Traverse City, MI – June 8, 2025—The pieces of a strong partnership are falling into place for Richard Spooner (USA) and 11-year-old Lyjanair with a win in the $117,000 Four G Surfaces CSI3* Grand Prix to conclude opening week of the Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, on Sunday.
The Spring Series continues through June 29 and features three weeks of FEI jumper competition, weekly hunter derbies, including the International Hunter Derby Regional Championships, in addition to the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships and the Markel/USHJA Platinum & Zone Jumper Team Championships. The second week of the four-week series returns to Flintfields Horse Park on June 11.
“I have been getting to know him, but I am starting to feel like I can go fast everywhere and that feels good,” said Spooner of Lyjanair, a horse that joined his string at the end of 2024. The gelding was formerly the ride of Swedish Olympic silver medalist Rolf-Göran Bengtsson. “Where I won was from one to two. Lyjanair has a lot, but one of the things he’s the best at is that he has a stride like a giraffe.”
The margin was less than half a second between Spooner and runner-up Daisy Farish (USA) aboard Quala vd Rollebeek. From a jump-off field of nine horses over courses designed by Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA), Spooner guided his Holsteiner gelding (Lyjanero x Coriano) owned by Show Jumping Syndications Int’l to best Farish in 36.97 seconds. She settled for second with her 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Lanes End Showjumping on a time of 37.40 seconds.
After opening the week with an international victory, Francisco Goyoaga Mollet (ESP) stepped on to the podium once again riding 10-year-old PST de Muze for owner Sigma Stables in 37.80 seconds.
“I know that he can jump anything; he has amazing quality and he’s quite simple to ride,” said Spooner, who admits that he chose to harness the gelding’s natural ability in a different way than his former rider. “Rolf has incredible results with the horse, so I have big shoes to fill. I can’t do it his way, but I’m doing it my way, and the horse is adapting nicely.
“Rolf is a control genius. I’m not. So, I’m trying to get him accustomed to a more of a footloose and fancy-free way,” continued Spooner, whose groom Daniel Villalon Castillo was awarded the Equifit Grooms Award. “He goes in a very basic bit, no noseband, no running [martingale]. He has moved from two-stars to three-stars, and we’ve got two more stars to go.”
Spooner will spend his 2025 season between Michigan and Florida with hopes to make an appearance in some of the CSI5* offerings later this year, including the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ –Traverse City. Throughout his career, the 54-year-old athlete has 15 appearances at the FEI World Cup™ Final to his credit.
“[Traverse City] has grown on me like a mushroom in the forest,” laughed Spooner, whose first appearance at Flintfields Horse Park was to train an athlete at the 2021 FEI North American Youth Championships. “I saw a level of skill and expertise [from management] and knew this was a place that you could count on. I brought a couple horses for two weeks last year—I loved the weather, the environment and Traverse City is spectacular. There wasn’t a lot holding me back from coming again.”
To conclude Grand Prix Sunday at Flintfields Horse Park, Cherryland Humane Society received a donation of $1,200 as part of Traverse City Horse Show’s charity ticket program. Learn more about the charity ticket program here.
The Traverse City Spring Series continues next week with highlights that include CSI4* competition, as well as the International Hunter Derby Regional Championship and Green Hunter Incentive Regional Championships. To view complete results from the $117,000 Four G Surfaces CSI3* Grand Prix, click here.
About Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS)
Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS) is a premier destination for summer equestrian events in North America, hosting 13 weeks of world-class competitions, including 12 weeks of FEI-ranked events. Nestled in the scenic landscape of Williamsburg, Michigan—just 15 minutes from downtown Traverse City—TCHS attracts elite equestrian talent from around the globe to Flintfields Horse Park—a venue that seamlessly blends top-tier sport with the natural beauty and vibrant culture of Northern Michigan.
For more information on the season, visit TraverseCityHorseShows.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
