Roadrunners Secure Home Win in the Desert
The Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) Roadrunners secured a team win in front of a home crowd in the $262,500 5* Team Competition, presented by ClipMyHorse.tv, on Friday evening during Leg 7 of Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) at DIHP in Thermal, California.
The Roadrunner victory — earned by Kaitlin Campbell (USA), Erynn Ballard (CAN) and McLain Ward (USA) — helped the team take over third in the overall League standings after sitting just outside the top 3 coming into the week.
In the gold medal round, the Roadrunners’ Kaitlin Campbell (USA) aboard Cosm Castlefield Cornelious went head-to-head with Maccabi United’s Daniel Bluman riding Hummer Z, a fierce pair in both team and individual competition this season.
With only eight tenths of a second to spare, Campbell — a California native — brought home the win on a time of 44.14 seconds. “They did the hard work tonight to put us in that final position,” said Campbell of her teammates.
“I heard McLain on the sidelines after number three and I am more afraid of him than pulling on the reins, so I knew I just had to go,” joked Campbell. “I was on my best horse — I trust that horse so much, we’ve done so much together, and I knew I could let him go. We’ve used this team before and we’re two for two now, so I think we need to stick with it.”
Campbell was sent to the gold medal round by two critical clears from teammates Ballard and Ward.
With the only pole on the ground for the Roadrunners in the opening round, Ballard earned redemption in the form of the Fastest Lap title in the jump-off. The Canadian Olympian stopped the clock at 43.73 seconds riding Her Game Ball BG for an extra point on the board.
“We’re always showing up to win,” she said. “We’ve had some good rounds and some bad luck, but we play to win. We have a very strong group of riders on this team, and there’s nothing better than a win at home. All of us rose to the occasion tonight. Our strategy was to put Mclain and me out to get us into the winning round. We’re slowly working our way up to that first-place position.”
Ballard and Ward understood the assignment, and Ward, current world no. 11, answered Ballard’s top time with another quick clear riding First Lady. They stopped the final timers at 44.45 seconds.
Of the home win, Ward said, “I love coming west, and I think the work that’s been done here by the group at the Desert Horse Park is spectacular for all levels of the sport, but also to bring top-level, world-class show jumping to the west coast. You see the riders coming and the level rising. I’m proud of the way we’re finishing out 2025.”
Maccabi United settled for second while holding on to a 30-point lead in the season standings. The Trelawny Trailblazers sit the runners up behind them after jumping onto the podium in third in Palm Springs.
Complete results from the $262,500 5* Team Competition, presented by ClipMyHorse.tv, can be found here.
Callie Schott Cleans Up in the Desert
Callie Schott (USA) left nothing to chance aboard Garant to win the $340,000 5* Grand Prix, presented by Go Rentals, on Saturday evening to close out Leg 7 of Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) at DIHP in Thermal, California.
The times were quicker with each round over Olaf Petersen, Jr.’s (GER) jump-off. Seven advanced to the tiebreaker, but none could catch Schott and her 14-year-old Dutch-bred gelding (Warrant x Verdi Tn) owned by Southern Arches. They stopped the clock at 38.08 seconds to bump fellow American and Archers team member Aaron Vale to second riding Carissimo 25 owned by The Carissimo Group. Their time stood at 39.48 seconds.
The one-two punch from The Archers kept them within the top 5 in the season standings.
Rounding out the podium placings in 40.14 seconds, U.S. Olympian and Northern Lights rider Jessica Springsteen took third in the irons of her Tokyo Games mount Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, owned by Stone Hill Farm.
Schott was beaming after leading the victory gallop, saying, “Aaron and Jessica set the standard very high, so I knew I had to be fast. I told myself that I was going to try and not touch the reins and see what happened.”
Her plan proved to be the winning formula and was enough to deliver her and Garant their second Major League Grand Prix win.
“This was definitely the fastest I’ve ever gone,” continued Schott. “I have nothing to lose, so I said, ‘let’s just go for it.’”
Of her longtime partner, Garant, Schott said, “He’s a lovely animal with great character, but he has a little devilish look in his eye and that gives him the fight. He tries to jump clear for me all the time and he gives it two hundred percent and tries so hard.”
Garant is the former mount of Schott’s coach and four-time U.S. Olympian Beezie Madden.
After finishing the runner up to his teammate, Vale said, “My horse has the ability to go clear every time, but I’m starting to develop more control and communication with him, and it’s paying off. I was early in the jump-off, and in hindsight I’d like to have taken a little more chance at the second to last. But I left the ring as the leader and only one of them beat me, so it was a good night.”
Springsteen led off in the jump-off after being the first to crack the code on Petersen Jr.’s opening track. “When you’re in a class like this with these horse and rider combinations who are the best of the best, you have to go for it,” she said. “I was too cautious in my turns, but I was super happy with Don Juan. I could have taken more of a chance because he was jumping out of his skin, but I’m still super happy with the result.”
Complete results from the $340,000 5* Grand Prix, presented by Go Rentals, can be found here.
MLSJ action continues in the new year as The League makes its debut at the Kentucky International in Lexington April 23-25.
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