Elkton, Md.—Oct. 18—After Saturday's CCI3*-L cross-country at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, Sharon White and Jaguars Duende ascended from 9th place after dressage to take the lead with a score of 29.6. Sara Schulman held steady in second place on Cooley Chromatic, finishing their cross-country round with a score of 30.6. Alexandra Knowles and P.S. I Love You made an impressive jump from 14th place to third, finishing with a score of 31.4.
“I couldn’t have asked 'Jag' to be better today,” said White. “It was really a special day for her, she is a very good competitor, and her mind is excellent. It is really nice to sit on a horse you know wants to go and fight for you and will think of nothing else but doing her job. The biggest thing I learned about Jag is that she is really as good as I think she is, which is really satisfying. It was a big test to come here knowing that Ian Stark’s courses are always intense, so it is very satisfying when a horse does it so easily.”
According to Equiratings, today’s three-star competition presented its most demanding challenge since it began running alongside the five-star event. Only 15% of riders—just 8 out of 53—managed to finish the cross-country phase within the optimum time, marking a sharp decline from previous years. In addition, the cross-country jumping clear rate proved to be the toughest yet, with only 53% of riders achieving a faultless round. This is a notable shift from the rates of 37% in 2021, 61% in 2022, and 68% in 2023.
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With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.