Feb. 11, 2027
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
The World Equestrian Center’s CDI3* this week kicks off the latest stage providing “greater weight” to competition results for United States’ riders seeking to go to the World Championships that will be a key qualifier for the 2028 Olympics. Except for the USA, as the host nation automatically receives a team berth in Los Angeles.
With no pressure to qualify at the Worlds in Aachen, Germany Aug. 11-15, USA has the luxury to focus on developing new prospects in addition to the top handful in the current rankings.
The top two ranked combinations are Christian Simonson on Indian Rock with an average score of 75.424% in the Grand Prix that will decide the team medals, and Marcus Orlob on Jane with 72.489% in the Grand Prix and 75.330% in the Special. Christian and Indian Rock have already earned a start at the World Cup Final in Fort Worth, Texas in early April, while Jane recently has been showing off her potential without being bothered by what else is, or she thinks, going on around her.
Genay Vaughn on Gino stands third overall in combined Grand Prix and Special results, with a Grand Prix average of 70.631%. Benjamin Ebeling on Bellena is fourth with 70.471% Grand Prix.
In fifth place overall but third with Grand Prix of 72.022% is Kasey Perry-Glass on Heartbeat W.P. Kasey on her now-retired Dublet was on the Tryon world championship silver-medal team and the 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medal squad.
Scores of the current highly ranked pairs are lower when compared at the same stage four years ago where the U.S. placed sixth to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Combinations that made the 2022 team and whose three scores counted in the championship were Steffen Peters on Suppenkasper that in February posted 76.652% at Grand Prix and 75.021% in the Special, Adrienne Lyle on Salvino with 76.500% Grand Prix and 79.511% Special and Katie Duerrhammer on Quartett with 71.000 at Grand Prix and 69.574% Special. The two leading partnerships were both coming off 2018 WEG and Tokyo Olympic silver medal performances.
Over the next three months ahead of the Grand Prix national championship to be staged at Ocala’s WEC May 13-17, selectors will give “greater weight” to results from qualifying CDI3*s and above.
Among the qualifying competitions in the U.S ahead of the Ocala national championship are two World Cup qualifiers, a CDI4* and a Nations Cup at Wellington’s Global Dressage Festival; a World Cup qualifier and two CDI3*s at Del Mar, California and another four CDI3*s in Florida, two at WEC in Ocala after this weekend and two at TerraNova near Sarasota.
Among horses considered team prospects that have not yet competed at either national or CDI Grand Prix include My Vitality and Don Machiavelli, both competed by Adrienne Lyle and owned by Zen Elite, and Sonnenberg’s Jersey ridden by Sabine Schut-Kery and owned by Sonnenberg Farm, LLC.
A short-listed group will be selected after the national championships to go to Europe where the championship team will then be selected.
Current U.S. standings are:
1. Christian Simonson of Wellington on Indian Rock, 13-year-old stallion, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center, 75.424 GP avg, No GPS;
2. Marcus Orlob of Loxahatchee, Florida on Jane, 12-year-old mare, owned by Alice Tarjan, 72.489 GP, 75.330 GPS;
3. Genay Vaughn, Elk Grove, California, on Gino, 15-year-old gelding, owned by Michele Vaughn, 70.631 GP 71.766 GPS;
4. Benjamin Ebeling of Wellington on Bellena, 16-year-old mare, owned by Vantage Equestrian Group II, LLC, 70.471 GP;
5. Kasey Perry-Glass of Wellington on Heartbeat W.P., 14-year-old gelding owned by Diane Perry, 72.022 GP, 68.553 GPS;
6. Kevin Kohmann of Wellington on Dünensee, 17-year-old gelding, owned by Diamante Farms, 70.000 GP, 69.915 GPS;
7. Meagan Davis of Loxahatchee on Toronto Lightfoot, 13-year-old gelding, owned by Scott Durkin, 68.163 GP 70.724, GPS 69.443;
8. Ashley Holzer of Wellington on Hawtins San Floriana, 14-year-old mare, owned by Diane Fellows and Ashley, 69.055 GP. 69.447 GPS;
9. Anna Marek of Dunnellen, Florida on Fayvel, 16-year-old gelding, owned by Cynthia Davila, 69.717 GP, 68.564 GPS, and
10. Ellesse Gundersen of Wellington on Quintessential 4, 12-year-old gelding, owned by Ellesse & Henriuk Gundersen and Marcia Radosevich, 67.326 GP, 70.638 GPS.
