Whether it’s Wellington, the Olympics or the World Equestrian Games, McLain Ward is well-prepared for the challenge. Ward utilizes WEF each year as part of his strategy to win the big championships. Last year, he took a full sweep of victories in four days of high-pressure competition in Omaha at the Longines FEI World Cup CSI-W Final Championships riding HH Azur. He completed the week with no penalties after five rounds of jumping, one rail ahead of the second-place rider. At his 17 appearances at the World Cup finals, the highest Ward had ever placed before was second. He went on to rank No. 1 in the Longines FEI world rankings for the first time. He stayed at the top through June 2017, until fellow U.S. rider Kent Farrington took over, leaving Ward the No. 2 rider in the world. It was the first time two Americans stood at the top of the world rankings. Last year, he won two North Salem competitions riding HH Carlos Z. He won at Devon riding Rothchild, then took two CSI5* competitions at Spruce Meadows riding HH Callas, two CSI5* classes riding Tina La Boheme and three riding HH Carlos Z. The momentum continued in Europe with a big win at Aachen. A talented rider, Ward is a dominant force to watch.
