June/July 2026 Issue

June/July 2026 | EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN 30 Continued from page 26 Mr.FineThreadsgivesMarylandahomebredstory with genuine staying power. ### Kentucky Gives American Eventing A Moment Will Coleman and Diabolo gave U.S. eventing a majorhome-soilvictoryattheDefenderKentucky Three-Day Event, winning the CCI5*-L on a final score of 28.1. Coleman became just the second American innearlytwodecadestowinKentucky’s five-star, following Tamie Smith’s 2023 victory. CarolinePamukcuandHSHBlakefinishedsecond, making the result especially strong for U.S. event- ing. The weekend also marked the retirement of Emily Hamel’s longtime partner Corvett — “Bar- ry” — after 11 five-star runs and a rare Northern Hemisphere CCI5* completion record. ### Eventing’s Next Generation Gets Its As- signments USEA has named athletes for the 2026 Emerging Athlete U21 Program, including two East Coast clinics especially relevant to this region. The Morven Park clinic in Leesburg, Virginia, will include Jaelyn Comer, Isabella Craft, Laurel Curry, Reese Dellangelo, Megan Hopkins, Carlin Keefe, Lyman Ordway, Emerson Padgett, James Power, Annabelle Sprague, Elle Stephenson and Riley Zgrebnak. The Stable View clinic in Aiken, South Carolina, will include Addison Borton, Kaitlyn Cobey, Catherine Frank, Audri Hoos, Kennedy Langmo, Victoria McCallum, Nicole Nair, Julia Pinell, Trinity Sachau-Sherman, Katelyn Smith, Piper Van Tassel and Jake Tessler. Led nationally by David O’Connor, EA21 develops young riders through regional clinics and a winter national training camp. ### Badminton – and History -- Belong To Ros Canter And Lordships Graffalo — Again Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalomade eventing history at the 2026MARS BadmintonHorse Trials, becomingthefirsthorse-and-ridercombinationto win Badminton three times in the event’s 77-year history. The 14-year-old bay gelding, known as “Walter,”finishedon25.7penalties,withTimPrice and Falco second on 33.9 and Harry Meade and Annaghmore Valoner third on 35.1. For Canter, who had her second daughter in January, the win added to a partnership that already includes three Badminton wins, two Burghley wins, European double gold and Olympic team gold. ### Farrington Keeps Flying In Show Jumping Kent Farrington has been hard to ignore this season. After winning the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final with Greya, he won the $340,000 Kentucky International CSI5* Grand Prix with Descartes SR. The Kentucky win was Descartes SR’s first five-star grand prix victory, withFarringtonbeatingMcLainWardandHighStar Hero inthe jump-off.ForEastCoastfans, itwasan- otherreminderthatWellington’swintercircuit isa launchpadintotheoutdoorchampionshipseason. ### Ocala Becomes A National Dressage Stage World Equestrian Center — Ocala has become one of the country’s strongest dressage anchors, with its2026calendarfeaturing10dressageshows, sevenFEI-ratedcompetitionsandtheUSEFGrand Prix Dressage National Championship. Its spring CDIresultsalsoproducedusefulstorylinesforU.S. dressage, including Jordan LaPlaca and Gold Play winning the Grand Prix CDI4*, Jennifer Williams andJoppeKtakingtheGrandPrixFreestyle,Kasey Perry-GlassandHeartbeatW.P.winningtheGrand Prix Special, and Alexis Troutman and Mondo ‘L’ earning the overall Florida Youth Dressage Championship. ### Hunters And Jumpers Get Clearer Champi- onship Pathways USHJA’s 2026 championship schedule gives hunt- ers, jumpers, juniorsandamateursclearersummer and fall goals. June and July highlights include amateur hunter championship opportunities, Green Hunter Incentive regional competition, International Hunter Derby activity and National Hunter Derby pathways. AQHA’s addition of a high-score American Quarter Horse award to the USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships is also a notable sign of cross-discipline recognition for stock breeds in the hunter ring. ### Biosecurity Stays In The Spotlight A confirmed EHV-1/EHM case at HITS Culpeper in April put biosecurity back at the center of show-season conversation. The EDCC reported one confirmed neurologic EHV-1 case, with 42 exposed horses under official quarantine; HITS said the affected horse was removed from the showgroundsandstateanimalhealthofficialswere involved.TheVirginiaHorseCenterrespondedby restricting entries from horses that had been on the HITS Culpeper grounds. For summer exhibi- tors, temperature logs, clean trailers, vaccination records and reduced nose-to-nose contact are risk management. ### Biosecurity Stays In The Spotlight The Retired Racehorse Project’s 2026 Thorough- bred Makeover and National Symposium will return to the Kentucky Horse Park in October, with late trainer applications open through June 26 andhorse registrationdue later in the summer. Vendor applications are also open, and the ASPCA Right Horse Scholarship returns. The Makeover remains one of the most effective showcases for the Thoroughbred’s second career, spanning hunters, jumpers,eventing,dressage,fieldhunters and ranch work. the feed June/July 2026