The first day of dressage took place on a rainy Thursday at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory. The CCI5*-L division took to the dressage arena in the afternoon with Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135 sitting atop the leaderboard after day one of competition.

CCI5*-L

Baughman (Lexington, Ky.) and C’est La Vie 135 were the final combination to head down centerline on Thursday and saving the best for last rang true with their test. Despite riding in some of the worst rain of the day, Baughman and the 2008 Hanoverian gelding, who Woods co-owns with his parents Kim Baughman and James Baughman Jr., delivered an excellent test in front of the ground jury of Christian Landolt (SUI), Gretchen Butts (USA), and Judy Hancock (GBR). Their flowing performance earned a score of 27.2 to clinch the early lead in the CCI5*-L.

Photo – Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135 (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

“I kept having to remind myself to look up because I couldn’t see across the ring with all the rain in my eyes. So, every now and then, I was like, ‘Alright, I’ve actually got to look to see the markers, then look down again,’” said Baughman. “It did make the lateral work kind of easy because he wanted to go sideways anyway to get away from the rain. So then, he was pretty supple because he was always kind of bending away from the rain and moving into where I needed him.”

Astier Nicolas (FRA) and Babylon de Gamma sit in second place after day one of competition. Nicolas and the 2011 Selle Français gelding owned by Etienne Grivot, Marielle Grivot Bize, Benedicte Nicolas de Monval, and Nicolas are off to a strong start with a score of 29.1.

Liz Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) and Cooley Quicksilver were the first pair to compete in the CCI5*-L division and maintained one of the top spots throughout the day. Halliday-Sharp and The Monster Partnership’s 2011 Irish Sport Horse gelding end the first day of competition in third place on a score of 29.3.

Competition continues Friday with the second day of dressage at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory. The CCI3*-L begins at 8:32 a.m. ET, followed by the CCI5*-L at 2:05 p.m. ET.

Competition Information

Schedule

Ride times and results

For more information, visit www.maryland5star.us.

Live Stream Information

The CCI3*-L and CCI5*-L will both be streamed live on USEF Network from October 12-16 and available on-demand to USEF members after the conclusion of the event on Sunday. Get a free fan membership by joining now and using the promo code Maryland22.