United States Eventing Association

The First #AEC2024 Champions Are Crowned in the Modified Divisions

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 29—Two Modified divisions were the first to crown their champions this morning at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds. Read on to learn more about our winners!

USEA Open Modified Championship

As one of the United States’ most decorated riders you’d expect Boyd Martin to have become accustomed to walking down that famous chute into the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, and to winning, but after clinching the top two spots in the Modified Championship at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds, he was adamant it never gets old. “No, not at all! I mean, it's actually bloody nerve wracking on young green horses,” he said. “You know, when we come here in Kentucky with the five-star horses they're usually seasoned veterans, and to walk down the tunnel on youngsters that have never seen anything like this, it's hard to know what to expect so it's very nerve wracking.”

Luckily both his horses rose to the occasion, jumping clear rounds inside the time and finishing on their dressage scores. Dr. Dean Richardson’s Cadiz 1 (GK Calucci x Sonnengirl BF) had the first phase advantage over his stablemate, Martin’s own Joey Fiddlesticks.

“I love riding both of them. They're both for sale, so it's going to be sad to see them go,” Martin mused. “I think Cadiz is a special horse for me because my good friend, Dean Richardson, who has helped me so many times over the last decades with his work and advice at the New Bolton Center, for him to breed a horse to win the American Eventing Championships and for me to ride it, it might not mean much to other people, but I think it's a special moment for me and Dean.”

Cadiz 1, bred by his owner, has impeccable jumping bloodlines being out of the same dam, Sonnengirl BF, as the late grand prix show jumper Chromatic BF, and Martin attests that he’s a pleasure to ride in all three phases. “He probably doesn't have enough blood to be a big time five-star horse, but saying that he gallops like the wind, and he's a good jumper, and he's beautiful on the flat. I love riding him because you can go to any show and win every class. I think after this performance, he's going to get snapped up by an ambitious amateur or a young rider that that wants to win the Young Rider Eventing Championships.”

Claiming the reserve championship title in this division was Martin’s own Joey Fiddlesticks (Soprano x Mystic Apparation) a horse he’s had for his entire career and indeed most of his life.

“Mary Hazzard bred Joey Fiddlesticks, and I bought him as a 1-year-old. I got him started, broke him in, and took him up the levels so it’s very rewarding on both horses, just because there's been many years of hard work with them.”

Martin is riding eight horses at the AEC this weekend, so can’t spare much time to chat but took a moment to express his appreciation for the competition and his gratitude to his team. “I think it's a wonderful event for America. For a lot of up and coming riders, amateurs, kids, this is their Olympics. And to have it at the Kentucky

Horse Park and to use features like the main stadium and the Head Of The Lake is an inspiring event for many people, and they have a goal that they can work towards. For my horses, I treat it as just another event. And for the upper-level horses, it's an event that's nice to win because there's a bit of prize money and a bit of prestige, but it's sort of a building event towards their full goals.”

Martin currently leads the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final but has several horses in the lower divisions too. “I have attention deficit disorder, so hanging around for five days to ride two horses—I did that once before, and I hated it so this time, I brought the Training, Modified, Prelim, and Intermediate as well!”

In contrast, John Michael Durr, who claims to be semi-retired from eventing, just bought one horse here this week, Cindy DePorter’s Ana D (by Waldord), but he made it count by rising steadily up the leaderboard to finish in third place To finish on the podium in this division is especially poignant for Ana D’s owner Durr explained, as DePorter and Mike Huber were instrumental in introducing the level.

“So it's always been Cindy's dream to have her horse go around the Modified, and earlier this year, we hatched a plan to move her up to Modified, get her qualified, and get here. It's been smooth sailing and just a really, really fun year, and really special and meaningful because she was a part of creating that level.”

Durr took over the ride earlier this year when DePorter’s trainer and Ana D’s regular rider Holly Hudspeth, who competed her at Training level, decided to take a step back from eventing. Durr has sat on her sporadically to school or compete her as he is based in Tryon, North Carolina, and Ana D is based with her owner in Southern Pines “Cindy's been doing the work and getting her ready and getting her fit for this, and then I just hopped on her here.”

At 19 years old Ana D is also going to take a step back from competing, or at least that’s what DePorter says, but Durr wonders if we haven’t seen the last of her yet. “Cindy will be taking lessons with Holly and look out! Cindy might make a comeback next year for the Novice AEC, or Beginner Novice which she won back in Tryon with the same mare. The mare really steps up for these AEC, because it's something that Cindy thinks is special, and gears her for, and she's just such a sweet mare to step up. And she's dead easy to ride, I mean, it feels like cheating riding her.”

The Modified Division has always been a dream for Deporter, but now Durr will admit he wasn’t originally on the same page. As a course designer, he thought the level was a waste of competition resources when many are already stretched thin, but after working with DePorter at Southern Eighths Horse Trials, his mind was changed.

“Now I think it's absolutely crucial,” he said. “I think it's really removed that huge leap from the Training level being the top of the lower levels and Prelim being the bottom of the upper levels. We’ve built a bridge that I think has led to much more success and a better picture when horses and riders get to Preliminary, and I think it's really made the sport safer overall.”

Durr is concentrating on his upper level jumping and insists he doesn’t have the time or the inclination to make an eventing comeback, “but I love eventing, and I have quite a few young horses so if any of them don't want to jump to top of the standards they'll be geared at this level. And then maybe they can go on to the Mia Farley’s of the world who are still young and brave and willing to run fast at solid objects!”

USEA Modified Rider Championship

Overnight leader Kasidy McMartin admitted to feeling nervous this morning, but she kept her cool in the heat and under pressure to deliver a clear round inside the time over Bobby Murphy’s track to clinch the 2024 USEA Modified Rider Championship on her own 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding Newtown Llewellyn (Landkoenig x Harriet).

“He's a really great show jumper so I knew that as long as I could get everything sorted in front of the jumps that he would take care of the rest,” she said. “For me, the triple combinations, when we've been riding around the Prelims have been a little challenging; the sea of rails in front of him can be a bit overwhelming, so I was really nervous about that being in the course today.”

The triple combination was the last fence on course and had already caused a few problems, but not for McMartin, “I balanced him and rode a little strong to the base, and he just got all his legs out of the way, and it was a really cool feeling going through the finish flags, knowing that he had kept all the rails up.”

And knowing she was now the 2024 Champion…“Yes, yes! It was pretty surreal! Yesterday I didn't really let it sink in, I was like, you know, I'm a champion today, but anything can happen tomorrow, and I know that all too well; I feel like that's the story of my life. For the last couple years, I've been right there, but something always happens, and so just to have all the pieces come together today was really amazing!”

McMartin is based locally in Lexington with Mia Farley and trains with her and David O’Connor, and Farley was on hand this morning to give McMartin advice before her crucial round. It was their first time in the Rolex Stadium since they competed in the Novice Division at the Hagyard Midsouth event a couple of years ago. “I tend to just pull, pull, pull, pull, until I see nothing so she was just like, ‘just let him go, and let him have a nice pace, and he'll figure out the rest.’ And he did; he really impressed me in the Rolex Arena. It’s been a long time since he's been ridden in there, and he was just all class.”

Their plan is to move up to the Preliminary level next, and they hope to do a CCI2*-L in the fall, but for now she’s enjoying the moment, and wanted to add, “A huge thanks to Mia Farley and the O'Connor's and my family and everybody who came out to support and all of the messages that I've got from everybody, everybody's so supportive. It’s a really a great feeling to have a big event in community, and everybody cheers one another on.”

Ruth Rosendaul started riding Christa Schmidt’s 12-year-old gelding Bonhunt Bertie (Wivollet Vanbeek x Eileens Pride) about a year ago and a week later had a bad fall from him. Today she drew on all the mental strength training she’s been working hard on this last year, and it paid dividends, allowing her to deliver a clear round inside the time to move up a place to second place.

“That's been the issue, just overcoming that and getting here,” she explained. “And being able to ride well and ride correctly and get a good outcome was something I never thought would ever happen.”

Rosendaul trains with and works for Hannah Sue Hollberg and credits her and her entire team with her comeback. “It wasn't the horse,” she elaborated. “It was always me, and they took me back down to the ground and said, ‘We're going to build you from here’, and then brought me all the way back into the top. And I feel the best I ever have. It’s a great feeling.

To be able to walk into this massive arena in a good place and be calm and cool and to go run around the cross-country and be able to focus on my riding. I’m not thinking ‘oh, I need to do this, I need to do this.’ I'm able to focus on what's happening underneath me and what's next.”

Personality-wise, Rosendaul describes Bonhunt Bertie as more of a pet. “He's the best,” she gushed. “He's just like a dog. He loves to be cuddled. You can just walk him around. He's quite sharp. He can sometimes throw his front legs up and kind of peek at things so occasionally I get a little nervous, but he's so careful, and he's so genuine. I mean, I would trust my grandparents to ride him all the time, like he's just so smart, and I really don't know how I got so lucky to be able to ride him and have the opportunity. I'm so grateful for him.”

Their plans for the future tentatively include a tilt at Tryon in November, but in the meantime Rosendaul has exciting plans to fly over to the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England on Saturday to support Hollberg along with head girl and fellow AEC competitor, Preliminary rider Katherine Maroco.

Jennifer Helgren and her own Del Rio (Riverman X Ranita), a 12-year-old gray Oldenburg gelding, had one rail which dropped them one spot down the order, but they finished on the podium in third place and were also on the winning ATC team.

Helgren has had Del Rio for about a three and a half years, “and he has turned out to be just a really good, solid guy.” They competed here in the same division last year and finished a little lower down the order. “We learned a lot; that was a huge educational experience. So yeah, we wanted to come back here, and after last year I still have a little score to settle, and we came close to it, but I'm still very happy with how he went. He was fabulous yesterday on cross-country.”

Based in Aiken, South Carolina, Helgren would like to move Del Rio up to Preliminary next, and they may also dabble in some pure dressage in the future. She competes as an amateur, combining her equestrian pursuits with owning and running Adams Horse Supply, which helped shape her decision to sponsor the Adult Team Challenge.

“There are so many amateur, junior, not professional, whatever you want to call it, riders, that event, and that that keep this sport going. And here and there you see there's stuff that benefits them, but it’s something we wanted to do when we took over the store,” she explained, adding that it’s still a new endeavor as they only bought Adams Horse Supply earlier this year. “I wanted to do something for that grassroots level of eventers because they need something to shoot for too,” she said. “This is the Olympics for a lot of us. I really hope we can continue to keep supporting it and maybe do more.”

Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships

The Sunshine In The Bluegrass team held their lead in the Adams Horse Supply USEA Modified Adult Team Championships on a score of 110.6 to win the title. The team is made up of Helgren, Cameron Dean, Kyla Warren, and Kristin Osley.

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About the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Starter to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of combinations from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held Aug. 27—Sept. 1 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsor: Bates Saddles, Horse & Country; Gold Level Sponsors: ARMA, Parker Equine Insurance, PulseVet, Schneiders Saddlery, Smartpak, Standlee; Silver Level Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Canter Culture Riding Apparel, Kerrits, The Jockey Club, Rood & Riddle; Bronze Level Sponsor: 70 Degrees, Athletux, The Chronicle of the Horse, D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, Dubarry of Ireland, Equestrian Team Apparel, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kraft Horse Walkers, Majyk Equipe, Retired Racehorses Project, Ride EquiSafe, Santa Cruz Animal Health; Contributing Level Sponsors: Cross Country App, Georgetown – Scott County Tourism, Lexmark, L.V. Harkness, #WeRideTogether; and Prize Level Sponsors: BEMER, Big Ass Fans, Boyd Martin Fan Shop, Ecogold, EquiFit, Equilab, FarmVet, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Horses 4 Your Consideration, I Love My Horse Eventing Boutique, Jack’s Favorites, Jane Heart Jewelry, Kentucky Equine Research, LeMieux, Mare Goods, Neighborly Tack, Outlaw Nutrition, Palmera Polo, Parkmore Supplements, Practical Horseman / Equine Network, Rachel Dory Equine Fine Art, Remond Minerals, Secretariat Center, Shapley’s, Sidelines Magazine, Strides for Equality Equestrians, and VTO Saddlery.

About the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships

The Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships, which debuted in 2014, is the capstone event for the USEA Area Adult Team Challenges, providing adults the chance to compete as a team and represent their Area of the country in a friendly and fun environment. Historically, adult riders had three regional Team Challenges in which to compete with fellow adults in a team environment, with the locations changing each year. In 2013, the USEA Adult Rider Coordinators voted to move to support Adult Team Challenges taking place in all 10 Areas across the country, with the finale being the ATC at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. Each Area can send up to eight teams from Beginner Novice through Preliminary level to the ATC. Adult Riders know how to have a good time, and there is no doubt that they bring an increased level of excitement and camaraderie to the AEC! Click here to learn more about the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Title Sponsor, Adams Horse Supply, and ARMA, The Chronicle of the Horse, Equilab, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kerrits, Nutrena Feeds, PulseVet, Ride iQ, Santa Cruz Animal Health, Schneiders Saddlery, Sidelines Magazine, and SmartPak for sponsoring the Adult Team Championships.