United States Eventing Association

Wolfert Earns A Surreal CCI4*-L Victory at Morven Park International

Leesburg, Va.—Oct. 13—Julie Wolfert (Bucyrus, Kansas), the overnight leader in the Morven Park International CCI4*-L, was a ball of nerves as she waited for her turn to jump around Chris Barnard’s show jumping track with SSH Playboy.

“On a scale of one to 10, I was probably a 20,” said Wolfert with a laugh. “I normally do really well under pressure, but today I was like, ‘I don’t want to do it! I don’t want to go in there!' ”

Her partnership with the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Cit Cat x Stomeyford Black Pearl), whom Wolfert co-owns with Renee Senter and Sheri Gurske, has been rocky up until this point, but it all seemed to finally come together in yesterday’s cross-country phase as a teary-eyed Wolfert crossed the finish line holding onto the lead going into today’s final phase.

“My horse was actually a bit spooky,” she noted after her double-clear show jumping trip. “Normally, he’s pretty sharp in there, but today he was kind of backed off, and that sent me for a loop, and I just kind of blacked out. I just put my leg on, and we had half-strides everywhere. I was just like, ‘Jesus, take the wheel!’ And he pulled it off! I am so pleased with him. I messed up multiple places in there, and he just said, ‘I got this mom.’ I just love him for it.”

The pair crossed the finish timers adding no penalties to their dressage score of 34.5 to claim the win. This was both Wolfert and “Jaego’s” third outing at the level. Bringing home a win feels pretty surreal to the Midwestern-based professional.

“I needed this weekend! I had done two four-longs before this, but the last one was sketchy. After this weekend, I feel like my horse is a baller. He is ready," she said.

Being based full-time in the Midwest comes with its own challenges when pursuing five-star qualification, a goal that Wolfert has now met.

“Every day I am like, ‘Why am I doing this?' " she said of the struggles she faces traveling around the country to compete at the levels necessary to make her goal of a 2025 five-star debut possible. “It’s a struggle, but everybody has their own struggles, their own ups and downs with horses. In the Midwest, it’s a lot trickier—even just finding trainers is very difficult. I’m not financially able to drive 14 hours to have a lesson. I just don’t give up. That is my biggest thing.”

In an area where resources might feel slim, Wolfert has surrounded herself with a community that helps make the long days fighting to make these high-level dreams possible.

“I wouldn’t have this horse if I didn’t have the team behind me,” said a tearful Wolfert. “Renee Senter and Sheri Gurske, they saw me struggle, and they were like, ‘Hey, you’re a great rider, and we want to help you out.’ So we came together, and we built our partnership, and we went to Ireland where I bought this amazing horse. I would literally still be doing Beginner Novice without Jaego right now. I am very fortunate.”

While some people might encourage Wolfert to pack up and move to either coast to alleviate some of the stress she currently faces in the pursuit of her goals, she feels it is very important she remain in Kansas.

“There is a very big need for event trainers in the Midwest, in Kansas,” she continued between her tears. “I feel like if I leave, then there's nobody. I help run a recognized horse trial that is very much in need of help, and we're all volunteers, and it’s a nonprofit. If I leave, that could go away, and then eventing is going to be gone. I just love my students, and I want them to understand, that if they want to come out here and do this, l will go places with them. I'll drive across the country with them. Just because we live in the Midwest doesn't mean we can't do it.”

Finishing in second place was Lucienne Bellissimo riding Horse Scout Eventing’s 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Dyri (Diarado x La Calera). They posted a double-clear round today to finish out the weekend on a score of 35.5.

“I am so, so happy with him,” noted Bellissimo, who rides for Great Britain. “It's obviously the first time he's cracked on and gone a little bit quicker on cross-country at the four-star long level, so I wasn't too sure today. But he was still being sort of quick thinking and tried with his body, and honestly, it's just humbling how genuine he is. On a Sunday, he was trying 100%. I couldn't be happier.”

Bellissimo has been partnered with Dyri since 2021 and is hoping that 2025 might be the horse’s year to finally give the five-star level a go in Kentucky.

“Year on year, he's just got stronger,” she noted. “And although on paper, he is nearly 70% Thoroughbred, historically, he almost has felt more like a warmblood in as much as he just bottoms out a little bit quicker. But I think he's at a space now where I hope for 2025, maybe now we can have a crack at a five-star.”

She credits his sensitive nature for their patient approach to the upper-levels of the sport, but it would appear that their patience is paying off in the long run.

“He's so sensitive. He deserves the patience," she said. "But I think he's ready now because he helped me yesterday a couple of times. He knows he knows his job, and we're just going to go slow around his first five-star and we'll see what he wants to do.”

Allison Springer held onto third place aboard Nancy Winter’s 10-year-old Connemara cross mare No May Moon (Catherston Dazzler x Ebony Moon), adding just one rail to their score to finish on a 42.1.

Springer was ecstatic to have the ride on two of Winter’s homebreds at Morven Park today.

“Nancy Winter has a huge equestrian history in this country,” she noted. “Her family helped start the U.S. Equestrian Team, and she's just an amazing woman. It was super fun today, because ‘Maisie's’ full brother, Crystal Crescent Moon won the Preliminary after coming back from an injury.”

She enjoys the art of breeding and producing American-bred horses for the upper levels of the sport.

“I buy horses from Europe and stuff too, but you can totally breed them here,” said Springer. “It's the same thing with competing. It's so good to go to Europe and do that, and I wanted to go to Boekelo this year because I'm turning 50, and I wanted to have a fun trip. But I do feel like the silver lining of this all is that this cross-country yesterday probably was an even better boost for this mare’s future. She just impressed me so much and was extraordinary. We've got it here in this country—we have amazing venues. I think the horses can be bred here. It's not as generationally in our country, but there are some good horses. I'd be pretty thrilled if Tally, Maisie's brother, is back in full swing next year because I've always thought it'd be good to have these two.”

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