Elkton, Md.—Oct. 17—The main arena at the MARS Maryland 5 Star opened Thursday morning with dressage tests for the CCI3*-L field. Kiersten Miller is currently leading the field after producing a score of 28.4 aboard Mama Mia, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Indoctro x Lysienne II) owned by Miller and bred by Heather Crespo.
Sara Schulman and Cooley Chromatic, an 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Thorgal x Castrade), owned by Schulman, currently sit in second place, just behind the leader at 28.6, while Allison Springer (Womanizer x Heartbreaker) and Castle Howard Romeo, a gelding owned by Susan Fitzpatrick and Frances Robinson, are slotted just behind them with a 28.7.
“She has always been pretty 0 to 100, that’s my best way of describing her so you never really know what’s going to upset her on any given day,” said Miller of her mare. “I think the key to riding her is letting her think that she is doing things on her terms and she’s making all the decisions, so I always finesse with her. I figure out places where I can give and where I can take again and put the pressure on and take it off so I can get through the tests successfully without any blowups, but it seems like we are sort of in the clear now.”
The second day of dressage in the CCI3*-L division will continue tomorrow with the first combinations scheduled to ride down the centerline at 9:05 a.m.
Helpful Links:
Don't forget to follow the USEA’s event coverage on social media!
Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Threads
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.
After the success of the first annual USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, members are not going to want to miss the second edition in 2025! Barry and Cyndy Olliff, owners of Stable View, and their team are gearing up for an even bigger and better event in the coming year. If you are a current or prospective member of the Intercollegiate Eventing Program or the Interscholastic Eventing League, be sure to block off the weekend of May 3-4, 2025 to attend these exciting Championships.