The Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia, is a great gift of a venue for so many reasons: It’s super easy to get to, being at an intersection of two major highways; it’s in a proper town with a million hotels and restaurants and a cute downtown; and the board that runs it has poured resources into it, redoing the footing in nearly all of the arenas to international-grade surfaces for the English disciplines.

It’s also huge, which means that they have the ability to hold multiple different disciplines on the same weekend. Such is the Mid-Atlantic Dressage Festival and Lexington CDI3* (MADFest, for short), held in May alongside the Keswick Horse Show. International dressage, national dressage, hunters and jumpers, all together.

I freaking love it.

First, how often do we get to play with the other disciplines? Not that often, in this country. It’s just neat. But second—and for me, the more important thing—is that it gives a big environment feel, with tons of horses coming and going, the hunter arena right next to the international dressage warm-up, but in this lovely, easy-breezy way. It’s a great way to expose our horses to the things they might see at, for example, an international championship, or a big hairy European show like Aachen.

I don’t know if that was exactly what was on the minds of all of my fellow trainers who came to show in the CDI this year, many from quite far away, but I do know it was exciting to have so many from so many places come to show together. And I was even more excited to see how many of us were on horses that we’re bringing up the levels ourselves.

I’m not the only one who’s been using their online voice to call for increased enthusiasm for the homegrown. As of late, so many of our international team riders have been aboard horses generously purchased for them, rather than developed in-house.

We’ve seen the editorials and the Facebook posts. Here on COTH, my wonderful friend Lauren Chumley wrote this elegant call to arms, to prioritize cultivating a desire to learn how to train our own amongst the up-and-coming riders who will be the trainers of the next generation. And in his piece, Jeremy Steinberg wished for us to shift priorities at, among other places, the U.S. Equestrian Federation level, wishing for more institutional support of those learning to make their own.

At MADFest, the Grand Prix and freestyle were won by Lainey Ashker and Ann Wilson’s Zeppelin, on whom Lainey has had the ride since he was 4. The Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I were taken by Kate Fleming-Kuhn on her Franzsis HSR, a horse she’s developed from a foal. (Lil’ ol me won the Intermediaire I freestyle on The Elvis Syndicate’s C. Cadeau, on whom I’ve had the ride since he was just shy of 7; while I do not get to take credit for his young horse years, I’ve done—and continue to do—my fair share, so I feel solid about standing in this company.) And there were many down the placings who’ve developed their mounts to this point.

Looking in the national show, Kate and her husband, Martin Kuhn, also brought along a few of their young horse championships contenders. Chumley had her stellar Leeloo Dallas along to contest the Intermediaire A, just a stone’s throw from Grand Prix; Lauren has also developed that one from a foal. One of my young horses came along to dabble in third level. Silva Martin had a slew of horses from green to FEI, horses she’s been cultivating for years. And I’m sure there were many, many more.

The U.S. team riders are doing this too. Adrienne Lyle is atop several youngsters supported by the incredible Zen Elite juggernaut, including Hussmans Topgun, who leads the developing Prix St. Georges standings. Katie Duerrhammer is atop the 7-year-old standings on the drool-worthy Rosebank VH, owned by her wonderful sponsor, Kylee Lourie. I know there are countless more out there cooking, some going down centerline and doing exciting things, some going down centerline and doing very exciting things that will need a minute to sort out (whoopsie), and some just marinating at home. 

We’re doing it. We’re walking the walk. We don’t always hear about the horses waiting in the wings: sometimes because they’re going through an awkward phase, sometimes because they’ve proven they can behave themselves off property and as such are excused from showing all the time, sometimes because—in spite of exceptional training, veterinary care and blessings from genetics—not all dreams come to fruition. 

MADFest was the most inspired I’ve been about the state of U.S. training in a while. From those Lexington viewing stands, the future looked awfully bright.

Lauren Sprieser is a USDF gold, silver and bronze medalist with distinction making horses and riders to FEI from her farm in Marshall, Virginia. She’s currently developing The Elvis Syndicate’s C. Cadeau, Clearwater Farm Partners’ Tjornelys Solution, as well as her own string of young horses, with hopes of one day representing the United States in team competition. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram, and read her book on horse syndication, “Strength In Numbers.”