A slew of new champions were crowned at the 2024 USDF Dressage Finals which were held 7 - 10 November 2024 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The event draws competitors from across the nation to vie for the 37 titles and a share of the $125,000 prize money.
Here is a grasp from the official PR write-ups about the winners of some of the FEI recognized divisions (small tour level and higher)...
Prix St Georges Open: Kate Fleming-Kuhn
Kate Fleming-Kuhn of Star West Dressage in New Berlin, IL, continued her sparkling run of form from the Regionals with her own eight-year-old gelding Franzsis HSR (by Franziskus x Sandro Hit). They topped the leaderboard in the Prix St. Georges Open even though she described him as “a bit of an imp” at home. Their 70.931% was the only score over 70% in the class of 15 starters, and it also secured them the Miki Christophersen Perpetual Trophy, presented by USDF Region 4.
“Today he was really on my aids,” affirmed Fleming-Kuhn. “We’ve been working throughout the summer to continue to increase his degree of engagement, and I really felt like today that came together. That’s exciting for what the future holds for him. The dream is always to make it to big tour, and he has the stuff for that – no doubt.”
Franzsis was bred in the U.S. by Anita Nardine at Hidden Springs Ranch, and Fleming-Kuhn bought him at two weeks old after seeing him “move like a cat” in his foal video. She has produced him herself throughout his career, and he has a great record at Finals in recent years, having been a champion in 2022 and a reserve champion in 2023.
“I’ve never ridden a horse with his athleticism and sensitivity, so it’s been a learning process to be the best partner to him and to access his energy and his concentration within that sensitivity,” she explained.
“He’s a bit of a playboy; he’s a sweet horse, but he has a lot of personality and can be a handful on the ground – he’s notorious for going to turnout on his hind legs, but he’s wonderful to ride,” added Fleming-Kuhn who named “Franzie” after both his sire Fraziskus and her grandfather Francis.
On Friday Fleming-Kuhn added a second win to ther haul for the week, topping the Open Intermediate I Championship by almost 5% on Franzsis HSR.
Intermediaire I Freestyle Open: Lauren Chumley Snatches Lead
Lauren Chumley and Leeloo Dallas were the final combination in the Open Intermediate I Freestyle, and their fun routine and upbeat music saw them snatch the lead with 72.1%, despite the rider’s uncharacteristic nerves. The compact 16-hand, eight-year-old mare by the Ravel son Gaspard De La Nuit bounded down the final center line in two-tempi changes.
“It’s a little bit of a different game when you go in, and you’re expected to do well,” said Chumley, who trains with Michael Bragdell and splits her time between Pittstown, NJ, and Loxahatchee, FL. “I’m used to clawing my way up from the bottom, so this is a whole different game, and I have to learn to deal with that. I don’t normally get nervous, but there’s a bit of pressure: she’s been winning at CDIs and got a grant from The Dressage Foundation.
“She’s got better and better over the weekend — we were second yesterday — so tonight this one really counted, and the freestyle is my jam. I thought, ‘We can get this,’” added Chumley, who is contesting eight Championship classes at Finals.
“We’ve been schooling a lot of grand prix, so this is hopefully our last show at small tour,” she added. “I hope to do developing grand prix next year; she has all the pieces for it. The piaffe/passage is going to be really special.”
Prix St Georges Adult Amateur: Denise Steele
Denise Steele and her husband Ken imported Bon Chance two years ago from Germany, but shortly afterwards, disaster struck when the Belissimo M mare broke her coffin bone. Undeterred, they nursed the now 14-year-old mare back to full health through six months of stall rest and hand grazing before Denise climbed on board. At Finals, they stood Prix St. Georges AA champions, also picking up the Janine Westmoreland Malone Perpetual Trophy, presented by USDF, for their 70.882% test.
“It was probably my best ride ever on her,” enthused retiree Steele. “Everything felt super smooth. We call her ‘Honey Badger’ because nothing fazes her. I can take her in the hills on 800 acres and over bridges; I can do anything with her. She’s the most bombproof horse I’ve ever sat on in my life, but in the arena, she knows her job.”
Steele, a USDF gold medalist, splits her time between Virginia, North Carolina, and winters in Wellington, training with Vera Kessels and Susan Pape. She has competed the mare in international amateur small tour classes in 2024 and has her sights set on big tour.
The Lloyd Landkamer Perpetual Trophy is given to the FEI highest scoring mare of the competition, Bon Chance 8, a 14-year-old mare by Bellissimo M ridden by Denise Steele and owned by Kenneth Steele.
Intermediaire I Adult Amateur: Phyllis Summer - “Riding Is My Physical and Mental Therapy”
Despite the mare’s lack of competition experience, Phyllis Sumner’s 10-year-old “worker bee” Jonanta M led the AA Intermediate I Championship with 68.676%, edging out Christina Morin-Graham on Ici De La Vigne by 0.5 percentage points.
Sumner bought the Negro x Gribaldi daughter two years ago in the Netherlands, and while the horse had never competed, she believes that Jonanta has what it takes to be her next grand prix horse.
“This was a lot from an atmosphere perspective, but ‘Moxie’ did fantastically,” said Sumner, who was making her Finals debut with the horse. “She was super attentive and took confidence from me even though she’d never even been in that arena before. She’s very big, very powerful, and hot, but in a good way. She loves to march me to the arena every day. Moxie can be a little intense and hot at times because she’s an overachiever, but never ugly or disobedient.”
Sumner works as a lawyer at the Atlanta-based King & Spalding, where she is a partner and chief privacy officer. She trains at Atlanta Dressage with Roel Theunissen and manages to fit horses around her job.
“Riding is my physical and mental therapy, and I plan my work schedule so that I can do it regularly, which means I ride early in the mornings,” she explained. “It’s important for me to have that time with the horses and then my day is beautiful, and I can go and face my stressful job.”
Intermediaire II Open: Ella Fruchterman
Another rider for whom everything aligned at the right moment was the young Ella Fruchterman, who at 20 years old already has her USDF bronze, silver, and gold medals. She rode her and her father Todd’s 15-year-old Danish mare Hannah Montana W, by Blue Hors Doolittle, to the Open Intermediate II title with 69.755%.
“I came in tonight as the only junior in the class, so I was really focused on just riding to the best of our ability,” said Fruchterman. “This is my first year at this level, so I wanted to take my time and set things up. To win is the cherry on the top, and we were not expecting it.
“Hannah felt the best I’ve ever felt her in the ring. This is a personal best in a championship setting. We did some CDIs in Florida in the spring, and we were just finding our feet. It felt like it all clicked today, which is a great time for it to all come together. I started in Juniors with her, so she’s taken me all the way through. She’s a horse of a lifetime,” she added.
The family bought Hannah Montana sight unseen in 2021 from Denmark, where she had been competing at grand prix level with Sanne Svendsen. Trainer Angela Jackson flew over to try her and was convinced she was the one.
Fruchterman concluded, “I put all my trust in Angela, and I couldn’t be more grateful to her for taking us both through this journey and teaching me the ropes.”
Intermediaire II Adult Amateur: Rebecca Lord
Lord, who is 59, took a 31-year break from riding, picking it back up a decade ago. She has made monumental progress in that time, including with Demetrius, by De Niro, whom she bought in 2020. She also finished fifth in the class with Luke Skywalker, clocking up 63.137%.
“It was very overwhelming to win two years in a row — and have two such lovely horses placing so well,” enthused Lord, who splits her time between Ocala, FL, where she trains with Franziska Seidl and Cochranville, PA, where her trainer is Alex Robertson. “I felt nervous, but I am grateful that I stayed present, calm, and focused to maintain access to the skills I’ve worked so hard to develop.
“Demi is always ready for more and so enthusiastic,” she continued. “I finished and thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t mess up!’ I’m overjoyed that the judge at M gave me 69.5% because we are all hoping, dreaming, and yearning to push 70%. With Luke I had one mistake cantering coming out of passage, but he’s really coming into his own. They’re glorious horses, and it’s exciting to love doing something so much.”
Grand Prix Adult Amateur: Madison Rezaei - “The Sweetest Horse with So Much Try”
In only their second season together, Adult Amateur Madison Rezaei and her own Maximus were awarded the George W. Wagner Jr. Perpetual Trophy, presented by International Georgian Grande Horse Registry, for their Grand Prix Championship win. Rezaei bought the 13-year-old Polish Warmblood — who is by the Thoroughbred sire Sword xx out of a Kostolany dam — 18 months ago from another amateur rider, and he is her first grand prix horse.
“We were here last year which was crazy because we had only just started together and came sixth. I was over the moon just to be in the arena, so it’s kind of crazy to be winning it this year. I had no expectations, just to ride our best test and have a happy, relaxed horse. I think we did it,” added Rezaei.
She is currently on sabbatical from her job as a strategy executive and has been able to dedicate more time than usual to riding. She is based in New Jersey and trains with Heather Mason.
“She’s magic; an incredible teacher for horses and people,” enthused Rezaei. “The Heather Mason orbit and community is really special – everyone is really supportive. ‘Max’ will have a nice long break after this, then we’ll fine-tune over winter. The nice thing about grand prix is that you’re never really done, and there are always things to make better. He really hates nature, so we won’t do a lot of hacking, but we’ll find ways of keeping his work interesting in the ring.”
Jackson said, “Hannah has her quirks and doesn’t give anything for free. If you do it right, she will do it right and if not, you have to try again — but she doesn’t get upset. That’s [the nature of] a beautiful schoolmaster, and we owe this horse a lot.”
Grand Prix Open: Ali Potasky Victorius in Dressage Finals Debut
It was the final horse down centerline after 13 hours of solid dressage across seven arenas that scooped the day’s richest prize on Friday, November 8, at the US Dressage Finals. Ali Potasky and Inxs soared to the top of the leaderboard in the Open Grand Prix Championship with an unassailable 72.391%.
“I had a good feeling in there,” said Potasky. “He’s really a sensitive horse but when he listens — and he usually does — he’s super reliable. He’s the first horse I’ve really ridden at grand prix. I’ve trained the movements with other horses but putting it all together is a different monster. It was exciting to be able to make it all happen tonight.”
Being based just 30 minutes from the Kentucky Horse Park, Inxs has shown at the venue before, but this was his first-ever test in an indoor arena as all his previous classes have been held outdoors.
“He’s unbelievably reliable in any kind of ring which is funny because he’s super reactive to some things, but I can trust him to not get over faced; when I go down centerline, he’s the same horse everywhere, which is amazing.”
Potasky’s position as last to go in the class was a gift for Inxs as he is afraid of other horses, something Potasky has been working on for the past five years of riding him.
“It was a really lucky draw because the warm-up cleared out. But I schooled in the Alltech Arena yesterday with 12 horses and he was good, so it’s coming together, but it’s been a labor of love,” added Potasky, who will spend the winter in Wellington, FL. “He’s quirky, but 100% honest and loving.”
Grand Prix Freestyle Open: Nora Batchelder Wins with "Crazy Hard Pattern"
On the second of two gala evenings at the 2024 US Dressage Finals Saturday’s most prestigious class, the Open Grand Prix Freestyle, was led from the front. Nora Batchelder was first to go, and the 74.208% she laid down with her 16-year-old international partner Faro SQF proved too high a bar for her rivals to scale.
Batchelder, from Williston, FL, said, “His test had a lot of energy, and he feels like he really wants to do it. For a 16-year-old grand prix horse, it feels good that he’s still so into it. He’s been with me since he was nine — we did the Pan American Games together — and my first Finals ever was with him at Prix St. Georges, so it’s fun to win at this level now. I love him so much; he’s my heart horse.”
Their test was a technically challenging floorplan that featured two-tempi changes on a circle blending seamlessly into one-tempis and included a piaffe pirouette. Faro was bred in Florida by Jill Peterson and is by Fidertanz out of a mare that the Batchelders imported from Germany and then sold, only to buy back her offspring.
“It’s a crazy hard pattern, and I’m always really nervous,” admitted Batchelder, who drove for more than 12 hours to get to Finals. “I was worried about the draw too because it’s always a little rough to be first, but it turned out awesome. He was so awake, alive, and happy. This might actually be our last show together; I’m not sure. I have a lot of young ones coming up, and I don’t know if we have anything left to prove; he's done so much for me.”
Photos © Sue Stickle
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