May 31, 2025 
Kara Chad had more than just a double victory to celebrate Thursday at Thunderbird Show Park. While she was dominating both CSIO4* ranking classes in British Columbia, her fiancé, Matt Sampson, was claiming a win of his own—thousands of miles away at the prestigious St. Gallen CSIO5* in Switzerland.
“It was a good day for Maplepark Farms,” said Chad.
Maplepark Farms is the couple’s joint venture in buying, producing and selling horses across Europe and North America. They launched the partnership in 2020, just a year after they met, aiming to make a big impact in the world of show jumping, according to the Maplepark Farms site. Five years later, Chad says their hard work and Maplepark Farms’ success fuel her confidence, and are a direct result of the great team the couple make in and out of the saddle.
“We work so well together that I feel like we’re always feeding off each other,” she said.
Chad also credits their partnership—and competitiveness—in giving her an extra edge before she rides.
“I have to say, when he wins a class in the morning, you’re like, right, I’m gonna win this class later,” she said. “So the healthy competition, it only benefits both of us.”
As the two ambitious riders aim for the highest levels of show jumping, they rely on each other’s perspective and unique skills to make each other better. Chad says Sampson’s European roots have helped her improve her confidence and deepened her understanding of horses.
“He’s an extremely accomplished rider and such a natural horseman. And I think he’s really kind of filled out that side in my riding,” she said, adding that her North American influence has benefited Sampson in return.
“I was obviously brought up riding in North America. It’s more focused on accurateness and finesse. No to say I taught him, but just working together he’s maybe a bit less English, a little more North American influence [in his riding].
“I would like to say he’s learned how to do paperwork, but he hasn’t,” she laughed. “That’s I think a lost cause.”
The couple splits their time across continents, broadening each other’s exposure within the sport.
“I helped in bringing him over [to North America] and seeing this side of things. And now he’s a staple here,” said Chad. “So it’s great. And same for me [in Europe], because now I feel like I’m a bit more integrated in those shows and that type of riding a bit more as well. So, it’s really the best of both worlds.”
Chad rode her homebred mare, Corinna Z, to victory in the CSIO4* Fobi 1.45m and the Whitaker-bred Chicago to the win in the CSI2* 1.45m at tbird on Thursday. (Sampson topped the CSIO5* 1.45m Two Phase on Pretty Pi’Que De’Luxe). The traveling alternate to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Chad made her championship debut two years later at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, NC. She says she currently has the best string of her career—an encouraging sign for the 29-year-old rider ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
At the moment, she’s focused on the present.
“It’s easy to take the sport for granted and kind of compare yourself to other riders. But just taking a step back and being grateful that we’re able to work with horses and get your hands dirty, I don’t know. I think it’s really humbling,” she says.
“Super grateful that my whole family’s involved, that my fiance is involved and that I’m able to always bounce ideas off them.”
