Wellington, FL – February 9, 2016 – The Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) is set to host the prestigious CDI 5*, the highest international dressage rating, during the fifth week of the circuit on Wednesday, February 10, through Sunday, February 14, at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). Competition will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday with the FEI Grand Prix CDI 3*, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty. Small Tour competition, presented by Kirk Arabians, will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, February 11, with the FEI Prix St. Georges, while the FEI CDI 5* competition presented by Diamante Farms will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday with the FEI Grand Prix.

This week’s CDI 5* will be one of the most competitive in the history at AGDF, as 14 riders ranked within the FEI Top 100 are set to compete. U.S. dressage stars Steffen Peters and Laura Graves will compete with mounts Legolas 92 and Verdades respectively, alongside a number of top international riders representing 10 nations.

“The CDI 5* this week will be one of the most competitive shows that we have had at this venue to date,” said Thomas Baur, Director of Sport for the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival. “We will host a number of the world’s top riders, many of which are ranked highly in international standings, and we are pleased with the continued growth and expansion of this circuit.”

In conjunction with the CDI 5*, AGDF will also host CDI 3*/1* competition with a strong amount of entries in each division. Small Tour classes continue on Friday morning at 7:45 a.m. with the FEI Intermediaire I, presented by Kirk Arabians, and conclude on Sunday at 11:10 a.m. with the FEI I1 Freestyle, presented by Kirk Arabians.
The popular “Friday Night Stars” series will return on Friday, February 12, with the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 5*, presented by Diamante Farms, at 7 p.m. The FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 3*, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty, is also on Friday beginning at 2:50 p.m.

Before the start of “Friday Night Stars” FEI Grand Prix Freestyle competition, presenting sponsor Diamante Farms will host a “Salute to the Olympians”. The tribute will start 6:15 p.m. in the Global International Ring and will honor the international dressage Olympians who also compete on the AGDF circuit during the winter months.

Alongside the entertainment of Friday night, former First Lady of Massachusetts Ann Romney will be available for a book signing at AGDF from 6-7 p.m. in the Global Pavilion, as she discusses her book”In This Together.” “In This Together” will be available for purchase at the WEF Boutique on WEF and AGDF grounds.

International competition will resume on Saturday, February 13, with the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 3*, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty at 1 p.m. and the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 5*, presented by Diamante Farms, at 4 p.m.

The FEI Jog for CDI 3* riders will begin on Tuesday at 4 p.m. while all other FEI combinations will jog for the panel on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

To see a full rider list and a weekly schedule of competition please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.

Photo Credit: ©MegBanks/ESP. This photo may only be used one time in relation to this press release.