Eventing

When it comes to her horse, Courtney Sendak knows the first question she’ll get before anyone asks it. Sendak and Where's My Tail competing at the Morven Park CCI3*, part of the USEF Eventing National Championship League. (©US Equestrian) Sendak’s horse, Where's My Tail, a 2011 Thoroughbred mare (Double Honor x Crafty Prospector) owned by Krysta Paradis, known in the barn as "Detail," was born with a large portion of her coccygeal vertebrae missing, which gives her an...

Leesburg, Va. - The 2026 USEF Eventing National Championships League and the USEA/USEF Developing Horse National Championships concluded this weekend at Morven Park International Equestrian Center. While the rain made for an early end to the weekend for many competitors with withdrawals prior to cross-country, the weekend marked the finish of a competitive season that brought together top athletes and horses from across the country for their chance to be a 2026 national champion. The National...

Lucienne Bellissimo's earliest riding memory is of a Shetland pony with a strap around its middle, which was there because the children aboard were too small for saddles. She was one or two years old. Born in England's New Forest, where a breed of pony named for the region roams the land, she grew up backing and breaking young ponies, a childhood she describes as "a little bit like the Wild West, but in England." Her mother rode and was involved in racing, so horses were simply the air...

Leesburg, Va. - The second edition of the $200,000 US Equestrian Open Eventing Final concluded at Morven Park International Equestrian Center with Sharon White (Summit Point, W.V.) and Claus 63 delivering a standout performance in the final jumping phase to capture the win. It was a historic result as White became the first woman to win a US Equestrian Open Final, with four previous winners across jumping, eventing, and dressage. White and "Claus” solidified their victory after producing...

Leesburg, Va. – The second edition of the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final concluded at Morven Park International Equestrian Center, with Sharon White (Summit Point, W.V.) and Claus 63, her own 2012 Holsteiner gelding (Helenenhof’s Catoo x Levisto Z), delivering a confident performance in the final jumping phase to capture the win on a 30.8. The pair’s victory capped an exciting week of world-class competition. White and Claus 63 sat second after dressage on a 26.0, and moved...

Leesburg, Va. - The first national title of the weekend was awarded Saturday afternoon at Morven Park International and Fall Horse Trials after contenders took to the cross-country field and show jumping arena in Leesburg, Va. Influential courses were set throughout the venue, with cross-country courses designed by Derek di Grazia (USA) and Jefferey Kibbie (USA). Show jumping was designed by Christopher Barnard (USA) in the Grand Prix arena and offered an action-packed day for spectators and...

Leesburg, Va. - Cross-country day at the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final CCI4*-L delivered a major shake-up on the leaderboard. Thirty-three horse-and-rider combinations tackled Derek di Grazia’s (USA) challenging 5,783-meter track at Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg, Va. Will Coleman (Ocala, Fla.) and Off The Record, a 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (VDL Arkansas x ARD Ohio), owned by Off The Record Syndicate, rose to the top, stopping the clock in 10:01, inside...

Leesburg, Va. - The second and final day of dressage concluded with new leaders across the board heading into the show jumping and cross-country phases tomorrow in all seven divisions of competition at the Morven Park International Equestrian Center. During the second day of dressage, the USEA/USEF Developing Horse National Championships began, while the USEF Eventing National Championships League action continued. Dressage in the Grand Prix arena came to a close for the CCI4*-S with Meg...

Leesburg, Va. - The dressage phase of the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final CCI4*-L concluded on Friday at Morven Park International Equestrian Center. Twenty horse-and-athlete combinations completed their tests in the Grand Prix Arena, making up the second half of the 36 total starters of the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final field. Tamie Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) and her long-time partner, Danito, delivered a record-breaking performance with a score of 22.8 penalties to take over the lead....

Leesburg, Va. – The first 17 horse-and-athlete combinations took their turn down the centerline today as the first day of dressage kicked off in the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final CCI4*-L, hosted at Morven Park in Leesburg, Va. Olympic medalist Kim Severson (Charlottesville, Va.) took the early lead aboard her partner Cooley Corraghy Diamond, a 2017 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Diamond Roller x Cruising), owned by Bill and Roslyn Johnson, with a score 29.8 penalties. Kim Severson and...

Leesburg, Va. - This week, Morven Park International Equestrian Center in picturesque Leesburg, Va., will host one of the most anticipated weekends in eventing, where 18 new national champions will be crowned. Competition begins Thursday, October 8, and runs through Sunday, October 11, featuring multiple premier events including the USEF Eventing National Championships League and the USEF/USEA Developing Horse National Championships. The USEF Eventing National Championships League will kick off...

Leesburg, Va. – This week, Morven Park International Equestrian Center in beautiful Leesburg, Va., will host the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final CCI4*-L, where 37 horse-and-athlete combinations are set to compete for the champion title and a share of the $200,000 purse. Competition begins on Thursday, October 8, and concludes on Sunday, October 11. Now in its second year, the US Equestrian Open Eventing Series has drawn top athletes from 20 qualifying competitions across the country,...