Orlob and Jane Celebrate Drama Free GP Special Victory at 2026 CDI-W Wellington

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2026 CDI-W Wellington

-- GDF press release, edited Eurodressage - Photos © Centre Line Media

The American anthem rang out for Marcus Orlob and Jane for the second time on the opening week of competition at the 2026 Global Dressage Festival in Wellington FL. After comfortably topping Thursday’s Grand Prix, they cruised to a 74.681% victory in the 3* Grand Prix Special, which took place on Saturday during Lloyd Landkamer Memorial week.

GDF hosts seven weeks of CDI competition and weekly national shows over three months, finishing March 29.

Drama Free

Orlob and the 12-year-old Jane, owned by Alice Tarjan, had one small blip in the shape of a missed change on the diagonal of one-time changes, but otherwise presented a poised, powerful and uphill picture throughout.

Orlob has been working to build Jane’s confidence in the ring after a series of spooky rides and an unfortunate elimination at the Paris 2024 Olympics after a speck of blood was spotted on the Desperado x Metall mare’s leg. Their 74.681% score is their second highest in the Special test, and their best score at the level since June 2024.

“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 horse for Tarjan and has training help from Christine Traurig, the Chef d’Equipe of the US Dressage Team.

“It was Jane’s first time out since Aachen in July 2025 and she left all the craziness behind,” he added. “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.”

Katherine Bateson-Chandler on Haute Couture

To combat Jane’s nerves, Orlob hacks her before training, takes her to other barns, rides around the equestrian community of White Fences, and takes her to the adjacent Winter Equestrian Festival jumper showground. Their next competitive outing is slated for the CDI 5* during AGDF 3, then probably target the FEI Nations Cup™ during week 11. The main focus of Orlob’s year is the FEI World Championships Aachen, in Germany this August.

Top Three

Orlob was followed on the leaderboard by Katherine Bateson Chandler (USA), who rode her own and Jennifer Huber’s 14-year-old Haute Couture (by Connaisseur x Krack C) to 67.808%.

Last to go, Spain’s Pablo Gómez Molina, coaxed a 67.298% test from Servus Ymas, finishing third on the 13-year-old San Amour x Depardieu gelding owned by Cristina Danguillecourt, Javier Bacariza and Yeguada de Ymas.