2025 was a breakout season for the 11-year-old Zangersheide mare Bisquetta and veteran U.S. show jumper Laura Kraut. They kicked off the year in March by finishing second in the U.S. Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI5* during the finale of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, and went on to represent the U.S. on multiple Nations Cup and Longines League teams, where they contributed to wins in Rome, Italy and Aachen, Germany. But it was perhaps Bisquetta's stunning clear round at the Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland CSIO5* in Dublin - the only one of the day - that cemented her status as the sport's newest superstar. In recognition of her outstanding competitive season, Bisquetta was named a 2025 U.S. Equestrian Federation International Horse of Honor.
Kraut and "Biscuit," bred by Claire McCarthy-Winters and owned by Margaret Duprey and her Cherry Knoll Farm in Wellington, Florida, have been a team since October of 2021. Over the next year, they developed their partnership by competing primarily in 1.40m and 1.45 m classes, only lightly dabbling in the show ring at the 1.50m level. But the sensitive and brave mare soon earned a reputation for speed, and by 2023, she became a frequent top-10 finisher in events at the 1.50m level and above.
In an interview on horsegrooms.com, Biscuit's groom, Margo Thomas, described her as being a "phenomenal jumper" who is particular about her environment when not in the ring.
"Laura likes a hot horse, so it's a good thing in the ring that she's a hot horse that kind of takes Laura to the fences," Thomas said. "But then she can be a bit sensitive and a bit of a diva when we're not in the ring. She's a very sensitive horse, so it's just figuring out what works for her. She can be a bit spooky, but never in the ring. The jumping and the riding is the easiest part, but it's the other horses or people on the ground sometimes that she can be a bit nervous about."
Biscuit's show day preparation includes plenty of hand walks, a longe to stretch and loosen up her body, and then the application of a magnetic blanket before she has her braids put in. Her routine is designed to keep the talented mare in the best frame of mind, so when she gets to the ring, she is relaxed and focused. And based on their recent results - that routine is working.
"When she's at the ring she knows when it's a jump-off because she actually gets a bit excited in a good way - she gets a little pepped," Thomas said in the same interview. "She knows when she's jumped clear and that she's ready for the part where she gets to go fast."
But after delivering the only clear round at the Rolex Grand Prix in Dublin in August, no jump off was required for Kraut and Biscuit to secure the win.
"That was just crazy," Kraut said in a USEF press release of the mare's winning round. "It was really outstanding to have her be the only clear round. I've never had that happen. It was so meaningful to win a Rolex Grand Prix like Dublin. It's not easy to do, and it was really fun."
But in December, at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California, it was Biscuit's blazing speed which secured their final victory of the year. In the $750,000 CSI5* Coachella Cup Grand Prix, just three one-hundredths of a second separated Biscuit and Kraut from runners up High Star Hero and McLain Ward - perhaps one of the closest finishes of the season, sport-wide. After the event, Kraut was quick to praise her talented partner, whom she described as "one of the best horses I've ever had."
"She's careful, she's brave, she's quick, and she lets me tell her what to do, which is really nice," Kraut said in a DIHP press release after the event. "I feel like I've got just a really special horse, and I am very lucky every time I get to ride her."
