Lexington, Ky. – Every year the nation’s top dressage horse-and-rider combinations gather at the Kentucky Horse Park for the United States Dressage Federation’s (USDF) US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. Held November 8-11, the 2018 competition hosted more than 380 entries representing a record breaking 42 different states.
Vying for national titles, competitors riding horses of a variety of breeds competed in Training Level through Grand Prix in both Open and Adult Amateur divisions. Highlights of the competition included champions Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, N.J.) and Candescent, her eight-year-old Hanoverian mare. The pair cruised to a unanimous win under all three judges with 69.069 percent in the Intermediate II Adult Amateur division, the first of 30 championship titles to be awarded over the four days of competition.
Tarjan was pleased with how her young mount was unfazed by the atmosphere of the Alltech Arena. “It's getting better and better and you can really ride her in the ring, which makes it fun. She fought for me today, and it's been such good experience for her to do this,” said Tarjan. She and Candescent went on to win the Grand Prix Adult Amateur Championship the next day.
Read more about Tarjan’s journey to the 2018 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan here.
Fan favorite Adiah HP, Sherry Koella’s 11-year-old Friesian mare, and James Koford (West Salem, N.C.) returned to the Finals this year, claiming the national title in the Grand Prix Open Championship with 69.130 percent. Watch their winning ride.
“I am so pumped! She's getting so mature – now she goes in the ring and gets excited, but I can channel that energy,” said Koford after the win. “I saw her in a clinic four years ago and thought she was the most fun horse I'd ever seen, and I had to sit on her. Now she's gone on to do everything I've asked and more.”
Koford and Adiah HP also went on to win the Grand Prix Open Freestyle championship. Read about more memorable moments from Friday’s competition here.
With six arenas of top dressage competition and championship festivities lasting well into the night, the Kentucky Horse Park was the place to be on Saturday as 12 new champions were crowned, including First Level Open Champions Michael Bragdell (Colora, Md.) and SenSation HW, Carol McPhee’s five-year-old Westphalian gelding. A member of the US Equestrian Dressage Development Program, Bragdell won the division on a score of 75.049 percent. “He is special, for sure,” said Bragdell. “He's so talented, but it's more than that – it's his great work ethic, which is so important.”
Read more about Bragdell and Saturday’s many other champions here.
On the last day of competition, dressage newcomer Tricia Earley (Aledo, Texas) and her 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding San Angelo rode to the top of the Third Level Adult Amateur Freestyle Championship, performing like seasoned veterans as the only combination to break 70 percent for the unanimous win under all three judges with 71.856 percent.
“Last year I'd never even heard of the US Dressage Finals, so this is all very new. I only started riding as an adult – I always wanted to as a child but never could,” said Earley. “As for my horse, we've only been together for a year. I found him in Sweden when I went with a friend who was horse shopping for herself – I wasn't even looking! But he had such a kind eye, and I thought at the time, ‘That's the horse I would love to have one day.' Later I did end up needing a horse and he was still available, so I bought him without ever having ridden him – there was just something about his eyes. A year later, here we are.”
Read more about the final day of competition here.
The United States Dressage Federation is a recognized affiliate of US Equestrian. Keep up with USDF and the US Dressage Finals by following USDF on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Learn more about dressage by visiting the Learning Center video library where you will find tips on straightness exercises with Adrienne Lyle, visualizing your dressage test with Allison Brock, riding proper corners with Debbie McDonald, and much more. Stay up to date on U.S. dressage by following USA Dressage on Facebook and US Equestrian on Twitter and Instagram. Use #USADressage.
Photos by: SusanJStickle.com