Super Bowl week is a big one.
Even if you don&rsquo;t follow football all year, you still feel it. The build-up. The noise. The Half-time Show (Its Bad Bunny this year). The tribalism. The sense that this one game is bigger than the game. It&rsquo;s where we hope to get the Open to.&nbsp;
So this week, the US Equestrian Open podcast did something we don&rsquo;t normally do.&nbsp;We stepped outside equestrian sport.
Not because we want to become a football channel, but because the Super Bowl is one of the best examples on the planet of how to turn sport into a fan experience. <img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/dec69256-85d0-4058-aa1b-d8d1fb507147.png?width=1449&amp;height=1108" alt="Superbowl 60">
We brought in four of the US Equestrian of Open of Eventing biggest voices to share their take:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Aspen Farms (Qualifier 13) organizer Jonathan Elliott&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">Terranova (Qualifier 2 and 5), Carolina (Qualifier 4) organizer Max Corcoran&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr">Aiken's Joanie Morris</li>
<li dir="ltr">Course designer Morgan Rowsell</li>
</ul>
Listen to the full episode <a href="https://pod.fo/e/387c28" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
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<h2 dir="ltr">Lesson 1: Fans don&rsquo;t fall in love with sport. They fall in love with stories.</h2>
Sure, we all loved Joe Montana but Tom Brady is generally considered the GOAT. When the group starts talking about Tom Brady (and those Patriots fans love talking about Tom Brady) it&rsquo;s not the stats that make it interesting. It&rsquo;s the story.
<blockquote>
Joanie Morris puts it simply:&nbsp;&ldquo;The best thing for me about Tom Brady is where he came from, right?&rdquo;
</blockquote>
Joanie follows it with the part that matters most for fandom:&nbsp;&ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t born a star, everyone thinking that he was gonna be this guy.&rdquo;
<blockquote>
Max Corcoran adds the part every sport needs more of:&nbsp;&ldquo;He was back up, running, riding the bench and just worked hard and just, and studied it and was ready to go when he was tapped.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
That&rsquo;s not just football. That&rsquo;s sport. We have seen plenty of people wait for their chance in the Open and go for it.&nbsp;
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<h2 dir="ltr">Lesson 2: Big sports don&rsquo;t create one storyline. They create 100.</h2>
Morgan Rowsell makes the point that the NFL is always doing the work for you. It never lets the story die.
<blockquote>
&ldquo;What a lot of these other larger, more well-funded sports do, especially in football, is that there&rsquo;s just a constant story and there&rsquo;s constant buildup. There&rsquo;s, you know,&nbsp;Drake Maye&rsquo;s shoulder. So let&rsquo;s talk about that for three news cycles.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
That&rsquo;s the machine. And it&rsquo;s a reminder: the NFL doesn&rsquo;t just have fans because it&rsquo;s big. It&rsquo;s big because it keeps giving fans something to follow. Our job with the Open is to keep creating the stories. Our sports aren&rsquo;t short on them.&nbsp;
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<h2 dir="ltr">Lesson 3: Access is everything</h2>
A big part of the Open is access. Joanie Morris raised something we have talked a lot about as part of our 2026 planning. Modern sports bring us fans even closer to the action - and not just to the sport.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s feeling like you&rsquo;re right there, right. It&rsquo;s the sideline mics. It&rsquo;s the guys mic&rsquo;d up. It&rsquo;s the cameras are so close to the players and the coaches and the emotions are, you know, so you&rsquo;re living the emotions in real time in those big games.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
That&rsquo;s something we will work on for the Open. We want to capture more behind the scenes action, more stable chat, more families and friends helping us shape the stories.&nbsp;
Access is what turns &ldquo;watching&rdquo; into &ldquo;caring.&rdquo;
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<h2 dir="ltr">Lesson 4: Jeopardy is what makes sport addictive</h2>
EquiRatings&rsquo; Diarmuid Byrne talks about the importance of sport mattering. Not every qualifier will be a Super Bowl of course but within each class there will be an angle. It matters to someone, in some way - you have to find it.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
&ldquo;It has to feel like every competition has to feel like it means something to somebody.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
That&rsquo;s the Open in one sentence.&nbsp;And it&rsquo;s also why Super Bowl week works.&nbsp;Because everyone knows the stakes.
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<h2 dir="ltr">Lesson 5: Tribalism is not a problem. It&rsquo;s the engine.</h2>
One of the most entertaining parts of the episode is that the trash talk starts immediately.
Joanie Morris, right out of the gate:&nbsp;&ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re in for a good game and Elliot&rsquo;s gonna be sad again.&rdquo;
Morgan Rowsell is even more direct:&nbsp;&ldquo;I like that he&rsquo;s gonna be sad.&rdquo;
Max Corcoran sums up what it feels like to be a Patriots fan:&nbsp;&ldquo;Everybody hates the Patriots.&rdquo;
And then the conversation turns into something genuinely useful.&nbsp;Joanie asks whether equestrian sport could build more local identity:
<blockquote>
&ldquo;Is there a way with some of these riders and horses and stories to tie them geographically a little bit more locally to build a more local fan base?&rdquo;
</blockquote>
We love this and we want to lean in more this year. We want to start referencing more where people come from and who they represent. Identity is so important and we want to lean in more to things which help fans connect.&nbsp;
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<h2 dir="ltr">Lesson 6: Fans want to wear the sport</h2>
Max Corcoran gives the most practical example of something equestrian sport is missing.&nbsp;She talks about a sports fan parent who found it strange that equestrian fans can&rsquo;t buy anything that represents who they love.
Max says:&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really interesting, most of the time, if you go to a baseball game, a basketball game, anything, you can buy your favorite player&rsquo;s jersey or you can buy your favorite player&rsquo;s anything. But in the equestrian world, you can&rsquo;t do that because they don&rsquo;t have it.&rdquo;
Boyd Martin, last years Series and Final winner is an exception to this.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Boyd is the first person I think that I know of, in equestrian that has actually bridged that gap and you can buy his, his, you know, rugby shirts now.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not just &ldquo;merch.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s identity.
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<h2 dir="ltr">Lesson 7: Our sport is spectacular. We should be prouder.&nbsp;</h2>
This is where Diarm hits the most &ldquo;US Equestrian Open&rdquo; point of the entire episode.
He explains that equestrian sport already has all the raw ingredients. The stories, the personalities, the jeopardy, the partnership, the drama.
&ldquo;When you think of the depth of the backstories that are in our sport, we could do that.&rdquo;
And then he makes the bigger point: we should stop being shy about how special it is. We are one of the few sports in the world that can genuinely say we lead with care. We don&rsquo;t just talk about horse welfare, we champion it globally. We show it. We invest in it. We hold ourselves to it.
So instead of dialling things down, we should do the opposite.
We should be proud of the sport. Proud of the people in it. Proud of what it stands for.
Because when you look at how other sports present themselves, they never apologise for their spectacle.
&ldquo;And then you look at, say, college game day in the US&hellip; and then you feel like there&rsquo;s no need to calm down.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s the Open&rsquo;s whole mission.
Make it feel like it matters. Make it feel like sport. Make it feel like entertainment.
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<h2 dir="ltr">Bonus: The Super Bowl 60 predictions (and the confidence levels)</h2>
We couldn&rsquo;t do a Super Bowl preview episode without forcing everyone to put their money where their mouth is.&nbsp;And the range of predictions is&hellip; wide.
Morgan Rowsell goes for a defensive grind:&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s gonna be a low-scoring game. I think it&rsquo;s gonna be 17-14, the Patriots.&rdquo;
Max Corcoran is also on the Patriots, but sees a little more scoring:&nbsp;&ldquo;I was going 21-24 Patriots.&rdquo;
Joanie Morris sticks with her original gut call:&nbsp;&ldquo;I was going 17-13 Patriots&hellip; but that feels too close to Morgan. I&rsquo;m gonna go... no I&rsquo;m sticking with it.&rdquo;
And Jonathan Elliott, the lone Seahawks supporter on the panel, comes in with the boldest prediction of the entire episode:&nbsp;&ldquo;31-10 Hawks, they take it convincingly. Convincingly.&rdquo;
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<h2 dir="ltr">Final Thoughts (and a Super Bowl-sized disclaimer)</h2>
This episode is a Super Bowl preview.&nbsp;But it&rsquo;s also something more useful.
It&rsquo;s four of the Open&rsquo;s biggest voices, plus Diarm and Annie, describing the gap between equestrian sport and the biggest fan machine on earth, and spelling out what we can steal.
More story.&nbsp;More access.&nbsp;More repetition.&nbsp;More jeopardy.&nbsp;More identity.&nbsp;And definitely more enthusiasm.
Because if football has taught us anything, it&rsquo;s that people don&rsquo;t fall in love with &ldquo;results.&rdquo;&nbsp;They fall in love with what the results mean.
Listen to the full episode <a href="https://pod.fo/e/387c28" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>
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<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/the-open-weekly-freestyle-west-coast-momentum" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/797de4a4-a9fd-4ef8-8f83-7253791613fc.png?width=4048&amp;height=577" alt="Us Open Blog Inserts"></a>
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<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Follow the US Equestrian Open of Eventing</h2>
Check out the full Series calendar below and stay connected with the latest news and standings on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Facebook</a>&nbsp;and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Instagram.&nbsp;</a>Use #USEqOpen to join the conversation.
Also follow US Equestrian on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/USequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@usequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/usequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X (Twitter)</a>.&nbsp;
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For Sport Department questions, please contact Christy Hawkins at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:USEquestrianOpen@usef.org">USEquestrianOpen@usef.org</a>.
For media inquiries about the US Equestrian Open Series, please contact Carly Weilminster at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:cweilminster@usef.org">cweilminster@usef.org</a>.&nbsp;
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Layson Griffin at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:lgriffin@usef.org">lgriffin@usef.org</a>.

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Lucienne Bellissimo has spent much of her career flying the British flag. In 2026, she&rsquo;s doing something new - leading the U.S. Equestrian Open of Eventing Series as an American.
After officially becoming a United States citizen in late 2025, Bellissimo now represents the US as she sits atop the 2026 Open leaderboard following the first two qualifiers, both contested with Dyri and Kitsch Couture HPK at the tail end of last season.&nbsp;
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/c23492d7-840b-47ef-9003-9f9fdbe46459.png?width=1240&amp;height=714" alt="E Fens Current Leaderboard of the Us Equestrian Open of Eventing (1)">
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<h3 data-start="893" data-end="937">&nbsp;</h3>
<h3 data-start="893" data-end="937">A Long-Term Commitment Comes Full Circle</h3>
Originally from England, Bellissimo has based her life, business, and competitive career in the United States for many years. Her decision to change nationality reflects a long-term personal and professional commitment to American eventing - one built gradually rather than overnight.
<blockquote>
&ldquo;It is such an honor to now be an American citizen. Becoming part of a culture that celebrates big dreams feels like the right&nbsp;home.&nbsp;The support of my husband and stepchildren through this chapter has been so inspiring, and I will&nbsp;give my all to make them and America proud in the next chapter of my eventing career."
</blockquote>
Becoming a US citizen allows Bellissimo to align her competitive ambitions with the country she has called home, including her long-term goal of representing Team USA at the highest level of the sport.&nbsp;
<h3 data-start="2019" data-end="2050">Experience at the Top Level</h3>
Bellissimo brings decades of top-level experience into this new chapter. She has competed internationally at CCI4* level since 2006 and has ranked as high as ninth in the US Eventing Rankings, alongside appearances inside the top 50 of the FEI world rankings.&nbsp;
Beyond competition, she is also the founder of Horse Scout Group and has spent more than 20 years developing and sourcing elite event horses - experience that continues to shape her depth and durability at the top of the sport.
<h3 data-start="2582" data-end="2615">A New Flag, the Same Ambition</h3>
Nationality may have changed, but Bellissimo&rsquo;s competitive direction remains clear. With her sights set on a CCI5* future and a strong start to the US Equestrian Open Series already in hand, she enters 2026 as both a proven campaigner and a new face for Team USA.
As the season unfolds, Bellissimo&rsquo;s Open campaign will be followed not just as a points race but as the beginning of a new era under a new flag.
<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/the-open-weekly-freestyle-west-coast-momentum" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/797de4a4-a9fd-4ef8-8f83-7253791613fc.png?width=4048&amp;height=577" alt="Us Open Blog Inserts"></a>
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<h3 data-start="2884" data-end="3030">Listen to Lucienne Bellissimo on the US Equestrian Open Podcast last year.</h3>
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<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Follow the US Equestrian Open of Eventing</h2>
Check out the full Series calendar below and stay connected with the latest news and standings on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Facebook</a>&nbsp;and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Instagram.&nbsp;</a>Use #USEqOpen to join the conversation.
Also follow US Equestrian on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/USequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@usequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/usequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X (Twitter)</a>.&nbsp;
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<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/c9dfe039-3b02-415d-b513-c5bd87d85dae.jpeg?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="26 Open Eventing Qualifier Calendar">
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For Sport Department questions, please contact Christy Hawkins at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:USEquestrianOpen@usef.org">USEquestrianOpen@usef.org</a>.
For media inquiries about the US Equestrian Open Series, please contact Carly Weilminster at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:cweilminster@usef.org">cweilminster@usef.org</a>.&nbsp;
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Layson Griffin at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:lgriffin@usef.org">lgriffin@usef.org</a>.

New Flag for the Frontrunner

This week&rsquo;s qualifier brings a five-entry Grand Prix Freestyle field that&rsquo;s intimate, but not predictable. Devon Kane, Michael Klimke, and Susan Dutta arrive with averages and personal bests just close enough to keep us guessing, even if one combination enters as a narrow statistical favorite.
<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-ny6DN" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" title="Grand Prix Freestyle Stats: AGDF 5" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ny6DN/1/" height="542" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" aria-label="Table" data-external="1"></iframe>
<h2 dir="ltr">Kane: The Narrow Favorite</h2>
Devon Kane and Vamos enter with the strongest numbers in the class, carrying a 72% average across nine FEI freestyles and a personal best of 75.305%. Friday marks their first freestyle of the season after a summer spent competing in Europe and rolling out a reworked floorplan.
Their average comes with a pesky asterisk, however. A single mid-60s score from Hagen last summer &mdash; the result of a missed element in their first outing with the new choreography &mdash; is dragging down their average more than their form would suggest. Without that mix-up, Kane and Vamos are sitting on an average closer to 73%, which is far more in line with what they typically deliver.
That puts them in the precarious position of &ldquo;favorite.&rdquo; It does not, however, give them much room to be casual about it.
<h2 dir="ltr">Klimke &amp; Dutta: Not Far Behind</h2>
Michael Klimke and Susan Dutta are the two riders most capable of keeping Kane from a casual romp in the Wellington area this weekend.
Klimke is contesting his third of four counting legs in the Open, which means any finish improves his leaderboard position, while a win would move him into a tie with Ge&ntilde;ay Vaughn. Klimke and Harmony&rsquo;s Fado debuted their FEI freestyle earlier this season with a 71.445%. It&rsquo;s only one score, but it places them right alongside Kane and Dutta on raw numbers, even without a long freestyle resume behind it. And, as most dressage fans know, it&rsquo;s rarely wise to count out a Klimke.
Dutta and Don Design DC return for their second Open appearance of the year, currently ranked 21st with seven points. While they sit just outside the finals cutoff line, any finish this weekend would move them into that range, but their scoring ability keeps them firmly in the podium discussion.
Dutta&rsquo;s personal best of 73.950% sits comfortably within reach of Kane. Her average trails both Kane and Klimke slightly, but not by a margin that removes first place from the equation. A ride near, or just beyond, that personal best would be enough to topple the statistical order.
<h3 dir="ltr">Tune In</h3>
With Kane, Klimke, and Dutta clustered tightly on averages and personal bests, this shapes up as a competitive podium for such a small field. Kane carries the edge on depth of results, but the numbers leave little room for error.&nbsp;
The freestyles begin Friday at 8:15 ET, live on the <a href="https://www.clipmyhorse.tv/en_US/events/18401/adequan-global-dressage-festival-v">USEF Network</a>. <a href="https://www.usef.org/membership/join-renew">Sign up for free</a> as a fan to stream the action.
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Susan Dutta rides Don Design DC during a Grand Prix dressage test, wearing U.S. colors in the arena.

No Margin for Error for Devon Kane in This Week’s Freestyle

The US Equestrian Open of Eventing was designed to connect the country's top CCI4*-S competitions into a year-long championship. But there's an inherent tension in the format: American eventing is split down the middle, with the sport's traditional power centers&mdash;Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania&mdash;clustered on the East Coast, while the West operates almost as its own circuit.
It's not just geography. It's logistics, it's culture, and increasingly, it's strategy.
This raises a compelling question heading into the 2026 series: Can a West Coast-based rider actually win it all?
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<h2 dir="ltr">The West Coast Disadvantage (Or Is It?)</h2>
There are five West Coast venues in the Open series&mdash;Twin Rivers, Galway Downs, Rebecca Farm, Aspen Farms, and Woodside&mdash;hosting six total qualifiers. Yes, that's fewer events than the East Coast offers. And yes, West Coast fields tend to be smaller. In fact, none in 2025 exceeded 12 starters.
But here's what the numbers actually show: it's absolutely winnable from the West.
Under the Open's points structure, wins at qualifiers with fewer than 25 starters earn 40 points instead of 50. Six West Coast wins? That's 240 points. Last year, Boyd Martin won the series with 260 points - just 20 more. Phillip Dutton's second-place finish came in at 235 points.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/0c791596-b15d-4a2b-8862-2e998a744a81.png?width=3204&amp;height=2600" alt="Qualifiers With More Than 25 Starters (1)">
The gap isn't insurmountable. In fact, it's small enough that one strategic East Coast trip&mdash;say, Kentucky with two horses&mdash;can close it entirely.
And we've already seen it work. Tamie Smith and James Alliston both finished high on the 2025 leaderboard despite being West Coast based. They didn't need to dominate the East Coast circuit - they just needed to dominate their circuit, then supplement strategically.
That's not a disadvantage. That's a blueprint.
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<h2 dir="ltr">The Kentucky Factor</h2>
The great equalizer? The Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S at Kentucky Horse Park, which consistently draws huge entries. It's the one East Coast event where West Coast riders routinely make the trip and now with the US Open in the mix it's for good reason. A strong result will guarantee you high points, and if you bring multiple horses, it's a chance to bank serious totals in a single weekend.
In 2025, Tamie Smith, James Alliston, Molly Duda, and Tommy Greengard all made the pilgrimage east for Kentucky.
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<h2 dir="ltr">The Contenders</h2>
If a West Coast rider is going to break through in 2026, it'll likely be one of these four. Each brings a different approach, but all have the horsepower to compete.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/5054259c-98f2-4311-b0ee-621211562860.jpeg?width=1600&amp;height=1242" alt="K3de 539">
<h3 dir="ltr">Tamie Smith: The Rebecca Farm Specialist</h3>
Tamie Smith doesn't just compete at Rebecca Farm in Montana - she owns it. Across 13 CCI4*-S starts there, she's posted 11 top-three finishes, including multiple wins. Her record there is nothing short of dominant, and in a series where consistency matters, that's a built-in advantage.
This year, Smith brings three confirmed 4* horses: Lillet 3, Kynan, and Danito. But the wildcard is D'Luxe Steel, a rising star who's won both his CCI3* attempts. If he steps up to 4*, Smith has a serious string.
The strategic play? Rack up points at Rebecca Farm and Woodside, make a calculated Kentucky run with multiple horses, and let the numbers stack up.
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<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/c0635902-1735-4dd1-b2f4-de2ad532e3a4.jpeg?width=1600&amp;height=1174" alt="K3de 548">
<h3 dir="ltr">James Alliston: The Volume Shooter</h3>
James Alliston's 2025 campaign was a masterclass in sheer volume. He competed six different horses at CCI4*-S level, including three wins. His breakout star was HMR Rolan, who won back-to-back 4* events on his four-star debut - a breakthrough that immediately marked him as a serious contender for 2026.
Alliston also has proven commodities in Paper Jam, Nemesis, Cora, and Karma, and Irish Pop. That depth gives him flexibility: he can double-up at West Coast events, absorb an off day with one horse, and still stay competitive.
Twin Rivers has been particularly kind to Alliston. He won<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/west-side-story"> six consecutive editions</a> between 2021 and 2025, and with the venue hosting two Open legs, Alliston has a serious chance to rack up points.
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<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/c56ba19f-73a9-4a5f-8cf8-4933666e11d2.jpeg?width=1600&amp;height=1067" alt="Web 25 Bicton Usa Duda 8412">
<h3 dir="ltr">Molly Duda: The Rising Threat</h3>
Molly Duda campaigned two horses at 4* in 2025&mdash;Disco Traveler and Carlingford&rsquo;s He&rsquo;s A Clover&mdash;but her string is building. Jutopia impressed at the three-star level with Duda, including a one-off second-place finish at Rebecca Farm&rsquo;s CCI4*-S with Tamie Smith.
If 21-year-old Duda steps up with Jutopia and continues developing her other prospects, she could quietly accumulate enough points to challenge for a podium spot. She won't win on volume, but she doesn't need to - she just needs clean, consistent performances.
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<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/2f20b1e6-fa98-4a8e-bd75-b47d1eb70e6b.jpeg?width=1600&amp;height=1222" alt="K3de 540">
<h3 dir="ltr">Tommy Greengard: The Commitment Question</h3>
Tommy Greengard was on track to have a stellar 2025 series before his campaign stalled mid-season. In fact, at the time we thought<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/tommy-greengard-the-west-coast-contender-who-could-win-it-all"> he could win the whole thing.</a> With Joshuay MBF and That's Me Z, he showed he had the horses and the talent but not the sustained commitment across enough qualifiers.
In 2026, the question is simple: will he go all-in?
If Greengard commits to the full calendar, doubles up strategically, and makes a Kentucky appearance, he's got a legitimate shot. But as we saw last year, potential and execution are two different things.
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<h3 dir="ltr">The Dark Horse: Kaylawna Smith-Cook</h3>
Don't sleep on Kaylawna Smith-Cook, Tamie's daughter. She competed at CCI4*-S level from 2021-2023 and currently has three horses campaigning successfully at CCI3* level: Piccadilly's Pride ME, Dealas, and Coco Chanel.
If even one of those horses steps up to 4* this season, Kaylawna becomes a contender - especially if she mirrors her mother's approach of picking her spots carefully and executing when it counts.
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<h2 dir="ltr">The Path to Victory</h2>
So can a West Coast rider win the 2026 US Equestrian Open? The blueprint exists:
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Dominate at home.&nbsp;Win or podium at all six West Coast qualifiers. Even at 40 points per win, that's 240 points.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Double up strategically.&nbsp;Bring multiple horses to high-point qualifiers like Kentucky. Two horses in the top five at a single event can net 85+ points in one weekend.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Play the volume game.&nbsp;You need depth. No single horse will win the series; it's always going to be a string effort.</li>
<li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Don't overthink the East Coast. You don&rsquo;t need to bounce around states like Pennsylvania and Virginia. One or two well-timed trips east can be enough if your West Coast foundation is solid.</li>
</ol>
Tamie Smith, James Alliston, Molly Duda, and Tommy Greengard all have the tools. The question is whether they'll commit to the strategy and whether 2026 will be the year a West Coast rider takes it all.
Stay tuned. The series starts in less than two months, and the West has something to prove.
<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/the-open-weekly-freestyle-west-coast-momentum" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/797de4a4-a9fd-4ef8-8f83-7253791613fc.png?width=4048&amp;height=577" alt="Us Open Blog Inserts"></a>
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<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Follow the US Equestrian Open of Eventing</h2>
Check out the full Series calendar below and stay connected with the latest news and standings on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Facebook</a>&nbsp;and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Instagram.&nbsp;</a>Use #USEqOpen to join the conversation.
Also follow US Equestrian on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/USequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Facebook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@usequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/usequestrian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X (Twitter)</a>.&nbsp;
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For Sport Department questions, please contact Christy Hawkins at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:USEquestrianOpen@usef.org">USEquestrianOpen@usef.org</a>.
For media inquiries about the US Equestrian Open Series, please contact Carly Weilminster at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:cweilminster@usef.org">cweilminster@usef.org</a>.&nbsp;
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Layson Griffin at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:lgriffin@usef.org">lgriffin@usef.org</a>.

Is the US Equestrian Open Winnable from the West Coast?

<h3 dir="ltr">Dressage: Osborne Claims Ocala Freestyle</h3>
Next Qualifier: Adequan&reg; Global Dressage Festival 5 - CDI4* | The Final: Desert Dressage, Thermal CA (November)
The Grand Prix Freestyle at World Equestrian Center&ndash;Ocala drew a three-horse field, limiting the points on offer. The weekend&rsquo;s most notable result came from Charlotte Osborne (GBR) and Fruhlingszauber, who produced the highest score of the class.
Osborne and Fruhlingszauber won on 70.775 percent, setting a new personal best in just the pair&rsquo;s second FEI Grand Prix Freestyle together. They finished narrowly ahead of pre-show favorites Claire Darnell and Harrold S on 70.560 percent. Darnell and Harrold S entered the weekend with the <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/claire-darnell-enters-as-favorite-at-wec-ocala-cdi3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongest statistical profile in the field</a>, averaging 73.569 percent across four freestyle starts with a personal best of 77.015.
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Sylvia Gugler and Vulkano 14 completed the podium on 66.600 percent. While the small field capped points, Gugler&rsquo;s second Open appearance of the season was enough to move her from within the top 20 to seventh on the Series leaderboard following her earlier start at Gold Coast.
Next week brings the return of Ge&ntilde;ay Vaughn and Gino, who will have an opportunity to challenge for the top leaderboard spot with Christian Simonson and Indian Rock not contesting the freestyle.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/68dc7bad-b3e7-4798-a77d-6aeab3c0ada6.png?width=1240&amp;height=806" alt="S Ichi Current Leaderboard of the Us Equestrian Open of Dressage ">
<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/categories/dressage" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/df3afaab-1f25-4fab-a1dc-c46c608169fb.png?width=1080&amp;height=171" alt="Read More Dressage"></a>
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<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Eventing: The West Coast Awakens at Galway Downs</h2>
Next Qualifier: Bouckaert Farm | Countdown: 4 Weeks
We are now just one month away from the action returning! While the national season kicked off in Florida two weeks ago, the West Coast officially joined the fray this weekend at Galway Downs. The Temecula tracks provided the first real opportunity of 2026 for California-based Open contenders to shake off the cobwebs and put their off-season homework to the test.
Tamie Smith made an emphatic statement to start her year, campaigning a massive string of seven horses. Of particular interest for the Open is Lillet 3. The 10-year-old mare, who successfully stepped up to the four-star level last year, currently sits as the <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/the-crystal-ball-how-data-predicts-the-next-generation-of-us-superstars">second-highest rated US ten-year-old.</a> Only the recently returned Jaguars Duende (Sharon White) sits higher in that age bracket. Smith and Lillet 3 secured a win in the Open Intermediate division, finishing on a score of 32.4. With six Open Qualifiers on the West Coast in 2026, Lillet 3 is very likely a horse that will secure big points for Smith this season.&nbsp;
Another pair lining up for a big 2026 is Galway Downs-based Erin Kellerhouse and Bon Vivant GWF. After an impressive 2025 campaign that included four podium finishes in five international starts at the 3* level, this pair look primed for a four-star step-up. They won the Intermediate/Preliminary division, finishing on their dressage score of 33.1.
While these results set a high bar for form and fitness, West Coast riders must remain patient until Galway Downs International at the end of March to officially put points on the board when the US Equestrian Open of Eventing finally arrives on the West Coast.
<img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/a8c33f23-f4e4-48f0-b943-54753a1eec22.png?width=1240&amp;height=714" alt="E Fens Current Leaderboard of the Us Equestrian Open of Eventing ">
<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/categories/eventing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/254e09dd-d92e-4194-986b-baf0dbd8460b.png?width=1080&amp;height=158" alt="Read More Eventing"></a>
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<h2 dir="ltr">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 dir="ltr">Show Jumping: A big weekend in Desert and a British challenger emerges</h2>
The US Equestrian Open Final: Wellington, Week 12&nbsp; | Countdown: 7 Weeks
At the Desert International Horse Park, the CSI5*-W $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup&trade; Thermal turned into a masterclass for the home nation. In a seven-horse jump-off, American riders locked out the podium. Kyle King claimed the top spot aboard Kayenne Z, followed closely by Karl Cook on the ever-consistent Foxy de la Roque in 2nd. Kaitlin Campbell rounded out the top three with Karius.
Irish riders were again the ones to beat at Wellington International and the leaderboard featured some familiar faces from last year&rsquo;s Open Final. The MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix win went to Shane Sweetnam (IRL) with a first big win for Coriaan van Klapscheut Z.&nbsp; Bertram Allen (IRL) finished second with Qonquest de Rigo - a combination which finished fifth in last year&rsquo;s final.&nbsp;
Scott Brash (GBR) doesn&rsquo;t often go to Wellington. In fact, it has been over 10 years since we saw him and Hello Sanctos win a 160 Grand Prix there in 2014 during Week 12. All eyes will be on the Kent Farrington v Scott Brash story if we do see an entry emerge. Brash is in remarkable form. He extended his Doha run with victory in Sunday&rsquo;s CSI5* 1.60m Grand Prix aboard Hello Jefferson, marking his fifth Grand Prix win of the 2026 season (three at 5* level) and capping a January that simply does not happen in modern show jumping. Backed by a string that includes Hello Jefferson, Hello Folie, Hello Mango and Hello Chadora Lady, Scott Brash sits world number two with real momentum in the rankings race. If he does choose to return to Wellington, it will set up a huge battle to keep the trophy on home soil.
<a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/categories/jumping" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/93f7dc6e-604b-4d1d-913d-73eddaee42db.png?width=1080&amp;height=161" alt="Read More Jumping"></a>
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<h2 data-path-to-node="4">&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 data-path-to-node="4">Stay in the Loop with The Open Weekly</h2>
Thanks for joining us for this week's edition! Don't forget: a fresh update of&nbsp;The Open Weekly&nbsp;drops on the site&nbsp;every Tuesday.
<h3 data-path-to-node="9">Join the Conversation</h3>
Follow us for daily highlights, behind-the-scenes content, and live updates:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/usequestrianopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/useqopen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X (Twitter)</a>
<h3 data-path-to-node="6">Go Beyond the Article</h3>
Catch the latest insights and expert interviews on the&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.libsyn.com/559710" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US Equestrian Open Podcast</a>.
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