The US Equestrian Open Podcast

The new season is taking shape. With dressage already scoring, nine weeks to the first jumping final, and six weeks to the first four-star short, Annie Bishop and Diarm Byrne break down the early movers, the storyline shifts and the names establishing momentum across the Open's three Olympic disciplines. From new partnerships winning straight out of the gate to returning eventers and a strengtheni...

The US Equestrian Open is back for 2026. With the new season underway and ten weeks to the first jumping final, Annie Bishop catches up with Diarm Byrne to unpack where the Open stands one year on, how the mission is evolving, and why the off-season thinking matters just as much as in-season competition. From unified storytelling across dressage, jumping and eventing to the early movers, breakout...

There is something special about talking to a rider who has brought a horse all the way up the levels. The patience, the instinct, the thousand quiet decisions that shape a partnership long before the big results ever appear on a scoreboard. And for Kate Sand, 2024 was the year all those years came into focus. From the three-year-old off the track with no real record to speak of, to a second place...

It's Thanksgiving Eve and we've dragged Jon Holling away from his turkeys, his Packers jersey and his very detailed holiday schedule. Between Bloody Mary debates, and the yearly "do we have enough food" panic, we get a real glimpse into Jon's world. We talk horses stepping up, young ones learning the ropes, the long road to making them competitive, and what it actually feels like to build your own...

TerraNova gave us blue skies, big movement and a four star that absolutely shaped the conversation. Annie was there watching it unfold. Diarmuid was in the desert watching the Dressage Final under very un-California weather. And between the two weekends we learned a lot. About form. About depth. And about who is heading into the winter with momentum. Settle in. There's plenty to talk about. Highli...

Big week ahead. The very first US Equestrian Open Dressage Final lands in Thermal and it already feels like a proper championship moment. Annie is with Noah Rattner and DiarmByrne to size up the field, the atmosphere and the storylines building as fourteen combinations head for the desert. This one has everything. Top Americans hitting form at the right time. Felicitas Hendricks back on US soil. J...

It is Terranova week and there is  a lot on the line. Annie and Diarm look ahead to a field stacked with returning stars, big step-ups, and the last chance to score crucial Open points before the winter break. From Diabolo's long-awaited comeback, to Dyri's red-hot momentum, to the rise of Meg Pellegrini and the next wave of US riders, this is a weekend with stories everywhere you turn. They break...

The 2025–2026 U.S. Equestrian Open season is underway, and Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri have started on top. Annie and Diarm break down a win that reinforces Lucienne's 2025 form, makes it eight international victories this year, and gives her an early lead in the Open standings. The team reviews the key results from Bouckaert, including Kate Sand and Top Shelf in second, Buck Davidson and Cerafin...

Listeners, we're back and can you believe the 2026 U.S. Equestrian Open season is officially underway. Annie Bishop and Diarm Byrne are diving into the first qualifier at Bouckaert, looking at the stories, the riders, and the horses that could shape the season ahead. Lucienne Bellissimo's Dyri headlines the field, Hot Bobo is back for Karl Slezak and Canada, and Buck Davidson's Carafino D is one t...

At just 24, Germany's Felicitas Hendricks has already made her mark on the international dressage stage. From her first junior CDIs in Wellington to European medals and a standout U.S. Open season with her beloved Drombusch, her rise has been shaped by patience, partnership, and personality. In this episode, Annie sits down with Felicitas to talk about the journey behind the results, building trus...

The first-ever U.S. Equestrian Open Final delivered everything you could hope for from a season finale. From Boyd Martin's emotional win with Miks Master C to Will Coleman's class performances across his string, Morven Park set the stage for a weekend of real sport. Annie and Diarm look back on the moments that defined it, Sharon White's standout test with Claus 63, Caroline Pamukcu once again pro...

Dressage is done and dusted at Morven Park and what a day it was. Sharon White and Claus 63 threw down a personal best, 25.2, her best ever at four-star level, and slotted straight into second behind Will Coleman and Off The Record. It was one of those moments that just felt big. Sharon's had a tough season, she's at her home venue, the crowd was buzzing, and she absolutely delivered when it count...

It's the one we've been building toward all season. The US Equestrian Open Final at Morven Park is this weekend, and we have the Preview Show ready for you. The field is deep, the form is fascinating, and for the first time, we'll see how the year's biggest combinations measure up head-to-head. Annie Bishop, Diarm Byrne, and Sinead Maynard look at what's on the line this weekend, from Off The Reco...

He swooped in late, stole the series, and left Phillip Dutton wondering where the prize money went. Now Boyd Martin rolls into Morven Park as the first ever US Open Eventing Series Champion, and he's not done yet. Boyd joins Diarm Byrne and Annie Bishop to talk about winning the inaugural title, the pressure of leading into Morven, and why the US Open is shaking up American eventing for good. High...

Behind every great event horse is a team of owners who make the dream possible. In this episode, Annie sits down with longtime supporters of Phillip Dutton, David and Patricia Vos and Caroline Moran, to celebrate the stories the highs and lows and the unforgettable memories of ownership as we count down to the US Equestrian Open Final at Morven Park. From first lessons to Olympic medals, syndicate...

Stable View confirmed the series podium with Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton and Caroline Pamukcu leading the way, but it also gave us a glimpse of what's to come. Caroline and HSH Double Sixteen delivered one of only two clear rounds inside the time in the last five years at Stable View and that kind of speed changes the picture heading into Morven Park. Now attention shifts west as Woodside hosts th...

As one of the most respected course designers in eventing, Derek di Grazia has shaped some of the sport's most memorable tracks from Fair Hill to Burghley, Kentucky, and now Morven Park. With the US Open Final just around the corner, Annie and Diarm sit down with Derek to explore his journey from rider to designer and the philosophy behind the courses that challenge and educate horses while inspir...

He's a six-time Olympian, a multi-medalist for Team USA, and the rider who turned millions of new fans onto dressage with the viral "Rave Horse." In this episode, Annie is joined by Steffen Peters to revisit the story of Mopsy's freestyle, how a near mix-up in Tokyo almost kept it from happening, and why that performance still resonates today. Steffen talks through building a freestyle that feels...

Only two qualifiers left in the US Equestrian Open of Eventing and Stable View is shaping up to be one of the most interesting yet. Boyd Martin doesn't need the points but he's still here with Cooley Nutcracker. Hot Bobo is back on the Canadian bench. And a string of up and comers from Kimmy Cecere and OS Hermitage to Sara Beth Anton with Go Go are ready to make things lively. Diarm and Annie dig...

What a weekend. Between Twin Rivers, Plantation Field, and trying to keep half an eye on the Europeans, there was no shortage of storylines. James Alliston did what James does at Twin, made the time when nobody else could and added another win to his California record. Tamie Smith and Kynan had a 20, not in the plan, but still plenty to talk about ahead of Morven. Out East, Phillip Dutton and Poss...

It's a doubleheader on the US Equestrian Open of Eventing calendar with Twin Rivers out West and Plantation Field on the East Coast. Boyd Martin still looks every inch the series leader, but there's plenty going on behind him. James Alliston knows how to win at Twin, Tamie Smith is fine-tuning Kynan on the road to Morven, and Molly Duda is stepping up with Carlingfords Hes a Clover. At Plantation,...

The US Equestrian Open of Eventing rolled into Tryon, and the series leaderboard has a new name at the top. Boyd Martin put three horses in the top four to edge past Philip Dutton, while Lindsay Traisnel and Bacyrouge kept their hot streak alive with a second four-star short win in a month. Annie and Diarm unpack how Boyd built his lead, why Lindsay's consistency matters for Canada, and what the l...

We're back with the US Equestrian Open of Eventing qualifiers at The Fork @ Tryon, where the series picture could be starting to shift. Philip Dutton is still holding the lead, but Boyd Martin brings Miks Master C and Shanroe Cooley, with Will Coleman and Very Dignified, and Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire also in the mix. With big points on offer, the leaderboard could look very different by th...

Dressage takes the spotlight on the US Equestrian Open podcast as Annie Bishop welcomes Noah Rattner to talk freestyle, the last qualifiers, and the road to the Final in Thermal. From Fresh Prince to 80s pop, freestyle music is giving the sport a fresh spark. Noah explains how riders plan their floorplans, raise the degree of difficulty using the FEI system, and play to their horses' strengths whi...

Aaron Vale is one of the most successful American show jumpers of his generation — and in this episode, he joins us fresh off a five-star victory at Dinard. He talks about the thrill of finally securing that milestone win, the years of hard work behind it, and why passion for the horses and the sport still drives him every day Episode Highlights Dinard 5* victory: the detailed plan, the emotions,...