Over 200 competitors came to Morven Park International Equestrian Center for this year’s Spring Horse Trials and a successful 2021 eventing season kick-off.
The weekend’s big winners were Skyeler Voss, who won the Open Intermediate division riding Argyle and Ainsley Colgan riding Ginobi, who achieved the lowest score of the weekend with an impressive 26.10 in the Junior Beginner Novice Rider division.
In addition to Voss and Colgan, other notable winners were Ema Klugman who won the Open Preliminary-A division riding RF Redfern and Michael Pendleton who won Open Preliminary-B riding Redfield Fellow. Bruce Davidson, Sr., rode Invito, to a first-place finish in the Open Training division. Scores for all divisions will be posted on MorvenPark.org/HorseTrials.
“This was my first time attending Spring Horse Trials and I was awe-inspired by the sheer scope of an eventing competition,” said Stacey Metcalfe, Morven Park’s new Executive Director/CEO. “Each phase of competition was more exciting than the last and of course the competitors were all so impressive. We cannot thank the riders, officials, judges, and volunteers enough for coming out this weekend, in the sun and in the rain, to celebrate horse trials with us.”
Beginner Novice through Intermediate was offered at this year’s horse trials and for the first time, a Preliminary Training Division was available. The P/T division winner was Martin Douzant riding Olympus. Cross-country took place on the Park’s sprawling 1,000 acres and competitors enjoyed dressage and show jump arenas outfitted with Eurotex footing from Attwood Equestrian Surfaces.
The Morven Park International Equestrian Center thanks Sponsors SmartPak and Winchester Equipment Company, Silver sponsor Adequan, and Bronze level sponsors Total Equine Veterinary Associates, Coat Defense, and In Memoriam Pet Services for their support of Spring Horse Trials.
The Morven Park Fall International Horse Trials and CCI4*-L, CCI3*/2*YH-S, CCI 4*/3*/2*-S will be held October 6 – 10 and the Park’s popular hunter/jumper summer series kicks off next weekend with a sold-out show. Visit MorvenPark.org/Equestrian for details. For sponsorship opportunities, email [email protected].
About the Morven Park International Equestrian CenterMorven Park International Equestrian Center is a premier competition venue located in Loudoun County, VA and attracts some of the world's top riders. Morven Park hosts events year-round, and in nearly all riding disciplines, such as carriage driving, hunter/jumper shows, dressage competitions, and the Spring and Fall Horse Trials. The Equestrian Center grew out of the renowned Morven Park International Equestrian Institute, one of the world's most prestigious riding academies. In addition to holding competitions and events, Morven Park also welcomes riders and show managers to rent facilities such as the indoor and outdoor arenas, stalls, cafe, and show office space. To learn more, visit MorvenPark.org/Equestrian.
About Morven Park Morven Park is a 1,000-acre nonprofit park in Leesburg, Virginia. Known as the “Central Park” of Loudoun County, Morven Park welcomes 250,000 visitors each year who come to enjoy exquisite scenery, formal boxwood gardens, the Morven Park International Equestrian Center, the iconic Greek Revival mansion, museums, and hiking trails. For more information, or to support the Park, visit MorvenPark.org.
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.