-- GDF press release, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Lily Forado
Christian Simonson and Marcus Orlob became the first winners of the Grand Prix tests held at the opening CDI-W of the 2026 Global Dressage Festival season in Wellington, Florida.
Updates for 2026
With the current management under Murray Kessler's supervision running the show for its second year since it took over from Helgstrand Dressage, the Global Dressage Festival finally boasted some updated conditions since its inception at the start of 2010 when property owner Belissimo and his team created the show. Since 2014 it has been almost identical in set-up and conditions, even during the Helgstrand years.
Covering has been provided for the bleachers, bringing relief from the sun (or rain) for the those unavailable to get tickets for the luxury VIP tents. A bigger indoor riders' lounge has been built near the stables, where they can relax and pick up refreshments - two additions that seem to bring a little more pep in GDF's step.
The show organizers also shifted the calendar around, tabling the CDI 5* in January in order to lure the riders out of their caves early in the season. In the past most top pairs would not even budge until end of February or March, leaving the month of January almost anemic in international entries. "No more," the OC said and with the clever move of offering an action packed programme in January with a CDI-W and 5*, as well as several fancy fundraising parties and clinics in town, January appears to be the month to be there.
Eurodressage will be in Wellington in February to measure the progress U.S. and Canadian dressage has made over the year and to report on the fun and thrill of the Wellington show scene.
Simonson Wins the Grand Prix CDI-W
Wellington's tongue-in-cheek reputation of being the "Personal Best Festival" has not changed as the first show of the year already re-confirmed this notoriety.
For GDF-Week One, the Lloyd Landkamer Memorial Week, 45 combinations are entered from young horse level to Grand Prix. Still not a greatest turn-out, but at Grand Prix level there are a good 19 pairs entered, split up into two tours. The CDI-W tour featured nine riders from five different countries and was the afternoon class on 8 January 2026.
Locally based U.S. rider Christian Simonson extended his unbeaten streak on Indian Rock to seven wins when claiming the Grand Prix with a whopping 76.043%. The score represented a new personal best for the 23-year-old Simonson and Zen Elite Equestrian Center’s 13-year-old Apache x Vivaldi stallion, a pair that has become a team in their year together.
Points towards qualification for the World Cup Final will be determined in Friday evening’s Grand Prix Freestyle. A victory for Simonson would set him 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,” enthused Simonson, who was awarded a handful of nines for the piaffe/passage work and one for the right pirouette. “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. He and I have such a great relationship together and the bond feels really special.”
The high score for the pair also represented a career best score for the horse, who previously competedl under Dutch Olympian Emmelie Scholtens, including at the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Simonson attributed his much-improved score—their previous best was 74.804%—to listening to his coach Adrienne Lyle.
“I just do what she tells me to,” he laughed. “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.”
Orlob and Jane Unanimous Winners in the *3 Grand Prix
Orlob’s compatriot Katherine Bateson Chandler rode Jennifer Huber’s 14-year-old mare Haute Couture (by Connaisseur x Krack C) into second with 69.261%, their best score in the Grand Prix since June 2024.
Germany’s Michael Klimke slotted into third riding Harmony Sport horses’ Dante’s Peak, a 10-year-old by Dante Weltino x Desperados, to 68.587%.
Related Links
Scores: 2026 CDI-W Wellington
Mark Bellissimo and Partners Buy Back Wellington International from Helgstrand's GEG