October 12, 2026 
Sharon White has always believed in her partner, Claus 63. But she’s also had to play a bit of a long game.
Having imported the 14-year-old Holsteiner from Germany as a 5-year-old, White spent a lot of time balancing the gelding’s clear athleticism with his naturally intense personality. “We did some really bad dressage for a really long time because he would be so explosive,” she said. “It takes the time it takes.”
In the end, the ‘time it takes’ would be nine years and one, very clutch clear round in show jumping this weekend during the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final at Morven Park in Leesburg, VA, leading to a career-first, CCI4*-L victory for the pair. White and “Claus” left all poles in the cups on Sunday, finishing their weekend in first place on a score of 30.8 penalties.
With this win, White also becomes the first female rider to take home a US Equestrian Open Final, with four previous male winners topping podiums in jumping, eventing, and dressage.
“I’m really glad that a woman has finally won [the US Equestrian Open Final]. But whoever ends up on top, we all work so hard, and all the horses try so hard,” White said. “It could easily have been either of these two excellent competitors,” she added of her fellow podium-finishers, Will Coleman and Off The Record in second place, and Mia Farley and Invictus in third.
White and Claus were previously part of the silver-medal winning squad at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, and won the Ocala International Festival of Eventing CCI4*-S the same year.
This summer, during their most recent attempt at a CCI4*-L, however, White and Claus were forced to withdraw from MARS Bromont after White injured her knee during a jump school. It was an especially tough pill to swallow, given that the pair were on top of the leaderboard after dressage on Day 1.
Rounds of intensive physical therapy and PRP followed, as did riding without stirrups—an initial necessity due to discomfort in White’s knee. Bromont disappointment aside, the American rider’s dedication to her recovery came full-circle on cross-country day this Saturday, when White and Claus stumbled after jumping to one side of a corner in the final water.
White fell on her horse’s neck and lost the stirrup on her injured knee’s side, but thanks to her extra no-stirrups practice—and a little forbearance on Claus’ part—she was able to regain her position and carried on to a clear jump round. The pair added just 4.8 time penalties to their dressage score of 26. “I couldn’t have stirrups for a couple months, White said. “But it probably all ended up exactly the way it should have.
“Life is always working in your favor, whether you realize it or not.”
During Sunday’s show jumping, the remnants of Hurricane Isais made conditions both wet and windy, with eight combinations managing double-clear rounds. Among them: Mia Farley and the Karen O’Connor-owned-and-bred Invictus, who moved into third place on a score of 39.8 after starting their weekend in the 13th position after dressage.
Coleman and the 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Off The Record—who were part of the silver medal-winning squad at the 2022 World Championships in Herning—dropped two poles on Sunday after leading on cross country, finishing on 36.6. According to Coleman, his 13-year partnership with “Timmy” has helped to define his career in the sport.
“He’s not the flashiest, but he’s a trier,” Coleman said. “It’s clear that he loves it, and I think people can recognize that bit of heart and that bit of extra effort that some horses put into it.
“He’s been such a consistent and reliable horse for us, and I think he defined us to a degree for a long time,” he added. “It’s a real privilege to have had him for 13 years.”
It’s been a similar story for nearly a decade for Sharon White, who has learned that her unshakeable belief in Claus is nothing if not a two-way street. “I’ve always believed in him,” she said after her win.
“He’s such an athlete that mentally, he’s a little tough. Mentally, I’m a little tough. So when I got better mentally, he got better mentally, and it’s a really beautiful thing to sort yourself out and figure that out.
“I think I needed to match my belief in myself with my belief in him,” she said. “And he appreciates that I’ve finally figured that out.”
