Wayne, Ill. – Two new national champions were crowned today at the 2026 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. The Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championships came to a conclusion in the HITS Grand Prix Arena with Maura Wamsley and Arteon earning the Adequan®/USEF Grand Prix Para Dressage National Championship title, and Elizabeth Welch and Baltico BRH securing the Adequan®/USEF Intermediaire I Para Dressage National Championship title. The Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage National Championship got underway with the FEI Intermediate II, followed by the FEI Young Rider Team test, part of the Iron Spring Farm/USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship.
Adequan®/USEF Intermediaire I Para Dressage National Championship
Elizabeth Welch (Summerville, S.C.) and her own Baltico BRH, known in the barn as "B," claimed the National Champion title in the Adequan®/USEF Intermediaire I Para Dressage National Championship this week at HITS Lamplight Equestrian Center, capping their week with a FEI Para Intermediate Freestyle performance that surpassed all others for Welch. The duo earned a score of 70.683%.
"I feel like that's the best we've ridden, the timing with the music was really exciting," Welch said of the test choreographed by Marlene Whitaker. "I think the music really suited my horse, so I was really happy with how that came out today."
The freestyle was set to music from Moana 2, chosen to reflect a theme Welch has carried through her rides all season.
"Harmonious and a nice flow is what I was basically looking for," she said. "That's what I've been striving for with all my rides this year."
The crowd noticed, too, with the music drawing visible energy from spectators throughout the test.
Welch described B, a PRE gelding (Kabul BRH x Q-Favorito-MT), as an easygoing, curious partner suited to just about anything asked of him.
"He's got a really good brain; he's super fun, pretty laid back, and he's game for anything," she said, noting his enjoyment of trail riding and galloping cross-country.
B's curiosity extends beyond the show ring as well; Welch said he prefers a stall where he can watch the activity around him, content to observe the comings and goings of a show from his own front-row seat.
Beyond the competitive side of their partnership, B holds a deeper significance for Welch. She purchased him following the accident that led her to para dressage and credits him with playing a central role in her recovery.
"He's really helped me heal from that," she said. "In all the ways a person needs to be healed."
With a national championship title now to her credit, Welch is already looking ahead. Her immediate goal is to move up to the Grand Prix test and develop a new freestyle to match, along with pursuing more CPEDI competitions. Ultimately, she hopes those steps lead to a spot on a U.S. team.
"It would be really fun to be able to be selected for a team one day," she said. "That would be the ultimate goal. I'd love to be able to represent the United States in that capacity."
In reserve championship position is Audrey Guitreau (Houston, Texas) and her own Don Silvano, a 2012 Oldenburg gelding (Don Schufro x Abigail), whose consistent, steady freestyle earned a score of 68.255%. Finishing in third place were Katy Carpenter (Littleton, Colo.) and SE Bonito, a 2011 Andalusian gelding (Famoso Ram II x Oportuna RAM), owned by Megan Brown, who finished with a score of 67.200%.
Adequan®/USEF Grand Prix Para Dressage National Championship
Maura Wamsley (Carbondale, Colo.) and Arteon, a 2017 Westphalian gelding (Arango x Rascalino), owned by Visionary Dressage Imports, known in the barn as "Theo," claimed the championship title in the Adequan®/USEF Grand Prix Para Dressage National Championship with a score of 69.167% in the freestyle, a milestone that also happened to fall on Wamsley's birthday weekend.
"It's exciting to be here and to bring my riding to a different level," Wamsley said. "I feel so lucky to have an amazing coach and have the support of Visionary Dressage Imports, who own him."
Wamsley posted consistent scores throughout the week and pointed to her strategy as the key to her success.
"I was a bit conservative on the first day, but I had my best score that day," she said. "So, I pushed for bigger mediums yesterday and today, and he's a redhead, so he expressed his opinions about that."
This marks Wamsley and Arteon's first year competing together in para dressage, following a season showing as able-bodied. Visionary Dressage Imports imported Arteon in November 2024; the gelding previously competed as a para horse in Germany.
"He's super trustworthy," Wamsley said. "He takes really good care of me. He's super safe, and he wants to do his job and do it well."
That work ethic carries a distinct personality with it. Wamsley described Theo as something of an introvert, a horse who does his job, then wants to retreat to his stall.
"He's the horse that stands with his head in the corner," she laughed. "He's a simple man. He’ll do his job, but he doesn't want to be fussed over."
Wamsley's path back into the sport came after a years-long break. She grew up riding with an eye toward a career in the sport but burned out and stepped away in her early twenties. A 2024 trip to Iceland, where she rode one of the country's native Icelandic ponies, reignited something she hadn't expected to feel again.
"I felt the body that I don't get to feel on a day-to-day basis," she said.
She returned home and reached out to trainer Stephanie Busley of SB Dressage, based in Carbondale, Colo., asking for a single weekly lesson without initially disclosing that she is disabled. That one lesson a week has since become the majority of what Wamsley does now.
Wamsley, who still trains with Busley, hopes to continue competing in both para and able-bodied divisions. Unlike the pressure she felt as a young rider aiming for a career in the sport, she said this chapter feels different: "Now I get to have fun."
The reserve champions were Jessica Thoma (Crossville, Tenn.) and Imantado GOM, a 2009 PRE gelding (Ruidoso IX x Rey III), owned by Nori Benck, both making their U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions debut. After producing a consistent test, they earned a score of 64.114%.
Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage National Championship
Action kicked off on Wednesday morning at the HITS Grand Prix Arena with the FEI Intermediate II. Molly Martin (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and R U 4 Me, her own 2016 U.S.-bred Oldenburg gelding (Rosenthal x Uphill), secured in the win with a score of 66.079%. The pair impressed with high marks for their collected canter work throughout their test.
In second place was Lauren Chumley (Pittstown, N.J.) and Leeloo Dallas, her own U.S.-bred KWPN mare (Gaspard de la Nuit DG x Negro). The duo earned consistent marks from the judging panel for their harmonious connection, finishing on a score of 64.559%. Rounding out the top three were Lesley Eden (Erie, Colo.) and Bianka SQF, her own 2016 U.S.-bred Hanoverian mare (Bon Coeur x Soraja), who finished their test on a score of 64.167%.
The Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage National Championship comes to a close on Friday, August 28, with the USEF Developing Grand Prix test, which is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. ET.
Iron Spring Farm/USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship
Competition began for the Young Rider athlete-and-horse combinations with the Young Rider Team test. Rosa Murphy (Cambridge, Mass.) and Hotstuff, her own 2012 KWPN gelding (Don Tango B x Lord Leatherdale), finished atop the podium after earning a score of 68.333%. The pair produced a harmonious test together with high marks given by the judging panel for their volte and trot work.
Following close behind was Eila Fisk (Aiken, S.C.) and her FEI North American Youth Championship triple-gold medal winning partner, Quaresma, a 2016 Oldenburg gelding (Quatensprung x Fuerstenball OLD), owned by Gina Fisk. After a consistent test, the pair earned a score of 68.039%. Rounding out the podium were Adeline Batcheller (Little Rock, Ark.) and Luminosity JP, her own U.S.-bred KWPN gelding (Glamourdale x Sir Sinclair), who finished on a score of 66.422%.
The Iron Spring Farm/USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship will conclude on Thursday, August 27, with the FEI Young Rider Individual Test, where a new champion will be crowned. Competition is set to begin at 12:25 p.m. CT/1:25 p.m. ET.
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