AECs

The Novice divisions completed their AECs for this year today, with some shuffling up the leaderboard and some shuffling down. The Beginner Novice and Starter levels completed the cross-country phase today and go on their division finals tomorrow. The big news in the Starter divisions is that one Maryland rider and one Maryland-bred horse are sitting in first place after their respective cross-country rides. Another Maryland-bred horse is sitting in second place, one rail away from first. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS Novice Amateur Master Arlo Bello and his rider Sarah Crocker (Marshall, Virginia) came into the final phase today in ninth place, but had an unfortunate rail in stadium to end the competition in 10th place on a final score of 38.3. Novice Amateur Dayna Blumel of Davidsonville and her Thoroughbred Brave Sand Rider rode their competition this week in the points equivalent of Base 10. They started in 40th place after ...

Photo: MD-bred Cakewalk in the lead going into to final day of the Training Rider division. PC USEA. The third day of competition at the 2026 American Eventing Championships saw champions crowned in seven divisions, changes on the leaderboard after the Training cross country rounds, and new starts for all of the Novice entries. Two Maryland-bred horses and four Maryland riders finished the cross-country phase, and two Maryland-bred horses and four Maryland riders completed their dressage tests. CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL SCORES Intermediate: Fifty horse-and-rider pairs started in the Intermediate division on Wednesday but only 41 of them completed the competition today. One horse and two riders fell on the cross country course, one rider retired, one withdrew, and the 6th suffered a technical elimination. Today, two riders were eliminated in the stadium and a third withdrew. Preliminary Amateur Open Preliminary Modified Amateur Modified Rider: STANDINGS AFTER CROSS COUNTRY Advanced: There were ...

All 9 of the Maryland connections competing today at the 2026 American Eventing Championships completed their dressage tests and moved on to their cross country phase tomorrow. Overnight Standings & Ride Times for Wednesday Open Intermediate: Open Preliminary: Preliminary Amateur: Modified Amateur: Modified Rider: Three new Maryland-bred horses and four new Maryland riders kick off their AEC competition with dressage on Wednesday. The first Maryland-bred in the dressage arena on Wednesday is Cakewalk, a 2018 Oldenburg mare (Coeur d’Amour x Rubintanz WOR (Rosenthal)), bred by High Point Hanoverians in Chestertown and ridden by Catherine Ramsay of Culpeper, Virginia. They are entered in the Training Rider division and their dressage time is 9:30 a.m. Cakewalk won two Training divisions earlier this year — one at the Virginia Horse Center on May 21 and one at Hunt Club in Berryville, Virginia on July 26. The second Maryland-bred out is Crescenda, a 2016 ...

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 ...