Old Salem Farm welcomed hundreds of horses and riders for its 2025 Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows, which returned with a full, two-week schedule of world-class events featuring several Olympians and many of the world’s top riders from nine countries.
American Elena Haas and her 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Ogue BT Special were among the first horse-and-rider combinations to claim victory at Old Salem Farm, setting an early time to beat (26.24 seconds) in Thursday’s $5,000 FEI 1.45m Two-Phase Presented by The Will Stuart Team.
Six-time U.S. Olympian and many-time Old Salem Farm winner McLain Ward added another title to his résumé on Saturday, claiming top honors in Evergate Stables’ $65,000 New York Welcome Stake with High Star Hero. Ward and Hero blazed faultlessly through the timers in 31.62 seconds as the penultimate entry, knocking earlier leaders Jordan Coyle (IRL) aboard King Kannan GP (0/0/32.93) and Daniel Bluman (ISR) aboard Hummer Z (0/0/32.33) farther down the podium.
“Having experienced horses like Daniel’s and mine helped a lot [when catching Jordan’s time], especially in that turn from Fence #1 to #2,” Ward said. “These classes are very competitive, and the levels are very high. With a great surface [like the Old Salem Farm International Arena], even after the many inches of rain that we’ve had, we were able to compete at 100 percent.
“He’s a wonderfully talented horse,” he added of Michael and Wendy Smith’s 12-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding. “We’ve had some great moments, and we’ve had some down moments. But we’ve really hit our stride from the second half of the season in Florida, performing there very consistently and continuing that here today. We’re looking forward to a great summer in Europe with him.”
Sunday morning’s competition kicked off with the $40,000 FEI 1.45m Jump-off Presented by Old Salem Farm, where another familiar face at Old Salem posted a blistering double-clear score for the win. Eight-time Olympic veteran Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) tripped the timers in 35.13 seconds aboard Ester De Maugre, Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s 11-year-old Selle Français mare.
Other highlights from the Old Salem Farm International Arena included Friday’s $25,000 Old Salem Farm Jumper Classic, where Coyle successfully kept the pace in heavy rain for a winning 30.15-second time aboard Elan Farm’s Ariso. On Sunday, Haas also returned to the winner’s circle, this time riding her For Coke Z to victory in the $15,000 SJHOF 1.40m Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic Presented by Eastern Hay (0/0/34.28).
Week 1 culminated in the $135,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix Presented by The Kincade Group/UBS Financial Services, Inc., which saw only six of 34 horse-and-rider pairs ride faultlessly around the track. Coyle once again flew ahead of his fellow competitors, this time in 34.67 seconds, and brought home top honors aboard Keep Me With You N.C., Falkirk Farm LLC’s 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare.
“My strategy was to just let her go a little bit,” Coyle said. “She’s incredibly fast when I do that, and I try to just stay off her and go with it. I think there are some really good days to come with this horse.
“We got very lucky in buying this horse,” he added. “I don’t think that you can buy horses like this very often. We’re going to try to keep her for as long as we can. There might come a day when I’m going to be very upset to lose her, but for now, we’re very proud to have her. She won the final grand prix in Ocala, and then this was always the next event for her. After this, she’ll have a few weeks off, and then we’ll take her to Spruce Meadows for some training in the smaller classes. Maybe in the fall, we’ll work up to something else like this.”
Gorgeous, rhythmic hunters starred in the Hedge and June Road rings throughout both weeks of competition, with Geoffrey Hesslink of Wellington, FL, yet again claiming several tri-color championship ribbons on Thursday. Among his successes were the Green Hunter 3’ Championship with Kristen Baran’s Replica and the Combined Conformation Hunter and Combined Green Hunter 3’6”/3’9” championships with Meridian Farm LLC’s Sandori. Hesslink and Sandori also earned the week’s Grand Hunter Championship for their efforts.
Joining Hesslink in the winner’s circle were Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Champions Becky Gochman of Wellington, FL, and Gochman Sport Horse LLCs Forever Romance; Grand Children’s Pony Hunter Champions Skylar Davis of Armonk, NY, and Catrine Golia’s Royal Prince; Grand Pony Hunter Champions Logas Baras of Greenwich, CT, and JJ Torano’s Paris Charm; Grand Junior Hunter Champions Faith Schuttemeyer of Boynton Beach, FL, and Andesite Equestrian’s Juan Carlos; and Grand Children’s Hunter Horse Champions Isabelle Castellanos of Wellington, FL, and Brenna Doherty’s Anushka.
The second week’s FEI competition commenced with Thursday’s $5,000 FEI 1.45m Two-Phase Presented by Eastern Hay. Although not the fastest pair over the course’s initial phase, two-time Canadian Olympian Amy Millar and Future Adventures’ 15-year-old Brandenburg gelding Christiano stepped up their pace for a winning second-phase time of 23.45 seconds.
Ward then continued his winning ways in Friday’s $75,000 Welcome Stake of North Salem Presented by The Kincade Group/UBS Financial Services, Inc. He and Snapchat Van De Broekkant Z, a 9-year-old Zangersheide gelding he co-owns with Susan Heller and Beechwood Stables LLC, were the pathfinders over both the initial course and the jump-off track. Despite Snapchat’s inexperience at this level, the pair set the bar high for their fellow competitors and faultlessly stopped the clock in 32.62 seconds, which ultimately secured their victory.
“Today just shows the level of sport we have here at Old Salem,” Ward said. “When we’re down in Florida, we always say that we have a lot of strong [events], and it’s great to see that level here in our home community. Snapchat is a young horse that we’ve been bringing along; this was actually his biggest competition to date. He jumped a brilliant clear, and I know he’s a fast horse. I just set my plan, and everything worked out because he was so game. Sometimes, in this position, it’s good to make all the rest chase you.”
In Saturday’s $37,500 FEI 1.45m Speed Class Presented by Fidelity Investments, Coyle posted a blistering time of 60.79 seconds aboard his pathfinding mount For Gold, but a downed rail left the door open for their fellow competitors to take over the top placings. In the end, he brought home the win on his other mount, Jorisca (Falkirk Farm LLC’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare) with a fault-free score of 61.30 seconds.
Prior to Sunday’s $225,000 Empire State Grand Prix Presented by Old Salem Farm, Mimi Gochman of West Palm Beach, FL, piloted Mimi Snow Sport Horse LLC’s Lumiere BH to a winning 34.91-second time in the $15,000 SJHOF 1.40m Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic Presented by Evergate Stables. Old Salem Farm also announced the annual Hollow Brook Wealth Management Junior Sportsmanship Award; this award recognized Pilar Fernandez of Greenwich, CT, as the junior rider who best personified the highest standards of integrity, sportsmanship, honor, kindness, and generosity throughout the 2025 Spring Horse Shows.
Week 2 culminated in the $225,000 Empire State Grand Prix Presented by Old Salem Farm, which saw 28 entries representing eight countries challenge course designer Alan Wade’s final track. Following his victory in the 2024 Empire State Grand Prix aboard Quimi Del Maset, Ward successfully defended his championship title with Beechwood Stables LLC’s 17-year-old Holsteiner mare Callas, stopping the clock in 32.57 seconds.
“Callas is a longtime partner of mine; she’s a veteran and an overall fantastic mare,” Ward said. “The jump-off set up well for us. There were two sharp left turns that were good for her. She tends to drift a little in that direction, and today, she performed beautifully. I think coming behind Jordan Coyle had me a little worried. I mean, he’s a go-for-broke rider, and when he jumps a double-clear, it’s usually quite the challenge to catch. But I really just stuck to my plan. The mare felt great, and everything showed up well for us.”
Ward has won numerous grand prix classes at Old Salem Farm and had the home crowd cheering as soon as he crossed the timers. “This is home for us,” he said. “We started about 35 years ago here; I remember I was second back in 1990. It’s been a long journey, and it’s amazing to see this event as prestigious as ever.”
After a successful first week at Old Salem, Geoffrey Hesslink of Wellington, FL, returned to the Hedge and June Road hunter rings for several more tricolor ribbons. He secured the Grand Hunter Championship for the second consecutive week with his performances in the Green Hunter 3’ division riding Chaka, Dorli Burke’s 6-year-old Oldenburg gelding.
As the rider who accumulated the most points in the Green, Green Conformation, Performance, High Performance and High Performance Conformation hunter divisions during both weeks of competition, Hesslink also earned the $5,000 Old Salem Farm Leading Hunter Rider Award for the third consecutive year.
Equitation riders took over the Old Salem Farm International Arena on Saturday evening, vying for top honors in the Governor’s Perpetual Hunt Seat Cup, where riders’ jackets and the winning horse’s cooler were sponsored by Horseware Ireland. Brooke Hagerty, 17, of Terrebonne, OR, claimed victory with 176 total points aboard Roberston Family LLC’s Astro De Ravel. Hagerty trains with Valerie Renihan of Findlay’s Ridge LLC.
“I’m so, so grateful,” Hagerty said a little breathlessly after her win. “I didn’t really come in with a lot of expectations; I just wanted to go in and have a confident round for me and my horse. It’s just unbelievable. I’m really grateful and excited to have won, especially in my first time doing this competition. Riding in a big grand prix ring like this is definitely different compared to indoors and the regular outdoor equitation. It was fun to just let the horse’s stride open up, and it’s good practice for the rest of the summer.”
Saturday evening also featured the $25,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby in the beautifully manicured June Road Ring, where 28 horse-and-rider pairs challenged the hunt-and-go style course designed by Allen Rheinheimer and Nancy Wallis. John French of Wellington, FL, claimed top honors with Autumn Janesky’s Damas De Tannerre.
Other hunter champions included Grand Adult Amateur Champions Anne Byers of Locust Valley, NY, and her Rocklyn; Grand Children’s Pony Hunter Champions Amelia Athans of Bedford, NY, and Emily Elek-Burtard’s Stonewall Brightside; Grand Pony Hunter Champions Kenzie Smith of Shoreham, NY, and Charlotte Kelly’s On Tour; Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Champions Lanie Walkenbach of Paradise Valley, AZ, and Walkenbach Equestrian LLC’s Azlan; Grand Junior Hunter Champions Mimi Maddock of New York, NY, and Maddock Horses LLC’s Ocean Road; and Grand Children’s Hunter Horse Champions Ella Dalby of Larchmont, NY, and Courtney Powell-Massey’s Inked Up.
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