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Forever Young in Brussels 30 Aug 2025, 10:22 pm

In show jumping, age is just a number. Equestrians are routinely the oldest athletes at the summer Olympics. Ian Millar’s record-setting 10 Olympics appearances (ages 25 to 65) may never be surpassed. At the 2024 Paris Games, Laura Kraut (58) became the oldest U.S. Olympic medalist since 1952.

But at the Stephex Masters, the French team of three U25 riders—plus one O60—flipped the script, winning the CSIO5* Henders & Hazel Nations Cup.

Their score of four faults was the lowest, as was their combined ages. 

Nina Mallevaey, 25; Jeanne Sadran, 24; Antoine Ermann, 24; and Roger Yves Bost, 59 years young, put in a powerful performance over the two round competition. The team sat in a tie for the lead on a perfect score of zero after round one.

Just one rail fell for the foursome in round two. The score of four was good enough to retain their lead and put them atop the podium.

Mallevaey, who is the world’s leading U25 rider and ranked world top-30 against the big guns, rode to one of two double-clear finishes for France on Dynastie de Beaufour. Ermann and Floyd des Pres delivered the other.

“I’m enjoying this period a lot,” Mallevaey reflected on her recent string of success leading up to the Nations Cup win. “I think I have amazing horses, and right now everything feels incredible. When Antoine was clear in the second round, we knew we had won. It was just an amazing feeling.”

Stephen Conter, who manages the Stephex Masters, was the one to give Mallevaey opportunities that she believes brought her to where she is now. The win in Brussels felt like a full-circle moment for her.

“My two clear rounds were for France and for Stephan, to whom I am forever grateful,” she continued. “At a time when I was looking for work, he gave me opportunities through his connections. Thanks to him, I am now competing at five-star level.”

As of August 2025, Mallevaey has racked up 61 international victories and 149 podiums. Ermann’s 68 wins and 156 podiums to date made him an easy pick for the team as well, though he sits lower in the world rankings than Mallevaey.

Sadran has 30 international wins to her name, fresh off the European Championships as she climbs the ranks as one of the top athletes in the world. She’s currently sixth in the U25 rankings, with Ermann just behind in seventh.

“During the Europeans I already felt more confident, and now I’m so happy to win here,” she shared. “It’s my first Senior Nations Cup victory. Last year was my first Nations Cup, and now my first win. This arena feels like something lucky for me.”

French chef d’equipe Edouard Couperie was confident in his picks, despite their youthful ages.

“It’s amazing in our sport that such young people can be so strong and push the old ones out,” he shared. “For me, it was not difficult to make a team here with three under-25 superstars. They are really, really good. Honestly, it’s not a surprise.”

Belgium finished second, adding additional young riders to the podium in Thibeau Spits (24) and Gilles Thomas (27). Switzerland finished third after a perfect performance in round one.

The more seasoned riders may feel the pressure of the next generation creeping in, but the Sadran says its motivating all around. 

“I have the feeling the older riders are still happy for us young ones,” Sadran said. “I really appreciate this experience with all of them. Simon Delestre was here this afternoon to help Antoine and me. But of course we continue to fight to push the old ones out of the game.”

The post Forever Young in Brussels appeared first on Horse Network.

Professional Rider Ki-Juan Minors Arrested For Sexual Assault 30 Aug 2025, 4:10 pm

Wellington-based professional hunter/jumper rider Ki-Juan Minors has been arrested and charged with sexual battery by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest follows an investigation into events that took place in the early hours of March 17 at a John Doe’s home in Wellington, Florida. 

According to the police report, Minors and the plaintiff John Doe were part of a group of five friends who took an Uber to Club Space in Miami on March 16. John Doe alleges that at some point during their time at the club, Minors bought the group a round of clear-colored shots. When John Doe attempted to take one, Minors told him “no” and handed him a different shot, which was yellow in color. At the time, John Doe said he believed it was whiskey.

After consuming that shot and few additional drinks, John Doe says he “lost consciousness.” As the night progressed, members of the group departed, leaving John Doe with Minors and one other friend.

The group ordered an Uber back to Wellington and John Doe’s house, after which point, John Doe said, he could not recall the events of the evening. He did not remember arriving at his home, or getting into his bed.

According to his statement, John Doe said he awoke early in the morning on March 17 to find Minors sexually assaulting him. John Doe said he pushed Minors off of him, but was unsure if he was still “unconscious” or in shock at that point. John Doe, who said he was “a little tipsy” at the time, drove Minors back to his own apartment complex, later confronting him in a series of text and Snapchat messages in which Minors is said to admit and apologize for his actions.

John Doe eventually disclosed the assault to his girlfriend. She was also interviewed by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Screenshots of John Doe’s text and Snapchat exchanges were also provided as evidence.

Minors is a married professional rider and musician who competes internationally in show jumping for his native Bermuda, including at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Bogotá in 2018. He recently competed in the CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix and in various hunter divisions at the World Equestrian Center Ocala in July. Minors sang the national anthem to open the LGCT Grand Prix of Miami Beach in 2024.

According to CBS 12 West Palm Beach news, Minors is currently being held on a $20,000 bond. We will continue to update this story as more details become available.

If you have a reasonable suspicion of sexual misconduct, make a report electronically to the U.S. Center for SafeSport or call (720) 531-0340.

For more information on sexual abuse in horse sport, visit WeRideTogether.today. Need to talk? The specialized counselors at Athlete Helpline provide crisis intervention, emotional support, connection to resources and reporting guidance Monday through Friday, 12pm to 8pm Pacific Time. Call or text 1-888-279-1026.

The post Professional Rider Ki-Juan Minors Arrested For Sexual Assault appeared first on Horse Network.

Kent Farrington’s Leading Ladies 29 Aug 2025, 2:45 pm

If there’s one thing to know about Kent Farrington, it’s that he can play the long game. 

The reigning World No. 1 and U.S. Olympic team silver medalist certainly has the horse power to chase ranking points from coast to coast, as well as across the pond. But it’s clear Farrington gears his program toward not only the top performers on his string, but his supporting cast, which needs miles and confidence-building events to help them one day step into the limelight as well.

“I think I’m very lucky, I have a couple incredible horses that have been a long time in the making—I’ve had them since they were young—and now [they’re] really coming of age,” Farrington said after his win with Greya in the Lugano CSI5* Grand Prix this winter in WEF. “I’m very proud they’re showing what they can do.”

What’s more, these leading ladies of Farrington’s string have the accolades and the numbers to back them. Here’s a look at our top five…

Greya: The ‘Modern Show Jumper’

Two years ago, when we wrote about Farrington’s blossoming string, Greya was barely a blip on the radar. Not so any more. At just 11 years of age, the OS mare has the most 5* Grand Prix wins so far this year (four) of any horse jumping according to Jumpr Stats, and has earned more than €534,000 in prize money. 

In her eight total rounds at 1.60m+, Greya jumps clear 75% of the time, and has finished on the podium in half the classes she’s competed. “In these bigger arenas, [Greya’s] foot speed is so high across the middle where there’s a sprint to the next fence, and that’s where she makes up a lot of ground, which makes her very hard to catch,” said Farrington, who has been campaigning the mare internationally for the last four years.

“She’s ultra-careful, so you can run at the jumps at speed and she’s an incredible competitor—a great modern show jumper.” 

And while we’ve theorized before about other heir-apparents to Farrington’s mare Gazelle—the winningest 5* Grand Prix horse of all time—it’s clear Greya is determined to have a say of her own.

The 2024 winner of the CSIO5* Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule and the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier in Traverse City (pictured) currently sits in 14^th place on that same, ‘all-time greats’ list that Gazelle tops. But Greya? She’s just getting started.

Toulayna: The Gamble That Paid Off

For the last three seasons, Toulayna has been one of the most talented and reliable performers on Farrington’s string. Once upon a time, though, she was a slightly risky proposition.

Farrington initially bought the mare from Ludo Philippaerts without ever sitting on her, and he says she struggled a bit settling into a new system when she first arrived in America. By her 9-year-old season, however, Toulayna had hit her stride, and she hasn’t slowed down since. 

The now 11-year-old Zangersheide has finished on more than 20 podiums at 1.50m and higher, earning more than €1.2 million in total prize money.

She’s also taken home at least one Grand Prix a year since 2023—including the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping qualifier in Thermal, California (pictured) this winter. What’s more, Toulayna was part of the winning American squad at the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen in July. This season, alone, she’s finished on multiple 5* podiums, including at LGCT St. Tropez in June and MLSJ Toronto in August.

That’s all thanks, in part, to her consistency—jumping 21 rounds at 1.60m+ at a 52% clip. But she’s also fast, finishing in the top-10 68% of the time at the same height. 

Orafina: The Comeback Queen

Orafina joined Team KPF in the winter of 2021, and immediately impressed Farrington with her sharpness and ability. In 2022, the pair was on fire, winning four Grands Prix, including their first 5* 1.60m Grand Prix in at Tbird. Orafina spent much of 2024 on the sidelines, however, following an injury. 

“Orafina is a fantastic horse—razor-sharp and unbelievably careful. She is one of the most careful horses I’ve ever ridden, and she is incredibly fast as well,” Farrington said after the 13-year-old KWPN made a triumphant return this winter, taking home both the qualifier and the 4* Grand Prix during the same week at the World Equestrian Center Ocala. “I’ve very happy she’s back in great form.” 

In terms of career Jumpr Stats, Orafina is in similar lock-step with fellow work-horse, Toulayna, finishing 15 rounds at 1.60m+ at a 53% clear rate, and landing in the top 10 67% of the time. 

Myla: The Prodigy

“[Myla’s] natural foot speed across the ground is incredibly fast, which is a big advantage in a small arena,” Farrington said of Myla after their win in the BFL 5* Grand Prix qualifier at MLSJ Toronto this August. “Running is our normal speed—so for me—I don’t really worry about the time allowed. If I do my normal tempo, it’s usually going to be good enough.”

That foot-speed has already helped to propel the prodigy mare to her first 4* Grand Prix win in Opglabbeek, Belgium in 2024—not to mention three, 1.60m 5* podiums at venues including MLSJ Greenwich, LGCT Paris, and to a win in CHIO Aachen’s Turkish Airlines Prize of Europe this summer.

In 19 rounds at 1.50m, Mila is clear at 63%, finishing in the top 10 58% of the time. (Jumpr). 

“She’s just 10 years old, which on the trajectory of an international horse is on the front side of their career. She’s already had some top results and great wins,” Farrington added in Toronto. “She’s been a big contributor to me getting back to world number-one.”

Grass De Mars: The Future Hopeful

Grass De Mars joined Farrington’s string a year ago, and while her young age dictates she’s still very much in the early stages of a top-level career, there’s a lot to like about the 9-year-old Selle Français mare—not the least of which is her dynamite hind-end over the jumps.

Grass De Mars currently jumps clear at 36% in 11 international rounds at 1.50m, and this summer, she and Farrington earned their first 3* 1.50m Grand Prix win in Saugerties, NY—the second of two 1.50m victories in the same week. “She’s been a winner right from the beginning,” Farrington said. 

“She was winning classes when she was eight and she’s just nine this year. She already jumped some 1.60m rounds, and I don’t know how many international classes she’s won, but a good share of them have been at the five-star level, so very proud of the horse and happy with the progress.”

As another mare that came up the ranks with the Philippaerts family before graduating to Farrington’s string, it’s clear Grass De Mars already has a knack for the Team KPF’s favorite pastime: climbing podiums. 

The post Kent Farrington’s Leading Ladies appeared first on Horse Network.

It’s a One Horse Race for Highest Earner of 2025 28 Aug 2025, 3:04 pm

Eight months into 2025, there have been no shortage of sporting highs in show jumping.

Richie Vogel and United Touch took their first individual title at a European championship. Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei are back in the Rolex Live Contender driver’s seat. Kent Farrington is averaging over a GP win a month.

But there’s one horse that’s raking in more green than any the other this year.

He hasn’t won the most Grand Prix titles in 2025. (That honor goes to Donatello D’Auge with 5). Nor jumped to the most five-star podium finishes (That’s For Gold, 9). But he is trending on the one metric that arguably counts the most (at least for the people paying the bills): Prize money won.

Cayman Jolly Jumper is the only horse to have earned over the million dollar mark to date in 2025.

With $1,330,539 in earnings this year (Jumpr stats), the 13-year-old Selle Français has lined Simon Delestre’s pockets with nearly twice as much prize money as his nearest competitor, Scott Brash piloted Hello Chadora Lady, at $783,098.

Bringing in the bulk of that payday are their the Rolex Grand Prix at ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Grand Prix Hermes in Paris in March. In July, they also captured the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Monaco. All five-star Grands Prix. All set at the 1.60m height.

More impressive still, Delestre and Cayman Jolly Jumper have only made 15 international starts this year and have only once competed in two FEI events in the same month (March), which was followed immediately by two months out of the show ring.

But when they do show up, they show up to win. Of those 15 starts, 11 are at the 1.60m height where they jump clear at a 64% clip and into the top 10 73% of the time (Jumpr stats).

It’s a winning combination. And a lucrative one, too.

The post It’s a One Horse Race for Highest Earner of 2025 appeared first on Horse Network.

Record Entries Jump for Healthy Sport in #WeRideTogether Open Classics at tbird 26 Aug 2025, 10:52 pm

The stats on sexual abuse in sport are alarming.

More than 50% of all athletes will experience abuse in sports. Thirteen to 15 years old is the average age at which an athlete will first experience a verbal, physical, or sexual abuse incident. And over 90% of child sexual abuse survivors know their perpetrator already.

But here’s another figure worth noting… 117 horse and rider pairs came forward to compete in the third annual #WeRideTogether Open Classics at Thunderbird Show Park last month.

The fundraising class saw record entries jump for healthy sport and $7,500 in prize money in the Pacific Park Arena at the Summer Fort Classic. A total of 68 horse and rider combinations contested the .9/1.0m height of the #WeRideTogether Open Classic. Another 49 jumped the 1.10/1.15m height. Together, the two classes raised over $17,000 to support the 501c3’s mission to end sexual abuse in all sports, at every level.

“We are thrilled to return to tbird for our third annual #WeRideTogether fundraising event. This year, our intention was to make our fundraising effort even more accessible to junior and amateur riders by creating a $2,500 0.9/1.0 Classic and a $5,000 1.10/1.15 Classic,” said #WeRideTogether executive director Michaela Callie.

“Each year, this event brings together a powerful community of equestrians who share our vision of safer, healthier sports for all. We are deeply grateful to tbird for our continued partnership and for the outpouring of support we received from parents, athletes, and trainers.”

In keeping with #WeRideTogether’s community-focused commitment to safe and healthy sport, competitors earned additional prizes generously donated by partner sponsors Amelia Newcomb Dressage, Greenhawk Langley, FarmVet, Dreamers & Schemers, ManeJane, The TackHack, Charles Owen, The Gilded Paddock, and Pinsnickety. #WeRideTogether’s on-the-ground team also handed out over 130 goodie bags featuring the Athlete Help Line number, safeguarding information, and educational materials.

Since 2021, #WeRideTogether has spearheaded the charge to educate parents, coaches, athletes, and sporting organizations on safeguarding and abuse prevention best practices.

Yes, the stats on sexual abuse in sports are alarming. But there are 117 reasons to believe the culture is shifting—and having fun while doing it.

Want to bring a #WeRideTogether event to your next horse show, regatta, swim meet, soccer game, or other event? Reach out at info@weridetogether.today!

The post Record Entries Jump for Healthy Sport in #WeRideTogether Open Classics at tbird appeared first on Horse Network.

Maiden Five-Star GP Win for Corbie, Hat Trick for Bluman 26 Aug 2025, 6:38 pm

Daniel Bluman’s road to first five-star Grand Prix win with rising star Corbie V.V. has seen a few detours en route.

“I think her percentage rate of clear rounds in five-stars is arguably one of the best in the world, but my percentage of failures in the jump-offs is probably also one of the biggest in the world,” admitted Bluman.

In 11 starts at 1.60m, the 10-year-old Zangersheide mare has an impressive 64% clear rate (Jumpr stats). They’ve landed on the podium three times in seven five-star GP jump offs, but never on the top step.

Until Saturday.

Under the lights at Major League Show Jumping (MLJS) Toronto, Bluman and the Cornet Obolensky x Chacco Blue mare made good on the promise. The pair bested an 8-horse jump-off designed by Olaf Peterson, Jr. (GER), crossing the timers one tenth of a second faster than Kent Farrington and Toulayna.

That last detail made the win all the sweeter.

Not only is Farrington the reigning world number one, he’s twice blocked Bluman’s podium ascent with Corbie—and by tenths of a second. They were second to the American Olympian and Myla in Aachen in July, crossing the timers three tenths of a second slower. Farrington also pushed them down the podium to third in MLSJ Tryon last October.

“Tonight is an important night for me because it’s Corbie’s first five-star win, and I really believe in that horse,” said Bluman of the 10-year-old Zangersheide’s maiden-breaking five-star win.

“To have Kent sitting on my right this time and not on my left is huge. I have obviously tremendous respect for who he is and what he does, and this win means just that much more because he’s sitting right there.”

If there was a spot for the stars to align, Toronto was the safe bet. Bluman won the MLSJ Toronto GP in 2021 with Ubiluc and again in 2022 with Gemma. On Saturday, he completed the hat trick with Corbie.

“Hopefully this is only the first.”

MLSJ next heads to CSI Greenwich for Leg 3 from September 26-28.

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Shopping For a “Special” Jumping Horse? Here’s Where to Start 25 Aug 2025, 2:01 pm

There are a million ways to procrastinate your weekly to-do list. But chances are you, like us, probably spend at least a little of that time looking at horse-for-sale videos.

Maybe you’re doom-scrolling top farms and trainers on Instagram or clicking through the Facebook classified groups. Maybe you’re falling down the European auction video rabbit-hole. Whatever your preferred poison, it’s an easy way to kill time, whether you’re seriously shopping any time soon or not. 

And—shotty quality and questionable Europop music choices aside—sales videos can actually tell you a lot about a potential prospect. After all, for every Greya, Checker 47, Leone Jei, or Hello Chadora Lady, there was probably a grainy, indoor free-jumping video of that very same youngster, forecasting tales of its future greatness. 

That is, if you know what you’re looking for. 

We caught up with Dr. Tim Worden, a sports scientist who has worked with numerous FEI-level show jumping riders, to unlock some of the hidden signs of show jumping potential. 

“Scouting horses is about elimination—when you have a clear set of standards and requirements, it becomes easier to focus on the horses that will fit in your system,” he says.

“Having criteria related to body morphology, competition progression, breeding, upbringing, training foundation, and so on, is critical for effectively narrowing your search for the next superstar. Once you have eliminated those horses who fall outside of your criteria, it is then time to study [the] film.”

Body Awareness

According to Worden, young sport horses are not unlike young human athletes, in that having movement literacy (the ability to perform a wide range of movements under varying constraints) is a telling first indicator. 

“When you watch young horses, you want to see that they are deliberate in their movements with excellent bodily awareness. If a horse is approaching a jump and methodically building force (i.e. progressively driving the hooves more and more into the ground), you want to see an outcome that is congruent with the strategy the horse applied. In other words, a powerful jump,” Worden says. 

“Today’s courses are so technical. A horse needs a diverse set of skills to consistently jump clear.”

Mechanics 

Whether clearing the towering tracks of sprawling grass Grand Prix fields such as Spruce Meadows or acing the delicate materials, tricky lines, and ‘scope tests’ of smaller rings at venues such as the Longines Global Champions Tour, the questions for today’s sport horses are diverse, complicated, and unrelenting. 

One trait that’s consistently needed to answer all these questions, according to Worden?  Proper mechanics. “You [want] to see horses that carry themselves well [and] have good mechanics through the whole canter/gallop stride,” he says. 

More specifically, Worden continues, this means a horse who knows to push off from the ground at the right times during the stride cycle, has a strong core that ensures the proper transfer of energy, and maintains a relatively even push from both its left and right sides. These skills sets can be improved to an extent through proper training, he says. But, generally speaking, “special horses are born with these skills.” 

Speed

Another thing to look for when you’re hunting for a future podium-topper, according to Worden is, of course, speed. “Ultimately, when you are talking about superstar jumping horses, speed is at the top of the pyramid for criteria.”

By that, Worden means you want to look for horses that cover the ground well, have good movement mechanics at speed (they need to maintain a strong, balanced posture and a stride that does not become too open), be able to create abridged strides at the base of jumps, and be able to accelerate/decelerate quickly. 

For the sports scientist, watching film and seeing horses that display these qualities is one of the most exciting indicators of a future star. 

“When you break down a 5* Grand Prix, jumping will account for approximately 10% or 13% of the strides on course,” he explains. “The rest will be turning (somewhere in the range of 60%), accelerating, decelerating, some constant velocity strides, etc. 

“A horse that can execute each stride 2% or 3% faster than its competitors will be at a huge advantage when it reaches the finish timers—whether making the time allowed, or trying to win a jump-off.”

Power

While a degree of natural ability is always part of the package with future five-star horses, elite talent isn’t always readily apparent. While many of us have seen those extreme, over-jumping photos of horses soaring above the free-jump standards, Worden stresses that each horse is different, as is the way they approach jumps as a young horse.  

“It’s difficult to forecast the ceiling for young horses. The mechanics, strength, speed, coordination, work capacity, and flexibility needed to jump 1.30m or 1.40m successfully are very different from what is required to jump a 1.60m track,” Worden explains. 

“You never truly know how a horse will respond until you do it. That is why people tend to be attracted to horses that show massive power and over-jump when young. To an extent, this displays that the horse’s body can already tolerate bigger jumps. However, horses with the strategy to clear lower heights by huge margins can ‘mask’ their ability to accurately read jump dimensions, since they need to be less precise if they are playing with a 30 cm margin of error. 

“Once you reach the 5* level, it is not physically possible to clear every jump by a foot; course designers build very technical lines and combinations that will need more nuanced strategies to solve.

“Conversely, the harder ‘special’ horses to spot are those that jump very efficiently as young horses. It takes longer to identify these ones, because they will not show you their power consistently until later in their development.”

What’s more, Worden says it is important to consider how jump technique is evolving in the sport. “With higher velocities around the course, especially in jump-offs, you need to identify horses that are comfortable taking off farther away from the jump,” he explains.

“Flight paths over jumps and the horse’s rotation are flatter today than they were 20 or 30 years ago, because a steeper flight path and more rotation kill horizontal velocity on course. Thus, a horse needs to be more precise with perceiving jump dimensions to ensure they do not have a rail.”

Technique

There’s yet one more variable that can make predicting future ability challenging: Accounting for differences in technique. While quality in a textbook-style jumper like, say, Clooney 51 or United Touch S is easy to spot, a one-off talent like Emanuele Gaudino’s 1.60m stallion, Chalou, with his famous “superman” technique, can feel like a far bigger question mark.  

“I am always hesitant to say technique is good or bad,” Worden says. “Technique is individual and depends on anatomy, strengths/weaknesses, training, past experiences, etc. 

“There is a spectrum, and different athletes will employ different strategies based on the tools available to them. There have been many special horses with peculiarities in their style, and these unique strategies can make an athlete better suited for certain events than their competitors.” 

Dr. Tim Worden is a scientist specializing in applying high performance sports training concepts to horses. He completed his MSc (Biomechanics and Neuroscience) and PhD (Biomechanics) at the University of Guelph, Canada, and he has worked with a number of FEI jumping riders over the years. Instagram: @twordentraining

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Secretariat’s Hall-of-Fame jockey, Ron Turcotte, Passes Away at 84 24 Aug 2025, 10:23 am

It is inarguably the most iconic image in the history of Thoroughbred racing.

On June 9, 1973 at New York’s Belmont Park, a young man wearing the royal blue-and-white checkered silks of Penny Chenery’s Meadow Farm glances over his left shoulder to locate his rivals in the Belmont Stakes (G1), the third and final leg of America’s Thoroughbred Triple Crown. He’s sees something that had never been seen in racing before or since: His horse, Secretariat, wearing a face mask in those identical Meadow Farm colors, leaving four of the best 3-year-olds in racing that year 31 lengths—253 feet, nearly the length of an American football field—behind on his way to a time-and-distance shattering record for that race.

While Secretariat’s 2:24.0 record time in that 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes still stands, along with his record times in that year’s G1 Kentucky Derby (1:59.40) and G1 Preakness Stakes (1:53.0), that young man, Ron Turcotte, has passed away at age 84.

Turcotte’s passing of natural causes at his home in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada was confirmed Friday by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. A statement released read in part:

“Ron was a legendary rider and also an inspiration for all he achieved and overcame during his incredible life. As an ambassador for both the sport and the legacy of the great Secretariat, Ron made countless people into fans of racing through his kindness and the time he gave to all, whether telling stories about Big Red, signing autographs, or posing for pictures. He was a fierce competitor on the track and a gentleman off of it. He will forever be remembered as one of the greats.”

Turcotte was the recipient of many honors. A member of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, Turcotte is a member of the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame and the New York Sports Hall of Fame. He received the George Woolf Memorial (Jockey) Award and Sovereign Award, the Canadian equivalent of America’s Eclipse (Jockey) Award. French Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1973, Turcotte was also the first person in Thoroughbred racing appointed to membership in the Order of Canada.

While noted primarily for his relationship with Secretariat, Turcotte had a long and notable riding career. Having spent most of that career in the U.S., Turcotte was Canadian, born in 1941 in Drummond, New Brunswick. While he would come to fame riding America’s most famous horse, his riding career began with him guiding Canada’s most famous horse: Northern Dancer, in a winning ride at Fort Erie in 1963 while still an apprentice jockey.

Turcotte began riding in New York the following year and gained a reputation as one of the finest young jockeys in America. He would win his first Triple Crown race in 1965 aboard Tom Rolfe, the leading colt and sire of his generation and U.S. Champion 3-Year-Old that year.

That success caught the eye of trainer, Lucien Laurin, with whom Turcotte developed a relationship that would lead to his first opportunity on a Meadow Farm, Virginia-bred, Claiborne Farm, Kentucky-owned horse—but not Secretariat, the most famous son of Bold Ruler (out of Somethingroyal by Prince Quillo). Rather it was owner Penny Chenery’s beloved Riva Ridge. Sometimes forgotten because of his more famous successor, Riva Ridge won the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with Turcotte aboard, finishing fourth in that year’s Preakness Stakes.

His successes with Riva Ridge and Secretariat aside, Turcotte won 3,032 races over his 18-year riding career and led all riders in stakes wins in 1972 and 1973. American Triple Crown wins aside, other notable wins came in G1s the Kentucky Oaks, the Alabama, the Santa Anita “Big Cap” Handicap, the Wood Memorial and the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

That riding career came to a tragic end July 13, 1978 when Turcotte was involved a fall aboard filly Flag of Leyte Gulf at the same Belmont Park which was the scene of his greatest success. The accident left Turcotte paraplegic.

While left in a wheelchair until his passing, the accident did not end Turcotte’s association with Thoroughbred racing. He became a constant presence at signature races, signing autographs and regaling fans of his exploits aboard Riva Ridge and “Big Red” Secretariat, as well as acting as a prominent spokesperson for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF).

Resettled in Grand Falls, New Brunswick following his accident, that town erected a life-size statue in 2015 of him aboard Secretariat.

“I’ve been the recipient of many honors. To have my own town honor me in this way is very special,” said Turcotte at the time. “It is very touching.”

Turcotte’s passing was preceded by that of Secretariat (1970-89), owner Penny Chenery (1922-2017), trainer Lucien Laurin (1912-2000), groom Eddie Sweat (1939-98) and journalist William “Bill” Nack (1941-2018), the latter of whom wrote what many consider to be the finest single piece of writing about Thoroughbred racing, “Pure Heart,” penned for the June 4, 1990 issue of Sports Illustrated.

Turcotte will be remembered as one of the finest jockeys in Canadian racing history as well as one of America’s finest jockeys and a beloved ambassador of the sport until the time of his passing.

The post Secretariat’s Hall-of-Fame jockey, Ron Turcotte, Passes Away at 84 appeared first on Horse Network.

3 Tips for Establishing a Steady Contact 21 Aug 2025, 3:04 pm

A steady contact is crucial for establishing roundness in a horse. It allows for effective communication between horse and rider and encourages the horse to engage its core and back muscles, which ultimately leads to a more balanced frame. Here, dressage coach Amelia Newcomb explains three simple steps to establish a steady contact. Analyze your contact and connection in 30 seconds with Amelia’s Contact and Connection Quiz!

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Is your horse inconsistent? Do you feel like your hands are all over the place? Do you have trouble turning and steering, and you can’t get your horse round no matter how hard you try?

One of the most common struggles I see riders having with their horses is that they can’t maintain a steady contact.

That’s important because a steady, elastic contact with the horse’s mouth is the foundation for all communication between rider and horse. 

When you don’t have this elastic feel, you either are gripping on your reins and your horse can’t feel any difference in pressure when you wiggle your fingers and flex your wrist for subtle aids. Or you have big loops in your reins with no feel of the bit, and your horse still can’t feel your subtle finger movements. In both these cases you end up resorting to widening your hands, pulling with your elbows, or your hands ‘going rouge’ all over the place. 

With a steady, elastic contact, your horse can HEAR your aids better, making it easier to control and maneuver them with ease, and develop the muscles required to use their body properly and establish roundness.

Here are my top three tips for creating the steady, elastic contact:

Step 1: Forward with Rhythm

Before you even think about establishing a steady contact, it’s super important to get your horse forward and in front of your leg. If you feel safe, it’s best if you can work on this with a soft contact or looser rein. 

Work on getting a nice active gait by counting the rhythm, focusing on your seat staying in balance with the rhythm, and maintaining your alignment: ear, shoulder, hip, and heel. Your horse should maintain the forward rhythm without you having to constantly remind them to keep going with your leg or pulling back/half-halting with the reins.

Step 2: Shorten the Reins

Once your horse is forward, you can now start shortening the reins. Check-in with your forward before you shorten the reins—remember, the correct sequence of the aids is leg, seat, and then hands. Before you do anything with your reins, you should first use your leg. Ask for a little more tempo, then begin shortening your reins gently until you have a soft feel on the corners of your horse’s mouth.

Step 3: Following Elbows

As you’re riding, make sure you have a straight line elbow to mouth, and your elbows are following the motion of your horse’s gait. At the walk and the canter, the horse has a nod in their head. Your elbows must follow this nodding motion in order to establish a steady contact and not hit the horse in the mouth.

Now that you have steady contact, you can get your horse inside leg to outside rein and on the bit! 

Simple—but not always easy to put into practice. Each horse is a little different, which is why, for a limited time, I am offering my Contact and Connection Webinar & Worksheet Combo available for free download. In less than 30 minutes you will learn how to assess your horse’s frame and contact, and understand how you can ride with balance and harmony! 

For one-on-one advice, sign up for our next 30 Days to Round Challenge, coming September 1!

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When Is “Quirky” Behavior a Personality Trait vs a Stress Reaction in a Horse? 20 Aug 2025, 6:29 am

Earlier this month, we posted a photo on social media following Laura Kraut and the 11-year-old Zangersheide mare Bisquetta’s victory in the Rolex Grand Prix of Dublin.

Second-last to go on course designer Alan Wade’s challenging, 1.60m grass track, Kraut and Bisquetta were the only clear of the day on a course that saw more than a dozen horses retire. But it was Kraut’s post-class quote, shared along with a photo, we posted on Facebook that garnered the most attention. 

In the post, Kraut describes Bisquetta as being “terrified of other horses” specifically when they “swish their tails.” She notes that, while Bisquetta is “very sweet” and does her job in the ring, she “just doesn’t like people around her, doesn’t like other horses.” 

More than 445 people weighed-in in the comments section about Kraut’s sentiments and the accompanying photo.

For the purposes of this story, we wanted to delve into Kraut’s comments, and reached out to our go-to expert, equine behavior specialist Renate Larssen, for insight. Larssen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and a Master of Science degree in Ethology (the study of animal behavior) from Linköping University in Sweden. She’s currently working on her PhD. 

HN: It’s hard to determine from Kraut’s comments in what context she’s talking about Bisquetta’s “quirks” as they relate to her feelings about other horses: whether this is in all cases, in the warm-up ring, in the field, when she encounters them in the barn aisle, etc. Taking that aside, if we assume that horses, like people, are individuals, with individual preferences and traits, how do we, as their caretakers, determine what’s a preference/character trait, and what’s a stress reaction? 

RL:  How we talk about behavior is important. The reason behavior matters to us is because it tells us something about the emotional experience of the animal. The danger with using anthropomorphizing words such as “quirky” to describe behavior is that these words don’t tell us anything about the meaning of the behavior, i.e. the horse’s experience in the moment. When we see behaviors that indicate that a horse is having a negative experience, such as escape and avoidance behaviors, we need to take them seriously regardless of the personality of the horse.

I think it’s worth briefly defining the three components personality, preference and stress here. Personality designates behavioral responses that are consistent over time. Preference is what an animal likes or dislikes. Stress is a physiological response to any situation that requires some type of action on the part of the animal, and which has an emotional component. 

These three components interact in complex ways to create behavioral responses to specific situations. Preferences determine whether a horse will find a particular situation pleasant or unpleasant—unpleasant situations cause stress and negative emotions, and personality traits determine how the horse responds to these negative emotions. I am simplifying this for clarity, but it is important to remember that, in reality, behavior is very complex and influenced by many additional internal and external factors.

HN: One recurring sentiment in the comments of this post is that horses are herd animals, and that if Bisquetta “doesn’t like other horses,” she’s not behaving normally, and is therefore under stress. I’m curious as to your thoughts on that, and also the nature of horse social behavior. If Kraut was talking about a specific situation like a warm-up ring, is it reasonable to assume there is a difference between how a horse reacts to strange/unknown horses in her surroundings vs. horses in her “herd” or social group, such as a turnout situation at home?

RL: To understand Bisquetta’s behavior, we need to first consider the social lives of horses. Horses have a deeply rooted need for the company of other horses, and while we humans increasingly acknowledge this, it is still often misconstrued as “any horse will do.” However, the preferred social structure for horses is to live in close-knit, stable groups based on family ties. 

Within these groups, horses will associate preferentially with certain individuals and not others, meaning they choose who they want to be friends with. Several groups will share a home range, and they will acknowledge and interact with each other, while at the same time maintaining the cohesion and integrity of their own chosen group. Some horses will switch groups repeatedly, while others may stay in the group they were born into all their life.

This complex social network is negotiated and maintained through highly attuned social interactions. When two unfamiliar horses meet, they interact with each other according to the rules of equine social etiquette: they approach each other mindfully and communicate their identity and intent through body language and facial expressions. 

The purpose of this subtle communication is to avoid conflicts, similar to our human social rules that dictate how we interact with strangers in public spaces. It is considered impolite for us to walk straight up to someone we don’t know, stand very close to them and yell in their face. Something similar can be said about horses.

So, when two unfamiliar horses meet in a confined space, their social rules dictate that they approach each other slowly, in a curved line, and indicate through body language (for example by looking away and lowering their heads) that they don’t have hostile intentions. But ridden horses aren’t allowed to engage in such polite exchanges with each other.

Instead, we ask them to simply keep moving in a straight line, sometimes running at speed directly towards the other horse, and fixate their head with the reins so they can’t communicate friendly intentions. This forces them into an unnatural social situation that can be very stressful, because the cost of not following social etiquette in the equine world—essentially behaving “rudely”—is physical confrontation, i.e. getting bitten or kicked.

This is why it can take time for young horses to get used to “ignoring” other horses in an arena, for example, and why some horses react fearfully or aggressively to other horses coming near them. It’s a natural response to an unnatural social situation, and it can be exacerbated by a previous bad experience. 

I found it interesting that Kraut specifically mentions that Bisquetta is afraid of tail swishing, as that is a classic behavior associated with aggression, and an early warning sign of an impending kick. Perhaps Bisquetta has previously been at the receiving end of a kick and is now highly attuned to subtle signals to avoid finding herself in a similar situation again? 

It is also important to remember that stress is not all-or-nothing. Rather, it compounds, and many small stressors will add up over the course of the day, week, or month. So, a horse that may cope well enough with other horses in the arena at home might not be able to do so away at a competition, in an unfamiliar environment, with changed routines and new sounds and smells.

While horses can have preferences as to which horses they like or don’t like, just like we have preferences as to who our friends are, it is not normal for horses to respond with fear or aggression towards all horses at all times. This is a clear indication that something is wrong.

It could be that the horse has been poorly socialized in their youth and therefore lacks vital social skills, that they have had a traumatic experience in the past that makes them wary of other horses, that they are in pain, or that there is insufficient space for them to be able to achieve a comfortable interaction. It could also be a combination of factors. Either way, a horse that is unable to live with other horses should be given help and support to learn how to socialize in a healthy and safe way through professional behavioral rehabilitation.

HN: When it comes learning how we can better prioritize our horses’ basic needs and welfare, is it reasonable to expect that all horses ‘without stress’ are going to fall within a narrow definition of behavioral norms? Are there peculiarities, like Kraut describes, that could be acceptable for some horses but not for others?

RL: I find “stress” an awkward concept in discussions of welfare, because it designates a physiological state of high arousal but says very little about the underlying emotional experience, which is what matters to us. 

We want our horses to be mostly comfortable and content with their lives, and to only rarely experience fear and anger, and preferably never because of the things we do to them. A horse that displays escape or avoidance behaviors is doing so because they are afraid, and so, we should take these behaviors seriously regardless of their personality or competitive level.

With that said, the question of personality and individual abilities and preferences is an important one in this context. Some horses are more socially resilient, for example, and can cope better with social instability, unfamiliar horses, and novel situations (although the key word here is cope, not thrive; no horse can really thrive under these conditions). These horses might be more suited to life as competition horses than others, for example.

HN: Let’s use the example again of the horse who is having a stress response because it doesn’t like other horses, or something else, in a warm-up situation, even if it performs well alone in a show ring. Can you give us a sense where, in your view, the ethical line should fall in the decision-making for that horse? 

RL: In my opinion, we are obliged to take our horses’ fears seriously and we should consider their experience during all parts of the competition, not just in the show ring. A horse that is showing behaviors indicative of stress, fear, or separation anxiety during transport, stabling, in the warm-up ring, or during the prize-giving ceremony is not fit to compete, regardless of their performance during the actual event. 

Rather than writing off these behaviors as “quirks” we should acknowledge that our horses are struggling, and take on the responsibility of helping them cope. The good news is that a lot can be done through pedagogical and compassionate training (gradual exposure, positive reinforcement, etc.) and by making reasonable adjustments to the environment (warming up outside the warm-up arena, doing the prize-giving ceremony on foot, etc.). 

Additionally, thinking about “the other 23 hours,” particularly in terms of minimizing other sources of stress, can be really helpful. Horses that have adequate access to the 3Fs [friends, forage, and freedom], who live in stable social groups, are healthy and not in pain, will be more resilient and better able to cope with the challenges of a competition environment.

HN: Anything else you would add? 

RL: I just want to emphasize that horses behave in ways that are meaningful to them even if we don’t always understand why they are doing what they are doing. We should always regard their behavior seriously, because it tells us something about how they feel in a given situation.

Learn more about Renate Larssen at theequineethologist.substack.com  

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Imperfect Horse Show Mom Seeks Same 19 Aug 2025, 6:50 am

If you want a blog post from a young, hot, equestrian mom who has her crap together, keep on scrolling.

You know the type… They’re the ones on social media who always look perfect, even when they’re “making fun” of themselves. Mucking stalls, their cheeks perfectly flushed. Their kids are gutsy little riders on six-figure, dish-faced ponies.

Yeah, well, that ain’t me. 

You get the average mom with feral kids. The one who will never have a six-pack but has a squishy muffin top. The one who will never have enough followers to get brand ambassador swag. The one who can’t afford a Pony Finals pony.

This mom snaps at her five kids on the regular. Because, well, they usually deserve it. Another truth bomb: horse shows stress me out. Gleaming ponies, flawless lead changes, zero pony or kid sass, elegant parents clapping. It’s all polish, all the time, and I can’t keep up.

I’m the one with pretzels embedded in car seats and applesauce explosions in the cup holders. Thrilled if my kids get dressed before noon. Brushed hair? Bonus. Perfectly braided pigtails and bows? A miracle. Clean jods? Impossible. 

Those glossy equestrian lifestyle magazines showcasing fancy people with fancy show barns and spotless living rooms? Not me. Our couch is dappled with mystery stains, our dining chairs are ripping rattan, and our “home décor” is basically piles of dirty laundry. Our little farm has no chandeliers or pristine barn aisle—just sagging fencing and kids running wild.

So, yes, sometimes I wonder if we even belong in the Instagram-ready horse show world. Because there are moments when I feel completely out of place; like I’m trying to play a role I was never cast for. That of the put-together mom, when I’m truly the barely-holding-on mom.

The other day, I signed up for a local show. Just me, my husband/groom, my three younger girls, and our young pony. The second I hit “submit,” I semi-regretted it. Chaos was coming.

Sure enough: we lost a garter, brought outgrown gloves, forgot a helmet, and ran late. I was already questioning my life choices when I climbed on the pony to give her a quick peek at the ring, yelling over my shoulder at my husband: “We need to swap tack immediately or we’ll miss leadline.” 

Then, I snapped at him again to “grab our numbers ASAP!” (Because yes, I am a far-from-perfect wife, too.)

We tried to wedge my younger daughter’s fingers into the too-small pair of gloves, gave up, and sent her in, whining and gloveless. Still, somehow mid-ring, she was smiling. The pony behaved. And, as we walked out of the ring, the sky cracked open, and dumped rain on all of us. 

There was water squishing in my shoes, our saddle was water-stained. If I wore mascara, it would be running into my crow’s feet. Maybe I needed that, though. 

A reminder that horse showing is supposed to be fun. It isn’t about perfection. It’s about happiness. Like magic, when the rain stopped, we were all smiling (well, not so sure about my husband). A literal reset.

Because often, even regular mom life feels like it’s about appearances. Birthday parties aren’t just cupcakes in the backyard anymore; they’re designer productions with balloon arches. Vacations aren’t camping; they’re “glamping” staged for curated feeds. Even those of us who swear we’re immune to the pressure still wonder if we’re doing enough. Being enough.

Add horses into the mix, and the pressure mounts. Your kid must behave and ride well. The pony has to be a robot. And heaven forbid you, the parent, lose your cool or show a crack. How embarrassing.

It’s exhausting. Some days I want to shout, “This isn’t me!”

You know what, though? The more I share my imperfections with other horse moms, the more I realize I’m not alone. They share their messes with me, too. Behind every braided mane and Show-Sheened pony is often a parent—tired, trying, imperfect—just doing her best.

And honesty, it makes us stronger. Because when we admit the hard parts, the mess, the chaos, it takes away the shame. We’re living the real story. Together, we can build a kind of unfiltered armor; a community we can lean on when things start to unravel.

If more of us let down our walls instead of concealing the purple bags under our eyes, the early mornings fueled by stubborn love and too-much caffeine, or the moments when frustration almost wins, the ups and downs of horse-mom life would feel a little less isolating.

We’re doing this sport with the little people we love most in the world. With the animals we love most in the world. That alone is amazing. And truly? More than any likes, followers, or shiny moments, that collective strength will carry us through tough times. It’s built on real stuff. 

So, if you’re an imperfect horse show mom too—welcome. You’ve found your people.

The post Imperfect Horse Show Mom Seeks Same appeared first on Horse Network.

So Nice, Adrienne Sternlicht Did It Twice 18 Aug 2025, 3:12 pm

Any day you win a Grand Prix is a good day. But to win TWO Grands Prix on the same day? That’s next level good.

That happened on Sunday, August 17th in Canada’s capital, where Adrienne Sternlicht was not satisfied to win one FEI Grand Prix, but decided to take one title in the morning and grab the other in the afternoon.

It began with the two-star Grand Prix, where Sternlicht bested a field of 29 with 9-year-old Zangersheide mare Corablue Z. It continued with the five-star Grand Prix, where she  grabbed the top spot with the only double clear in a field of 26 with 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Origa v/h Zuid-Pajottenland.

You’d be forgiven to think that 32-year-old Sternlicht came out of nowhere—it has been nearly a year since she has entered a five-star Grand Prix—and hey, no one can say she didn’t come back in style!

But, in general, it was a good day to be a radical feminist. The start list for the five-star Grand Prix held no fewer than four of the world’s top ten: newly-minted number 9 Daniel Coyle, number 8 McLain Ward, number 6 Richard Vogel, joining the late summer North American circuit from Europe, and, of course, world number 1 Kent Farrington.

Did any of these guys make the jump off? Nope. On this tough track, described by Canadian veteran Mario Deslauriers as a “very massive” course set “to the limit of a five-star,” we had only three clears and all of them belonged to female athletes.

The first came early. Fresh off a very successful European summer tour, Jessica Mendoza and 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding Summerhouse made it look easy. 

But this was the last we would see of pretty, clear rounds for awhile as some of the most reliable competitors were taken out by Brazilian course designer Maria Azevedo’s tough track. Oh, yes, have I mentioned? On this day of Girls Gone Greedy, we had the world’s only female Level 4 show jumping course designer, qualified to design courses for the highest level of competition, including championships such as the Olympics and Pan Am Games.

We began to suspect things wouldn’t go so easy for most of the competitors when world number 24, Conor Swail, usually a reliable clear-round machine, racked up 16 jumping faults and 7 time right after Mendoza’s clear.

Because the the track wasn’t just massive and tough on the grass field at Wesley Clover Parks, it also had a tight time allowed. Nine of the competitors racked up time faults.

But surely world number 9, Daniel Coyle, would easily master the course. Nope. He took out two rails and added two time faults so the jumping faults wouldn’t be lonely.

But world number 8, McLain Ward, was sure to give us a clear. Nope. He started by taking out the first fence and ended with an early retirement after taking out another.

A few riders on and we get our next clear, with 22-year-old Elena Haas, sitting at 338th in the world, aboard her 13-year-old Westphalian Claude. She attributed their success over the challenging course to their successful stint earlier in the summer at Spruce Meadows.

Then in came Sternlicht, laying down the third clear round.

But we still had two top-ten riders to go. Everyone held their breath as world number 1, Kent Farrington entered the ring, fresh off a five-star Grand Prix win in Traverse City. “He’s world number one,” intoned the commentator, “And he knows exactly what he needs to do to stay there.”

Well, he didn’t do it this time, ending the round with a retirement, after taking out the plank, encountering trouble in the triple, and taking out the black-poled skinny after the triple jump.

And then European Champion Richard Vogel, world number 6. Two rails.

I almost felt as if I were back in Dublin with that tougher-than-tough Alan Wade course, that took the highest-ranked female rider in the world to give the only clear round that won it. But here we had three lovely ladies to battle it out for the win on a course none of the boys could handle.

Jessica Mendoza went first. She laid down the fastest time, but took out a pole while doing it. Elena Haas rode slightly more steadily, but also knocked a rail. That left Sternlicht, who only needed to give a clear to win the whole thing. Even so, she hedged her bets a bit, not taking the track too slowly, but with speed enough to be able to accelerate for a fast four-faults were she to hit a rail.

But she didn’t. She gave a clear round two seconds slower than Mendoza and tied up her second Grand Prix win of the day! 

The post So Nice, Adrienne Sternlicht Did It Twice appeared first on Horse Network.

Atout des Trambles Is a 1.50m Specialist & a Package Deal 16 Aug 2025, 8:48 pm

“Tito’s been my partner of five years now and he is a 1.50m specialist,” said Nicole Walker of her longtime partner, Atout des Trambles.

In 43 starts, the 15-year-old Selle Français gelding has claimed 28 top 10 finishes with the Canadian in the stirrups, jumping clear at a 56% clip (Jumpr stats). On Saturday at the RBC Ottawa International, they added one more.

Walker and “Tito” topped the Brookstreet Hotel CSI5* Winning Round 1.50m to close their week with a win.

“He gives it his all, naturally he’s so quick. And he’s always been very good on the grass,” she continued.

“So my strategy was just to use my horse’s natural strength, which would be his bigger step. And he’s pretty careful and always very quick. So kind of just not to interfere with him and keep it as smooth as possible. And he covers the ground nicely.”

Previously campaigned by Ashlee Harrison (GBR), Tito was purchased by Walker in 2020 off a video sent by her trainer, Irish Olympian Cian O’Connor. There was one hitch…the gelding came with a little extra baggage. Emphasis on little.

“So his last rider had him from when he was 8 to 10 years old and he would just be nervous in the stall. He’s totally fine when he’s out and has a human with him. But in a stall, he would be a little bit stressed. So she thought, why not put a pony in there with him? And it seemed to do the trick.”

Mimosa, the miniature horse, shares a double stall with Tito and travels wherever the French-bred gelding does.

“She keeps him happy. She’s just a joy to have around. And as long as Tito’s happy, we’re all happy. So thank you to Mimosa.”

The RBC Ottawa International concludes Sunday with the five-star RBC Grand Prix. Watch it live on ClipMyHorse.

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Qannando B&V Makes Quite an Impression 15 Aug 2025, 10:10 pm

Qannando B&V had Alessandra Volpi at “walk.”

The striking black stallion was under the saddle of Gilles Thomas when she first swung her leg into his stirrups two years ago. From their first steps, she knew he was something special.

“From the walk, I was like, wow, he gets it,” said the 25-year-old American. “He just paid attention. He was alert. He was looking at his surroundings and like confident of himself as well, which surprised me too. Already, I [could] tell that this horse has such a presence. I don’t know if that’s a little frou-frou, but that’s what I felt.”

In the two years since, the Kannan-sired Belgian Warmblood, now 9, has been proving her hunch correct—and it’s only getting better. In the past two months, they’ve jumped to four FEI podium finishes.

“It’s taken us a while to develop him. He’s a pretty big horse. It took him a while to grow into his body, but this year he’s just been unbelievable and every time I show him he keeps impressing me.”

In June, Volpi and “Nando” captured her career best finish when they won a three-star 1.55m Grand Prix in Lichtenvoorde, NED. They also took third in a 1.50m class A month later, they earned their first four-star 1.50m win in Chantilly, France. On Friday, at the RBC Ottawa International, they won their first five-star 1.50m, topping a 12-horse jump off in the Grand Prix Qualifier, presented by Steel-Craft Door Products.

“I’m just climbing the ranks here,” smiled Volpi, who has jumped 30 spots up the world rankings since June. “Watch out Sunday!”

Volpi, who trains under Germany’s Marcus Beerbaum, says that behind Qannando’s imposing looks lies a gentle soul.

“He’s a bit of a toddler still,” she continued. “He’s very sweet despite his slightly threatening appearance. He loves to play with his toys. He loves his treats and he plays with my dog. He’s very sweet. He’s a great stallion. He is really easy.”

Volpi and Qannando B&V will make their five-star Grand Prix debut on Sunday. Watch the RBC Ottawa International on ClipMyHorse.

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Farrel Defies the Odds 14 Aug 2025, 8:55 pm

“You’ll never jump him again…”

The words no horseman ever wants to hear: your horse’s career is over.

These were the words spoken to Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Ariel Grange not long after their superstar gelding Farrel suffered a cyst in his stifle. According to Coyle, some witchcraft must have taken place, because not only is Farrel back to jumping, but he’s back in winning form, topping the CSI5* FACES Magazine Opener at the Ottawa International.

Thursday marked the now 15-year-old gelding’s eighth FEI win in 2025. Pre-injury, Farrel only had three victories at the 3* level and above, so it’s safe to say he is better than ever.

Part of Coyle and Ariel Grange’s team since he was age 7, Farrel ascended to the “top horse” position in Coyle’s string by age 10. Then, they thought his time in the limelight was over—until the magic of medicine/surgery brought him back into fighting form.

“He was already not comfortable enough to stand in a field, so he had to get something done,” Coyle reflected. “It’s a really special story. He’s one of the most winning horses in show jumping this year. He owes us nothing, but he does not want to go back to the field so it’s really cool to see.”

At this point, it’s almost a given that Farrel will be a top contender every time he comes out. To date in 2025, the pair has finished in the top 10 100% of the time at 1.55m, and 67% of the time at 1.45m, the height of the CSI5* FACES Magazine Opener. Their win rate at 1.55m is 50% (Jumpr stats).

Reflecting on the class Thursday at Ottawa, Coyle remarked, “It’s nice that it’s a two-phase because you have the time to get everything going. Then in the second phase it becomes really close with the times because there’s not so much to do. Everybody can do the same strides and patterns. Thankfully, it worked in my favor today.”

Coyle is back in Canada after a trip to the Dublin Horse Show, a favorite stop for the Irish and beyond, and broke into the world’s top 10 for the month of August. 

With the constant travel across continents and oceans also comes added stress and jetlag he has to shake off to stay at the top of the sport.

“It’s very difficult to go from different time zones to different horses in different parts of the world,” he said of the toll the travel takes. “That’s how you stay at the top of the game. You have to do it to stay at the top. Is it tiring and frustrating at times? Of course, but like any other athlete you have to get up and get on with it.”

Now back on North American soil, he’ll gear up for more jumping to come this week, with his eye on Sunday’s $340,000 CSI5* RBC Royal Bank Grand Prix.

Coyle hopes the winning form from the first eight months of 2025 continues, but he’s grateful for all that Farrel has brought him to this point. “He’s been my top horse before and now he’s 15 years old and he’s still one of our top horses,” he concluded.

“Everything happens for a reason.”

Watch the RBC Ottawa International live on ClipMyHorse.

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Satire or Real Life? Take the Quiz! 13 Aug 2025, 1:05 pm

Between ICE raids now permitted in schools and senators advocating for child marriage, registered sex offenders appointed to youth health initiatives, and church leaders calling to end voting rights for women, 2025 can feel a lot like we’re all living in the upside down. 

And that’s just news from the last month.

Actual headlines sound like fake news, and fake news feels like a nostalgic memory of days past in the fever dream that is the current breaking news cycle.

Equestrian news is no exception.

The stories trending on social are so head-scratchingly batsh*t, it reads like satire. Only less fun. In case you’ve missed it, we’ve compiled the latest here for you. In quiz form.

Play the “Satire or Real Life (RL)? Horse sport edition” Quiz and see how well you filter fact from fiction!

If all that makes you want cower under the blankets and hide from the world, well, just know you’re not alone. We’d love to say that the sane adults are going to swoop in soon and set the world right. But in the immortal words of Taylor Swift, “You’re on your own, kid. You always have been.”

It’s up to us all to be a voice of reason in these chaotic times. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get back to a place where absurdity is once again the punchline, and not the headline of the day.

(Seriously though, anytime the adults want to step in now would be great…)

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Greya Is on Another Level 11 Aug 2025, 7:37 pm

World number one Kent Farrington has had no shortage of great horses in his career. But even he’ll tell you Greya is in a class of her own.

“She’s very fast. She’s almost more like a cat than a horse. She’s really quick across the ground, incredibly careful at the jump, so you can take first line on almost any fence. You can come into a combination with speed. She is just a different level horse, which is a huge advantage in a jump off,” said Farrington after winning the B&D Builders Grand Prix in Traverse City, MI at the Major League Show Jumping season opener on Sunday.

The pair topped a 15-horse jump off with the only sub-39 second time to earn their fourth 1.60m Grand Prix title of the year.

Four titles! That’s a record that’s exceptional among five-star horses, and simply awe-inspiring for her age cohort.

Greya is the winningest 11-year old currently competing in the international ring. Over her short career, she’s already earned six GP wins at the five-star level to date. Her closest competition in her age cohort are the likes of Zineday, Toulayna, Battlecry, Just Be Gentle, Cepano Baloubet and Iron Dames Cyedello—each of which have won two (Jumpr stats).

With her now fourth GP title this year, she also the winningest Grand Prix horse of 2025—of any age. Only three other horses have won three GPs at that level this year: Christian Kukuk’s Olympic champion Checker 47 (age 15), Simon Delestre’s Cayman Jolly Jumper (13) and Julien Epaillard’s Donatello D’Auge (12).

There is one horse, however, that Greya has yet to eclipse and it’s another great from Farrington’s past: Gazelle earned six 5* Grand Prix wins during her 11-year-old season with the speedy American in the stirrups, including the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva.

You can bet the reigning world number one will try to match that record over the next four months, but whether they succeed or not, he’s enjoying the ride.

“It just feels great to have a horse like this to ride at all. No matter what venue I take her to, she can always deliver,” said Farrington. “I feel very privileged to have an athlete like this.”

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Christian Kukuk & the “Once-in-a-Lifetime Jump Off” That Won LGCT London 10 Aug 2025, 4:58 pm

You wouldn’t think a five-star Grand Prix win would be a particularly special milestone for a pair that’s won an Olympic gold medal. But for Christian Kukuk (GER), his performance in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London felt like something he may never duplicate.

Coming in later in the order of an impressive jump-off list, Kukuk’s challenge was to unseat hometown hero Ben Maher, who, with Point Break, had shaved SIX seconds off of any other time yet recorded. The time seemed all-but unbeatable, but Kukuk had faith in his partner.

“This was maybe a once in a lifetime jump-off,” he said of the extreme measures he took to shave .38 seconds off Maher’s time. “My turn to the third last vertical, I was so much on an angle and the way he jumped it I think only Checker is able to do that. That’s where I won the jump-off, no question.”

The whole way around the course, he knew it would take something even more drastic than he’d already given.

“I knew coming to that [third-to-last] we were more or less at the same time,” he continued. “When I got the shot there and cleared it, I thought now I could have it, so I went full speed and I had a feeling I was faster. He’s naturally a quick horse but Ben’s round was so fast.”

Maher and Kukuk left third-place finisher Niels Bruynseels nearly in the dust with Chacco’s Lando OL, over six seconds off of Kukuk’s pace, but still on the podium.

A champion through and through, Kukuk had a more stressful and emotional past few weeks than he was used to, having decided to step away from his role at Beerbaum Stables and chart his own path. London offered him a chance to step away from the stress and take a more relaxed approach.

“It was an emotional few weeks, but it wasn’t an overnight decision,” he shared. “Coming here I had to tell myself there’s so much going on so you have to come down emotionally and focus on the important things here and the work I’m trying to do.

“I told myself, ‘Go to London and try to relax,’” he explained. “I went for a walk, I went to the mall, and I was trying to calm myself down because I know I’m always at my best when I’m relaxed. I know that’s what Checker needs. I always have the best results when I get away from the pressure and excitement, so that’s what I was focusing on.”

With Nations Cups and the European Championships on his plate early in 2025, the remainder of Kukuk’s year will be dedicated to the Longines Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League. With a golden ticket to the Super Grand Prix, he will aim to keep rising in the individual ranks while also hoping for a top-four overall finish for his team, Riesenbeck International. 

“The first half of the Global season I wasn’t as present as I was in last year’s,” he remarked. “But now for the second half of the year, the focus should be on the Global Champions League and Tour. I told myself I have to show my best performance now in the second half.”

The LGCT next stops in Valkenswaard, Aug 22–24.

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Laura Kraut Is in League of Her Own in Dublin 10 Aug 2025, 2:35 pm

Holy—!

I have just finished watching what was probably the craziest five-star Grand Prix I’ve seen as a show jumping owner, journalist, and fan!

We had a field of 40—and not a weak field, but before the day was over, THIRTEEN of them would end the day with a retirement!

And how many clear? And how was the jumpoff? Well, there was no jumpoff because there was only one clear, only one clear round the whole dang day! And that round belonged to 59-year-old Laura Kraut of the United States and her horse Bisquetta, the 11-year-old mare by Bisquet Balou.

And did I mention her round was the 39th?

Ok, walking the course I’m not sure I appreciated how difficult it was. Did Alan Wade, the course designer, realize how difficult it was? One thing was true: this course never let up, it challenged horse and rider throughout, as Alan Wade courses are wont to do. 

We started with a small vertical, which oddly managed to trip up more than one rider, but really was the only easy jump of the course.

We then headed an appreciable distance to the “Tart with the Cart,” the Molly Malone oxer. You then rollback around to an oxer made of bells and swans with a big liverpool beneath it—and right up against the stands. That was a lot to take a horse’s mind off jumping, and it came down more than once.

After this, we headed into the Rolex triple, but I really called it a quatro, because right after the triple was a little skinny black vertical that went down more than once or twice or three times…

Head around after the quatro and hit the 1.60m green Rolex wall and then run to the water. Make it over that and you gotta bend to a big, tall, plank-topped Rolex vertical. This thing came down so much that I became known (unfortunately) for shouting “F-CKING PLANK!” over and over again in the VIP. 

Then you had an oxer all decorated with bells, and after that you did a 360-degree rollback to the biggest, widest oxer you ever saw. This thing was so big and so wide and following right after it was the biggest, tallest, green-polled vertical—lofty high with an enormous liverpool beneath it! A cruel combo, those two! So many riders were focused on that tall vertical and not letting their horses overjump the oxer that the back rail rained down over and over again!

Think you’re done? Nope! Now we head into the trickiest line of the them all—the last one. First, you hit a triple jump and right after that enormous jump you go into a double composed of delicate black poles and crazy filigreed fillers. The first of the double was an amazingly wide oxer, which gave you the same problem you had earlier—jumping a super-wide oxer followed right after by the fragile little vertical. 

Such a cruel trick at the end of the course! Another chance to smash down a back rail as you worry about clearing that vertical! Make it through all this and you got one simple little oxer left, but—only two made it this far!

The first was Eugenio Garza of Mexico on Contago. He made it through that whole course flawlessly only to take down the last fence. He was the 20th rider to go and we’d already racked up five retirees, so basically the whole place refused to accept that last rail and cheered for Garza and his mount mightily, as if we could undo that last, stupid fence falling!

I myself was thrown across the half-wall in front of me, the half-walls that separated the tiers in the VIP. I was screaming and moaning and pulling at my hair. All this with hardly any attachment to Mexico and barely a passing acquaintance with Garza, but still the circumstances had me heartbroken.

Not that we didn’t have quite a few decent rounds. There were 11 four-faulters, everyone from second-place Rodrigo Pessoa (middle of the triple) and third-place Shane Sweetnum (big-ass oxer next to the stands) to McLain Ward on his new mount Imperial HBF (the f-cking plank!) to that gorgeous stallion Grandorado TN and Willem Greve (big-ass oxer going into that lofty vertical).

But perhaps the most remarkable round from the point of view of this journalist, was the 11-year-old gelding Jagger HX, who really has never seen a course like this in his life! He is the horse I own with the Canadian Olympian Amy Millar and they were 34th to go in the class.

By the time Jagger and Amy were up, there were no less than 11 rounds that ended in retirement and I was convinced that we would make the 12th. How is a sweet, cute horse who took forever to produce and struggled with (now resolved) vet issues ever gonna tackle a vicious course like this?

Was I gonna go to the bathroom in my pants? Should I hide under the table? Could I even handle watching this round without collapsing from some sort of cardiac affliction?

Imagine my shock when Jagger and Amy negotiated nearly the whole course without knocking a rail! Nearly the whole thing until that stupid double right at the end when the back rail of the big wide oxer heading into the little delicate vertical came down! That was the penultimate obstacle! And hardly an error, really just the barest touch!

Then it dawned on me: I finally have a five-star Grand Prix horse again!

Oh, did I yell. Oh, did I cheer. Oh, did I make a fuss up there in the VIP, Garza and his almost-clear forgotten!

And now all I needed to do was throw bad mojo at the rest of the competitors so that we could all jump off at four faults.

Harrie Smolders had retired. Kevin Staut retired. Who else did I have to fear? Seamus Hughes Kennedy, who hasn’t put a foot wrong all summer managed 8 faults. Now all I had to worry about was the highest-ranked female rider, 18-in-the-world Laura Kraut. Laura Kraut, who leaves nothing on the field, Laura Kraut who rides every stride as if her life depends on it!

Yeah, no problem. She was sure to knock a rail or two.

Did she even rub one? Did she even worry about the effing plank? Did any of the oxers get too wide? 

No! No! And no!

By the time Laura hit the field the whole lot of us were like a bunch of balloons that had been deflated. Suddenly, with her masterful clear we felt ourselves once again alive! Did we care that we missed our dozen-person four-fault jumpoff? Well, a little, but to finally see someone get out there and master the course—it was worth it.

I imagined Laura looking over to where the course designer Alan Wade sat, meeting his eye, and mouthing the words, “You didn’t get me.”

Then throwing her head back and letting out a self-congratulatory guffaw. The Queen of the Royal Dublin Horse Show.

As for Jagger HX, that amazingly attractive and scopey gelding, he placed 6th. Woot!

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“Horse Leaping,” Dutch Treats & Other Digressions from Dublin Horse Show 9 Aug 2025, 9:49 am

It was a day of Dutch delight in the city of Dublin.

And for once, I was there not simply as a lowly journalist or a passionate fan of top-level sport—I was there as an owner.

There were eight countries contesting this event: Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, and—my pick—Canada!

Yes, I am two-thirds owner of Jagger HX, partnered with two-time Olympian Amy Millar. 

I was proud of my pink wristband, which allows me where the horses go—barns, bridle paths, the warmup area. I quickly found, however, that it offered me very little visibility.

But let’s start with the course walk. I always try to find a way to slip in there, because here is where the game is played, here is the puzzle set up for the riders and horses to solve!

This course was designed by Irishman Alan Wade, who I last saw in person at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, at the Longines League of Nations in April.

Related reading: Alan Wade Was Made to Measure

I approached him at that time with the idea that I would sneakily ask where he was trying to trick the riders, but I could tell immediately that such a question, even put in a joking way, was offensive. He walked away from me with hardly a word, and I knew then he took pride not playing a game against the riders, but with them. 

I was a fan of this course. There were 12 obstacles and 15 efforts, and the challenges were laid out throughout. One thing that is unimpressive for the spectators, but generally more terrifying for participants, is the way skinnies and delicate, lofty verticals are deployed throughout a course. It may seem that a giant oxer or a triple bar is frightening, but generally a horse is impressed and knows how to jump it. A solid red vertical, high and soaring after a water jump, is a tough test. First, because the water jump will have a horse looking down and jumping out, not an advantageous way of heading into a tall vertical, and second because red appears to the horse much like the green of the grass arena field, making the poles somewhat invisible. And all the more invisible when you put a liverpool beneath it, pulling the horse’s eyes down.

There were many other delights in the course, including several big, looping rollbacks and a tricky triple oxer-vertical-oxer, with that vertical in the middle looking fragile enough! 

And we ended the course with a delightful oxer, the standards made of a music score for “Cockles and Mussels,” the unofficial anthem of Dublin, which tells the tale of the fishmonger Molly Malone, a possibly fictional young woman who hawked seafood in the streets of Dublin and died of a fever and “nothing could save her.”

Next to the jump was a reproduction of the statue commissioned in 1988 and designed by Jeanne Rynhart. It was supposed to be one of 12 commemorating various Irish figures of note (apparently both real and fictional) placed around Dublin. But the statue of Molly Malone was found to be “entirely deficient in artistic point and merit” and the project was discontinued.

The statue, nicknamed the “Tart with the Cart,” shows a young woman pushing a cart with baskets filled with her wares and whose dress is practically falling off her bosoms. This was done, some defenders protested, in a spirit of historical accuracy, as “women breastfed publicly in Molly’s time,” and “breasts were popped out all over the place.”

The breasts now, both in the original statue and its reproduction, shine bright, the patina worn away by thousands of hands, as it is said rubbing the bosoms can bring luck. This led one critic to decry that “the only statue in Dublin with breasts is basically assaulted in front of our children’s eyes daily” and calling for everyone to “Leave Molly mAlone!” 

If you think I have made too much of a digression, imagine the paths I could take with a horse show that this year is celebrating its 150th year! The first show was held in 1864 and included, states the official website enthusiastically, “Ass and mule classes..!” 

“Horse leaping” was added in 1869.

And here I was for horse leaping, but also here I was with absolutely no view of the ring! I tried forcing my way to the front of the little stand set up for riders, owners, and coaches, but the 40-odd seats available were hardly enough for the 200 of us! Then I tried the kiss-and-cry, but that small platform held only around eight of us and needed to be cleared off for each rider.

I noted a large concrete structure being constructed on the north side of the arena, and told myself that in years to come, we would be spread out liberally over this new grandstand.

But for now, I had to retreat and watch the whole thing on livestream! I hoofed it quickly back to my hotel.

We began with the Dutch team. Everyone felt hopeful that there was no threat when the first rider put up a 12-fault score. This was followed by an 8-fault score by my own beloved Team Canada. Then the teams locked into gear and we got a total of 13 clear rounds in round one of the event, one being from my own Jagger HX and Ms. Millar, qualifying them for Sunday’s Grand Prix. 

We ended round one with the Netherlands on top, for after their first rider, not a mistake was seen on the course. Kevin Jochems and Camilla van de Helle went clear, followed by Willem Greve and that beautiful stallion Grandorado TN NOP, a gorgeously athletic son of Eldorado van de Zeshoek TN, who had me thinking of babies the whole time I was watching him go. The anchor rider for the Dutch team was none other than Harrie Smolders with Mr. Tac. All three gave double-clear performances, never leaving the top spot throughout the competition.

The other team that ended round one on a zero score was Team USA, who had riders Aaron Vale, fresh off his 5-star Grand Prix win in Dinard, first of his career, Alex Matz, Laura Kraut, and McLain Ward. Ireland and Germany were not far behind with 4-fault first-round scores.

Round Two, unfortunately, secured low-placings for Teams Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland. But other teams stayed in the fight. Team Great Britain fought back in round two with a zero score after a 16-fault first round. I have to say this, and I’ve said it before: Team Great Britain has the fighting spirit. I have seen this pattern at show after show—they get in, learn the course, and come back better. 

Team Ireland wasn’t going to give in on their home turf without a fight. They came out of round one tied with Germany at 4 faults. Hope seemed dim until Team USA racked up 8 faults in the second round and dropped out of contention. Then we were looking at Team Netherlands on zero, and Team Germany and Team Ireland on four faults.

The lead rider for Team Netherlands, Frank Schuttert, had collected all the faults for that team, with a 12-fault first round and a 8-fault second round. These were the drop scores, so when Harrie Smolders entered the ring, we were facing down a possible three-way jumpoff if he hit a rail. More than one rail, and the Netherlands would drop down, leaving Team Germany and Team Ireland to fight it out.

The whole place was packed and on the edge of their seats. I know this not because I could see any of it from my hotel room, but because I could hear it. My balcony opens out onto the back of the show, where the horses walk to the ring. I can see an edge of the stands where the VIP tables are set up. I can hear the cheers and feel the silent anticipation. 

What were we all hoping? That Smolders would get a rail, that Team Ireland and Team Germany would get a jumpoff and that Team Ireland would prevail and grab that Aga Khan trophy and bring it home!

The Aga Khan trophy will have existed for 100 years next year, as the first one was donated by—who else?—Aga Khan III in 1926, the first year of international show jumping—er, horse leaping—at the Royal Dublin Horse Show. He was the 48th imam of the Nizari Ism’aili branch of Shia Islam, a passionate equestrian and racehorse owner, and a frequent visitor at the show here in Dublin.

Outside, I heard the crowd erupt in cheers. My livestream was 30 seconds delayed—it seemed an hour! Was the crowd cheering because we were heading into a jumpoff or—

It was the other. Anchor rider Harrie Smolders and Mr. Tac, a 13-year-old Belgium Warmblood gelding, who also happened to take second behind Vale in the Dinard GP two weeks earlier, gave a faultless performance and secured the Dutch win.

And there they were on the podium in their distinctive orange jackets, festooned with sashes, holding over their heads the golden Aga Khan, shining as bright as Molly Leave her mAlone’s oft-rubbed bosoms! 

Team Germany landed the silver spot and Team Ireland held on for bronze.

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