United States Eventing Association

Allison Springer and No May Moon may have taken the eventing world by storm with their recent victory at the MARS Bromont CCI4*-L (Quebec, Canada), but the journey began with a dream decades ago. Owned and bred by longtime eventing supporter, Nancy Hamill Winter, the 10-year-old Connemara Sport Horse mare had only just stepped up to the Advanced level this spring.

Allison Springer has been a constant presence on the international eventing circuit for decades, as a rider, trainer, coach and trailblazer. She was the first competitor to don an approved riding helmet instead of a top hat in the dressage phase of an eventing competition at the Kentucky Three-Day Event. She has multiple CCI4*-S wins to her credit, but until today, she had yet to add CCI4*-L winner to her resume.

Everyone knows that eventing is rarely just “a dressage show” and that things are bound to get shaken up come cross-country day. Things not only got shaken up but frankly turned on their heads following an exciting and influential cross-country day at the MARS Bromont CCI Saturday. Of the six leaders we had at the start of the day, only one has retained their lead heading into the horse inspection and show jumping.

At the end of two days of competition at the MARS Bromont CCI4*, the number two ranked eventing rider in the world, America’s Boyd Martin, sits first or second in exactly 50% of the divisions offered. And in the CCI2*-L, he’s in first and second. But it’s Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo with the leggy and elegant Dyri who sits atop the coveted CCI4*-L, laying down a beautiful test to score 26.0.

The first half of the CCI4*-L division completed their dressage tests Thursday at the MARS Bromont CCI. Shannon Lilley and her own Eindhoven Garette earned a mark of 33.8 from judges Peter Gray (CAN), Bea Di Grazia (USA), and Christian Steiner (AUT) and sit in the lead, with the second half of the field yet to ride.

The MARS Bromont Rising U25 scholarship program, administered by the USEA Foundation, is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s grant funding for riders aiming to compete in the MARS Bromont CCI (Quebec, Canada) taking place June 5-9. Each will receive $2,500 toward their travel and competition costs, and participate in an extensive educational component during the event.

The MARS Bromont Rising U25 scholarship program, administered by the USEA Foundation, is pleased to announce that up to 10 grants of up to $2,500 each will once again be available for talented young riders aged 25 and under, who are aiming to compete in the MARS Bromont (Quebec, Canada) U25CCI divisions in June, 2024. Highlighting this year’s program is the return of three-time German Olympic team member Bettina Hoy, as a guest coach for 2024.

American Olympian Boyd Martin came to Bromont to prepare his very best horses for the biggest event in the world, the Burghley Horse Trials (England). He should leave feeling fairly confident, having taken the win in the CCI4*-S Saturday afternoon with his Tokyo Olympic mount Tsetserleg TSF on a final score of 52 points. He also took third with On Cue (56.1), and fifth with Commando 3 (59.3), as well as third in the CCI3*-S with Contessa (44.6).

America’s Phillip Dutton currently sits at no. 12 in the world on the FEI Eventing World Rankings list, is a veteran of seven Olympic Games and FEI World Equestrian Games (each), and is pretty darn happy that (good friend) and fellow Olympian Boyd Martin didn’t have a horse in the CCI4*-L at this year’s MARS Bromont CCI.

There’s just no way around it—America’s Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton lead four of the five divisions running at the MARS Bromont CCI following a spectacular day of cross-country. And they would probably lead the U25 CCI2*-L if they were just a bit…younger.