Fall kicked off in grand fashion at Loch Moy Farm this weekend as the USEA Area II Championships were hosted alongside the Land Rover West Columbia Maryland Horse Trials. Competitors had the benefit of lovely weather and top-quality jumping courses from the Netherlands’ Andrew Heffernan as well as jumping designer Kathy White. 

Area II Championships were hosted from Starter level and up. Kicking things off on Saturday morning was a catch-ride crowning for Tim Bourke of Ireland. Bourke piloted Hedgerow Farm’s Sing To Me Cooley to the Preliminary Championships on a score of 33.2 after steadily climbing the standings. They earned the sole double clear round of the division to seal the win. He’s been riding the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare since 2024 and has finished in the top five or better more times than not, capping off a competitive season at the Preliminary and CCI2* level on a high note with this victory. 

Area II Young Rider Avery Cascarino was victorious in the Modified Championship, teaming up with Gloria Cascarino’s Excel Star Quidam’s Cavalier on a final score of 30.5. This is Cascarino and the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding’s fourth Modified win this year and will be feeling confident for their next steps as the season winds to a close.

Rachael Livermore won the Open Training Championship with Abigail Akre’s Accuraat Z, an enthusiastic 9-year-old Zangersheide gelding, on a score of 28.6. Livermore shares the ride with Abigail, who competes Accuraat Z herself at the Novice level while balancing her work and family life. This weekend marks the gelding’s third win at Training level.

Emma Whitaker and Hedgerow Farm’s HSH Golden Boy were the winners of the Junior Training Championship, moving up in show jumping to take the win on a score of 30.0. Originally campaigned by CCI5* rider Allison Springer, HSH Golden Boy has been partnered with Whitaker since 2023, starting out at Beginner Novice and eventually stepping up to Training level after a string of competitive finishes at Area II Championships at the Novice level. Since then, they’ve finished on the podium nine times at the level. 

Professional rider Martin Douzant of France took home the top honors in the Open Novice Championship aboard his own Frame Nantucket S, a 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. This is Frame Nantucket S’s first season of eventing here in the U.S, and he’s had a successful spring and summer of Novice-level competition, finishing in the top three five times including this weekend’s result. Douzant is a well-known producer of young horses, emphasizing correct production and confidence-building with the horses that come into his program. 

One of the horses that’s come through Douzant’s program is Jules Verne, a 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding who won the Junior Novice Championship with Quinn Miller. This pair led the division wire-to-wire and finished on their dressage score of 29.2. This marks Miller’s first win with Jules Verne, as well as a personal best finishing score, besting their previous top score by over 6 penalty points.

Area II Adult Rider Liana Theroux and Elizabeth Bales’ Our Golden Chance were crowned Open Beginner Novice champions, also leading start to finish and ending on their dressage score of 23.8. Impressively, Theroux and Our Golden Chance, who is a 14-year-old off-track Thoroughbred, now add on to a string of victories in 2025 – they’ve not lost out on a win this year in six starts at the Beginner Novice level. Our Golden Chance was a royally bred racehorse, with his sire, Golden Missile, a multiple Graded Stakes winner who made over $2 million on the track. He’s now an experienced eventer, helping riders such as Young Rider Championship competitor Reese Dellangelo get their starts in the sport. 

Claire McMillan and Catherine Schroeder’s RVR Coldstone, a 7-year-old Westphalian gelding, picked up the start-to-finish win in the Junior Beginner Novice Championship on a final score of 29.1. This is a newer partnership that just began in the spring of this year, and this weekend marks their first win together.

To close out the day of Championship show jumping, Stella Uiterwaal and Lauren Sumner’s Crossfire came from behind to win the Open Starter Championship on a score of 26.7. This was the second recognized start for Uiterwaal and Crossfire, a 16-year-old former racehorse who is the namesake of Sumner’s Crossfire Farm in Damascus, MD. 

Rounding out our Area II Champions are Carmen Defelice and Anne Hendey’s Bazinga, a 17-year-old Thoroughbred gelding by Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop. This pair were also wire-to-wire winners, ending the weekend of a score of 28.3.

Competition for the remaining non-Championship divisions wrapped up on Sunday, and full scores and results can be found on EventEntries here. 

Loch Moy Farm and The Maryland Horse Trials extends its gratitude to title sponsor Land Rover West Columbia, which was on-site all weekend with display vehicles and representatives, with a rider Hospitality Tent in service throughout the competition. Thank you to Witherspoon Analytics as the Area II Prize Money Sponsor and sponsor of the Friday Night “Octoberfiesta on the Competitor’s Deck! Many thanks are in order for our additional event and facility sponsors, our officials and volunteers, media team and all of the individuals – and horses – who make these weekends possible.

Loch Moy Farm will next welcome riders October 11-12 for the penultimate Dover Saddlery MDHT Highland Series competition of the 2025 season, presented by Taylor Harris Insurance. The MDHT Highland Series features unrecognized competition for Intro through Preliminary levels, and this weekend represents the final competition ahead of Championships in November. More information can be found here. 

PC: Erin Gilmore Photography
Article: Eventing Nation