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.

The pair scored 76.04% to extend their unbeaten streak in international competition to seven wins, topping the IDA Development FEI World Cup Grand Prix over Geñay Vaughn and Gino, who placed second (70.87%), and Sweden’s Caroline Darcourt and Lord Django (69.19%) in third. The victory sets the pair up for tonight’s freestyle, which will determine points toward qualification for the  FEI Dressage World Cup Final. Should the pair win again, it would set Simonson atop the North American League with 60 points, the maximum available, and likely hand him a starting berth at the final, set for April 8-12 in Fort Worth, Texas. 

“The test today felt amazing,” said Simonson, 23, who was awarded a handful of 9s for the piaffe/passage work and one for the right pirouette.

The win marks one year since “Rocky,” a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion (Apache—Crisjena, Vivaldi) arrived stateside after being purchased for Christianson to ride by Heidi Humphries of Zen Elite Equestrian. With former rider Emmelie Scholtens, he competed in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, finishing 11^th in the freestyle.

In the year since, as Simonson has built his own partnership with the stallion, the pair have gone from strength to strength, winning the Grand Prix and the special in their international debut together at a CDI3* in May, then capturing the Neue Schule/USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions in August, before setting their sights on qualifying for the 2026 FEI World Cup Finals. In Florida CDI-Ws held at TerraNova and the World Equestrian Center—Ocala, the pair earned freestyle scores up to 81.40%, although the 76.04% they scored Thursday is their best mark so far in the Grand Prix test.

“This was the first time he and I were both in this ring at Global, and each time we’re showing him, I’m learning little bits and pieces,” Simonson said. “He and I have such a great relationship together and the bond feels really special.”

The score also represented a career best for Rocky. Simonson attributed his much-improved score—their previous best was 74.80%—to listening to his coach Adrienne Lyle. 

“I just do what she tells me to,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve also worked on finding the right rhythm and balance in the piaffe/passage. We work on accuracy, frame, balance and things like the zig-zags and changes, which add so many extra points [because of their doubling coefficient]. All those pieces chunked together are probably what made the big jump today. I still can’t believe the score, though—holy cow.” 

Watch their winning test here, courtesy of Wellington International:

Simonson may have been presenting Rocky at AGDF for the first time, but his personal history with the venue goes back a long way. In 2018, he made his international Young Rider debut on FRH Rassolini. Today, “Rocky” was unfaze by the buzzy new atmosphere and Simonson praised his attitude and willing adjustability. 

“His scope is unbelievable of course, but in the ring, I can ask him to turn it up a bit or flatten out and he says, ‘OK, I got it.’ I can depend on him,” he said. “Everything’s so clear and it feels like he and I are in one communication together.” 

Nine riders from five different countries lined up for what is the first of the three FEI World Cup qualifiers set to be held at AGDF this year. The circuit opens with Lloyd Landkamer Memorial Week and will continue through March 29, including seven weeks of CDI competition.

Tonight’s freestyle will be Simonson’s first time competing in one of AGDF’s marquee “Friday Night Lights” classes.

“I’ve always watched it and thought, ‘Man, one day I really want to do Friday Night Lights,’ ” he said. “It will be really special just to enter the ring and when it’s dark, that’s really cool in and of itself.”  

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 Video: Simonson And Indian Rock Kick Off AGDF With A Personal Best appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

Sometimes when you look at a weanling, you can imagine him accomplishing great feats in his future—competing at the FEI World Equestrian Games, maybe.

Sometimes you can’t.

“We were not even remotely pleased with him,” said Laura Graves of her first sighting of Verdades, whom she purchased from a video with the help of her mother, Patricia “Freddie” Graves, and then imported as a 6-month-old. “I think we were kind of shocked because it was our first time picking up a horse from quarantine. They’re leading out gorgeous warmblood after gorgeous warmblood, and my mom and I were thinking, ‘This one must be him. No, this one must be him!’ Then they brought out this one; he was covered in vinegar from being sanitized, and it took three people to manhandle this wild little foal. They called his name, and we were like, ‘I guess that one’s ours.’ ”

That wild little Dutch Warmblood foal (Florett AS—Liwilarda, Goya) would grow up—eventually—and become the top-placed U.S. horse at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (France) this year.

But Verdades’ first few months in the United States didn’t make anyone think he’d later set the world on fire. He was sick after his journey, and because he hadn’t been handled much prior to import, the Graves family couldn’t treat him at their Vermont farm. He stayed at a veterinary hospital until he recovered. Once “Diddy” returned, he lived out with a group of horses, and Laura, just a teenager, worked with him after school.

“He was afraid of the saddle pad and the bridle, afraid of being taken from the barn,” she said. “He took off and broke probably five snaffle bridles, for no apparent reason. He’d be standing quietly, and then he’d panic and take off. But once I was riding him, he was still very sensitive, but he was always really kind.”

When the gelding was 4 or 5, Laura competed him at training level for the first time.

“He almost took the judge’s head off,” said Laura, 26. “He kicked so high at C that he left dirt on the judge’s table. I didn’t show him again until he was going about third level. There was no point.”

What made training level difficult for Diddy, namely his hot temperament and sensitivity, helped him excel as he moved up, to third level in 2010—around the time Laura moved from Vermont to Florida to work with Anne Gribbons—and to the small tour at CDIs in 2012.

Diddy won the open Intermediaire II at the U.S. Dressage Finals (Kentucky) in 2013, but the next step was a big one.

“My feeling was that I needed help. I’d done a lot of the Intermediaire II work myself. I had the one-tempis, and the pretend piaffe and passage,” Laura said. “You know, what you play with at home, and you think it’s piaffe and passage, and then you go to a show, and the judges are like, ‘Oh, that’s not a real piaffe and passage.’ Luckily I found that help.”

By the time Diddy was doing Grand Prix in early 2014, people were taking note of him—not everyone yet, but the right people, notably U.S. Dressage Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover and USEF Developing Coach Debbie McDonald, with whom Laura started training full time this year.

“I always knew the horse had an amazing ability,” said McDonald. “I said to her several times, ‘I think he’s honestly one of the most talented horses in the world as far as what he can do with his body.’ He’s almost a freak at certain things, and yet, with her on him, he’s a pretty cool competitor. They have a longstanding relationship, and he has one hundred percent trust in her.”

Diddy’s Grand Prix work was developing throughout the season, and when they left for the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey, as one of the last pairs qualified, Laura and her horse had only once scored above 70% in a CDI Grand Prix test, and that was a freestyle. But they earned a spot on the U.S. Team after taking the national reserve title.

“I didn’t think it was possible at all,” Laura said. “I knew we had to bust our butts to be in the top eight. But when I looked around, I said, ‘I have a great horse.’ ”

In France, Laura relied on her hard-earned knowledge of her mount—allowing him to walk all the way around the outside of the arena, only picking up a canter right before entering at A—and the dressage world noticed him in a big way. A few people weren’t shocked by Diddy’s fifth-placed finish in the Grand Prix freestyle at the World Games—and one of those was sitting on him. Laura had felt him improving through all the years of training and months of fine-tuning.

“My horse stepped up to the plate,” Laura said. “These things pay off. I know if I’d pushed him two years ago, it would have blown his mind. Someone greater than all of us had this planned. There was no way these things could have just come together like that.”

Laura isn’t sure what 2015 holds for Diddy—maybe the Pan American Games in Toronto, most likely some CDIs, and she’s aiming for that elusive 80% in the Grand Prix. She’s also facing a new challenge, one she never expected based on her first meeting with Diddy more than a decade ago.

“Before we went to Gladstone, I was sitting with Debbie, and she said, ‘I want you to be prepared. There will be people offering you large amounts of money for this horse,’ ” said Laura. “I said, ‘I don’t even want to know what kind of numbers.’

“I’ve still never heard a number,” she added. “There is not an amount of money that would fill the hole in my heart if this horse were gone.”

The post Remembering Verdades, The Chronicle’s 2014 Dressage Horse Of The Year appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

Graves purchased the Dutch Warmblood gelding (Florett AS—Liwilarda, Goya), known around the barn as “Diddy,” as a yearling.

They made their championship debut in 2014 at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (France), where they finished fifth in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Two years later, they led the U.S. team to bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games (Brazil) and finished fourth individually. In what would be their final team championship, they earned team and individual silver at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (North Carolina).

The pair also won the Grand Prix Special at the CHIO Aachen (Germany) in 2017, becoming only the fourth U.S. combination to win there, and competed in four FEI World Cup Finals, finishing second three years in a row (2017-2019). Verdades officially retired at the 2020 FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas.

The post Verdades Dies At 23 appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

Fellow British rider Becky Moody and Jagerbomb claimed second place with 86.41%, while Isabell Freese of Norway and Total Hope OLD completed the podium on 81.69%.

The London arena, decorated entirely in Christmas style, as is tradition for the show, was filled with a festive crowd dressed to match, enthusiastically cheering on their hometown favorites. After an all-British top three in the Grand Prix, expectations for the freestyle were high. 

When Fry and Glamourdale, owned by the athlete and Van Olst Horses, entered the arena, the venue fell silent. The reigning FEI Dressage World Cup champions had been untouchable in the Grand Prix and left no doubt about their superiority in the freestyle. Glamourdale last competed in August at the FEI Dressage European Championship in Crozet (France), where he scored well but was not quite at his peak. In London, however, he was back in top form in a freestyle that had the crowd clapping along while a voiceover thanked them for “flying Glamourdale Airlines.”

“We just came up with this super cool idea of to have all flying songs because, yeah, it is Glamourdale Airlines. He flies in the arena, so why not make the music to match him?” Fry said.

Watch their winning freestyle, courtesy of FEI.tv:

“This is one of Glamourdale’s best-ever performances,” Fry said. “He loves the crowd here and the support was just amazing today; ‘Glammie’ really rises to that. The crowd seemed to love our new freestyle. The way he felt today was just the most incredible feeling. We both really got our confidence back here; I think we finished this year on the highest of highs.”

The crowd had little time to recover before Moody and her homebred Jagerbomb, owned by the athlete and Jo Cooper, entered the arena. They performed a special Christmas-themed freestyle for the occasion.

“We tried to have a little bit of fun with the music, it was really cool,” Moody said afterwards with a smile. Jagerbomb produced a steady performance in a technically demanding test featuring numerous transitions and difficult combinations.

“I’m incredibly lucky to have such a phenomenal horse, he has a heart of gold,” Moody said.

Freese and Total Hope OLD, owned by Lone Boegh Hendriksen, Øivind Bache and Paul Schockemöhle, had finished second in London last year and repeated that strong form with another podium finish, taking third place. While the stallion had been slightly distracted in the Grand Prix, he was fully focused in the freestyle.

“I’m super happy today, he was much better than yesterday,” Freese said. “We managed to ride without mistakes. He’s a breeding stallion, so warming up with other horses isn’t always easy for him. I’m really proud that he was fully concentrated as soon as we entered the arena.”

Expectations were also high for the final athlete of the day. Charlotte Dujardin received a warm welcome from the crowd with Alive And Kicking, owned by the athlete, Ulrike Bachinger and Carl Hester. After a razor-sharp Grand Prix performance that earned second place on 76.54%, a few mistakes crept into the freestyle, in two piaffes and the transitions leading into them. The score of 79.23% left her outside the top three and just behind her compatriot Susan Pape on Harmony’s Giulilanta.

Following the London qualifier, Raphael Netz of Germany remains at the top of the FEI Dressage World Cup Western European League standings. Moody made the biggest move up the leaderboard and now sits third with 37 points.

The series continues on Dec. 28-29 in Mechelen (Belgium).

Full results

The post Flying High On Home Soil, Fry And Glamourdale Claim Grand Prix And Freestyle Wins In London appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

After their final halt in the Grand Prix Special at last weekend’s WEC December Dressage CDI3*, Meagan Davis was happy with Toronto Lightfoot and ready to give him a much-deserved break. Having posted a personal best (70.23%) two days prior in the Grand Prix, she and Scott Durkin’s gelding had risen to every challenge that the World Equestrian Center—Ocala (Florida) would throw at them. Now, they could rest easy. Or so she thought. 

“Just as I was on my way out of the arena, it went very, very dark,” Davis, of Loxahatchee, Florida, said. When a brief power outage hit, the pair navigated the relative darkness like their Grand Prix tests: with ease. “ ‘Toronto’ was cool as a cucumber, and I could see where I was going as it was not pitch-black.”

As they exited the arena, one fixture remained on thanks to back-up power: the overhead Jumbotron and scoring system, which soon revealed that Davis and the 12-year-old Oldenburg (Totilas—Okima Lightfoot, Onassis) had posted yet another personal best, with a 69.95%. The final standings were the same in both classes, with Davis’ scores placing her ahead of recent U.S. Equestrian Open of Dressage series winners Anna Marek and Fayvel, who were second both days, and Chase Shipka and Gladstone Zee T, who twice finished third.

“Toronto felt really secure in all of the work we were doing in the Grand Prix and the Special. It was the first weekend when I felt like we owned everything in the test,” she said. 

Davis and Toronto became a team in 2022, after Durkin purchased the gelding to be her next up-and-coming competition horse. On paper, the bay was a rather unremarkable small tour horse at the time. (“I looked up his show record and thought, ‘Uh oh. This isn’t so hot,’ ” Davis recalled.) But their immediate connection in the saddle was too great to deny. 

Still, there were some growing pains to overcome. 

“He was a little spooky when I first got him,” she said. “So, building trust with him on the ground was major. I cleaned his stall every morning. He truly needed me to be his person and to trust me. I think because he had been through a couple of people, he just never felt like he belonged anywhere.

“He is such a love. He’s super sweet, with a very big personality. He wants his people around him, and he always wants attention and bananas,” she added. “Now, he is really blossoming and coming out because he knows his team around him, and he feels really secure in that.” 

Though their team includes Olympian Ali Brock, with whom they train in the winter, Davis is quick to credit her father, Bill Davis, as her coach and as an instrumental part of their success at shows, including WEC—Ocala. Over the course of Meagan’s life and equestrian career, Bill has only missed one competition. Without any prior horse experience before becoming a father, Bill leveraged his blue-collar background for the benefit of his daughter and her equestrian aspirations. 

“He’s always been my eyes on the ground. He has watched a lot of lessons, and he understands the biomechanics of the horse,” Meagan said. “He was a custom home builder for years, so he understands if you put the hind leg in a certain position underneath the horse, it can carry the weight better and then allow for more freedom up front.”

Growing up in Stone Ridge, New York, Meagan’s equestrian endeavors have been a family affair from the very beginning, with the support of her grandfather, Oliver Davis. 

“He tried to be the one to buy me my first pony,” she said. “He took me around when I was in first grade, and we drove all over the county looking at horses going to basically random people’s backyards. And he’d be like, ‘Is your pony for sale?’ They’d say, ‘No. What are you even doing here?’ Afterwards, he told me, ‘Don’t tell your parents.’ And of course, being 6 or 7 in first grade, I get home, and I’m like, ‘Grandpa’s buying me a pony!’ They were surprised but supportive.”

She hasn’t been on any clandestine pony-finding operations since, but Meagan attributes much of her success to lessons she learned from her grandfather, who, as a young man, worked in the logging industry with his pair of Percherons. 

“He and I spent a lot of time together, and he actually helped me in the barn for years, helping me clean stalls and take c34are of the horses,” she said. “So I got my work ethic from my dad and my grandfather in the nearby barn growing up.” 

While riding at that barn as a young rider, Meagan’s skill and work ethic caught the attention of Durkin. 

“It’s a pretty small town, so there were just a couple of farms,” said Meagan. “Scott boarded his horse at the time, a Friesian, at an indoor that I was allowed to go over and ride in when my outdoor wasn’t rideable because of the weather,” she explained. 

Meagan started riding professionally when she aged out of the FEI youth divisions in 2011, and has been training horses for Durkin ever since in Florida and at his Skyfall Stables in Saugerties, New York. Piloted by Meagan, Durkin’s horses have been no strangers to the spotlight, but Toronto and his scores at WEC—Ocala took their success to a whole new level. 

In the upcoming winter circuit, Meagan intends to build on their success. 

“I think we can continue the upward trend in our scores. We’re going to do a couple more Grand Prix specials and then go out and have some fun in the freestyles. I’m hoping to go to Europe with Toronto at some point, and get to compete on a Nations Cup team,” she said. “But we’ll see where everything takes us. He’s been gaining the muscle to show off his beautiful gaits and his talent. I think he’s a super talented horse for the future, and we showed that this weekend.” 

See complete show results here.

The post Lights Down, Scores Up: Davis Dominates WEC CDI3* With Two Personal Bests appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

“I think this was one of the larger crowds—maybe not that he’s experienced—but I think that he and I have experienced together,” said Simonson of the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion (Apache—Crisjena, Vivaldi) owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center. “Seeing everyone in the stands was special in and of itself, but he is just so dependable. It all kind of clicked in his head. He was like, ‘OK, I know my job, and I’ll do it for you.’ From there, it was a really, really fun feeling throughout the whole freestyle.”

Simonson, who won a World Cup qualifier at TerraNova’s October CDI, is making a strong bid toward qualifying for the 2026 FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Fort Worth, Texas, this April. The 23-year-old rider said that he would attend if he qualifies and the plan aligns with what’s best for his horse.

“It would be a real honor to be there in Fort Worth,” Simonson said. “Having it be a home World Cup Final makes it extra special and to be there to represent the U.S.A. would be an amazing experience.”

Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu and Jill Irving’s Jaccardo (Desperado—Evita, Jazz) placed second in the freestyle with 75.11%, while Erin Nichols and Elian Royale (Johnson—Zafradine, Amidou), owned by Premiere Sport Horses, were third with 73.79%. Frasier-Beaulieu is also coming off a World Cup qualifier win with Jaccardo at the Royal Horse Show (Ontario) in November. The Canadian Olympian said she was pleased with the pair’s performance in just their third Grand Prix-level competition.

“We’ve come a long way,” Fraser-Beaulieu said. “I’m here to get experience and to understand how he travels, how he copes in an indoor. Our partnership is so new that I’m looking to see how the rideability is.

“He’s a very hot and sensitive horse,” she continued of the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. “But he shows so much potential in the ring. He’s an incredible horse to ride, and I feel so fortunate to be able to ride such an animal. This weekend I had little bit of green mistakes here and there, but I also have to figure out my aids on such a hot horse as well as how to read him in the ring. The more I show, the more confidence I’ll have to be able to go clean.”

If the pair continues their upward trend, they could be the first Canadians to qualify for the FEI Dressage World Cup Final since 2013. “I don’t have any set plans in mind,” she said. “But I would go if the cards align. He’s surprised me so much in the past six months. I want to keep that positivity and willingness to show. I’m taking it day-by-day.”

Nichols placed third on her longtime partner, Elian Royale, a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she moved up the levels with from the Young Rider division to U25, and now to Grand Prix.

“I’m so proud of him,” she said. “We have such a good relationship that now he goes in the ring, he understands me, he trusts me, and he’s like, ‘I got it. I can do this.’ That’s cool to have, even in our first time indoors.

“I want to keep it super positive for him this year and just keep slowly introducing him to bigger atmospheres and seeing what he does,” Nichols added. “I always want it to be a good experience because he’s really starting to trust me in the ring, and that’s the most important.”

For more results from WEC, click here.

The post Simonson And Indian Rock Keep World Cup Momentum With CDI-W Freestyle Win appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.

But not for a moment did she consider checking whether her preferred soundtrack had been appropriately licensed for broadcast.

“Because it’s all really opaque,” she said. “How would I even do that? And all just for maybe one or two livestreamed freestyle rides?” 

For adult amateurs like Heilbroner, the U.S. Dressage Finals is likely the only competition where music licensing would ever be an issue, because many of the competition rides are livestreamed. Knowing none of her other competitions had livestream capability, Heilbroner chose to ride to music by popular musicians—Madonna and Adele—and accept that, if she qualified for U.S. Dressage Finals, her music would likely be muted on any USEF/USDF livestream or social media post. 

“I think it would matter more to me if generally things were streamed more, but because most adult amateur classes aren’t even livestreamed anyway, it doesn’t come up often except at Finals. In an ideal world, we would all be able to stream all the music, and it would be much more fun to let friends who can’t be at the actual show watch. But it’s complicated,” Heilbroner said. “People have been really worried about it online.” 

Responding to confusion about music licensing on social media, the U.S. Equestrian Federation sent an email to members on Nov. 21 with new guidance for riders, designers and choreographers who intend to create dressage musical freestyles. 

As has been the case since 2001, riders and show organizers will still have access to music licenses with American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI) for live performances through USEF’s contracts with the nonprofit organizations, which have a combined library of 25 million songs. For the vast majority of musical freestyle rides, music licensing is secure through these agreements, though some songs are not in the library or not licensable. Riders in USEF competitions will not be required to pay fees to license their own music selections, for now. 

However, different types of licenses are required depending on how the music is used. Freestyles performed in front of live audiences—all those classes in rings and shows not being livestreamed—only need public performance licenses, which are secured through the 2001 ASCAP/BMI contract. But for livestreamed freestyles, the music needs an additional synchronization license to be played. 

“Without securing the appropriate broadcast licensing for music, USEF cannot publish any form of unlicensed music without the risk of music copyright infringement, which carries severe penalties and potential fines,” the USEF email stated. Freestyles that are promoted by USEF (via livestream on USEF network, or on social media) must have music that is either muted, licensed for broadcast, or replaced by USEF with color commentary or other licensed music. 

At U.S. Dressage Finals, Heilbroner’s freestyle rides ultimately weren’t livestreamed at all, much to her disappointment. 

“I told my parents to go watch it, and then when I went and checked later, it wasn’t there,” she said. “So I don’t even know what happened or whether that choice was because of music licensing. 

“It’s a real challenge,” she added. 

Muted or otherwise dubbed dressage freestyles are a problem for everyone in the dressage industry, according to freestyle designer Collier Wimmer, owner of Three Wishes Freestyles.  

“In freestyles with no music, spectators don’t know what they’re watching,” she said. “This is an issue, because freestyles are how we continue to grow the sport and bring outsiders in. Spectators may not know the complexities of the sport, but when they see a horse dancing to Avicii or Top Gun or Snoop Dogg, they’re going to have that connection built in, and be drawn in.”

Securing synchronization music licenses has become more important as livestreaming of equestrian events has become more popular. 

When the International Olympic Committee required all athletes to use ClicknClear, a music license verification service, to validate their music for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Wimmer first anticipated that changes might be coming. 

“A lot of us freestyle designers saw the writing on the wall at that point with ClicknClear, that these licenses and fees might become a problem,” she said. “They could eventually trickle down. But to which shows and how far the trickle-down effect will be, we aren’t sure.”

One proposal is to use ClicknClear—which USEF representatives said other national federations use for dressage freestyle music licensing—in all livestreamed freestyle competitions. Use of the program was strongly encouraged for this year’s U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions (Illinois) and the U.S. Equestrian Open of Dressage Final, held last month at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California. But there are concerns that the platform’s process is too onerous and slow as it exists now to work on a larger scale. 

“For my rider who competed in the U.S. Open, we submitted her music at the end of May, and we did not get an answer from ClicknClear until the end of October,” Wimmer said. “At that point, it’s too late to change your freestyle for U.S. Open Finals.” 

But avoiding copyright infringement lawsuits is a priority for USEF, as they can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. 

“Based on my research, we haven’t had any musical lawsuits in the dressage world in the United States, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be one,” Wimmer said. 

“Livestreaming music just seems so harmless, in all honesty, but I can understand USEF not wanting to take that risk,” added Heilbroner. 

Other sports have come under legal scrutiny for alleged copyright infringements, such as U.S. figure skater pair Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier for their short program at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

In an effort to give riders and freestyle producers more options for livestreamed rides, USEF announced it has secured a global blanket license (which, as its name suggests, allows riders to use certain music for both public performance and broadcast purposes) with Warner Chappell Music. Riders, show organizers, and freestyle designers can access and use the entire Warner Chappell library for free.  

“I’m thrilled that USEF went out and worked with Warner Music and got this global licensing agreement. I think that, combined with the others that they already had in place, [it] really should provide a really solid net of coverage,” Wimmer said. 

But questions still linger, particularly about the upper echelons of dressage sport. So far, at certain flagship events, like the U.S. Equestrian Open of Dressage Final, USEF has covered the cost of securing synchronization licenses. Whether that practice will continue remains to be seen.

Though the uncertainty is frustrating, Wimmer stressed that patience is paramount. 

“USEF is flying the plane and building it at the same time,” she said, “so I think we are all kind of trying to give each other grace and space to work things out.” 

“Music licensing can be an intimidating black hole for adult amateurs looking to do it themselves,” added Heilbroner. “As of right now, there’s not, like, an easy path to say, ‘Hey, I’m making a dressage freestyle, and I would like it to be able to be livestreamed. How do I make sure that happens?’ ” 

For now, Wimmer is optimistic about the future of musical freestyles, as riders, show organizers, and USEF continue to champion the value of music to these performances. 

“I’m feeling relieved. I know there were a lot of rumors flying around for months, but I never really thought that the house was on fire, so I’m glad that it’s actually not on fire,” she said. “I want dressage to continue to push forward as a sport. And I think freestyles are the way to bring dressage forward with these incredible stories that we tell through music and horses. As a producer and freestyle designer, I want to be able to have as much music at our fingertips. We have incredible artists that we get to work with and utilize and kind of use in a different way.” 

Heilbroner wholeheartedly agreed. 

“I always joke that dressage is boring until you’re good at it, except for the freestyles,” she said. “They are so fun, and they bring people in. I’m a huge fan of anything we can do to bring the outside world into dressage, and getting access to music is one of those things.” 

The post Turn Down For What? Freestyle Music Livestream Licensing Presents A New Challenge appeared first on The Chronicle of the Horse.