Photo credit: Erin Gilmore Photography
Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, MD is respected for its outstanding United States Eventing Association (USEA) recognized and unrecognized starter events, cross derby events, clinics, camps, twilight eventing and cross-country schooling year-round. Topping the list of recognized events is the Maryland Horse Trials (MDHT) - a high level equestrian triathlon of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping held at the farm on consecutive weekends in July.
The back-to-back MDHT was held at the Adamstown farm (Area II) on July 8 to 10 and 15 to 17, offering an opportunity for riders to take their horse from one level the first weekend up to the next level on the second weekend - with all new courses on the second weekend.
According to farm owner and event organizer, Carolyn Mackintosh, the first weekend, known as the Maryland International + Horse Trials, featured about 50 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) 1-star and 3-star entries along with 300 Horse Trial entries. The second weekend had over 400 entries.
“On the first weekend, we hold Beginner Novice through Intermediate and CCI*-S, CCI2*-S, and CCI3*-S FEH divisions,” Mackintosh said. “On the second weekend, we run the Beginner Novice through Intermediate levels plus Future Event Horse and Young Event Horse divisions.”
Both weekends included the newer Modified division and offered stabling accommodations. With over 100 volunteers on hand, the event ran like a well-oiled wheel with several classes running ahead of schedule.
When the pandemic hit, Mackintosh considered ways to run a show with less human interaction. Now, she uses Compete Easy for the entry and scoring system for unrecognized events. A rider can sign up and work their own entry. Dressage tests are emailed to the competitor as soon as the test is signed.
“Live scoring is wonderful,” she said. “You can look at your phone and watch the scoring come in as it is posted. It has electronic show jumping too. All the scoring is done on an iPad.”
The cross-country course design was the buzz of the day.
“Ian Stark designed the courses,” Mackintosh said. “We don’t have enough good course designers in this country. He is really excellent, tough and fair. A few of the jumps made some riders nervous, but they pulled it off. If you go overseas, they design at this level, and he did a phenomenal job. This will be his fourth year designing our jump courses. He has really reshaped the whole place.” Among many other courses, Stark was the designer for the inaugural Maryland 5 Star in 2021.
Trainer, Mogie Bearden-Muller had three students competing over the two weekends.
“Ian Stark built very challenging courses that were up to the level and asking more [of the] types of questions that you would see in Europe,” she said. “I would say, most of the National levels were to the level - not asking anything too out of the ordinary but challenging. The training level, however, was exceptionally challenging and posed questions not often seen at that level.”
Bearden-Muller should know. She designed courses for this event through the Intermediate level from 2008 through 2012, before the event was running at the FEI level. Currently, she said, she has recently received her FEI Level 2 license and is the only woman in the United States Equestrian Federation licensed to design a 3-Star course.
Bearden-Muller had some advice for riders.
“You are ready to move up to the next level when you have successfully completed at least two if not three competitions at the previous level with the horse and rider feeling more confident at the end of the cross country and show jumping course than when they started,” she said. “When I am designing courses, I want to see the horse and rider come through the finish with more confidence than they started with.”
Competing in her first event, Macie Brock of Graysenville, MD brought her horse Windchase Andromeda. In the Junior Beginner Novice level, she had her best dressage score to date, a 23.8. She said the show jumping courses gave competitors lots of room and were inviting, but the cross-country course was a challenge.
“The cross country was definitely very challenging for a beginning novice,” she said.
Still, Brock said it was a good learning experience.
“Dressage has always been her challenge and mine,” she said of her horse, “so I was happy to come away with a good score there.”
Bearden-Muller spoke of the planning a rider must put into the cross-country course.
“On novice and beginning level you won’t have any combination that requires the horse to shorten his stride,” she said. “The horse must be more responsive to the rider’s aids. The one thing you have to realize - on the cross country at the upper level you will have bank or ditch combinations or water. At the Preliminary level, every time that horse is shortening his stride and is going slower than 520 meters per minute, he has to extend his stride much over 520 meters per minute on other sections of the course.”
Alyssa Jastram of Ridgely, MD brought her thoroughbred to compete in his first event - in the Junior Open Beginner Novice division.
“The stadium jump course flowed very nicely. It is probably one of my favorite courses I have done,” she said. “Very nice for up-and-coming horses. The cross-country course was probably one of the hardest beginner novice courses I’ve ever seen. I made sure to stay on top of it so King could have a confident first event. Loch Moy always seems to be very organized, which makes this event that much better.”
Jastram cleared every jump without fault. She said the thing she likes about eventing is the way everyone supports each other and how competitors always want to see others succeed.
The teen’s mom, Sabrina Jastram spoke of the joy in seeing horse and rider compete.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see the hard work and dedication that they both put in and to see it come together was priceless. The two of them have such a strong bond and communicate very well with each other. They truly are a team.”
At age 62, rider, Ray Coutley of Lexington Park, MD has been riding 35 years and is in his fifth year of eventing. He said his horse, Navier Stokes took every jump in the Training level like the pro that he is, but their ride was not without a mishap.
Coutley said he had just come off a challenging course at Pine Top in Aiken, SC in May so he wasn’t worried about the course, but Navier Stokes – a seven times world champion jumper - went large at Fence #8 – the water jump.
“He jumped it so big I was thrown forward and the left stirrup and stirrup leather came off. I stayed on and kept going and was wondering whether I should stop or withdraw, but then we were on Fence 9. He jumped it as big as day and when he landed, I slid off. He did everything I asked of him, but I was a little rusty!”
Like so many at this event, Coutley’s outlook was bright.
“To be a truly good rider, you must have the ups and downs. There will be good times but there will be off times too. The people who keep going, struggle through it, keep riding and press on are the success stories,” he said. “Not every success story is about the ribbon.”