After the first horse inspection held yesterday, 45 of the 46 pairs presented to the judges will move forward with competition in the inaugural Maryland 5 Star CCI5*-L starting with the dressage phase today. In addition to the CCI5*-L, CCI3*-L competitors will also put on their dancing shoes as well as the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championship competitors.
Allison Springer and the 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Vandyke (Vancouver x Shannondale Willow) will be the first to kick off FEI competition at 8:03 a.m. in the CCI3*-L. A total of 25 three-star horses will do dressage today with the final CCI3*-L pair of the day, Elinor MacPhail O’Neal and Sally Cox’s 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding Zick Zack (Blue Hors Zack x Mercedes) entering the arena at 11:25 a.m. The remaining 25 CCI3*-L pairs will make their way down the centerline starting at 8:03 a.m. on Friday.
In the CCI5*-L22 pairs will come before the judges with Buck Davidson having the honor of being the first five-star rider to compete at the Maryland 5 Star aboard the 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding Carlevo (Caresino x Ramatuelle) owned by Katherine O’Brien. They will set the standard for the week’s five-star showdown at 1:03 p.m. Davidson will also close out the first day of CCI5*-L competition with Kathleen Cuca’s 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Jak My Style at 4:27 p.m. Starting at 1:03 p.m. on Friday the final 23 CCI5*-L entries will wrap up the dressage phase of the five-star competition.
The first of the YEH partnerships to go before the judges will be the Irish Sport Horse gelding Fernhill Domino (Sligo Candy Boy x Unbelievable Cappolla) owned by the Fernhill Domino Syndicate and ridden by Ryan Wood. They will start the 2021 YEH Championships with the dressage and conformation phase at 8:00 a.m. The pairs competing in the 4-year-old Championships will then go on to the jumping and galloping phase starting at 10:30 a.m. with owner/rider Carleigh Fedorka’s Thoroughbred gelding Resurgent (Sky Mesa x Galloping Aim) being the first to go. A victor will be crowned in the 4-year-old Championships at the end of the day today, who do you think it will be?
While the 4-year-olds will be crowned this afternoon, the YEH 5-year-old Championships will begin their weekend with dressage this afternoon, but will not finish out their competition until tomorrow. The first horse to be presented to the judges in the 5-year-old dressage and conformation phase will enter the arena at 8:00 a.m. That honor goes to Linda Hudson’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Cooley On A Quest (Ramiro B x Beyond Rubies) who will be ridden by Catherine Pournelle. The final rider to go today in the 5-year-old class will be Ivie Cullen-Dean riding her own Warmblood gelding Redfield Splash of Cream (Canabis Z x N.J.H. Van Der Meet) at 3:27 p.m. YEH Championship action will resume on Friday, with the jumping and galloping phase which kicks off at 8:00 a.m.
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The USEA is heartbroken to hear about the loss of James “Jimmy” C. Wofford. A lifelong lover and supporter of the sport, Wofford has had an astounding influence on where eventing is today and has tirelessly supported the goals of the United States Eventing Association. He served as president of the American Horse Show Association (now U.S. Equestrian (USEF)), was the first vice-president of the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET), and served as secretary of the USCTA (now USEA). He served two terms as a member of the FEI Eventing Committee, including two years as vice chairman. In addition, he has served on numerous committees during his career.
Experience the thrill of traditional long format three-day eventing by competing in a USEA Classic Series event in 2023! The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce that the 2023 Classic Series calendar is now available.
Amanda Walker wasn’t sure what she’d gotten herself into when she went to try Runaway Romeo as a potential sales project in 2018. The gelding was a bit bigger than Walker was looking for and was quite pushy coming out of the stall. When she got on, it didn’t get much better.
For seasoned and novice riders alike, it is always good to revisit the basics. Serving as the foundation for any eventer, the positions used on the cross-country course differ from those in the dressage or show jumping ring. The USEA tuned into five-time Olympian, three-time World Equestrian Games rider, two Pan-American Games rider, and USEA ECP certified coach Karen O'Connor as she walked coaches and students at the USEA ECP Symposium through the basic positions for effective cross-country riding.