January 20, 2025 
Like other wonderful things in this world—hot sauce, hand cream, double-chocolate cake—a little bit of Toulayna goes a long way.
The famously sharp, speedy, and high-strung mare is coming into her own under Kent Farrington, and he’s thoughtful about managing her ample talents with kid gloves. For instance, the American rider has said he works to keep the job fresh for her, and checks his own ego at the door so he can listen to what his horses need from show to show.
In recent months, it’s clear the bay Zangersheide mare has benefitted in a big way.
In December, Farrington and Toulayna finished second on the podium in the prestigious Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final at CHI Geneva. And on Saturday, January 18, they did one better in their first big class of the year at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.
There, Farrington and Toulayna topped a three-horse jump-off to take the $200,000 UG Health Grand Prix CSI4*. The pair’s time of 38.62 was enough to edge out Farrington’s Paris Olympic teammate Laura Kraut and Bisquetta on 39.01 seconds. Ireland’s Jonathan Corrigan was a close third with Darius De Kerglenn (39.68).
“My plan was to beat Laura,” Farrington laughed. “Laura’s horse is very fast, and Laura’s very fast, so I never underestimate their speed.
“We talked a bit about our strategy for the jump-off. She was going to do eight strides to the liverpool fence, which I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a big-strided horse.’ Then I saw her do it easily, and I was like, okay, that was a fast round.”
Mounted on a much different type of mare, Farrington knew the eight strides were likely out of reach for Toulayna. But there were other places he could use the horse’s significant foot speed to his advantage.
“My horse has a shorter step, and I didn’t want her to get flat. So, I did the outside line, but at a high rate of speed. That made me shorter to the next fence, and I was able to keep the same speed and catch her by fractions,” he said.
Farrington has made a career out of producing his own horses up to the top of the sport. It’s a facet of his program that’s essential in order to build the kind of trusting partnerships required by the speedy, ultra-sensitive, blood-type horses that tend to suit him best.
At 11 years of age, Greya and Toulayna are just the latest graduates of the ‘Farrington method,’ with the 10-year-old Myla notably not far behind. And while the OS mare, Greya, leads the pack for prize money at just under €900,000, as well as 5* grand prix wins (two to Toulayna’s one), the bay Zangersheide tops the class by other measures.
Toulayna has more podium finishes at 1.50m and up—15 compared to Greya’s 10. What’s more: With this victory in Ocala, Toulayna now leads Greya at five grands prix wins to three (Jumpr Stats).
“I’ve had Toulayna since she was seven with Rabbit Root Stables in California. They bought her in total trust with me, having never seen the horse, and they’ve been an incredible partner,” Farrington said.
“We’ve had a lot of success, and she’s been a fantastic winner, basically from the start. She’s stepped up to the biggest levels and performed well.”
Could 2025 be the season of Toulayna? She’s already making her case.
