McClain Ward
Born: Oct. 17, 1975
Residence: Brewster, N.Y.
Olympic Experience: 2008: Gold medalist in Team Jumping
Horse: Sapphire (13-year-old BWP Belgian Warmblood mare; owned by McLain Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock)
McLain Ward and Sapphire started 2008 off slowly but quickly gained momentum including being a valuable part of the winning U.S. Team at the $75,000 FEI Nations Cup presented by CN at the Winter Equestrian Festival on March 7.
Being first, both historically and in the ring, is nothing new to Ward. He has an international grand prix prowess that only continues to increase with age. In 1990, and at 14 years of age, Ward became the youngest rider ever to win both the USET Medal Finals and the USET Talent Derby. He would go on to turn that into a legacy, winning the pair of competitions from 1990-92. After graduating to the grand prix circuit, he wasted no time in making a name for himself, and eventually fulfilled his Olympic dream in August 2004 as a part of the gold medal-winning show jumping team in Athens aboard his stable star, Sapphire.
Ward and Sapphire were members of the silver medal-winning team at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, and the 2006 Samsung Super League. During league competition, he was a member of the U.S. team that took second place at LaBaule, France, and Aachen, Germany. Ward also had three individual wins in LaBaule, including a speed class featuring 54 entries. For his incredible results that week, Ward was given the Best Rider Award. Ward was also a key part of the gold medal-winning 2005 Samsung Super League team despite a fall on course at Hickstead, England, resulting in a broken collar bone. Ward courageously rode in Aachen not long after, and his double clears aboard Sapphire propelled the U.S. to the Nations Cup victory there.
Ward and Sapphire finished the year claiming the top prize in the 2006 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship in Wellington, Florida. In addition, Ward has competed in 10 FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals and numerous Nations Cup competitions. In 2007, he won the CN Worldwide Florida Open Grand Prix in Florida and the first leg of the World Cup Final in Las Vegas, both with Sapphire. He then won the Molson Cup at the Spruce Meadows Masters with Quo Vadis. He also won four classes at HITS on the Hudson in August and judged the Talent Search Finals East in October.
Ward claimed several wins in the 2005 competition season, including first place finishes at the $35,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix II in North Salem, New York, and in Round 1 of the $25,000 Winter Equestrian Festival Challenge Cup in Wellington, Florida, both riding Goldika 559.
Other major career highlights include a first on Goldika 559 at the 2004 $100,000 International Open Jumper Presidents Cup Grand Prix in Washington, D.C. Ward also won the 2002 $50,000 USET Show Jumping Championship in Gladstone, N.J., riding Viktor, and placed second riding Sapphire in the 2004 $100,000 Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Championship in Del Mar, Calif. Ward was named American Grand Prix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year for the 2001-02 competition season. Ward is the youngest rider to reach the $1-million mark in grand prix winnings.
Recently married, Ward makes his home in Brewster, N.Y.