The Series by the Numbers: How Tough is Each Venue?
After Maryland's qualifier last week, one question has emerged: how tough is each venue, really? Here is all CCI4*-S qualifier venues, broken down by show jumping, cross-country, final score, and completion rate. Not all qualifiers are equal.
At Maryland's qualifier last week, no one went clear inside the time on the cross-country. That was not a huge surprise given that it has never happened in the history of Maryland's CCI4*-S. But Maryland is far from alone. Across the sixteen CCI4*-S venues that have hosted US Equestrian Open qualifiers, the gaps in show jumping demands, cross-country severity, final scores, and completion rates are wider than you might expect. Here is what the data says, phase by phase.
The data covers all US CCI4*-S events from 2024 through to the 2026 Maryland qualifier. Qualifiers that ran in late 2024 were part of the 2025 Series; those that ran in late 2025 feed into the 2026 Series. Not every venue has the same sample size: Fair Hill first ran as a qualifier in 2026, while venues like Plantation Field, Rebecca Farm, and Woodside have not yet held a 2026 qualifier. Where sample sizes are small, the numbers are directional. The trends, though, are consistent.
Woodside leads on both measures. No show jumping clear rounds from eleven starts, and an average of 8.4 faults per round. That is nearly a full fence clear of any other venue. Morven Park is second on average faults at 5.1, with Maryland level at 5.1 as well. Maryland has produced four show jumping clears from 37 starts, a rate of 10.8%. Morven Park: four from 18, or 22.2%.
At the other end, Fair Hill has the cleanest show jumping in the Series: 46.2% of starters have jumped clear. Stable View follows at 43.2%, and The Fork at Tryon at 38.3%. Fair Hill's average of 2.2 faults per round is also the lowest in the Series.
| # | Venue | Avg Faults | SJ Clears | SJ Clear % |
| 1 | Woodside2024-2025 | 8.4 | 0 | 0% |
| 2 | Morven Park2024-2025 | 5.1 | 4 | 22.2% |
| 3 | Maryland2024-2026 | 5.1 | 4 | 10.8% |
The show jumping phase at Morven Park, Virginia.Maryland, Plantation Field, Bouckaert, Rebecca Farm, Morven Park, The Fork at Tryon, and Woodside sit on zero cross-country time clears over the last few years. At The Fork at Tryon, 103 cross-country starts have failed to produce a single time clear. Bouckaert has 91. Plantation Field 60.
At the other end, Aspen Farms is the most permissive venue on the clock. Three of eleven cross-country starters have gone inside the time, a rate of 27.3%. Twin Rivers is next at 7.1% followed by Fair Hill at 7.7%. Kentucky, the busiest Series venue with 145 cross-country starts, has produced just one time clear across all three years.
| # | Venue | XC Starts | Time Clears | Clear % |
| 1 | Aspen Farms2024-2026 | 11 | 3 | 27.3% |
| 2 | Fair Hill2026 only | 13 | 1 | 7.7% |
| 3 | Twin Rivers2024-2026 | 28 | 2 | 7.1% |
Aspen Farms with Mount Rainier in the background. Photo: Chesna KlimekAverage final score is the clearest single-number measure of venue difficulty across all three phases. Aspen Farms and Galway Downs share the lowest average in the Series at 54.4, followed by Carolina at 55.2.
At the top, Maryland sits alone at 72.5, more than two and a half points clear of second-placed Woodside at 69.9. The Fork at Tryon is third at 67.9. All three have zero XC time clears on record and sit in the bottom four for show jumping clear rate.
| # | Venue | Avg Final Score | Avg Dressage |
| 1 | Aspen Farms2024-2026 | 54.4 | 33.7 |
| 2 | Galway Downs2024-2026 | 54.4 | 35.0 |
| 3 | Carolina2024-2026 | 55.2 | 34.9 |
Galway Downs Arena. Photo: Myah Vasquez PhotographyFair Hill is the only Series venue with a 100% completion rate. Although, it has a small sample size of 13 starters, as the venue joined the calendar just this year. Woodside is second at 90.9% (10 from 11), and Carolina third at 83.6% (92 from 110). Carolina's numbers carry particular weight: 110 starters is the second-largest sample at any venue, behind Kentucky's 158.
At the bottom, Galway Downs has the lowest completion rate in the Series at 60.7%, with only 17 of 28 starters finishing. Ocala is next at 63.3% (31 from 49), and Rebecca Farm and Morven Park are level at 66.7%.
| # | Venue | Starters | Completions | Comp % |
| 1 | Fair Hill2026 only | 13 | 13 | 100% |
| 2 | Woodside2024-2025 | 11 | 10 | 90.9% |
| 3 | Carolina2024-2026 | 110 | 92 | 83.6% |
Woodside's cross-country course and scenery.|
Hardest Venue Overall
Maryland
Leads the Series in average final score (72.5), no XC time clears on record, and a show jumping clear rate of just 10.8%.
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Friendliest Venue
Fair Hill
100% completion, the lowest average faults in show jumping (2.2), and a 46.2% SJ clear rate. As it is only one year in, it is the most benign venue in the Series.
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Most Consistent at Scale
Carolina
83.6% completion from 110 starters. The highest completion rate of any venue with more than 50 runners, and average final score of 55.2.
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The Clock is tough
7 of 16
Nearly half the Series venues have not produced a cross-country time clear in the past two years. The clock is the hardest challenge of them all.
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The Series moves to Montana on July 15. The Event at Rebecca Farm sits in the bottom third of the Series on completion rate (66.7%), and has not produced a cross-country time clear in two years of Series data.
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