Wayne, Ill. – Seven divisions performed their tests at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in their quest to win a national champion title. The athlete-and-horse combinations demonstrated the depth of dressage in the U.S. with solid riding and lovely movements.

USEF Young Adult ‘Brentina Cup’ Dressage National Championship presented by Dressage Today

Codi Harrison and Katholt’s Bossco won the FEI Grand Prix 16-25 Test, the second class of the USEF Young Adult ‘Brentina Cup’ Dressage National Championship presented by Dressage Today with a score of 72.744%. Harrison (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and her 11-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding top the overall leaderboard heading into Saturday’s freestyle.

Molly Paris (Charlotte, N.C.) and Countess, her 16-year-old Danish mare, placed second, while Claire Manhard (Cardiff, Calif.) and Wilfonia, her 15-year-old KWPN mare, placed third.

Results – FEI Grand Prix 16-25 Test

1. Codi Harrison and Katholt’s Bossco – 72.744%

2. Molly Paris and Countess – 68.256%

3. Claire Manhard and Wilfonia – 66.923%

Quotes from Press Conference

On today’s test:

Harrison: “I was so proud of Bossco today. He’s such a big horse, and it was a lot to ask of him two days in a row. However, I was happy with the overall feeling. He’s a good boy, and I hope he can continue it on Saturday. The last piaffe [passage] took a little bit to get into, but it was a good feeling once I had it on the centerline.”

Paris: The test was much more subtle today. She felt more with me today, and I’m really happy with her.

Manhard: Today we [improved on] the two tempi’s. Overall, the canter was a bit more compact; she wasn’t as long, which is why the two tempis were better. We struggled with the pirouette, but we are learning.

Markel/USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage National Championship

Endel Ots (Wellington, Fla.) and Lucky strike (Lord Laurie x Heidi) continued to build on their previous success at the U.S. Dressage Festival

of Champions. He and the eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Max Ots took the top spot in the FEI Prix St. Georges Test with a score of 72.794%. Christopher Hickey (Wellington, Fla.) and Straight Horse Zackonik (Blue Hors Zack x Romanik), Cecelia Stewart’s eight-year-old Danish mare, placed second followed by Heather McCarthy (Prairie Grove, Ill.) and Au Revoir (Ampere x Lara), Sandi Chohany’s seven-year-old Oldenburg gelding.

Results:

1. Endel Ots and Lucky Strike – 72.794%

2. Christopher Hickey and Straight Horse Zackonik - 71.863%

3. Heather McCarthy and Au Revoir - 69.167%

Quotes from Press Conference

On preparation ahead of the competition:

Ots: “Last year I was traveling quite a bit, so it was difficult focusing on my riding. This year, I could focus on videotaping my rides and trying to improve everything. The trot work is very solid; in the warm up, I try to focus on the canter transitions and getting him a little more connected in the snaffle reign. He has a lot of power and go, but sometimes he needs to wait a little more, so I try to do a lot of transitions in the canter work to get more control.

On today’s test:

Hickey: I am very pleased with my horse. This is the first time she has traveled long distance for a championship. She is a horse that is strong in her collective work. and tries very hard. I’ve had good mares before, and she is a wonderful mare. She’s a worker bee. For a young horse, she has super pirouettes. This horse is a lot of fun to ride because I can sit an equitate.

McCarthy: I was very happy with my ride. My horse can get a bit hot in the ring, so my goal was to put in a clean test. He did not make one mistake. My goal was to be in the top-10, and if we could do that, I would be thrilled. He exceeded my expectations of coming in third today. He was really with me and let me ride him. He has a lot of power, and sometimes it is not 100 percent solidified in the collective trot. He can get a bit ahead of himself, so the trot work got a little quick at times, but he let me ride him back to ‘B’. I could not ask for anything more this morning.

Ots: I was very happy with my ride today. The highlight was the trot work. He tried really hard and had a lot of good energy.

On how the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions contributes to training:

McCarthy: This is my favorite week of the year! This is a week that I can focus on me and my students who have made this horse show. It is just a positive program. It is the most educational show we have around here; it is my favorite show of the year, so I always try to have a horse in at least one division if fortunate enough.

Hickey: The program has been fun as a trainer and competitor to watch the quality of horses improve as much as they have. Also, to have all divisions in one show is a wonderful thing. We’re lucky to have Lamplight [Equestrian Center], who can hold all these divisions and run a smooth show in a high-quality way.

USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship

Ellanor Boehning and Kabam won the FEI Pony Rider Team Test with a score of 71.524%. Twelve-year-old Boehning (San Diego, Calif.) and the 15 year-old German Riding Pony gelding she owns with Ann Boehning demonstrated flashy movements to lead the USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship.

Fourteen-year-old Abby Fodor (Bloomsbury, N.J.) and Slip and Slide, Marie Fodor’s Quarter Horse/Haflinger cross gelding, placed second, and 15-year-old Jordan Osborne (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Cinderella, her 11-year-old German Riding Pony mare, placed third.

Results: FEI Pony Rider Team Test

Ellanor Boehning and Kabam – 7524%

Abby Fodor and Slip and Slide – 65.857%

Jordan Osborne and Cinderella – 64.762%

Quotes from Press Conference

On their tests:

Boehning: “It was definitely one of my best test that I have had on him. Everything was really solid. I thought his half-passes, his lengthenings, and basically the entire test were amazing.”

Fodor: “He was really good. His walk pirouettes were a lot better.”

Osborne: “I was really happy with my pony. She was really good. We had a few bobbles; usually her trot extensions are one of her strongest points but she broke into the canter, so that was a little bobble. But other things like the walk pirouettes, the shoulder-ins, and the rein-back, which we have trouble with a lot, she was really solid on them and we didn’t have any hissy fits in the middle, which is always a bonus with her.

On what they want to improve upon in their next test:

Boehning: “I kind of feel like everything was solid today and it was basically what I wanted him to do, so I don’t think there is anything I want him to improve upon. Maybe just get him a little more in front of my leg, but he was pretty good today.”

Fodor: “His trot lengthenings by pushing him forward and getting him more uphill.”

Osborne: “I want to work on getting ‘Ella’ more in front of my leg too, and maybe a little bit more up and steadier in her poll. She really just needs to shift her weight off her forehand to the back to try and get that extra push.”

USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship

Charlotte Jorst and Kastel’s Nintendo laid down a respectable test to win the FEI Grand Prix Test with a score of 70.217%. While it was not a

mistake-free test, Jorst (Reno, Nev.) was thrilled with the performance from Kastel Denmark’s 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion. The pair leads the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship heading into Friday’s FEI Grand Prix Special.

Nick Wagman (San Diego, Calif.) and Don John, Beverly Gepfer’s 10-year-old KWPN gelding, placed second, followed by Jennifer Schrader-Williams (Yelma, Wash.) and Millione, Millione Partners LLC’s 15-year-old Danish gelding, in third.

Results: FEI Grand Prix Test

Charlotte Jorst and Kastel’s Nintendo – 70.217%

Nick Wagman and Don John – 69.500%

Jennifer Schrader-Williams and Millione – 69.217%

Quotes for Press Conference

On their rides:

Jorst: “Nintendo has just had three months off so he is very fresh and really excited to be back in the ring. He was really forward and nice and through in the piaffe and passage. Everything was really balanced and nice. Because he was fresher than he usually is I had some mistakes. Overall, he was just on fire. We just had a lot of fun and I have been looking forward to getting back in the ring with Nintendo as well, so it was a great day!”

Wagman: “I’m still so new at the Grand Prix with him that I am just so thrilled to get through the test pretty cleanly as we did. Some of the highlights today were his trot extensions, my right trot half-pass was really good, an certainly, my pirouettes, for us, were some of the better pirouettes we have done. For him, the piaffe is getting more and more secure, so I actually felt more comfortable keeping him on the spot and risking a little bit, and he seemed to be comfortable with that.”

Schrader-Williams: “He was very confident today. This is a horse is new to the Grand Prix; it is his first season. He is 15 and came in as a 13-year-old sales horse, so he has come a long way in the last two years. Our goal has been to get him confident and calm in the ring and put in steady, consistent test. Today, he went in and did a very consistent test with moments of real relaxation and starting to show a little bit of his brilliance, so I am really thrilled with going in and putting in a mistake-free test today.”

On the championships at Lamplight Equestrian Center:

Jorst: “The best part about the riding is really the journey, the journey for all of us, and seeing other people succeed, how other people develop, and the enjoyment at all the levels. I don’t think one is more than the other than the others or less than the others, it is all the same. I think watching other people’s journeys and how the ride after a failure or enjoy their success, I think it is wonderful to share that will all these wonderful people.”

Markel/USEF Young Horse Four-Year-Old Dressage National Championship

Emily Miles (Paola, Kan.) and Sole Mio (Stanford x Donna-Rafaela) grabbed the early lead in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Four-Year-Old Championship. She and the Hanoverian stallion owned by Leslie Waterman earned a score of 8.4. Anna Keenan (Trappe, Md.), a newcomer to the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, and Davos CF (Dante Weltino x Roselea), Nancy Holowesko’s Oldenburg stallion placed second followed by Sarah Lockman (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and Jupiter (Jazz x Twinkle R), Gerry Ibanez’s KWPN gelding.

Results:

1. Emily Miles and Sole Mio – 8.42

2. Anna Keenan and Davos CF – 8.26

3. Sarah Lockman – 8.22

Quotes from Press Conference

On today’s ride:

Miles: I was super happy with Mio today. The trot work is usually his highlight, and it was today. I got a bit greedy in the lengthening trot, but I think the judges liked how supple and fluid he can be. The canter work felt a little bit lazy, but he stayed with me.

Keenan: I was really proud of Davos. I had a lot of horse when I went into my ride, but he let me ride him. I could improve on transitions, but overall I was very happy.

Lockman: I was super happy with Jupiter. We are a new combination. I have had him since March, so we’re still trying to figure each other out in terms of energy and focus in the ring. Today he showed super focus for a four-year-old that hasn’t been exposed to a lot of big venues. His highlight is generally his canter and walk, and it was today. We have a nice trot for a four-year-old, but we are working to improve his strength and balance.

On the importance of the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions in developing young horses:

Miles: It is not about winning these championships and having the best four-year-horse. I think it is really important that this gives us a guideline and a good comparison. I think every rider who rides a four-year-horse should be streaming these to understand what is a good expectation for a four-year-old. I think it is great that the the [US Equestrian] coaches are here watching, helping us tweak things as riders.

Lockman: I think as a trainer, coach, and competitor, I think it is very important for the U.S. to be watching these championships. This is a foundation, training scale and goal. I think it is awesome that USEF provides the coahing throughout the country, watching the horses of the future. As our country’s history shows, our best horses come from combinations that have been together for years. So, even though you may miss a year or be ready for a [August championship], I think this is great to encourage our country and our riders and trainers that riding young horses is just as important as having a CDI horse

USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship

Heather Blitz and and Praestemarkens Quatero clinched another win, this time topping the leaderboard in the FEI Intermediate I Test with a score of 73.529%. Blitz (Wellington, Fla.) and her nine-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding lead the overall standings in the USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship.

Jennifer Baumert (Wellington, Fla.) and Handsome, Betsy Juliano LLC’s 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, placed second, while Jodie Kelly-Baxley (Destin, Fla.) and Caymus, Beth Godwin’s 11-year-old KWPN gelding, placed third.

Results: FEI Intermediate I Test

1. Heather Blitz and Praestemarkens Quatero – 73.529%

2. Jennifer Baumert and Handsome – 7824%

3. Jodi Kelly-Baxley and Caymus – 71.912%

Quotes from Press Conference

On their test:

Blitz: “My test had a bit more power and go-for-it. Today he was on, and for him, I like that because the hotter he is the better. He’s a really passionate horse. When he wants to do something, he does it with more passion than any horse I have ever ridden. I feel like that was really present in my test today. I’ll never forget that test because of the feeling. He was giving me 200 percent on every single step. He’s such a good horse, and I’m a lucky person to be able to ride him.”

Baumert: “I was super pleased with my horse. We had a little distraction right in the beginning … and he was quite preoccupied with it throughout the test.”

Kelly-Baxley: “I was so happy with my horse today. I have been getting this really amazing feeling at home and in the warm-up, just a whole new level of quality of gaits. Yesterday, we had it in the warm-up, then we went into the ring and had a nice clean ride but I didn’t take the quality with me. This was the first time that I really took everything I had from the warm-up into the show ring and it was just such an amazing feeling that I even had a few moments where I spaced thinking, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’ and then it was like, ‘Wait circle.’ I was so happy with it.”

USEF Young Horse Five-Year-Old Dressage National Championship

Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, N.J.) currently leads the USEF Young Horse Dressage Five-Year-Old National Championship following the USEF Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test. She and Fairouz (Frazoslis x Diva), her Oldenburg mare, earned a score of 8.78. Michael Bragdell (Colora, Md.) and SenSation HW (Sunday x Donata), Carol McPhee’s Westphalian gelding, narrowly trail, placing second, followed by Rebecca Rigdon (Cardiff By The Sea, Calif.) and Iquem (Charmeur x Tres Bien Sijgje), her KWPN mare.

Results:

Alice Tarjan and Fairouz – 8.78

Michael Bragdell and SenSation HW – 8.70

Rebecca Rigdon and Iquem – 8.50

Quotes from Press Conference

On today’s test:

Bragdell: I think he has developed nicely over the past year. I was really happy with the trot today, getting a 10. It is a super feeling when you get a score like that.

Rigdon: She’s quite green for her age and quite spicy sometimes. We were still in lunge lines at horse shows in January, so she has come a long ways. The canter and trot work felt better than it ever felt in a test in moments. The submission can be a lot better; she just needs more experience, but overall I am happy with the progression, and to be in this group with these three great horses it is very exciting.

On what they like about the young horses in these championships:

Tarjan: The quality of the horses overall is the highest I have ever seen it. The quality when you [compete] here, the scores are higher across the board, I think it is a reflection of the horses’ improvement. I think this is awesome for the sport and U.S. Dressage.

On why this event is important in the horses’ development:

Tarjan: You get good judges, the footing is supurb, and the facility is awesome. It’s a lot of fun and a great show grounds.

Rigdon: I don’t care how they do in the end especially for my five-year-old. For her, it’s a good growing experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I know in the development for her future, that it will make her that much more solid. With all the divisions, what a better prescedent can you set for the kids that they then see. Christine and all of USEF has done a super job of creating a pipeline and a more cohesive, systematic training system of the young horses.

Bragdell: It’s a great environment for young horses to take the big step into a bigger show environment. It is a beautiful facility and they do a fabulous job putting this together. Not just the show grounds but the USEF staff; it’s very rewarding to come here. You truly feel like you made it to the top.

Young Dressage Athletes to Present Equitation Skills in 2018 USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals

Dressage athletes between the ages of 11 and 18 will compete for the 2018 USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals as part of the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, which takes place through Sunday, August 26, at Lamplight Equestrian Center. Held across two divisions, the 13 & under’s official equitation evaluation will take place on Friday, August 24, followed by the 14-18 division on Sunday, August 26.

Familiar names in the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals program return to contest the 14-18 division title, including Mackenzie Peer (Overland Park, Kan.), Riley Rearden (Plaistow, N.H.), and Sophia Schults (St. Joseph, Mich.). The 2017 USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals 13 & Under Champion Camille Molton (Charleston, S.C.) and reserve champion Kasey Denny (Hutto, Texas) return to contest the division title. They will compete alongside 2016 USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals 13 & Under Champion Averi Allen (Pleasant Hill, Mo.), who is competing in the children’s division. Several others returning from the 2017 14-18 division are also pulling double or triple duty during the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, including Abby Fodor (Bloomsbury, N.J.), Ella Fruchterman (West Lakeland, Minn.), Tessa Holloran (Pepperell, Mass.), and Caitlyn Massey (Arlington, Tenn.).

Live coverage of the 2018 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions will continue on the USEF Network beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST on Friday.

Find out more information about dressage seat equitation and the 2018 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. View the ride times and results.

Keep up with the 2018 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions on Facebook (@USADressage and @USEFNetwork), Instagram (@USEFNetwork), and Twitter (@USEFNetwork) for all the latest from the ring and behind the scenes.