United States Eventing Association

Paso Robles, Calif.—July 1— The Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials gave riders of event horses across different stages in their development the chance to dream big.

A one-two finish for Taren Hoffos at Advanced aboard Regalla and Master Class in her return to California from an East Coast campaign in the spring gave her increased confidence at the sport’s highest national level. She’s eyeing a return trip east earlier in the calendar in 2026.

The win by James Alliston and HMR Rolan at Intermediate has the U.S. national team rider and the horse’s owner, Anna Nicholas, dreaming of creating a syndicate to campaign toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The one-two by Tamie Smith at the Advanced-Intermediate hybrid level aboard Jutopia and Lillet 3 sets the mares up to join Smith’s strong contingent that also includes Mai Baum and Kynan for the four-star competitions at Rebecca Farm in Montana in July.

In the first Young Event Horse qualifier of the year at Twin Rivers—the site of the annual West Coast Championships—Andrea Baxter and MBF Dig Deep, the 2024 4-year-old West Coast champions, booked their ticket to the 5-year-old championships in 2025. Baxter’s sixth-place finish at Intermediate aboard The Big Easy at this event also has her planning a trip to France to contest the World Breeding Championship for 7-year-olds at Le Lion d’Angers.

Advanced

Hoffos and Regalla won Advanced at the 2025 Twin Rivers Winter Horse Trials but then had mixed results in their two events on the East Coast. The 14-year-old Oldenburg mare (Sir Donnerhall x Rubiera) was eliminated in the CCI4*-S at the Kentucky Three-Day Event but then rebounded to finish fifth out of 39 in the CCI3*-S at the Tryon International Three-Day Event in North Carolina.

“I think the biggest thing is dealing with, like speaking specifically about Kentucky, dealing with sort of your worst fears of what could happen at a big show stage in front of 50,000 people happening and just being like, ‘It’s fine,’ ” Hoffos said. “Like, I’m fine, it doesn’t mean anything about about me or skills or my horses; it’s just part of it.”

In their first event back in California, “Luna” led after each phase to win Advanced over stablemate Master Class, a 16-year-old Canadian Warmblood gelding (Cree x Night Destiny xx).

“They haven’t run since Tryon, so it’s been about a month, and that was a three-star,” Hoffos said. “This is a big track. I have so much confidence in them though. My time back east, it made me so confident about them. I’m thrilled for all that time back east—not having the best experience at Kentucky but then kicking ass at Tryon—then to come here, it was worth it. All of these are learning experiences and stepping stones to the next thing.”

Hoffos said her big goal with the pair this year will be the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds, to be held at Galway Downs in Temecula, California, and a return trip to the East Coast next year.

Intermediate

After winning the CCI2*-L at The Eventing Championships at Galway Downs in 2024, Alliston moved HMR Rolan up to Intermediate. They won for the second time in five events at the level—to go along with two seconds as well—by finishing on their dressage score of 29.1. The 9-year-old Westphalian gelding (Tolan R x Aldatus Diamond) was the only horse to finish inside the optimum time on Adri Doyal’s Intermediate cross-country course.

While Alliston’s focus with “Rolan” will now be on moving him up to his first CCI3*-L at Rebecca next month, he and owner Nicholas are making plans for the horse to have a shot at next Olympics.

“It motivates a lot of these owners; they’re really excited about having a home Olympics,” Alliston said. “This is a horse of a good age. Who knows if it can do it? But, certainly there’s a possibility I would say, whereas some horses there obviously isn’t. It’s exciting. She’s trying to syndicate it. They’re trying to do a racehorse-type thing with lots of small shares as her goal.”

Nicholas bought Rolan as a 5-year-old from the Goresbridge Sport Horse Sales in Ireland in May 2021, and her friend Wendy Wergeles connected her to Alliston to produce the horse. Rolan’s sire, Tolan R, is the same sire as 2024 U.S. Olympic event horses HSH Blake (out of Doughiska Lass) and Cooley Nutcracker (out of Ballyshan Cleopatra).

“He’s nicely bred for eventing, and he’s a big, beautiful horse,” Alliston said. “A lot of scope, a good mover, all the pieces really. He was a little bit quirky initially—a little bit flighty and strong—but he’s just developed into a really nice prospect. He does everything well and is an exciting horse.”

Right behind in the standings was Alliston on his other mount at the level, Irish Pop. The 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Inliner x Norma Jean) made his four-star debut with a third-place finish in the CCI4*-S at the 2025 Twin Rivers Spring International. Alliston considered the CCI4*-S in Kentucky after that. He’ll opt to do Irish Pop’s first CCI3*-L at Rebecca.

“He’s a fantastic galloper; he’s really, really fast,” Alliston said. “That’s sort of his unique part I would say.”

Advanced-Intermediate

Both Jutopia and Lillet 3—the mares on whom Smith was first and second in Advanced-Intermediate at Twin Rivers—have been competing in the United States for less than a year after each of them were produced up to the four-star level in Europe.

“They were both super, and I am very lucky to be riding them both,” Smith said. “They are such class mares. I have to stop sometimes and pinch myself because the quality of the horses I get to ride now is unreal.”

It was Smith’s second competition on Jutopia, as she picked up the mount on the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Caretino Gold x Bali-Utopia) while Molly Duda competes in England and Ireland as part of the U.S. Eventing European Development Tour. Smith and Jutopia were the only Advanced-Intermediate pair to make time on cross-country and won with a score of 33.8.

“Jutopia is, what can I say, so freaking cool,” Smith said. “I equally had three super phases on her—an unlucky rail in the show jumping and solid dressage test, and I planned to go quick on her cross-country just so I get to know her well before we head to Rebecca and compete in the four-short. The Dudas own both of these mares, and I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is to be sitting on such classy horses for incredible people.”

Jutopia is currently scheduled to join Smith’s five-star champion Mai Baum (Loredano 2 x Ramira) in the CCI4*-S at Rebecca. “Lillet” (S.I.E.C. Livello x Princess L) is entered alongside Kynan (Envoy x Danieta) in the CCI4*-L at Rebecca.

“Lillet and I have a more solid partnership because I’ve been riding her and competing her just under a year, so I know her so much more in and out of the competition ring,” Smith said. “She was super in her [dressage] test and show jumped super over a very technical track as always from William [Robertson]. I had a planned slower cross-country round on her to prepare for the Rebecca four-long.”

Young Event Horse

The Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials also gave riders of young horses the chance to dream big with the first Young Event Horse qualifier of 2025 held in California. Baxter will aim her Dutch Warmblood gelding MBF Dig Deep (Golddigger x Amber) for the 5-year-old West Coast championships after winning the 5-year-old qualifier.

“He’s fabulous; he’s my unicorn, and he know it, too,” she said. “I’m very excited about him. I’ve just never had one be so lovely at such a young age. All the other ones developed as they went. He just started off very special from the very get-go.”

Going to Le Lion in France for the 7-year-old world championships with her 2021 YEH alum The Big Easy (Mr Lincoln B x PLS Hippo Q) would be Baxter’s first international competition since the five-star at Burghley in England in 2019.

Bec Braitling won the 4-year-old qualifier with the Hanoverian mare DeNira CF (Donarweiss GGF x Bon Ami).

“She belongs to a student of mine [Tori Traube], and she thought it would be good exposure to get her out here and have me ride her and move her up to Beginner Novice,” Braitling said. “She’s a really, really sweet mare, super quiet.”

Twin Rivers Ranch is scheduled to host the Twin Rivers Fall International from Sept. 18-21 and then the USEA YEH West Coast Championships & Last Chance Qualifier from Oct. 23-25.

The full list of winners from the Twin Rivers Summer H.T.:

Advanced: Taren Hoffos and Regalla (52.2)

Advanced-Intermediate: Tamie Smith and Jutopia (33.8)

Open Intermediate: James Alliston and HMR Rolan (29.1)

Open Preliminary A: Tamie Smith and D’Luxe Steel (28.6)

Open Preliminary B: James Alliston and Made by Leontine EB (27.1)

Preliminary Rider: Jillian Mader and Cooley Neptune (26.5)

Open Modified: Kaylawna Smith-Cook and Connery Cooper Z (33.7)

Open Training A: Erin Kellerhouse and Million Bitcoin (31.0)

Open Training B: Allyson Hartenburg and Cupido Van de Hoge Dijken Z (26.9)

Training Rider: Susannah Bard and Baron de Chevalier (28.3)

Open Novice: Josh Barnacle and Ghino AWH Z (26.9)

Novice Rider A: Michaela Smith and Cashmaker (23.9)

Novice Rider B: Sadie Ziel and OBOS Quality Time (27.2)

Open Beginner Novice: Lisa Avila and Enamored (26.9)

Sr. Beginner Novice Rider: Rachel May and R. Dream Girl (31.8)

Jr. Beginner Novice Rider: Amelia Solivan Busque and Russian Roulette (25.6)

Open Starter: Kate Gerth and Sonnys Bar Fight (24.7)

Starter Rider: Aliana Reiss and Cre Ard Lady (34.2)

YEH-5: Andrea Baxter and MBF Dig Deep (87.25)

YEH-4: Bec Braitling and DeNira CF (79.85)

Links Entries & Results | Website

Sponsors and Volunteers

Twin Rivers was proud to host the 2025 Twin Rivers Summer H.T. with generous support from sponsors.

Presenting sponsors for the season include: Auburn Labs, manufacturers of the adaptogenic APF Formula for horses, people and dogs; Best Western PLUS Black Oak, which offers exclusive discounts for exhibitors; Professional’s Choice, manufacturers of sports medicine boots for equine athletes; Riding Warehouse, your one-stop online tack shop for quality horse gear and supplies; and Whirlwind Excavating, excavating contractors in San Luis Obispo County.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Christina Gray of Gray Area Events at [email protected].

Volunteers play a major part of events at Twin Rivers. Twin Rivers’ generous volunteer incentive program includes vouchers for show stabling and credits for schooling between events at the beautiful 500-acre venue. That is in addition to the genuine appreciation of the Baxter family and the entire Twin Rivers team. To sign up, please visit www.twinrivershorsepark/volunteer.