The CEO of the organization that runs the annual Defender Kentucky CCI5*, the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Kentucky International CSI5* has accepted a new role with the Fédération Equestre Internationale. 

Molly Day, who was named CEO of Equestrian Events Inc. in January 2025, has been named director of the FEI Eventing and Driving Department, a newly created role reflecting the strategic merger of the two departments, the FEI announced Monday. 

“Throughout the recruitment process Molly has demonstrated strategic vision, operational expertise, and deep knowledge of equestrian sport at the highest level. Her extensive experience along with her trusted reputation within the community, makes her an exceptional addition to the FEI Sports and Games team,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said.

“Molly’s proven leadership skills and strategic approach will be invaluable as she takes the helm of our newly merged Eventing and Driving Department. We are confident that under her guidance, the disciplines will be strengthened and positioned for sustainable growth on the international stage.”

The department merger, which goes into effect this month, is designed to capitalize on shared opportunities between eventing, driving and para-driving and to support the continued growth of the disciplines. Day, who was selected following an international executive search, will officially join the FEI on Feb. 1 and will report to FEI Executive Director of Sport and Games Áine Power.

Originally from Great Britain, Day brings extensive experience in equestrian sport and major event management. Prior to her year with EEI running the Kentucky Three-Day and its associated competitions, Day held senior leadership roles with The Jockey Club in the United Kingdom, including general manager of the Haydock Park and Carlisle Racecourses. At Haydock Park, she managed a major capital investment project, strengthened stakeholder partnerships, earned national recognition for customer experience. She also successfully oversaw the reopening of the Carlisle Racecourses after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I am honored to take on the role of director of the FEI’s merged Eventing and Driving Department,” Day said. “I look forward to bringing my experience in delivering major equestrian events and managing complex operations to this role. Working with the talented team in Lausanne, I hope to strengthen connections across these two disciplines, support organizers, officials, and athletes, and help eventing and driving continue to grow sustainably at a global level.”

Day’s newly announced role with the FEI means that both U.S. CCI5* events are currently without their executive leadership, as Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill CEO Jeff Newman and other key executives are no longer employed by the state of Maryland as of late December.

However, Prim Hudgins, president of the EEI board of directors, said the organization is already engaged in finding her replacement and expects to make an announcement to that effect this week.

“In early December, Molly Day informed EEI leadership that she had accepted a position with the FEI,” Hudgins said in a statement. “The board of directors immediately began discussing plans on how best to move forward in a way that ensures the continued strength, stability, and delivery of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and EEI’s wider portfolio. We expect to have an announcement on EEI’s new leadership arrangement later this week. Meanwhile, Molly remains fully engaged with EEI as she transitions from EEI in February.”

The post Former Kentucky Three-Day CEO Named To New FEI Role appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

The recent ruling from Florida Circuit Court Judge Maxine Cheesman struck Lamaze’s pleadings and entered a final judgement of just over $1.6 million, plus attorney costs and fees, in favor of Guthrie, a family friend and former investor in Lamaze’s horses.

The two-year legal battle began in January 2023 when Guthrie and her now-deceased husband Jeffrey Brandmaier sued the Canadian Olympian for fraud, breach of contract, and breaking Florida law, claiming he owed them more than $1.4 million related to the misrepresented purchase of “Nikka” and another horse, and the subsequent sale of Nikka—who would go on to represent Canada in the Olympics and world championships—to his former clients Mark and Tara Rein. 

“It is sad that the legacy of Eric Lamaze will be his deceitful and disloyal dealing with the many friends and families who for decades supported him and his career,” Guthrie said of the verdict and the events leading up to it.

(The Reins, who later filed a cross-claim related to Guthrie’s suit, won that suit Sept. 5 when the Florida court ruled in their favor to the tune of $5.5 million—a decision Lamaze has appealed.)

While Cheesman originally ruled in favor of Guthrie and Brandmaier in November 2023, that decision was overturned by an appeals court and the case returned to Cheesman’s court in May 2025. The appellate court found that the lower court “abused its discretion” and denied Lamaze due process when, during a September 2023 hearing, Cheesman heard testimony and ruled against him after granting his then-attorney’s request to withdraw from representing him.  

The December 2025 ruling came after Lamaze apparently missed multiple hearings and case management conferences scheduled in the case since it was returned to circuit court, including a final hearing set for Nov. 13 in which the judge was to consider Guthrie’s attorneys’ motion to have Lamaze’s pleadings struck and a final judgement entered in her favor. 

“The Lamaze Defendants have failed to attend multiple duly noticed hearings in this case, including the [Nov. 13] hearing on the plaintiff’s motion to strike,” Cheesman wrote in her final judgement. “Despite clear instructions from the court requiring all parties’ attendance, and despite direct communications between the court and [Lamaze’s most recent representative in the case, publicist Pascal Renauldon] on the same day of the hearing, where it became evident that Mr. Lamaze made a conscious and deliberate decision to disregard the court and go horseback riding instead, Mr. Renauldon advised the court that Mr. Lamaze would not appear at the hearing.”

The judge also noted that, while Lamaze can represent himself in such hearings, law requires that the “corporate defendants”—his companies Torrey Pines Stables Florida, Torrey Pines Stables, Inc., and Little Creek Investments, Inc.—must have legal representation, and that they had violated multiple court orders by failing to find counsel since Lamaze first was told to do so in December 2024, when his most recent attorney withdrew from representing the rider and his businesses. 

“The court finds that the corporate Lamaze defendants have acted in deliberate and contumacious disregard of this court’s authority by failing to comply with both the January 2025 order and the August 2025 order, which cumulatively provided …  over ten (10) months to obtain counsel,” Cheesman wrote in striking all the corporate pleadings in the case.

“Rather than retaining licensed counsel as required, the court finds that the Lamaze defendants improperly relied on a nonlawyer, Mr. Renauldon, to act on their behalf in this litigation,” the document continues, noting that Renauldon’s participation in the case, which included filing various motions for Lamaze, “exceed clerical assistance and constitute the unauthorized practice of law.”

For his part, Renauldon, founder of the French public relations firm R&B Presse, had argued both to the court and to the public, via press releases, that Lamaze was caught in a “procedural trap,” saying that because the court froze his assets in 2023, he has been “stripped of the resources needed to fund a fair defense.” 

Renauldon said this week he has never acted as an attorney, only as an administrative assistant to help Lamaze. Lamaze filed an appeal to the December decision on Jan. 12, he added, noting that the December ruling was so similar to the 2023 one overturned by the appeals court that it, too, should be overturned.

Previously, in response to the September ruling in favor of the Rein family, he had written that plaintiffs’ attorneys “exploited the fact that while an individual may appear pro se, a corporate entity must be represented by an attorney—an impossibility as long as Lamaze’s assets remained frozen.”

Lamaze also argued in court, as recently as Dec. 24, that he should not be required to participate in the circuit court case until his appeal to the Reins counterclaim—filed Sept. 30 in Florida’s 4^th District Court of Appeal—has been ruled upon. 

“Compelling discovery, depositions, or execution-related proceedings at this stage risks irreparable prejudice by effectively mooting the appeal before the appellate court has ruled,” he wrote Dec. 24, objecting to an effort by Guthrie’s lawyers to force him to participate in the proceedings.

The circuit court judge, however, based her decision in part on what she called Lamaze’s “deliberate, material and pervasive fraud upon this court,” writing that his arguments in the case—including those to have his assets unfrozen—revolved around his claim of being ill and in treatment for brain cancer, documents related to which were found by a Canadian judge to be fraudulent.

“The court finds that Eric Lamaze testified under oath on February 24, 2023, that he had been receiving brain cancer treatment for five (5) years in Belgium and that he required continued treatment, including an imminent surgery date,” the judgement states. “The court later learned through competent, credible evidence that these assertions were false, that the letter he submitted was forged, and that the referenced medical provider confirmed that Eric Lamaze was not its patient. Plaintiffs had listed Mr. Lamaze as a witness in their exhibit register for the hearing and were providing him with another opportunity to explain himself, but he chose not to appear.” 

Because of that choice, law dictated that his previous testimony be entered as evidence, she wrote.

“The court concludes that the Lamaze defendants’ conduct constitutes a fraud that permeates the entirety of these proceedings,” the decision states. “Their pleadings cannot be trusted, their testimony has been shown to be false, and their submissions were deliberately fabricated. As such, striking the Lamaze defendants’ pleadings is both warranted and necessary to protect the integrity of the judicial process.”

The medical documents referenced first were presented in a different, Canadian case that lasted for 14 years, from 2010-2024, in which the Aziz family, former clients of the rider’s, sued him for misrepresenting horses he sold them. Lamaze’s Canadian attorney in that case presented the documents in an effort to delay court proceedings due to the rider’s purported ongoing cancer treatment. A U.S. attorney representing him in the Guthrie case supplied the same documents to the Florida court, also as documentation to support Lamaze not appearing in court. Both attorneys have since stopped representing Lamaze and said they were not initially aware the documents were forgeries. 

In the September 2023 hearing, in which Lamaze’s then-attorney recused himself after the forgeries were discovered, Lamaze testified without attorney representation that the letters were written by a secretary “without me knowing about it” and told the judge that his brain cancer had been in remission since 2021, but he was instead being treated for throat cancer. That hearing, and the fact that the attorney was recused before Lamaze testified, formed the basis for an appeals court to overturn Cheesman’s first judgement in the case, entered in November 2023, in favor of Guthrie and Brandmaier.

In entering her final judgement, Cheesman enumerated multiple reasons for striking Lamaze’s pleas and ruling in favor of Guthrie. It also touched on his repeated requests to have his assets unfrozen through the dissolution of writs of garnishment enforced early in the case. 

“The Lamaze defendants’ fraudulent conduct went to the heart of their arguments seeking dissolution of the writs of garnishment and other relief,” she wrote. “The court relied on Mr. Lamaze’s sworn testimony and the fabricated submissions when evaluating those issues. Because the fraud permeated the core of their defense strategy, striking their pleadings is appropriate for this reason as well.” 

Show jumper Karina Frederiks, whose family filed the Canadian lawsuit and hired the investigator who uncovered the forged medical documents that were Lamaze’s undoing in both his U.S. and Canadian cases, noted this week that both Guthrie’s husband, Brandmaier, and the Aziz family’s attorney, Jerome Morse, who worked on their case for many years, have died from cancer since court proceedings began. Guthrie had purchased Nikka around the time Brandmaier was diagnosed with cancer, “so he could enjoy his last four summers,” Fredericks wrote.

“It infuriates me that Eric faked having one of the most deadly cancers, and the good people around him were actually taken out by a much less deadly type of cancer then what he claimed to have,” she added. 

The post Florida Court Rules Lamaze Owes $1.6M To Olympic Show Jumper’s Former Co-Owners appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

Swiss course designer Gérard Lachat’s first-round track whittled the starting field of 40 down to just seven riders, with rails scattered all over the course. The only jump not to come down in the opening round was Fence 1, a 1.57-meter vertical, while the combination and a delicate 1.62-meter plank at Fence 13 claimed the most victims. Athletes were unanimous in their appraisal of his course as being “big and technical with fences coming up very quickly,” demanding razor-sharp focus from athletes from start to finish.

Kim Emmen and N.O.P. Imagine, the Dutch pair who on Friday won the $235,500 Longines Grand Prix of Basel, set the early standard in the jump-off with a fast, clear round and a time of 41.55 and looked to be setting themselves up for a double victory in the St Jakobshalle arena. 

Two of the class favorites, Martin Fuchs (Switzerland) and Julien Epaillard (France), came next but each had a rail, keeping Emmen’s prospects alive with just two riders—including Vogel—left to go. 

United Touch S entered the arena looking a picture of serenity and calm in the moments before he set the stadium alight. Vogel, currently ranked No. 6 in the world, showed off all of the stallion’s assets, “his, stride, his scope, his ability and character” in a round that had onlookers gasping in disbelief. 

The pair effortlessly went a stride less than their rivals in the first two distances, a curving seven stride line from the oxer at Fence 10, to the oxer at Fence 11, which they negotiated in six strides and again the formidable partnership omitted a stride from here to parts ‘b’ and ‘c’ of what was the combination at Fence 12. Anyone who didn’t count the strides would likely not have noticed that they had eaten up the ground to such an extent, as the 14-year-old Westphalian (Untouched—Touch of Class, Lux Z Z) owned by Julius-Peter Sinnack did it with such ease while remaining relaxed and composed throughout. 

In their turn back from the vertical at Fence 13 to the intricate Emmental cheese wall at Fence 16, the pair sliced well inside the hoof prints left by their rivals and jumped at an eye-watering angle to hit the split time over a second up on Emmen. With three fences left to go—and knowing that they had already done enough—Vogel hit cruise control and let “United” clear the last three fences without pressure. 

They broke the beam in 40.12 seconds to applause from the appreciative spectators, and Vogel, beaming from ear to ear, pointed down at his mount repeatedly, directing the praise to his horse of a lifetime.

Watch their winning round, courtesy of FEI.tv:

“We are always very excited to get to Basel. It’s a wonderful show with the best conditions not just for the horses obviously, but also for our grooms and us riders as well,” Vogel said. “It’s an amazing feeling! We’re delighted with how United is jumping and fighting for us inside this beautiful arena. I’m delighted that it was enough for the win.”

Emmen held on for second place, while Norway’s Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen and Equine America Harwich VDL, who produced the only other clear round in the jump-off with a careful time of 46.85 seconds, took third.

See complete results here.

The post Video: Vogel And United Touch S Deliver World Cup Masterclass appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

Aboard a horse he’s developed over the past four years , Spain’s Gonzalo Busca Roca won his first Saturday Night Lights competition, the $140,000 Palm Beach County Sports Commission Grand Prix CSI3*,  in just his third attempt at the Winter Equestrian Festival’s weekly night class. 

Busca Roca was full of praise of Cristiano Obolensky, a 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cornet Obolensky—Eskkato, Stakkato) he co-owns with Stud V.V. BVBA and has brought up from the young horse levels. 

“Everything was delicate tonight which made it a tough course,” Busca Roca said of Nick Granat’s course, which saw nine pairs advance to the jump-off. “My horse is a dream. He’s a real warrior and put a lot of effort in tonight. There were some very fast riders behind me, so I had to give it a try. I went as fast as I could, and it worked for me.”

In a 40-horse field where 14 countries were represented, Busca Roca took the top spot with a time of 41.70 seconds, while U.S. riders Tanner Korotkin and Marilyn Little tied for second on a time of 42.77 riding Kinmar Quality Hero and La Contessa, respectively. Along with her second-place finish, Little was awarded the Martha Jolicoeur, Douglas Elliman Leading Lady Rider Award.

“The crowd here is pushing all the time,” said Busca Roca, who is based in Wellington, Florida, with Kalany Stables—of the electric atmosphere under the lights of WEF. “It’s a good atmosphere, very good sport and always difficult to win here.

“[Cristiano] has a lot of blood, and he gets excited after a really fast round, so he’s always waiting for me to tell him what’s next,” he added. “He’s a very special horse.”

Watch their winning jump-off round, courtesy of Wellington International:

From here, Cristiano Obolensky will enjoy a few weeks of rest before taking aim at the CSI4* on the grass derby field during WEF 4.

A tradition at Wellington International, Busca Roca’s groom Carmela Martini was presented with the Double H Farm Grooms Award and $500 prize for her care and preparation of the winning horse.

The post Busca Roca Wins One For Spain At Wellington International appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

McCutcheon came back fourth into the ring over the short course designed by Great Britain’s Ben Townley, knowing she was chasing New Zealand’s Sharn Wordley and Brin D’or De Haute Melen Z, who had posted the only clear round to that point, with a time of 38.31 seconds.  

She knew her strategy was to use the 15-year-old Oldenburg mare’s (Chacco-Blue—Apienne, Ludwigs AS) powerful stride to her advantage. Doing that, and leaving all the rails up, they stopped the clocks at 36.93 seconds to take the top spot. 

“Her stride is so massive,” McCutcheon said, “so I always make a tentative plan knowing that there might always be one less. From one to two, I kind of changed my mind a bit. She jumped so high over the second jump, so I knew I had to push throughout the rest of the jump-off. Her stride is so massive, so I think I was able to leave a stride out pretty much the rest of the way around after that.”

The second-youngest athlete in the field, Ireland’s Francis Derwin, was the only other rider to produce a clear jump-off round aboard Flexi K. Their time of 37.04 seconds earned them second place, while Wordley finished in third.

Saturday’s three-star win is another milestone victory for McCutcheon, the 2023 winner of the ASPCA Maclay Final and a member of the gold-medal team for last summer’s FEI Jumping Nations Cup Youth Final in Leir, Belgium.

At WEC—Ocala last week alone, she earned a third-place finish in Thursday’s CSI3* grand prix qualifier with Aralyn Blue, and later that same day captured the CSIU25 Grand Prix win aboard her second mount, Coco Mercedes.

McCutcheon took over the ride on Aralyn Blue, a Slovenian-bred mare previously owned by Ann Thompson and ridden by Jessica Collins, and developed to the five-star level by Great Britain’s Harry Charles, in January 2025. Since then, the mare has helped McCutcheon find her footing in the senior ranks, carrying her around her first CSI3* during the Winter Equestrian Festival last February and partnering with her in their gold-medal effort in Belgium in September and her first senior Nations Cup team appearance in the Vejer de la Frontera CSIO3* (Spain) in October.

“She is, without a doubt, the most talented horse I’ve ever had the opportunity to ride,” McCutcheon said. “Ann Thompson and Jess Colins presented me the opportunity to ride her last winter in Wellington, and of course it was a no-brainer. She’s better at this sport than I am! It’s just unbelievable; she gives me this sense of confidence that I can’t describe. I just know she’s going to take care of me, and that’s exactly what she did tonight.”  

There’s not enough that I can say to thank Ann and Jess; she’s completely changed my life.

“I jumped her in the U25 series last year in Wellington,” McCutcheon continued. “She gave me the opportunity to jump my first three-star, we were second in the U25 Final; she gave me my first two-star grand prix win, and tonight, my first three-star grand prix win, as well as my first senior Nations Cup experience. She holds a very special place in my heart, and I’m just forever grateful for her and to Ann Thompson for having this be a reality for me.”

She also expressed her gratitude for being part of the Road To The Top program and the support system it provides. 

“The opportunity to have this ride and ride in the Road To The Top program and the team with Nick Skelton and Laura Kraut gives me such a sense of confidence that I can’t even describe,” she said. “The whole support system with Road To The Top, I would not be here today without it. What Laura Kraut and Katie Prudent have done for a young rider like myself, I can’t even really put into words. I just feel immensely grateful for the village of people it takes to make nights like these possible.”

See complete results here.

The post McCutcheon Nabs Her First CSI3* Win On Her Road To The Top appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

It may have been six months since Jane last got braided up to canter down centerline in competition, but the time off appears to have been nothing but beneficial for the sensitive, sometimes spooky, mare ridden by Marcus Orlob.

The pair returned to the show ring for the opening week of the 2026 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (Florida) and found themselves back in a familiar position—first place—but with a new, more confident attitude. They were unbeatable in the CDI3* held alongside the CDI-W during Lloyd Landkamer Memorial Week, winning Thursday’s Grand Prix on a score of 71.39%—the only score above 70% in the class, despite a significant bobble in the tempi-changes—and Saturday’s La Donaira Lusitanos CDI3* FEI Grand Prix Special with 74.61%.

“It was Jane’s first time out since Aachen in July 2025, and she left all the craziness behind,” Orlob said. “Unfortunately, we had a little bobble in the ones, but then the other ones on the center line were good. I’m happy for the horse to have a drama-free test, and hopefully it continues that way. I try to keep things really busy for her, and it’s slowly paying off. We don’t have a magic weapon, it’s just time, consistency and giving the horse trust.”

Orlob’s program at home in Loxahatchee, Florida, consists of cross-training between ring work, treadmill and hacking through the woods—combined with lots of turnout—to encourage Jane to stay calm, confident and engaged in different settings. When the pair arrive at AGDF, hacking is still the name of the game: To combat Jane’s nerves, Orlob hacks her before training, sometimes riding over to the adjacent Winter Equestrian Festival jumper show ground.

On Saturday, Orlob and the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Desperado—Zandra, Metall) owned by Alice Tarjan, missed a change on the diagonal of one-time changes, but otherwise presented a poised, powerful and uphill picture throughout.

“Today I was actually shocked because she came in so good and then on the first [extended trot] diagonal she had her ears up and I said ‘Go!’ and then I thought, ‘Whoa, this is way too much engine.’ But she settled nicely,” said Orlob, who rides the mare with Tarjan and gets training help from U.S. Dressage Team Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig. 

Watch their winning test, courtesy of Wellington International:

Katherine Bateson Chandler finished second in the Special aboard Haute Couture, a mare she owns with Jennifer Huber, on a score of 67.80%. Spain’s Pablo Gómez Molina finished third on a score of 67.29% with Servus Ymas, owned by Cristina Danguillecourt, Javier Bacariza and Yeguada de Ymas. 

See complete scores here.

About American Regent Animal Health 

American Regent Animal Health, a division of American Regent, Inc., is committed to advancing animal health with proven FDA-approved products like Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan). The company’s portfolio is anchored by the only FDA-approved polysulfated glycosaminoglycan products for horses and dogs, which have been relied on for over three decades by veterinarians. American Regent, Inc., a Daiichi Sankyo Group Company, manufactures and distributes human and veterinary pharmaceutical products and is committed to providing the ever-changing U.S. healthcare marketplace with a growing and diversified American Regent portfolio. For more information on American Regent Animal Health, visit ARAnimalHealth.com or call 800-458-0163. PP-AI-US-0523

The post Orlob And Jane Make A Winning Return At AGDF Week 1 appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

Werth, who plans to travel to the U.S. ahead of the World Cup Finals to compete in the CDI-W FEI World Cup Qualifier during Week 7 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (Florida), has said she plans to ride DSP Quantaz in Ft. Worth if all goes to plan. 

This weekend, however, the focus was on “Wendy,” who topped Friday’s Grand Prix with a score of 78.67% before appearing—more settled than on Friday, Werth said—to win the freestyle by nearly 5 percentage points over her nearest competition, Swiss rider Charlotta Rogerson, who thrilled the hometown crowd aboard Bonheur de La Vie to take second on a personal-best score of 81.29%.

“Wendy was really on fire yesterday,” world No. 3 Werth said of the 12-year-old Danish Warmblood (Sezuan 2—Skovens Vanilla, Blue Hors Soprano) owned by Chateau de Fontaine and Madeliene Winter-Schulze. “I’m happy that today she was so much more focused. We only started a little bit tense in the canter. I think we need a few more competitions in a row to get where we want to be. The piaffe, passage and canter pirouettes were fantastic today. 

“Her little sneeze in the one-tempis caused a mistake, but today I got my two-tempis right,” Werth added, referring to an error in the Grand Prix.

Watch their winning freestyle, courtesy of FEI.tv:

Perhaps the loudest applause of the day was reserved for runners-up Rogerson and Bonheur de La Vie. Competing in front of a hometown crowd, the pair achieved personal bests in both the Grand Prix and the freestyle, with their 81.29% marking the highest Swiss freestyle score in many years. Finishing second on both days, Rogerson could hardly believe what had unfolded over the weekend.

“It’s incredible,” Rogerson, 28, said. “I still don’t really realize what’s going on. ‘Bonheur’ is an amazing horse, and we are starting to understand each other better and better in the arena. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity, grateful for this horse… this is a dream coming true. I still need to pinch myself.”

Third place went to Germany’s Raphael Netz and DSP Dieudonne (80.72%), strengthening their lead in the FEI Dressage World Cup Western European League standings.

See complete scores here.

The post Werth Begins Her March To Ft. Worth With Win In Basel appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

This opening week of the 2026 Adequan Global Dressage Festival marks the one-year anniversary of Simonson’s partnership with Indian Rock, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion (Apache—Crisjena, Vivaldi) owned by Zen Elite Equestrian. To celebrate, they have scored a pair of personal bests between Thursday’s Grand Prix test (76.04%) and Friday’s freestyle, which scored 81.44%, just edging past their previous top freestyle mark of 81.40%.

For Simonson, the chance to ride under the lights at AGDF, to a Joost Peters-designed medley from the “Rocky” films for the stallion he calls “Rocky,” was a dream fulfilled. 

“At the end of the test, I was shaking my head in absolute disbelief,” said Simonson, 23, who trains with U.S. Olympian Adrienne Lyle. “Since I started riding, I’ve been coming to this show and always hoped that one day I could do Friday Night Stars, because it’s the epitome of amazing dressage freestyles in Florida. So, on that last centerline, I was just thinking, ‘Whoa, this is me doing this with the Indian Rock. I can’t believe it.’ It’s weird having a childhood dream come true in real time; this whole show has been surreal.” 

Watch their winning freestyle, courtesy of Wellington International:

Simonson credited the “hours and hours a day” he spends with Rocky for the strong bond they have forged in their year together. Their performances in AGDF’s season-opening Lloyd Landkamer Memorial week, in front of a sold-out grandstand, qualified them for the FEI World Cup Finals, to be held April 8-12 in Fort Worth, Texas. They also give the pair an early lead in the US Equestrian Open of Dressage series ahead of Thursday and Friday’s second-placed pair, Geñay Vaughn and Gino—as well as generating buzz around a possible team selection for the upcoming FEI Dressage World Championships to be held in August in Aachen, Germany. 

“I am so lucky to ride this special horse,” Simonson said. “Hopefully I made Adrienne proud. Rocky will have a rest now, because he really deserves it. Then, we’ll build up again.” 

California-based Vaughn, who was also riding in her first Friday Night Stars, scored 75.79% Friday with Gino to repeat her Thursday placing and earn the second podium spot. 

“We drove for four days and arrived on Christmas,” she said. “The atmosphere here is amazing, and I was really thankful that I got to take Gino down centerline at Friday Night Stars and experience this. I always have fun with my freestyle music. I used Donna Summers, the Ohio Players, and my dad’s favorite song, ‘Never Too Much’ by Luther Vandross. It really embodies who I am and the music I grew up on.” 

Third-place Ashley Holzer and Hawtins San Floriana (75.01%) rode to patriotic music. 

“I’m an immigrant,” said Holzer, who rode for Canada at four Olympics before switching citizenship to the United States. “I’m appreciative to be an American, and I think the Neil Diamond music suits her. It felt pretty amazing to feel everything come together in the test and have her trust me a bit more. She’s a hot mare with a lot of energy, and I was happy to feel her joyful in the ring.” 

Two new awards have been introduced for ADGF 2026. Simonson is the early leader in the new Leading International Freestyle Rider standings, and Vaughn earned the Leading Lady Freestyle Rider Award. Simonson’s groom, Marina Lemay, was awarded the groom’s award.

See complete results here.

About American Regent Animal Health 

American Regent Animal Health, a division of American Regent, Inc., is committed to advancing animal health with proven FDA-approved products like Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan). The company’s portfolio is anchored by the only FDA-approved polysulfated glycosaminoglycan products for horses and dogs, which have been relied on for over three decades by veterinarians. American Regent, Inc., a Daiichi Sankyo Group Company, manufactures and distributes human and veterinary pharmaceutical products and is committed to providing the ever-changing U.S. healthcare marketplace with a growing and diversified American Regent portfolio. For more information on American Regent Animal Health, visit ARAnimalHealth.com or call 800-458-0163. PP-AI-US-0523

The post Simonson: ‘It’s Weird Having A Childhood Dream Come True In Real Time’ appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

What can stop Nina Mallevaey? Just a year after breaking into the world’s Top 100, the French rider climbed into the Longines rankings’ top 10 a few days ago. Following a 2025 season crowned by top-level performances, there is little reason to believe 2026 will unfold any differently. Yesterday’s result only reinforced that trajectory, as Mallevaey—now ranked eighth in the world—raised the French flag at the conclusion of the day’s feature class at the CSI3* in Wellington. With Destine To Be, she edged Olivia Sweetnam, who has also shown impressive momentum, having stood out last month in the U25 division at the CSI5* in Geneva (Switzerland) aboard Epic. Laura Kraut, also in strong form and celebrating her 60th birthday late last year, completed the podium with Dorado 212.

The course designed by American designer Nicholas Granat proved particularly fair. Of the 46 combinations at the start of this two-round “Top 12 Return” competition, seven produced clear rounds in the opening phase. One pair carrying two faults and three pairs with four faults also advanced to the second round. Ultimately, Ireland’s Tom Wachman and Shane Sweetnam—both clear in the first round with Do It Easy and Coriaan van Klapscheut, respectively—as well as America’s Natalie Dean with Con Calma, elected not to return for the second round.

Three Double Clear Rounds

Laura Kraut was the first to deliver a double clear, stopping the clock in 36.33 seconds to take the early lead. Moments later, Olivia Sweetnam followed with another faultless effort, improving the time to 34.58 seconds and moving provisionally into first place. But Nina Mallevaey quickly settled the matter. Once again, the French rider showcased the full scope of her talent, producing a seamless second clear and crossing the finish line in 33.10 seconds to secure the win.

Destine To Be, a Major Asset within the Mallevaey String

Destine To Be is far from overshadowed by the other standout horses in the northern French rider’s string, mainly Dynastie de Beaufour and Nikka van de Bisschop. Since the beginning of their partnership—and prior to Thursday’s victory—the 10-year-old gelding and his rider had already claimed no fewer than six wins together. Still, this marked their most impressive success to date, surpassing their victory last November in a 1.50-meter class at the CSI5*-W in Toronto, Ontario.

On Saturday, Nina Mallevaey and Destine To Be are set to contest the $140,000 Palm Beach County Sports Commission Grand Prix, also run at 1.55 meters.

Find the full results of the class here.
All classes at the CSI3* Wellington Equestrian Festival are broadcast live and available on demand on ClipMyHorse.tv.

Watch Mallevaey’s winning round below, courtesy of Clipmyhorse.tv: