U.S. Olympian Will Coleman made the most of his guest rider invitation to the 2026 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge, taking the victory aboard Box Como in Round 1 of the two-day competition with Box Como.
The winning pair crossed the timers of Jay Hambly’s (CAN) 15-element course in an unbeatable 79.76 seconds. Leading Canadian event rider Jessica Phoenix finished second with ESI Nixon (84.32 seconds), followed by leadoff pair Holly Jacks (CAN) and Josephine (84.61s).
“It’s an awesome spectacle [at the Royal], one of Canada’s proudest horse shows, and I’m just very, very grateful that I’m here this year,” said Coleman, returning to the Royal for the first time in 10 years.
Opening day of the 2026 Royal Horse Show once again featured one of the event’s most unique competitions, challenging athletes to a compact indoor course comprised of both show jumping and cross-country fences, from corners and tabletops to oxers and a delicate final vertical to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse.
Jacks and Josephine, last year’s runners-up, set the tone early, executing a sharp clear effort that held up for more than half the class. Phoenix and ESI Nixon—also on the overall podium last year in third—narrowly inched ahead with a bold inside turn to the 10th fence before Coleman broke things open with Box Como. Setting off with purpose, the pair built upon their forward momentum from the first fence, ultimately coming home more than four seconds ahead.
It was an impressive indoor debut for Box Como. Coleman has developed the eight-year-old Swedish-bred gelding for the last four years for the Pellegrini family.
“He’s turning into a pretty nice horse. This was his first time doing anything like this, and I was really proud of him,” Coleman said. “It requires him to think a little bit quicker than he naturally wants to, but this is a perfect thing to do to help develop that.”
The Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge concludes with a final round Saturday night, after which cumulative scores and times tallied across the two rounds will determine the overall Champion.
For Coleman, he’ll look for more of the same, while in the interim enjoying all that the Royal has to offer with his wife Katie, an Ontario native, and their two children.
“Katie and I have two young kids, and to be able to bring them here and enjoy the whole Fair side of the horse show has just been amazing,” Coleman said. “It’s a magical place.”
Results here.
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