By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
OCALA, Florida, Dec. 7, 2023–Kevin Kohmann of USA rode Dünensee to a personal best score to win the World Equestrian Center World Cup Grand Prix Thursday, five days after marrying Devon Kane his partner in their training operation.
The victory on the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding was with a score of 70.891% and the second World Cup Grand Prix qualifier win for the 2023-2024 season leading to the championship Final in Saudi Arabia next April. Kevin, based in Wellington four hours south of Ocala is currently tied for third in the North American League that gets to send three riders in the starting lineup of 18 rider and horse combinations from around the world.
Pan American Games team gold medal duo of Codi Harrison, also of Wellington, on the 16-year-old Katholt’s Bossco was runner-up on 70,456%. This was the pair’s first competition since the Pan Ams seven weeks ago in Santiago where they were coached by the Florida-based Lars Petersen.
Jennifer Williams of Olympia, Washington on Joppe K, nine-year-old KWPN gelding, placed third on 70.000%
Kevin Kohmann, who switched to riding for the United States instead of his native Germany in March, 2021 began competing Dünensee last winter. He took over the ride on the Diamante Farms-owned horse from Christoph Koschel of Germany.
He began the quest of qualifying for the World Cup after winning the Grand Prix and runner-up in the Freestyle that decides points at Terra Nova in Florida and following a U.S. federation sponsored summer tour of Europe.
“So we said, ‘you know what, that’s a great idea, let’s go for this. It’s a great goal to have’,” he said. “And our plan right now was to do this show and then the next World Cup in Wellington at the beginning of January.
“Hopefully if everything runs smooth and keeps on going like this week, then I should be good up there with the points.”
Dünensee has gone through several stages of training to reach this point.
“Devon rode the horse first, then I rode the horse, then the horse went to Europe, then it was at Hubert Schmidt’s place, then it went to Kristoff’s place. The horse was for sale for 10 years and nobody bought it. And then we said at the end, ‘you know what, screw it, we have an amazing horse here and he’s my size. So I just kept him; I got lucky.
“Christoph did an amazing job when I took the horse over from him, it came with like a manual. And that worked to get a clean test. In the last few months we get to spend time, just him and me time, you know. We call him Denzel, you know. But Doonzy and I had the alone time that was really, really nice too.
Terri Kane, whose daughter Devon is a partner with Kevin in a training business based at the newly rebuilt Diamante Farms in Wellington, had issued invitations for a celebration of the engagement of Devon and Kevin.
“We did not really plan on getting married,” Kevin said. “We just planned on having our barn opening engagement party and then we said, ‘you know what, all the family is already in town, all the people are already showing up, let’s just kill three birds with one stone’.
“You know, having our party at the barn, getting married, and then now getting high score… I think it’s all going in the right direction right now.”
Results:
| Rank | Competitor | Score | E | H | C | M | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Kevin Kohmann (USA)
Dünensee
|
70.891% | 69.457 | 70.870 | 70.870 | 70.543 | 72.717 |
| 2. |
Codi Harrison (USA)
Katholt’s Bossco
|
70.456% | 71.087 | 72.717 | 68.152 | 68.478 | 71.848 |
| 3. |
Jennifer Williams (USA)
Joppe K
|
70.000% | 70.652 | 70.000 | 68.804 | 70.109 | 70.435 |
| 4. |
Nora Batchelder (USA)
Faro SQF
|
68.956% | 68.043 | 68.804 | 68.913 | 69.022 | 70.000 |
| 5. |
Anna Marek (USA)
Fayvel
|
68.587% | 68.804 | 69.022 | 67.935 | 69.891 | 67.283 |
| 6. |
Kerrigan Gluch (USA)
Mejorano HGF
|
68.174% | 67.826 | 68.152 | 67.500 | 66.957 | 70.435 |
| 7. |
Yvonne Losos De Muñiz (DOM)
Aquamarijn
|
68.022% | 68.043 | 67.500 | 67.609 | 68.043 | 68.913 |
| 8. |
Allison Carmichael (USA)
Figaro
|
68.000% | 67.717 | 68.478 | 66.522 | 68.261 | 69.022 |
| 9. |
Benjamin Ebeling (USA)
Indeed
|
67.609% | 67.500 | 67.065 | 67.717 | 67.391 | 68.370 |
| 10. |
Patricia Ferrando (VEN)
Honnaisseur SJ
|
67.196% | 68.696 | 66.196 | 66.957 | 65.761 | 68.370 |
| 11. |
Tanya Strasser-Shostak (CAN)
Fidelis Tyme
|
66.565% | 66.848 | 65.978 | 65.543 | 67.283 | 67.174 |
| 12. |
Monica Burssens (MEX)
Elfentanz
|
65.413% | 65.543 | 64.130 | 65.761 | 65.435 | 66.196 |
| 13. |
Mikala Münter (USA)
Skyfall
|
64.913% | 65.652 | 66.087 | 63.804 | 64.565 | 64.457 |
| 14. |
Evi Strasser (CAN)
Disney Tyme
|
64.457% | 63.152 | 64.348 | 65.109 | 63.804 | 65.870 |
| 15. |
Anna Merritt (USA)
Fox Creek’s Censational
|
63.957% | 64.130 | 62.935 | 64.348 | 62.500 | 65.870 |
| 16. |
Sarah Tubman (USA)
RS Damon
|
62.283% | 61.304 | 62.609 | 64.783 | 58.696 | 64.022 |
| 17. |
Nancy Smith (USA)
Damon’s Design
|
59.761% | 60.000 | 60.000 | 62.174 | 58.370 | 58.261 |
 Find details on Equestrian Hub |
