride on the mare through 2019, with Smith-Cook taking over the reins in 2020 and presenting MaiBlume at her first FEI in 2021. Since, the pair have worked their way up from the two-star level to tackling their first CCI4*-S earlier this year at Galway Downs. The duo are coming off of a top-ten finish in the CCI4*-S at Rebecca Farm just earlier this summer.

Last, but definitely not least, is the 11-year-old Argentine Silla gelding Jos Bravio ridden and co-owned by Dani Sussman with Caro Mavrakis. From photos, it might appear that “Bravio” is a rather large horse, but this little powerhouse stands at a mighty 15.2 hands. “Most people who don’t know him or haven’t walked up to him will refer to him as my big horse because I make him look much bigger than he actually is,” Sussman shared. Bravio is an all-business kind of guy and enjoys his own personal space. Once the show weekend is over, he very much enjoys some downtime where he isn’t being coddled over and messed with. He also isn’t a fan of other horses near his space, so Sussman and her team take great care to allow him the space he needs for his comfort. Sussman and Bravio are coming into the Advanced Final off of two third-place finishes: one in June in the CCI3*-S at Aspen Farms and one in July in the CCI4*-L at Rebecca Farm.

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About the USEA American Eventing Championships

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Beginner Novice to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of horses and riders from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held August 31 – September 4 at the beautiful Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsor: Bates Saddles Gold Level Sponsors: Parker Equine Insurance, Smartpak, Capital Square, Standlee; Silver Level Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Mountain Horse, The Jockey Club, Kerrits; Bronze Level Sponsors: Athletux, The Chronicle of the Horse, Dubarry of Ireland, FITS Riding, Equilume, Devoucoux, Fifth Third Bank, Gallops Saddlery, D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, Clark Nissan; Contributing Level Sponsors: CrossCountry App, WeRideTogether, Haygain, First Interstate Bank, Schellinger Construction, Glacier Bank, Animal Health Solutions Inc., Discover Kalispell; Prize Level Sponsors: Vet Blue, Practical Horseman, Hound & Hare, Strides of Equality Equestrians, Horse & Country TV, Bemer Independent Distributors, Freelance Design, Achieve Equine/FLAIR, Flexible Fit Equestrian USA, and more! ATC Sponsors: The Chronicle of the Horse, FITS Riding, Nutrena Feeds, SmartPak, Achieve Equine/FLAIR, Kerrits, and Horse & Country TV

About the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final

The $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final will take place at the 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana, August 31 – September 4, 2022. Thanks to Adequan’s amazing support, the Adequan® USEA Advanced Final will bring together the country’s top riders to vie for $60,000 in prize money and the title of Adequan® Champion. To qualify for the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final at the AEC in 2022, competitors will need to complete a minimum of two events without cross-country jump penalties at any USEA recognized Advanced horse trials, CCI4*-S, CCI4*-L , or CCI5*-L . Click here to learn more about the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final.

About American Regent Animal Health

American Regent Animal Health, a division of American Regent, Inc., is committed to advancing animal health with proven FDA-approved products like Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan). The company’s portfolio is anchored by the only FDA-approved polysulfated glycosaminoglycan products for horses and dogs, which have been relied on for nearly three decades by veterinarians. American Regent, Inc., a Daiichi Sankyo Group Company, manufactures and distributes human and veterinary pharmaceutical products and is committed to providing the ever-changing U.S. healthcare marketplace with a growing and diversified American Regent portfolio. For more information on American Regent Animal Health, visit ARAnimalHealth.com