The American Eventing Championships (AECs) are this week at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, and Maryland will be well represented.
Forty-six Maryland-bred horses qualified for the AECs along with a whopping 120 Maryland riders.
Event horses come in all shapes, sizes, and breeds. The only requirement is that they have the athleticism and skill to handle three entirely different disciplines, one each on consecutive days (or all on one day in the case of a horse trial). Of the Maryland-bred horses: 30 are Thoroughbreds; 4 are Hanoverians; 4 are Oldenburgs; 2 are Rheinlanders; 1 is a Dutch Warmblood; 1 is an Irish Draft; 1 is a Trakehner; and 1 is a Westphalian.
Competition begins today for five Maryland-bred horses and four Maryland riders, as follows:
The first Maryland-bred out today is Wonderful Courage, a 2018 Thoroughbred gelding (Bourbon Courage x Wonderful Secret (Stevie Wonderboy)), bred by Timothy L. Keefe and ridden in the Amateur Preliminary division by Owen Isrow of Lenox, Michigan. The pair rode their dressage test at 8:41 a.m. this morning — their score is not available at the time of this writing.
Point Nemo, a 2013 Thoroughbred gelding (Songandaprayer x Wood Not (Kissin’ Kris)) bred by Dr. & Mrs. A. Leonard Pineau and ridden by Carlin Keefe of Sandy Spring, is the next to go and the first Maryland-bred in the Open Intermediate division. They ride their dressage test at 11:43 a.m.
The third horse out is Magnific c’Imagination, a 2018 Cleveland Bay Cross mare (Cimarron x Magnific Fashion (MD) (Rockbridge Cleveland)), bred by Marcia Brody before she moved her breeding operation to Pennsylvania. Magnific c’Imagination will be ridden by Julie Crispin of Pedricktown, New Jersey, in the Amateur Modified division; their dressage time is 1:21 p.m. The pair previously won the Modified Rider division at the 2025 Maryland International at Loch Moy Farm.
Next out are Ameristan, a 2017 Thoroughbred mare (Freedom Child x Whisperjet (Unbridled Jet)), bred by Lady Olivia at North Cliff LLC and ridden by Tessa Geven of Cataula, Georgia. They are entered in the Amateur Modified division and their dressage time at 2:17 p.m. Tessa and Ameristan have already won one AEC title — they won the Junior Training division at the 2024 championships.
The last Maryland-bred out today is Quiberon, a 2015 Oldenburg gelding (Quite Easy x Avalon (MD) (A Fine Romance)), bred by Dr. Elizabeth Callahan and ridden by Charlotte Collier of Ocala, Florida. They ride their Open Intermediate dressage test at 2:31p.m. Quiberon was previously ridden up to the CCI4* level with US Olympian Doug Payne.
The four Maryland riders today are: Tracy Bienemann of Lothian; Carlin Keefe of Sandy Spring; Carlin’s sister Ryan, formerly of Sandy Spring; and Emma Whitaker of Clarksville.
Tracy Bienemann has two rides at the AECs this year. The first is Menlo Park, her 2016 Kentucky-bred Thoroughbred gelding (Bodemeister x Affectionately (GB) (Galileo) (IRE)). They are entered in the Open Preliminary division, starting with dressage at 9:23 a.m.
Her second ride is in the Advanced division on her 2016 Florida-bred Thoroughbred gelding Venezuelan River (Mucho Macho Man x Shehaseyesforyou (Is It True)). They start off with dressage on Wednesday morning at 10:39 a.m.
Next out is Emma Whitaker of Clarksville on her Irish-bred Sing to Me Cooley (IHS Milchem Melody). They are in the Modified Rider division and their dressage time is 11:15 a.m.
Carlin Keefe goes next on her Maryland-bred Point Nemo, in the Open Intermediate division at 11:43 a.m. And last but not least, Carlin’s sister Ryan Keefe takes her Irish-bred Quality Outlaw (IHS Oranbay Clyde) out in the Modified Rider division at 2:03 p.m.
We will bring you daily updates on the Maryland horses and the Maryland riders throughout the week.