US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final 2026: Sharon White Wins

Who won the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final 2026?

Update (2026-10-11): Sharon White and her own 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding Claus 63 won the $200,000 US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia, on Sunday, Oct. 11, finishing on 30.8 penalties. They moved up from third after cross-country with a clear show jumping round in heavy rain.

The Final is a CCI4*-L (a long-format, four-star international three-day event) that closes US Equestrian's national eventing series. This was only its second edition, and competition ran Oct. 8-11.

US Equestrian says White is the first woman to win a US Equestrian Open Final in jumping, dressage or eventing. Nancy Jaffer notes that White, 51, grew up at Morven Park.

Final top 3 (CCI4*-L)

1. Sharon White and Claus 63 (2012 Holsteiner gelding): 30.8
2. Will Coleman and Off The Record (2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding): 36.6
3. Mia Farley and Invictus (2016 Holsteiner/Thoroughbred cross): 39.8

Invictus also won the MARS Equestrian American Bred Talent Trophy as the top-placed U.S.-bred horse in the CCI4*-L, according to US Equestrian.

How the three phases reshuffled the leaderboard

Eventing is scored in penalty points, so lower is better. Dressage sets the starting order, cross-country adds penalties for refusals and for every second over the optimum time, and show jumping adds 4 penalties for each rail down.

Standings and scores from US Equestrian, Nancy Jaffer and Eventing Nation.

• Dressage: Tamie Smith and Danito, who won two qualifiers this season, led the first phase, with White second on 26.0.
• Cross-country: Coleman and Off The Record went clear in 10:01, inside the 10:09 optimum time, to lead on 28.6. Isabelle Bosley and Conner also made the optimum time and rose from ninth to second on 28.9, according to Eventing Nation. White added 4.8 time penalties and slipped to third, 2.2 penalties behind Coleman. Smith and Danito had a runout at fence 9, a leaf pit, and retired later on course, according to Nancy Jaffer.
• Show jumping: In steady rain, White jumped clear. Bosley and Conner had 12 jumping penalties and 1.6 time penalties, according to Nancy Jaffer. Coleman had two rails, one in a double combination and one at a Liverpool (a jump over a small water tray), which added 8 penalties. Farley jumped double clear, with no rails and no time penalties.

Coleman led Bosley by only 0.3, and White was 1.9 behind Bosley, so one rail from Coleman alone wouldn't have been enough. White needed both pairs ahead of her to falter, and both did. It's his second straight runner-up finish: in 2025, he also lost the lead in show jumping when Boyd Martin and Miks Master C moved up to win the first Final.

This year, Martin and Luke 140 finished well down the order after a runout at the same fence 9 that caught Danito, Nancy Jaffer reports.

Developing Horse Championships results

The same weekend hosted the USEF/USEA Developing Horse Eventing National Championships, a two-star division for 6-year-olds and a three-star division for 7-year-olds. The goal is to spot young horses early that could one day help U.S. teams.

• 7-year-olds: Orpheus, a Dutch Warmblood gelding, won on Saturday, Oct. 10, after starting third in dressage, according to the US Eventing Association.
• 6-year-olds: MHE Excel Star Noble Ikon won on Sunday, Oct. 11, climbing from 11th after dressage with a double-clear show jumping round and a cross-country round with no jumping penalties, for the pair's first FEI win.

How the US Equestrian Open series works

The US Equestrian Open is US Equestrian's branded series in three Olympic disciplines: jumping, dressage and eventing. Each discipline has qualifiers around the country and a single showcase final.

For eventing, the qualifiers are CCI4-S* (short-format four-star) competitions at venues such as Tryon, Stable View and Twin Rivers. The Final itself steps up to the long format.

• 20 qualifiers ran in this cycle, according to US Equestrian's quick guide.
• 17 different horses won them, and six of those winners started the Final.
• Two Final starters won twice: Tamie Smith and Danito (Tryon in May, Twin Rivers in September) and Lucienne Bellissimo and Dyri (Bouckaert in October 2025, Stable View in April).
• Money: $200,000 in prize money at the Final, plus a separate $50,000 series award based on rankings across the qualifiers, according to Morven Park.

Winning qualifiers proves a horse is in form. Danito's result shows it doesn't guarantee anything at a long-format event, where stamina and recovery matter much more.

CCI4*-L vs CCI4*-S: why the long format is harder

In eventing's FEI codes, CCI means an international three-phase event, the stars (1 to 5) set the difficulty, and the letter sets the format. A 4* is one step below the 5* level of Kentucky or Burghley. New to the levels? Our CCI4*-S explainer breaks them down.

Both formats use the same 570 meters-per-minute optimum speed at four-star, according to Kentucky Three-Day Event's guide. The long course simply asks the horse to hold that pace for several more minutes.

That's why the last day matters so much. A horse has to pass the final horse inspection the morning after cross-country, then jump a clean round while tired. Both Finals so far have been decided by rails on Sunday.

For the basics of the three phases, start with What Is Eventing?

Going to Morven Park International next year

In 2026, four-star dressage opened on Thursday, cross-country ran Saturday and show jumping closed things out Sunday. Admission was free with a grounds pass, a free in-park shuttle ran, and leashed dogs were welcome outside the VIP tent, according to Alexandria Living Magazine. Check Morven Park's spectator page for next year's dates and rules.

Watching cross-country safely with kids

Cross-country is the most exciting phase to watch and the one that needs the most care. Horses gallop across open fields, and the course crosses paths spectators use.

• Stay behind the ropes and flags. When you hear a whistle or a steward call "horse on course," stop and clear the track. Never cross in front of a coming horse.
• Hold hands near the fences. A small child who darts under a rope can startle a horse moving at 20+ mph.
• Keep dogs on a short leash and away from the galloping lanes. Skip the retractable leash.
• No flash, no waving and no popping umbrellas as a horse jumps.
• Pick two or three fences close together, such as a water complex, instead of trying to see everything. Little legs tire fast.
• Dress for a field: closed-toe boots, layers, rain gear, sunscreen, water and snacks.
• Ask before you pet. Competition horses are working, and many riders will say "not right now."

See our safety hub and First Horse Show for Kids for more family tips.

How to watch eventing online and find full results

• Livestream: ClipMyHorse.TV streamed the 2026 Final. Eventing Nation said it should be free with a connected US Equestrian account.
• Horse inspections: Eventing Nation says Morven Park streams the jogs on its YouTube channel (@MorvenParkEQ).
• Full scores: US Equestrian points to Equestrian Hub, and Eventing Nation lists EventEntries. Both show each pair's penalties phase by phase.

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