Boyd Martin

Congratulations to Boyd Martin and On Cue on winning the 2021 Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Championship. Boyd and On Cue placed fourth and were the highest placed American team at the Land Rover Kentucky 5* Three-Day Event. The 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event is one that we’ll remember...

Despite being one second over the 80-second time allowed, Boyd Martin and Luke 140 climbed to the top of the leaderboard to claim the win after show jumping at the Jersey Fresh International CCI4*-L. "[The course] was all big and technical, and the ground was a bit shifty. The time...

Two weeks after winning the USEF National CCI5*-L Championship with On Cue, owned by the Turner family, Boyd Martin claimed the USEF National CCI4*-L Championship at the Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event riding Luke 140, owned by The Luke 140 Syndicate. California rider Tamie Smith held the lead and second place with Danito and En Vogue, respectively, with the two swapping placings after cross-country, and Martin and Luke 140 maintaining third place through both phases. But two rails down for Danito dropped him to fourth place and En Vogue was relegated to third with three rails down, opening the door for Martin and Luke 140 to clinch the win.

The scoreboard shifted yet again as riders in the CCI4*-L and CCI3*-L tackled a tricky Chris Barnard-designed show jumping track to close out the weekend at Jersey Fresh International. Once the dust settled – and with just three pairs in the CCI4*-L turning in double clear rounds – it was Boyd Martin and the Luke 140 Syndicate’s Luke 140 who would become your 2021 Jersey Fresh International winners. They end the weekend on a final score of 32.4. Tamie Smith and Julianne Guariglia’s Solaguayre California take home the CCI3*-L crown.

California rider Tamie Smith put herself into the competitive position we’ve come to anticipate after the conclusion of dressage at Jersey Fresh International, presented by B.W. Furlong and Associates and Zoetis Equine. This one is a force to be reckoned with in the dressage ring, and that skillset showed itself once more as she overtook her Thursday ride, EnVogue, today with the fiery little chestnut, Danito (like, EnVogue, owned by Ruth Bley). After a “completely feral” weekend at Kentucky last month, Tamie and Danito (Dancier – Wie Musik, by Wolkenstein II) bested their score by earning a 23.9 today – good enough for the overnight lead heading into tomorrow’s cross country test.

California rider Tamra Smith holds the lead and second position in the CCI4*-L at the Jersey Fresh International (JFI) CCI at the Horse Park of New Jersey in Allentown. Smith scored 23.9 today with Danito, Ruth Bley’s 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Dancier x Wie Musik), to take the lead from her other mount, the 16-year-old Hanoverian mare (Earl x Laurena) En Vogue, also owned by Bley, who was the overnight leader after scoring 24.3 yesterday. Boyd Martin of Cochranville, Pa. holds third place with Luke 140, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Landos x Omega VI) owned by the Luke 140 Syndicate, on a score of 25.6.

Oliver Townend is #1 in the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings, updated for May 2021, with 610 points. He sits above Tim Price who is #2 with 605 points. Piggy March is #3 (556), Chris Burton is #4 (515), Tom McEwen is #5 (494), and Boyd Martin is #6 (488). The top six remain intact from the previous ranking, but there’s plenty of shuffling below that including #7 Jonelle Price who rose from #22 to #7 (452).

Lexington, Ky. – Oliver Townend completed a hat trick this year at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™, adding a third consecutive win at a venue that the British eventer describes as “the most special in the world.” In 2018 and 2019, Townend took the top spot in the CCI5*-L with Cooley Master Class, but this year it was Ballaghmor Class, the 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop, and Val Ryan, taking the win.

Lexington, Ky. – After an exciting day of cross-country action from 61 CCI5*-L combinations at the 2021 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian, the leaderboard saw several changes, finishing with Oliver Townend (GBR) and Ballaghmor Class holding a slight lead over Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and On Cue, who currently sit in the second-place position. Tim Price (NZL) and Xavier Faer are currently placed in third, as all eyes turn to the final phase tomorrow.

I was lucky enough to attend the USEF High Performance training camp for event horses in Ocala, Florida, in early February this year. To be quite honest, it’s one of those things where initially I moaned and groaned about going, and then once I made the trip down there with my top horses, I loved every second of working with the coaches and spending time with the other riders.

Last month we talked about jumping single fences, water and banks. This month we’re talking about ditches and jumps that include ditches. Like most cross-country obstacles out there, the main key to introducing your horse to jumping ditches is confidence. This begins with understanding: The horse needs to have a clear understanding of what a ditch is. It’s only a hole in the ground, and a horse should take off and land almost as if there isn’t a ditch underneath him; like it’s no big deal. There should be a clear understanding that there’s not going to be a lion jumping out of it!

How do you handle and jump each type of cross-country obstacle?. Whenever I’m cross-country schooling, I like to start my session with single fences. I try to really practice the art of jumping out of stride and in a rhythm. The design of these fences should be forgiving, with a friendly, sloping face so if you or the horse makes a mistake, your momentum will gently get you over the fence. I like to pick off these fences not at top speed but with the same mentality that you’d compete: trying not to make too many adjustments on the approach, not stop and start, and not make too many changes in your position.

January 1 every year is an exciting day. It’s the beginning of lots of high hopes, goals and dreams. Usually, as a professional rider, you’ve got a stable full of fresh, sound horses that are looking ready to roll. For me, the New Year always brings a moment of reflection as I develop a game plan. On the strike of the New Year, my mindset usually shifts: December is usually a pretty easy month with lots of coaching, clinics, holiday drinks and overindulging in food. Come January 1, all of that changes and it’s time to get back to business. I start focusing on the horses’ training and fitness, I start getting myself back into shape, and I start getting dialed in for the big events that are upon us in spring.

Given the ups and downs of 2020, how are you planning your 2021 competition season?. I’ve been lucky enough to be a professional event rider for the past 25 years of my life. At the beginning of each season, I have a wonderful game plan for each horse: which events I’m going to run and which sequence of events will bring me to my ultimate goal.