Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Cosby Green has been excited to return home to the U.S. after some time away basing in the UK with Tim and Jonelle Price, but she certainly didn’t expect to be sitting front and center in the day one press conference here at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, presented by Brown Advisory.
And yet, she did just that, delivering a 28.0 with the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Highly Suspicious (Russell – Unknown). This is a first 5* effort for “Puff”, though Cosby’s certainly done her homework in the lead-up to this debut. However straightforward her preparation record may be, though, Cosby emphasizes that today’s effort has been the latest stop on a very long and winding road.
“I got him with I was sixteen, and I couldn’t ride one side of him for probably the first five and a half years,” Cosby said, describing the horse as quite anxious and difficult to ride. “He’s extremely difficult, and in the beginning I was always scoring in the low forties.”
Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
If you take a look at Highly Suspicious’ FEI record, you can truly see the progression he’s made; in their first international event together in 2017, at the CCI1*-S level, the pair scored a 46.5. They quickly righted the ship, trending down into the mid or high-30s after that, but Cosby didn’t really see competitive scores coming out on the flat until 2022. At that point, however, she ran into a rash of troubles on cross country, picking up jump penalties and retiring on course at several events.
In 2023, Cosby moved to the UK to base at Chedington Equestrian, the home base of world-renowned riders Tim and Jonelle Price. Highly Suspicious made the trip over with Cosby, and there is where she began to put the puzzle that is “Puff” together.
“It’s just something we’ve really found a program that works for both of us, and the progression is just clear,” Cosby said. “Every single time out we come down a point or two. So it’s really special to have found that program that works, because we have had anything but a smooth journey here.”
“I think a lot of it is the day to day care and the emphasis on keeping him healthy and happy and treating him just like a horse,” Cosby said about what, exactly, has made a difference with this horse. “He loves to go out in the field, [so we’re] making that available to him as much as possible, and lots of hacking. And, you know, sometimes I want to get on in school him all the time. But actually, less is more with him. [Just] really listening [to him], because in my opinion, I think it started from the ground, and the care and the performance has improved because of that.”
Cosby also credits Jonelle Price for her encouragement, certainly well-versed in coaxing the best out of the most sensitive types of horses. “I would say she has just changed my entire perspective on the sport, how to look at success and how to look at learning opportunities and really to believe in myself. That’s something I really struggle with. And my horse is super sensitive to that, and he lacks confidence and is quite anxious as well. We’re quite similar people, really. And I think just having Jonelle believe in me, and changing the program, we’ve just flourished because of [it], if I had to pinpoint it to something.”
Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Sitting second on day one and also on a debutant horse is Paris Olympian Boyd Martin, who earned a 28.5 from the judges with Yankee Creek Ranch LLC’s Commando 3, who was Boyd’s direct reserve horse for the Olympics. This is a horse who’s ticked all the boxes en route to this step up, winning the 4*-L at Morven Park in 2023 and finishing second in the Lexington 4*-S at Defender Kentucky earlier this year. Being the direct reserve to Fedarman B for Paris, “Connor” may have had somewhat of an unusual year, but in the intervening months between Paris and now, he’s been working hard on his dressage with Boyd’s wife and Grand Prix dressage rider, Silva Martin.
“He can get a little bit spooky and sharp and a big atmosphere ring like this,” Boyd said. “I was very lucky that my wife actually took him to a number of dressage shows in the lead-up [to Maryland], including Dressage at Devon. I think going to dressage shows with a lot of atmosphere and electricity in the ring was very beneficial — I just felt like he was more rideable in the ring than usual.”
Commando 3 and Silva competed a Fourth level at Devon, a test that requires tempi changes. As a result of this practice (“I can barely do one change, and Silva did like seven of them in one test!” Boyd said), the horse was fairly solid on all four changes today, earning an average mark of 7.0 from the Ground Jury of Christina Klingspor (SWE), Xavier le Sauce (FRA), and Valerie Pride (USA).
Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Boyd also utilized his ring familiarization time yesterday to practice his entrance into the buzzy, fishbowl-like main stadium here at Maryland, bearing in mind that he’d have less than a minute to get the horse settled and ready before he would need to enter at A.
“When he goes into a new ring, he he changes and tenses up a little bit,” Boyd said. “Basically you’ve got about forty-five seconds to try and get them to take a breath and try and figure out a way of getting them soft and supple like you had in the last ring. So [it was] just practicing that moment from that ring to this ring, and it was good. I felt like he was on the job. He was a little bit sharp as we went in, but it almost puffed him up, and I felt like he presented extravagant, which the judges supported.”
Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Holding third place on a near-personal best in FEI competition is the 13-year-old Selle Francais gelding Bacyrouge (Mylord Carthago – Lelia, by Clyde de la Combe), who earned a 30.1 with Canada’s Lindsay Traisnel in his first 5* test.
“I knew he had it in him!” Lindsay smiled after her test. This is a horse who was never really intended to be a top horse for Lindsay, originally purchased as a resale project. But he quickly showed his affinity for the sport and bonding with his rider, prompting her and her husband, Xavier (who also helps Lindsay on the flat) to keep him.
“He’s been qualified [for a five-star] since last spring,” Lindsay continued. “I just wanted to really make sure I was ready. I think he’s been ready for a while, [but I just wanted to make sure] the four-stars started feeling easy for him, and that even without a perfect ride all the time, he felt really confident. “I think we’ve just gotten him feeling really well in his body. My team at home has been doing a great job. He’s gotten a lot more strong in his body, and he’s more confident in his changes. He’s get a bit nervous about those and like anything that he ever does wrong, it’s only because he wants to do it too well.”
Harry Meade and Away Cruising. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Slotting into fourth on day one are Great Britain’s Harry Meade and Jane Dear and Charlotte Opperman’s Away Cruising (Cruise On – Parklands Princess, by Able Albert xx), taking a score of 31.2 into cross country on Saturday. I asked Harry what went into the decision to bring “Spot” here for Maryland, to which he laughed and said “well, because I couldn’t ride five horses at Burghley!” Tough problem to have, Harry!
“You know, at this point, I think the movements, almost don’t overcomplicate it,” Harry said of his preparation with the 17-year-old Irish gelding. “I know what I need to do to ride those movements correctly for him. So it’s more about the preparation and the overall picture. So rather than where each brushstroke goes, [I] just remember what the subject that we’re trying to paint is, and part of that is just getting him soft over his back. I actually didn’t do any movements outside — I went on the side of the hill, just did some trot and canter, just to sort of loosen him up, get him really soft, sort of jelly-like over his back, and then just trusted that the years of executing the movements [will] work and look after itself.”
Allie Knowles and Morswood. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Fifth on the day are Allie Knowles and her daughter, Addison’s, favorite horse in the barn, Katherine O’Brien’s Morswood (Ricardo Z – Princess in Arms, by Present Arms xx), scoring a 32.4. Allie said “Ginge” was a bit spookier than usual in the ring today, which prompted some higher marks than he’s typically gotten in the past at this level. “I’m not sure exactly what kind of set him off today, but unfortunately, this end, maybe the noises, or whatever, he got a little bit against me,” she said. “So that was a bit unfortunate, because then unfortunately, I felt like I had to manage it, rather than ride it, which is disappointing when we know we can do better than that. But he’s an old pro, for better or worse, so he knows what’s gonna happen. So that was a little bit tough to manage, but oh well, we’re not here for one day!”
Allie says she’s always working on distributing Morswood’s weight onto his hind end more, acknowledging that he’s not built for dressage and therefore it’s tough for him to use his body in the way he needs to. “We’re always working on getting him to half halt properly, to sit back,” she explained. “He’s really excellent at cross country, and he loves to go, and not always from the hind end. He likes to pull himself along. So I’m always having to reiterate to him, ‘please actually sit down, but stay active behind.’ And that’s actually just very hard for him. He’s not built for dressage, but you know, he does do a pretty good job for who he is.”
Tomorrow we anticipate plenty of shifting on the 5* leaderboard with several well-known dressage heavy hitters yet to come. We’ve got Great Britain’s Bubby Upton with Cola waiting in the wings, who’s scored as low as 27.3 at the 5* level (Badminton 2024), Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, who have earned as low as 20.8 penalties at this level (Badminton 2018), and Tamie Smith with Mai Baum, who have gone as low as 21.8 at 5*. Expect to see a major showdown between the boards, with several others also likely to threaten the top five heading into cross country.
We’ll restart dressage for the 5* tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. EST. Full 5* scores, including breakdowns of each test by movement, are available here.
Mama Mia! Kiersten Miller Leads USEF National CCI3*-L Championship on Day One
Kiersten Miller and Mama Mia. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
It’s good to see some fresh faces at the press conference at the end of day one in the CCI3*-L. Kiersten Miller and her own Mama Mia (Indoctro x Lysienne II, by Landfriese) is leading the way at the end of day one. Regardless of it being “Mama’s” first time in the big environment of the Maryland Five Star, the 12-year-old mare and her 22-year-old rider pulled off a great round to lead on a dressage score of 28.4, their lowest score since 2020.
“It’s been a long time coming, and she so deserves it,” Kiersten said. “She’s just a really special horse. She’s not very easy, but I’ve learned to kind of love her for who she is. And I think once I started doing that, that’s where everything became a little more consistent. So it’s really a special thing to go into a ring like that because once upon a time, we were jumping up and down in rings like that. It’s really cool to be able to really ride her because honestly a few years back, I would have never believed I’d be sitting here.”
In second place, with a score of 28.6, is Sara Schulman and Cooley Chromatic (Thorgal x Castrade), an 8-year-old Oldenburg owned by the rider. The pair came to Maryland after a near-podium finish at Bromont in June, where they finished fourth. Now, Sara is aiming to produce a competitive ride with the gelding, who she produced up the levels herself.
“So I got him as a three year old, and he’s a bit quirky because he can be quite a spooky horse, and he didn’t have a ton of confidence when he was quite young,” Sara said. “So now we’ve built up a partnership based on a lot of trust, and I think that’s been extremely beneficial coming into bigger environments like this. He’s very workmanlike, and has a really excellent brain for eventing. He’s really figured out all the different phases, when to get a little excited for cross country, when to be a little careful for show jumping, so that’s made it really fun.”
Allison Springer received a nice birthday present today when she finished in third place with Castle Howard Romeo (Womanizer x Creagh Diamond Cavalier, by Cavalier Royale) right on Sara’s heels, with a score of 28.7. (If you see her out and about this weekend, don’t forget to wish her a happy 50th birthday!) Allison describes “Romeo” as a nice “amateur adult lady dream come true on the flat.” After sourcing him from Leslie and Lesley Grant-Law, Allison purchased him with co-owner Fran Robinson.
“He’s just a love of a horse in the barn. But you know, you always have to make a bit more of your own partnership with them, and I feel like that happened today. That was the best test I’ve done on him. He’s always been good and reliable, but then there’s always that jelling of partnership,” Allison said. “But, yeah, you look forward to riding the horse every day, giving him treats, and depending on him, he’s a lovely horse, he really is.”
We’ll see you tomorrow for the conclusion of dressage, and we’ll also have a preview of Ian Stark’s “last hurrah” cross country coming your way tomorrow as well, so keep it locked right here on EN. Go Eventing.
Veronica Green-Gott contributed to this report.
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