International jumpers took to the arena on Thursday, October 24, to contest the first two classes of the CSI5*-W competition at the 2025 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), presented by MARS Equestrian™. U.S. Olympic team gold medalist McLain Ward rode First Lady for owner Robin Cleary Parsky to victory in the $63,000 FEI Welcome Stake. The fastest in the $63,000 Stars & Stripes Speed Stake were Daniel Bluman (ISR) and Gemma W, owned by Blue Star Investments and Over The Top Stables LLC. Held at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD, the event continues through Sunday, October 26.
Course designer Nick Granat (USA) set the tracks for the night’s opening class, and 28 horse-and-rider combinations competed in the opening round. Eight were clear and continued to the jump-off, while one chose not to return. Ward and First Lady set a neat and speedy time of 33.15 seconds for the win.
“I thought it was challenging enough,” said Ward of the course. “Nick is a great course builder, but he builds very delicate. I thought he had the right number clear. It was a fair, welcoming test.
“In the jump-off, I know she’s quick,” he continued. “I thought if I could get the first two jumps done — where sometimes she can jump a little high — I had a very good chance.”
First Lady, a 12-year-old Oldenburg mare (Don Diarado x Lordanos), was back in her first five-star competition since March. She sustained an injury in May that took her out of competition until she returned to the FEI ring two weeks ago in two-star competition.
“We gave her a nice two-month rest, then legged her back up slowly, and brought her back up to the level,” explained Ward. “First Lady’s always been brilliant inside, but even with a few unknowns after a long layoff, I think she’s picking up even further along. Maybe she was due a little rest, and now she feels fresh and really enjoying her job.”
Mimi Gochman (USA) and Inclen BH, owned by DG Sport Horse LLC, finished second with a double-clear performance in 33.55 seconds, while world number two rider Ben Maher (GBR) and his own Faltic HB were third in 34.66 seconds. Top Canadian in this class was Tiffany Foster, 7th riding Electrique.
Daniel Bluman and Gemma W notched another win in their belt with the top call in the $63,000 CSI5* Stars and Stripes Speed Final. (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Gemma Shows Her Speed
By leaving out strides and make very short turns, Daniel Bluman made it look easy when he and Gemma W cruised to victory in the $63,000 Stars & Stripes Speed Stake. The faults-converted format class added three faults for every rail down, but by leaving the jumps up and being fast, Bluman handily took the win with a time of 54.98 seconds. It was nearly two second faster than Kaitlin Campbell (USA) riding Cosm Hesed for owner Mirasol Equestrian, LLC, who stopped the timers in 56.79 seconds. Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and Corrie 9, owned by Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC, placed third in 57.11 seconds.
While Gemma W was one of Bluman’s main grand prix horses for years, she has taken a bit of a step down in 2025. She has competed in some five-star qualifying classes, but mostly more 1.50m-1.55m events in lower-rated shows. It’s where Bluman feels she fits best, and her record shows it; Gemma finished in the top five in 12 of 19 classes in 2025.
“It’s very important to listen to your horses, and Gemma is a fantastic horse,” said Bluman of the 14-year-old KWPN mare by Luidam x Unaniem. “She’s given me everything since the first day that we started to work together, and I didn’t want her to start feeling that she wasn’t competitive anymore.
“There came a point — actually, last year here in the five-star grand prix — where she jumped great and clear, but I felt she was trying hard. I decided, okay, this is a phenomenal horse and I’m going to put her in classes where she has a huge chance of being successful. I don’t want her to end up making a big effort where she gets discouraged. I think that horses need to be placed in the classes where they can be competitive and where they can have a long and healthy career.”
Bluman will show Kapitaal L, a horse he started riding in January 2025, in Saturday’s grand prix where he hopes to gain qualifying points for the 2026 FEI Jumping World Cup™ in Fort Worth, TX in April.
“I love this show,” he said of WIHS. “I’ve been very successful at this show and would love to win this grand prix someday.”
Hunter and jumper action at the 2025 WIHS will continue on Friday, October 24, as the junior hunter divisions crown their champions throughout the daytime schedule. Junior and amateur show jumping competitors will take center stage in The Show Place Arena in the late afternoon for the $10,000 1.20-1.25m Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, before high-flying action returns in the evening. The MARS Barn Night, presented by Walkenbach Equestrian, features a full slate of entertaining competition featuring the $63,000 FEI Accumulator Costume class along with Sylvia Zerbini’s Grande Liberté exhibition followed by the WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase, presented by Artemis Farms.
Full results here.
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