Though small in stature, Coral Reef Via Volo is a giant when it comes to jumping. The 15.2 hand mare, affectionately dubbed “Shrimp” or “Via,” skyrocketed to new heights with rider Beezie Madden.

The dark bay, Belgian Warmblood mare is fast, careful and has proven herself to be a great go to horse for the big classes. She had a remarkable season in 2010, including a win in the American Gold Cup Grand Prix and a win in the Sporthorse Cup at the Syracuse Invitational. The pair topped the class in the $75,000 Equine Couture/Tuff Rider Grand Prix in Florida, and in the summer they traveled to Europe, where they won the Grand Prix of Aachen and placed third in the Grand Prix of Dublin. At the Spruce Meadows Masters, Via won the $50,000 CANA Cup and was part of the winning U.S. Team in the FEI Nations Cup in September.

Her 2011 winning resume is a lengthy one. Via was part of the first place USA Nations Cup Team at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, and she was the winner of the D-Line Cup at the Spruce Meadows North American tournament. She took home top honors in the Longines International Grand Prix of Rotterdam, and she topped the Rolex/United States Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Ranking List for much of the year.

Via and Madden went on to impress the world at that year’s Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico where they brought home team gold and an individual silver medal. Via rounded off an impressive 2011 season with a win in the Welcome Prix of Sacramento. Having won their first competition together only a year prior, the partnership of Madden and Via was proving incredible, and all indications were that it wouldn’t stop there. The United States Equestrian Federation agreed honoring Via as a Horse of Honor for 2011.

In 2012, Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo were named to the U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team, picking up numerous ribbons en route to being named to the team. The pair took home top honors in the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, an observation event for the team held at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. In the observation class at the Devon Horse Show, Via breezed through two clear rounds. She followed up her rounds at Devon with strong finishes at Spruce Meadows before officially earning her spot for the 2012 London Olympic Games. After a rough start, Madden and Via put in the best American effort on the final day of Olympic competition and come home with a sixth place team finish.

Since returning from the Olympics, Madden and Via continue to be competitive in the Grand Prix and 1.4-meter classes. The future looks bright for this mighty mare.