Stephen Bradley
Born: March 26, 1962
Hometown: Leesburg, Virginia
Stephen Bradley has been successful at the highest level of the sport for almost 20 years. After winning the CCI3* at Checkmate (Canada) three consecutive times, Stephen became only the second American to win the prestigious Burghley CCI4* in England in 1993. For all this success, he was partnered with his 1992 Barcelona Olympic mount, Sassy Reason. He considers Sassy Reason to have been vital to his career.
Stephen Bradley and Brandenburg's Joshua at Rolex in 2009. (Photo by Mike McNally)
“Sassy was the most influential horse,” said Stephen. “Mostly because I was still so young and so green, and I look back and realize how good he was. Now I know how important winning Burghley was to my career. For one, the only other American to win it is Bruce [Davidson], and the only other time I went to the event I was grooming for Bruce.” Stephen considers Davidson, a U.S. eventing legend and the most decorated athlete in the sport, to be an incredibly valuable part of his education.
Stephen also won the 1996 Rolex Kentucky CCI3* on Dr. Doolittle. Aboard From, Stephen finished fifth in the 2004 Modified Division at Rolex Kentucky CCI4*.
With Brandenburg’s Joshua, Bradley was a member of the 2003 Gold medal-winning team at the Pan American Games. Only 8 at the time, Brandenberg’s Joshua has become an inspiration for off-the-track Thoroughbreds; he won the Foxhall CCI3* in 2005 and was third at Rolex Kentucky CCI4* in 2006, his first attempt at the level.
In recent years Stephen and Joshua have continued to be successful at the highest level of eventing. In 2008, the pair were fourth at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4*. While in 2009 they won an Advanced division at the Fork Horse Trials and collected another Top 10 finish at Rolex a few weeks later.
In 2010, Stephen and Joshua finished fifth in the Advanced division at the Land Rover USEA American Eventing Championships, which served as the selection trials for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In the summer of 2011, Stephen retired Joshua from upper level competition. He hopes to find success in the future with the horses In the Fog and Leyland.
When he’s not riding (which is rare), Stephen loves to ski, but the trips to the mountains have gotten few and far between.
“As I’ve gotten older, when I fall it tends to hurt more,” said Stephen. “I don’t heal quite as fast as I used to, and the (eventing) season starts so early now it doesn’t give you much time to heal. I pretty much stopped a few years ago. Aside from that, I’m an amateur cook, but I love it, and I love to entertain."