Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – The U.S. Jumping Team faced a challenging start in the first round of the 2025 Longines League of Nations Abu Dhabi CSIO5*, finishing in tenth after the first team rotation on 16 faults and missing qualification for the second round. With the top eight teams advancing from the first round, the U.S., Netherlands, and Sweden were ultimately below the cutoff. Ireland took the win on zero faults, with the home nation, United Arab Emirates, earning second place on a total of eight. France rounded out the top three on a final team score of 12 faults.
“Our team gained very valuable experience as three of our four combinations had never competed on a 5* Nations Cup team before today. I thought they handled the atmosphere well and will take a lot away from this trip,” said Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, “We were just a rail out of the second round, which I think is important to note since we fielded the least experienced group in the competition. Our most seasoned combination with team experience was Lucy Davis-Kennedy with Ben 431 and they, too, are still a relatively new partnership. This competition is a good opportunity for growth and to give some of our up-and-coming combinations the experience of a major team competition, which will benefit them for the future.”
Kaitlin Campbell (Temecula, Calif.) and Castlefield Cornelious, a 2011 Oldenburg stallion (Cornet Obolensky x Conteder) owned by Mirasol Equestrian LLC, and cared for by Julia Kappes, were the first combination to test the track designed by Santiago Varela (ESP). The duo encountered some difficulty at the double verticals and A of the triple, finishing with a score of eight faults. The pair were followed by Taylor Kain (Ommen, Netherlands) and Jirenze, a 2011 KWPN mare (Baltic VDL x Phin-Phin) owned by Horseshoe Bend Sales, and cared for by Manon Foucher, who finished their first round with 16 faults, which would serve as the team’s drop score.
The spotlight then turned to Skylar Wireman (Bonsall, Calif.), the youngest rider in the Longines League of Nations competition and third in the U.S. team rotation, who rode her own horse, Tornado, a 2014 Swedish Warmblood gelding (Diarado x Chacco-Blue) cared for by Shayne Wireman. In an impressive display of composure and skill, Wireman finished with just four faults at the conclusion of her round with the back rail of the oxer at five falling from the cups.
Last to go was the team’s anchor and most veteran combination, 2016 Olympic team silver medalist Lucy Davis-Kennedy (Los Angeles, Calif.) with Ben 431, a 2011 Westphalian gelding (Sylvain x Quincy Jones) owned by Old Oak Group, and cared for by Charlotte Oakes. Davis-Kennedy and Ben 431 also finished on just four faults, just nudging out the vertical at 7a, but producing another consistent round for the team.
The Longines League of Nations™ format brings together the top ten teams from around the globe featuring combinations of four for each team with the best three scores counting toward the team total in the first round. For the second round, the best eight teams return with three athletes, selected by the team’s chef d’equipe, with the team order determined by reverse standings from round one. The final standings are determined by the combined penalties of each team’s three best athlete scores in the first round and the team’s total score in the second round.
With the first stop of the series complete, the team will set its sights ahead to the next leg of the Longines League of Nations series, which will take place on home turf at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., from March 18-23, 2025. The U.S. Jumping Team has sights set on qualification for the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona, Spain, later this year, which requires teams to finish within the top eight in accumulated points at the conclusion of the season.
Results
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