The world-renowned Winter Equestrian Festival has returned to the Wellington International showgrounds, bringing with it 13 weeks of top hunter, jumper and equitation competition. WEF 2025 features the best riders from across the nation and around the world competing at the richest and longest-running horse show series in the world. Horses and riders will soar over fences, make hairpin turns and navigate complicated sequences — all to the delight of the crowd. Well-known, Olympic-caliber riders will join up-and-comers, youngsters and adult amateurs in the ring at WEF, which offers classes for every age and skill level. As we do each year, our Faces of WEF pictorial feature puts a spotlight on just a few of many amazing riders competing at Wellington International this season
Erynn Ballard
Canada’s Erynn Ballard began riding at the age of five at Looking Back Farm with her parents. One year later, she entered the show ring and there was no turning back. At the 1998 Winter Equestrian Festival, Ballard was awarded the Christie Conrad Perpetual Trophy for Equestrian Excellence. She represented Canada at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima and the 2022 FEI World Championships in Herning. She also took part in the 2023 World Cup Finals in Omaha. Ballard made her Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Team Canada. Last spring at Wellington International, Ballard won the $140,000 Palm Beach County Sports Commission CSI3* Grand Prix with Coconet during the 2024 ESP Spring Series.
Henrik von Eckermann
Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann is currently sitting at the top spot in the Longines Rankings. He represented Sweden at the four most recent Olympics, with a gold-medal finish in Tokyo in team jumping and fourth in individual jumping. He claimed individual gold at the World Cup in 2023 in Omaha and 2024 in Riyadh, gold in team jumping at the 2023 European Championships in Milan, and both team and individual gold at the 2022 World Championships in Herning. Von Eckermann has had early success this year at WEF with Glamour Girl, winning the $32,000 Dodd Technologies CSI3* 1.45m on the Derby Field during Week 2 and the $62,500 Adequan CSI4* WEF Challenge Cup during Week 3.
Jennifer Hannan
Jennifer Hannan began riding with her mother Nannette Hannan before she could walk. As a junior, Hannan was an ambitious rider, competing in the hunters, jumpers and equitation. She rode under the tutelage of Amy Eidson, Patty Harnois, Missy Clark and Eddie Horowitz. Hannan later turned professional and began working for her former trainer, Eddie Horowitz. In 2007, she returned home to take over the family business Ocean Echo with stables operating in Wakefield, Rhode Island, and Wellington. Last season at WEF, she won the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby riding Mindful.
Kent Farrington
Chicago native Kent Farrington, who has been riding since age eight, turned pro in 1999 and has been winning ever since. He was on the gold winning U.S. team at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara and took the team bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. He also won a team bronze at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy. In 2016, Farrington earned Olympic silver with the U.S. team in Rio. More recently, he capped the Holiday & Horses CSI4* week at Wellington International, soaring to victory with his mount Greya in the $200,000 ArthramidVet CSI4* Grand Prix in December. He is currently fourth in the Longines Rankings.
Mclain Ward
One of the most decorated U.S. riders, New York native McLain Ward is a perennial fan favorite. A six-time Olympian and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Ward is currently ranked sixth on the Longines Rankings. He won gold in team jumping at the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. He followed that up with silver in team jumping in Rio and Tokyo. Last summer in Paris, he helped the U.S. team win another silver medal, riding his mount Ilex alongside teammates Karl Cook and Laura Kraut. Last March, he won the $215,000 Horseware Ireland CSI4* Grand Prix at Saturday Night Lights aboard his Tokyo Olympics mount Contagious. Look for him again in the winner’s circle competing this year at WEF.
Nick Haness
Hunter rider Nick Haness was born and raised in Southern California. He purchased his Hunterbrook Farms home in Temecula in 2014. Haness has always had a passion for finding, importing and producing horses from Europe and started importing horses at the young age of 15. Named USEF Equestrian of the Year in 2019, Haness regularly competes in the nation’s top hunter competitions. Last season at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, he won the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular with McQueen, owned by Walkenbach Equestrian LLC. He collected a total of five champion titles during WEF Week 6 last year.
Richard Vogel
German rider Richard Vogel has been on horses since age four. He began competing at the age of seven, achieving international success in 2010 when he won the junior European championship in Sweden. He later won the 2018 FEI World Cup Final in Paris aboard Ragna. Last summer, he represented Germany at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, placing fifth in team jumping. Currently ninth on the Longines Rankings, Vogel has had plenty of success at WEF. He set the pace with an amazing start during this year’s Premier Week with several wins, including the $75,000 WEF Premiere Grand Prix aboard Event De L’Heribus. He wrapped Week 2 winning the $140,000 WeatherTech CSI3* Grand Prix with Cydello.
Scott Stewart
One of America’s leading hunter riders, Scott Stewart has been a staple in Wellington International’s hunter rings for decades. Stewart, who grew up in Connecticut, has won all the nation’s top hunter awards, including the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular in Wellington. He is also near the top of the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s list of Rider Lifetime Money Earned. Last spring, he led the list of hunter riders with qualified horses for the Devon Horse Show. Now a Wellington resident, he returns to WEF after several big wins at the 141st National Horse Show last fall in Lexington, including a one-two finish in the $75,000 NHS Hunter Classic.
Lillie Keenan
Lillie Keenan rose to prominence as a junior rider, sweeping the championships in the 2007 and 2008 USEF Pony Finals. At 13, she won the 2010 Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals. The next year, Keenan took home the $100,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals, defeating some of the sport’s top professionals. In 2018, Keenan was named to the short list for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon before heading to Europe to compete in the Global Champions Tour. She continued her training with McLain Ward and earned a string of top placings at the Devon Horse Show. A Wellington resident, Keenan is currently 28th on the Longines Rankings and can frequently be found in the winner’s circle at WEF, such as last March when she capped Week 11 with a big win in the $200,000 IDA Development CSI4* Grand Prix.
Laura Kraut
Laura Kraut has represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games five times, starting with her first big break in 1992, when she was named an alternate to the U.S. team in Barcelona, and continued with her Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000. She won team gold at Hong Kong in 2008 with Cedric, and in 2021, Kraut was part of the silver medal U.S. team in Tokyo with Baloutinue. She returned to the Olympics with Baloutinue last summer in Paris, winning team silver with McLain Ward and Karl Cook. With more than 100 Grand Prix wins, she has also represented the U.S. at the World Equestrian Games, winning team silver at Aachen in 2006 and team gold at Tryon in 2018. Based both here and in Great Britain, Kraut and her longtime partner, British show jumper Nick Skelton, run a successful training business. Kraut has been a familiar face at WEF for decades.


