The third and final week of the 2025 Hudson Valley Jumping Tour® got underway on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 30, 2025. Athletes from across the globe have flocked to the venue at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York, for three weeks of top-tier jumper, equitation, and hunter sport, which included a coveted World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) week as well as weekly FEI CSI3* competition. Closing out the day and kicking off international competition in the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium, young professional McKayla Langmeier (USA) dominated in the $31,020 CSI3* Jumper Classic with Jiselle NS.
A total of 44 entries spanning seven different nations lined up to contest the afternoon’s class, featuring an intricate track by the USA’s Ken Krome. Across the single-round track, roughly half the field managed to put in a double-clear effort, with competitors turning on the afterburners for the second half speed portion. A pair that knows each other well and are also well known for their speed, Langmeier and the Linda Langmeier owned 11-year-old KWPN mare (Balout du Rouet x Voltaire) shaved precious seconds off the clock to land in an unbeatable time of 25.97 seconds.
“It was kind of a winding track today,” explained Langmeier.“I knew I was going to have to take some gambles, especially with this field or riders, but she is such a game horse that I knew she was more than capable.”
The partnership between the two is one that has been long developed and finely tuned over many years.
“I’ve had her since she was six years old,” she continued. “To be able to bring her up the levels and develop her myself, we know each other so well and it’s been really special. She is so careful and always up for what I ask of her.
“We’ve had several of the top ten in the world here over the past few weeks, so the competition has been fierce,” she added. “It’s been really great sport in a great setting.”
Columbia’s Mark Bluman raced into the second place position in a tidy time of 26.19 seconds in the irons of the S&L Farms’s eight-year-old Selle Français stallion (Diamant de Semilly x Cosimo), S&L Hello Sunshine. No stranger to the winner’s circle, McLain Ward (USA) clocked in a time of 26.21 seconds to round out the top three on La Serra, the 11-year-old Holsteiner mare (Casall Ask x Lacros) he co-owns with Marta Mattox and Susan Heller.
The Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium will resume show jumping competition bright and early on Thursday, July 31, as top athletes return in hopes of producing a winning ride in the $62,480 CSI3* Welcome Stake. The action culminates on Saturday, August 2, with the $116,050 Purina Animal Nutrition CSI3* Grand Prix. For full results, please visit showmanagementsystem.com.
