Washington, DC – This evening, McLain Ward riding Achat 6 won the $25,000 Cosequin Puissance at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) for the second year in a row. Ward and his 11 year-old Dutch warmblood mount were in winning form as he edged out the remaining field of eight horses and riders competing from Canada, Ireland, Mexico, and the USA in four attempts at the Cosequin Puissance wall. The Cosequin Puissance wall began at a height of 5' 10" and ended with Ward's sole successful winning jump of 7'1".

Immediately following his class-winning successful jump at the 7'1" height, Ward gave the officials a "thumbs up" – telling them that he would attempt to break the Puissance record of 7'7" set by Anthony D'Ambrosio in 1983 aboard Sweet N' Low. The thousands of spectators in the packed MCI Center were on the edge of their seats, as Ward made a valiant effort to clear 7' 9" but was unsuccessful. "This was much better than last year since last year I had just gotten him. I really just know him better now so I trust him more."

McLain gave his opinion on why breaking D'Ambrosio's record is so difficult: "The (puissance) jump used to be 26" wide, but now it's only 14". The blocks used to be heavier so the horses could knock it more and the blocks would stay up' many elements need to come together at once to clear that height. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, and I tried'. I got to the jump, I thought I was going to make it, but unfortunately I didn't," said Ward.

Margie Engle riding Hidden Creek's Christo was the sole competitor able to challenge Ward in the third jumping effort of the Cosequin Puissance wall. Galloping into the ring for each round to the song "American Woman", Engle's thousands of fans were disappointed when her horse did not clear the wall at the height of 7'1". "He's not the most energized horse in the world," laughed Engle. "Not only is he a big horse – almost 17.1, he's really long, so it's a lot of horse to get over a jump like that."

Three riders tied for third place, clearing a final height of 6'4".

The top 5 finishers and their final heights cleared are as follows:

1. Mclain Ward Achat 6 7'1"
2. Margie Engle Hidden Creek's Christo 6'11"
3. T. Cian O'Connor (IRE) Waterford Crystal 6'4"
   John Anderson (CAN) Superman 6'4"
   Lauren Hough Rainbow 6'4"
   

Take Metro to the 43rd Annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) October 23 – 28, 2001 at the MCI Center in downtown Washington, DC. A non-profit organization, the WIHS donates all proceeds to local and national charities each year. Tickets may be purchased through TicketMaster at 202-432-SEAT. For more information, visit www.wihs.org.