‘When I tried him, I didn’t want him’: unlikely stallion purchase comes good for Lillie Keenan at WEF

Lillie Keenan and Agana Van Het Gerendal Z at WEF

(Image credit: SPORTFOT)

Lillie Keenan (USA) won the $37,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round 1 CSI3* at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) during Week 1 at the 2021 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) with a stallion she has had since he was six years old.

But their journey to Thursday’s win (January 14) has been anything but ordinary. If it weren’t for her mom, Pam Keenan, the successful pair would likely have never ended up together.

“My mom rides him every single day for me,” explained Keenan. “She was a very successful junior [rider], and then stopped riding for a long time. She’s actually a really tiny lady and awesome rider, and he’s the one horse in the barn I can always trust to put her on even if he’s had some easy days. She does an unbelievable job keeping him happy and keeping him fit, so my job in the ring is really easy.”

“I had a different plan if no one had been clear,” she said. “I knew I could do six down to the combination where a lot of people opted to do seven. In the first round I did seven; my horse is ridiculously talented so really my job is to stay out of his way. So, in that kind of situation with the speed I would be going in a jump-off, the six was simpler, because I was going to do less. Obviously, Shane [Sweetnam] was not only fast but also clear, so what changed was that I not only had to go fast, I had to try to be faster than him and clear.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

TOPICS

Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.