United States Eventing Association

The MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill is just a week away, and USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown sat down with USEA CEO Rob Burk and Frankie Thieriot Stutes to talk about their favorite Maryland moments to-date, what makes the venue so special, and what they are thinking of this year's lineup so far.

The MARS Maryland 5 Star entries have been revealed, and as of Oct. 2, 23 pairs will contest the featured division at the event, held Oct. 16-20 in Elkton, Maryland. Inaugural Maryland winner Boyd Martin will bring forward three horses; veteran five-star rides On Cue and Tsetserleg TSF, and five-star first-timer Commando 3.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the return of The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse Championships to both the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill and Twin Rivers Ranch. Each venue has renewed their contracts for two-year terms with an option for a third automatic renewal as mutually agreed upon.

Pierre Le Goupil, a former elite-level eventing athlete, turned decorated course designer in charge of designing the eventing course at this year’s Paris Olympics, has been appointed the new cross-country course designer for the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory, beginning in 2025.

While the third annual MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill proved to be quite the test for even some of the most seasoned horses and riders, Doug Payne’s Quantum Leap (Quite Capitol x Report To Sloopy) proved yet again that he was up for the challenge.

This year's MARS Maryland 5 Star was full of excitement from start-to-finish. Between the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships, the USEF CCI3*-L National Championship, and the five-star competition, eventing fans got to witness the sheer talent of these amazing event horses and their riders for four days straight. Check out some of our favorite images from throughout the long weekend in the gallery below.

It was a start to finish win in the 2023 USEF CCI3*-L National Championship for Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor (Connor 48 x Galwaybay Merstona), a 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Pamukcu, Sherrie Martin, and Luann McElduff. The pair had a fault-free weekend to finish on their dressage score of 25.4.

When Ireland’s Austin O’Connor earned a third-place podium finish at Badminton (England) this year with Colorado Blue, he jokingly said, “It won’t be long before there’s an Irish winner, and I hope you’re looking at him.”

In the USEF Eventing CCI3*-L National Championship, Caroline Pamukcu (Miami Beach, Fla.) and HSH Connor, a 2016 Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Pamukcu, Sherrie Martin, and Luann McElduff, continue to hold the lead after cross-country. The pair finished well under the optimum time to stay on their dressage score of 25.4, and are one step closer to securing the 2023 USEF CCI3*-L National Championship. Pamukcu, who has been riding in numerous divisions this week, also piloted HSH Tolan King, a 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Pamukcu, Sherrie Martin, and Derek Strine, to a clear cross-country round to stay in third on a 29.0.

The final horse inspection at the MARS Maryland 5 Star brought the final field for show jumping down from 16 to 14 this morning. Great Britain’s Piggy March withdrew Chloe and John Perry and Alison Swinburn’s 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Brookfield Cavalier Cruise (Cavalier Carnival x Ryans Cruise) in the hold box. The 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Campground (Forest Camp x Kneel), ridden by Erin Kanara and owned by Marnie Kelley, was not accepted by Ground Jury members Judy Hancock (GBR), Andrew Bennie (NZL), and Robert Stevenson (USA) upon reinspection.