Fort Worth, Texas – In their FEI Dressage World Cup Final debut, Christian Simonson and Indian Rock with their Rocky franchise-themed choreography, energized an already engaged and supportive crowd in Dickies Arena. The pair earned a personal-best score of 83.810% in the Zen Elite FEI Dressage World Cup Final Grand Prix Freestyle, making another historic finish for the U.S. in the annual individual championship. Becky Moody (GBR) and Jagerbomb took the win, receiving an 88.330%, while Sandra Sysojeva (POL) and Maxima Bella finished in third on an 80.770%.
“We accomplished another goal we set for this year, which was to have our riders finish in the top ten,” said Chef d'Equipe Christine Traurig. “Ben and Kevin both have World Cup Finals experience, and they rode great tonight with good results in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Christian’s finish on the podium in second place is a fantastic result for USA Dressage and continues to build momentum towards this summer’s World Championships and beyond. I am so proud of our riders, their horses, the grooms, their personal trainers, and our owners. It was truly a great week to celebrate dressage here at home in the United States.”
Aboard Indian Rock, a 2013 KWPN stallion (Apache x Exquis Vivaldi) owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and cared for by Marina Lemay, Simonson rode a beautifully executed floorplan for the pair’s first-ever FEI World Cup Final freestyle. Their precision and rhythm, with their selection of music, showcased Indian Rock’s tremendous elasticity and power.
“At the end of my test, looking up and seeing this wall of people applauding Rocky and I, it was super special and something I will never forget,” said Simonson. “He’s [Rocky] such a special horse and deserves every amount of praise. This whole week has been a childhood dream come true and unbelievably surreal.”
The pair, who are still building in their partnership together, took tonight’s opportunity in front of a boisterous crowd to strengthen their trust between one-another, and use the experience to prepare for their summer campaign ahead, which will include the USEF Grand Prix National Championships in May as their next outing.
“After this show Rocky will have some downtime and then we have the U.S. Championships next month in Ocala. After that, we’ll see what the summer holds. It’s felt kind of surreal to be on this journey already, so we’ll see how the rest of the summer goes, but it felt like we took a huge step together this week.”
Kevin Kohmann (Wellington, Fla.) and Duenensee, a 2009 Hanoverian gelding (Dancier x Davignon I) owned by Diamante Farms and cared for by German Rodriguez, completed their third consecutive FEI Dressage World Cup Final, finishing inside of the top ten, for ninth overall, on a final score of 76.730%.
With crowd-favorite musical composition, Ben Ebeling (Wellington, Fla.) and Bellena, a 2010 Hanoverian mare (Belissimo M x Wellfair) owned by Vantage Equestrian Group II LLC, and cared for by Olivia Colella, rounded out the top ten finishers of the evening, earning a 74.965%.
Results
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Event Website | Schedule | Results
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