Olivia LaGoy-Weltz and Lonoir’s performance in the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup™ CDIO3* at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival proved they are a must-watch U.S. dressage combination. In their first big-tour Nations Cup competition, the combination helped carry The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team to a silver medal, demonstrating the growing depth of U.S. dressage. Now, she’s looking forward to new challenges as she and Lonoir hope to become a dependable U.S. big-tour combination.

LaGoy-Weltz first burst on the scene on the small tour with her KWPN gelding Rifallino, who were the 2011 USEF Young Adult 'Brentina Cup' Reserve Champions. She discovered Lonoir on a scouting trip to Denmark, and the Danish Warmblood exuded talent. However, his sensitivity and quirkiness did not make it easy for her in the beginning.

“He could be claustrophobic, panicked, not always trusting, and always had one eye on the exit. The better he gets in his body, the better he gets in his mind – they go hand in hand. He’s settling, gaining confidence, and that’s the fun part, seeing him change, because once you get them on your side, they try 110 times harder,” said LaGoy-Weltz, who placed first in the FEI Grand Prix and FEI Grand Prix Special during CDIO3* Wellington.

LaGoy-Weltz flirted with the idea of moving Lonoir up to the Grand Prix level because of their success in 2014 and 2015. The young combination got their first shot as a small-tour combination in the 2015 CDIO3* in Wellington, Florida. Later that summer, they traveled to Europe for their first overseas tour as part of the squad named to compete in preparation and selection for the 2015 Pan American Games.

“It was a hard decision, because he had a successful year on the small tour the year before the Pan Ams. There was a piece of him that was ready for the work of the Grand Prix. However, I think showing in Europe was a huge growing-up experience for him and helped his maturity as well as mine,” added LaGoy-Weltz.

Wanting to improve in the big tour, LaGoy-Weltz turned to Debbie McDonald for guidance. The Olympic bronze medalist and the 2003 FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals champion has been instrumental in developing successful U.S. combinations such as Olympic bronze medalists Laura Graves and Verdades and Kasey Perry-Glass and Goerklintgaards Dublet. The positive scores are a reflection of their work. Looking to the future, LaGoy-Weltz and Lonoir will aim for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).

“There are several things going for him, and he’ll be very mature by that point. He’s been an incredibly sound horse. We’ll try for one of the Nations Cup tours this summer, a bite-size goal, but it will be a stair-step to getting to WEG,” said LaGoy-Weltz.?

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