Photo Report: Pot Pourri of Horses and Riding at 2025 Global Dressage Festival

--- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion) 
-- Photos © Eurodressage - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS for social media

Time flies when you are having fun. It's such a boring truism, but it's undeniable. My first week of four in Wellington, Florida, for the 2025 season has wrapped up and I photographed 136 horses in the international and national ring. 

The weather has been glorious here in Florida this week. Pleasantly fresh in the mornings and evening and 29 C° hot round mid-day. I have been bouncing all over the place with my camera trying to capture the bold and the beautiful.

There is even more to watch in the national arena where you get a pot pourri of horses, levels and riding, from amateurs to professionals, for Olympic thrill seekers to ladies bopping in the saddle simply having fun on their horse. Good for them. At least they are out there trying... Some might ride a few levels beyond their skill and capacity, but that's what the U.S. system allows.

Several of America's big name riders are gearing up their horses for the CDI's to come in the next few weeks. Kasey Perry-Glass rode Heartbeat W.P. (by Charmeur x Ferro) twice in a GP test, posting 74.239% in one. Katherine Bateson-Chandler took out hot Haute Couture (by Connoisseur x Krack C) for some confidence building rounds, while Canadian Olympian Chris von Martels showed an improved Londoncrown (by Londontime x San Amour). Von Martels took over the ride on the chestnut from Susanne Dutt-Roth.

It was a long-time-no-see come back for Mister-C (by Quaterback x Raphael) who competed in Europe under Dorothee Schneider and Daniel Bachmann before selling to Natalie Pai in the U.S.A in 2022. Coached by Ali Brock, Pai and Mister C made their national Grand Prix debut. I was also interested to see Caroline Roffman (a 2014 U.S. team contender) on her rising GP horse Libertee (by Franklin x Donnerhall). She showed the black last year in the developing GP tour and now they did their long Grand Prix. The winner of last year's Lovsta class, Kaliber, is still missing in action this year...

A horse that really caught my attention a few years ago was Heron under Aaron Janicki. It sold to Candoit stables in 2023 for Adam Steffens to ride but those two are not yet on the same wavelength. The liver chestnut is brimming with talent though.

Check out my selection of moments that caught my eye in the image gallery below. 

- Text © Eurodressage - Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS for social media

If interested in photos, please send me an email. Florida rates apply for this horse show as our colleague Sue Stickle is the official photographer

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