Upstage (Touching Wood x Golly D’Ore), Richard and Vita Thompson’s Thoroughbred gelding, passed away today at the age of 28.
Upstage and Karen O’Connor’s partnership began in 2000 after she catch-rode him to a third-place finish in the two-star at the Radnor Three-Day Event. The following spring, Upstage completed his first Advanced level horse trials at Red Hills with O’Connor in the irons. In his first year at the Advanced/three-star level, he finished seventh in the three-star at Foxhall and fifth at Fair Hill International.
In the spring of 2002, Upstage ran around the Kentucky Three-Day Event for the first time, finishing in 24thplace. Upstage and O’Connor competed in the Kentucky Three-Day Event another five times, completing the four-star event six consecutive times: sixth place in 2003, 12th place in 2004, seventh place in 2005, 12th place in 2006, and 15th place in 2007.
In 2006, Upstage and O’Connor competed individually for the United States in the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, finishing in 42ndplace.
Upstage retired from competition in 2008. To date, Upstage is ranked the 21st highest scoring horse of all time with 865 points. Richard and Vita Thompson and Karen O'Connor are all members of the USEA's Eventing Hall of Fame.
The USEA extends our condolences to the Thompson family, Karen O’Connor, and all of Upstage’s connections.
Your first horse trial will be one of the most exciting and yet nerve wracking moments in your equestrian career. There is so much to do, so much to learn, and it always feels like so little time. We recently polled USEA members and asked them to share one piece of advice that they would tell themselves if they could go back in time to the morning of their first ever horse trial. Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks shared.
The United States Eventing Association (USEA) Foundation serves as the administrator for numerous grants and scholarships, including the Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant. On the evening of Saturday, September 7, 2024, the USEA Foundation was made aware of allegations of equine abuse, which included links to videos which appear to show a recipient of a Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant striking a horse.
When 15-year-old Sophia Lieberman first laid eyes on her dapple gray mustang Bear Necessities three years ago in Alabama, she had no idea what the future might hold for them. Lieberman and her mother, Dr. Alison LaCarrubba, DVM, were on the hunt for a new project pony, and the 14-hand gelding seemed like he might be a good fit.
Rebecca Farm and the Broussard Family have been made aware of allegations of horse abuse regarding one of the 2023 Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant recipients.