Thermal, Calif. – Skylar Wireman and Tornado kicked off their 2026 season with a win in the $30,000 FarmVet 1.45m Open Classic held on Thursday, January 15, at Desert Circuit 2.
The pair closed out 2025 by jumping the CSI5* classes offered during Desert Holiday at Desert International Horse Park, and now they are back at the Thermal, Calif., venue as competition again heats up toward two more weeks of CSI5* show jumping during Desert Circuit 3 & 4.
“We’re preparing this week before he’ll jump the CSI5* grand prix again next week,” said Wireman. “I wanted to give him a nice, easy week to let him just jump around and feel like he’s the king of the world.”
Thursday evening’s Cedric Longis-designed course proved to be the perfect opportunity for just that. Wireman and her 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding made the first-round track look easy as they maneuvered it without fault to advance to the jump-off. There, they stopped the clock in 37.236 seconds to take the win by more than a second.
Second place with a time of 38.589 seconds went to Kyle King and Replay Touch van de Stapelheyde, owned by The Chess Group, and Michelle Parker and Cross Creek Farms Inc’s Easy Does It rounded out the podium positions on a time of 39.363 seconds.
“I thought the jump-off was laid out really well with a couple of inside turns and some nice, good gallops,” said Wireman. “You had the option to leave a stride out in the first line, which I did do. I thought it was all in all a fantastic course.”
Wireman has been partnered with Tornado since 2023, and in the short time since then, the pair has notched an impressive list of accomplishments, including a $250,000 CSI4*-W Longines FEI World Cup Qualifier win and Wireman’s World Cup Final debut in 2024.
Now, Wireman will have a shot at again qualifying for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, with the opportunity to earn points during Desert Circuit 4’s $340,000 CSI5* Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ – Thermal.
This week, competition at Desert Circuit 2 continues through Sunday, with highlights including Friday’s $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Open and $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby – Junior/Amateur, to be held on the Grass Field, and Saturday night’s $75,000 Kubota Grand Prix. To view a complete schedule and learn more, visit deserthorsepark.com. For full results from Thursday’s $30,000 FarmVet 1.45m Open Classic, click here.