As the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Fire Horse heads into its final months, five-star eventer Madeline Backus is bringing her own fire horse to the CCI3*-L at this month’s Eventing Championships at Galway Downs.
Baratheon, a shiny red 13-year-old Trakehner gelding, came to Madeline as an 8-year-old with very little experience. He was, she says, “terrified of life.” His athletic potential was obvious from the first ride, but the road since required patience and time.
“I knew from the way he moved and carried himself that he had the talent,” Madeline says. “The minute you sit on a horse like that, you don’t know if they’ll go to the top level, but you know they will go far. He’s smart and quick – and he’s still very quick, sometimes used against me! He was so spooky, and with a lot of the moves he did, all I could do was hang on.”
A Patient Progression
To build his confidence and his trust in her, Madeline gave him frequent low-stress outings. “We went to a lot of shows without the pressure of big jumps, and we took the time he needed.”
A third-generation horsewoman, Madeline runs an eventing training business with her mother, Laura Backus: Pendragon Stud Equestrian Center in Larkspur, Colorado, and Pendragon East in Ocala, Florida. Laura is a national-renowned eventing instructor, and Madeline is her star student and business partner – Laura teaching most of their students and Madeline training most of the horses in their program.
She considers Colorado, and the surrounding USEA Area IX region, ideal for developing young horses and those new to the sport. “The terrain and the elevation that our horses come across is wonderful,” Madeline explains. “They learn at a young age, or lower level, how to handle hills, trees, steep inclines, etc. And the elevation is great for building fitness and stamina.” The variety of venues also gets horses used to unusual surroundings. The Event at Archer in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for example, has a big grandstand right next to the dressage arena.
Madeline brings broad expertise to her plan for each horse. She earned Pony Club’s A rating, its highest, and a United States Dressage Federation silver medal. She’s known for developing her own horses, and Baratheon, known around the barn as “Lynx,” is the latest to reward her efforts as he moves up the levels.
None of her horses moves up a level until it has completed at least four clean cross-country rounds at its current level. Lynx started at Starter and everything through Preliminary came relatively easily. Intermediate made him work harder, mentally and physically. “As anyone who does this sport knows, there were a lot of ups and downs,” Madeline says. He can still spook, but patient exposure to a wide range of venues and competitive situations has given him “quite the professional approach,” she says. “He’s a solid citizen.”
Pan Am Games Hopes
This year Lynx finished in the top five in 4*-S competition at both Rebecca Farm and Twin Rivers, building on a 2025 season that earned him USEA Area IX Intermediate Horse of the Year honors.
Madeline’s goal for Baratheon is a spot on the U.S. team for next year’s Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. To stay on track, he needs to complete another CCI3*-L to qualify for a CCI4*-L in the spring.
Whether or not the Pan Ams pan out, Madeline already has the satisfaction of bringing a horse up through the levels.
It’s not her first rodeo. With the first eventing pony she trained, P.S. American Girl, Madeline finished reserve champion at Training Level at the 2008 American Eventing Championships. When she outgrew ponies, she took over the ride on the then 5-year-old mare P.S. Arianna. Together they rose to the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* (now a 5*) in 2017, finishing in the top 20, with Madeline the highest-placed young rider that year. With support from the Wilton Fair and Rebecca Broussard National Developing Rider grants, Madeline and Arianna then spent six months training and competing in Europe, including a Badminton run.
Arianna retired after that tour, but her legacy continues through her son, P.S. Sir Balinor. A CCI1*-L win with him at The Event at Rebecca Farm this year gave Madeline her first FEI victory and bodes well for her string of up-and-coming horses.
Social Media Stud
Lynx’s growing recognition at competitions comes with a growing online following. The Baratheon Fan Club on Patreon, a membership site where fans pay a monthly fee for exclusive content. The revenue it generates adds to the support of the MDB Syndicate, the group of co-owners who share Baratheon’s costs and make his international career possible. Bronze, silver, and gold Fan Club members get helmet-cam footage of cross-country rounds with Madeline’s commentary, behind-the-scenes photos and videos, and insider updates on the pair’s journey, plus meet-and-greets at shows.
Madeline’s social media-savvy sister, Charlotte, had the idea and Madeline recognized and created the fan club so people could support Lynx without committing to part-ownership. “We are super grateful to everybody that helps make this possible,” Madeline says. “We’re doing this one horse at a time, and we appreciate all the help we can get.”
Madeline is bringing Lynx and a handful of clients to Galway Downs. Her last visit to Temecula was for the USEA American Eventing Championships in the summer of 2025. Wintering in Florida keeps her from coming to California often, but she competed at Twin Rivers in Paso Robles this spring and fall and found the Area VI community very welcoming. She and her fire horse can expect the same at Galway Downs.
Feature Photo: Atalya Boytner
