Jennifer Williams and Kasey Perry-Glass Win Blue Ribbon at 2026 CDI Ocala

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2026 CDI Ocala

-- WEC press release

Jennifer Willams and Kasey Perry-Glass rode themselves to a blue ribbon at the World Equestrian Center (WEC) April Dressage CDI4* on 24 - 25 April 2026.

The 4* competition continued on Friday with the Freestyle, while the Grand Prix Special was ridden on Saturday.

Williams Wins Kur

Jennifer Williams (USA) and Joppe K, owned by Joppe Partners LLC, took the top spot in the Grand Prix Freestyle as they danced to songs from Lady Gaga and Chappell Roan. They entered the ring to a mash-up of music from “The Phantom of the Opera” and Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.” The music and choreography was from Collier Wimmer of Three Wishes Freestyles.

“I wanted something that I could really rock out to, that every time I hear it, I want to be pumped up and inspired,” said Williams of her freestyle. “I really wanted the crowd to get behind it and have a great time watching it. Joppe always grows with the atmosphere and with the clapping. He loves that kind of thing.”

After an uncharacteristic grand prix test on Thursday because of an issue in the tunnel down to the in-gate – which took some time, patience, and cookies to help – Williams was pleased that Joppe came back ready for Friday night.

“It’s a pretty difficult freestyle, and there are a lot of changes on the circle,” she explained. “I was really happy with all the piaffe and passage. He stayed nicely in front of my leg, with a very uphill feel. When that partnership comes through, it’s harmony, and you’re actually out there dancing. That’s the goal. Yes, I want all the technical pieces, but the technical pieces are actually quite easy if the partnership is there.”

Williams has been riding Joppe K since he was five years old, after he was purchased by Thunder Ridge Equestrian. The talented chestnut started competing as a six-year-old in the FEI Young Horse classes in 2020. They moved into the Large Tour in 2023, but they had only done one freestyle class prior to this since March 2025. Joppe K is now owned in partnership by Williams with Lisa Norling. “It’s people like her that keep the dream alive, allow us riders to keep pursuing our goals, and be able to ride such a wonderful animal,” expressed Williams. “I’m grateful for that.”

Now at 12 years old, the KWPN gelding by Rousseau x Santano is more of a veteran in the ring.

“I’m really excited that they’ve taken the initiative to make something thrilling for the crowd, and it’s nice as a rider to really work toward something,” she added about the national championship. “I haven’t done a national championship since 2020. They planned this specifically so we could use it before the World Championships, and I love that idea.”

Ashley Holzer (USA) and Hawtins San Floriana, a 14-year-old Hanoverian mare by San Amour I x Florestan I that she owns with Dr. Diane Fellows, finished second with 74.880%. Ellesse Gundersen (USA) rode Quintessential 4, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Quaterback x Cordoba owned by Gundersen, Marcia Radosevich, and Henrik Gundersen, to third place on a score of 74.155%.

Kasey Perry-Glass and Heartbeat WP Find Their Rhythm

U.S. Olympic team bronze medalist Kasey Perry-Glass and Heartbeat W.P., owned by Diane Perry, took the win in the Grand Prix Special

Kasey Perry-Glass (USA) and Heartbeat W.P. scored 69.021% for victory, and Perry-Glass felt that their pirouettes and changes were highlights of the test, in addition to having more power than in Thursday’s Grand Prix CDI4*, where they finished in second place.

“I was really proud of him for stepping up and letting me really ride him through the test, staying with me, and allowing me to put my leg on,” she explained. “Sometimes he can be a bit too hot to where I can't do that. I was really happy with his energy, especially after a long weekend.”

The Grand Prix Special test suits “Heart,” she added about the 14-year-old KWPN gelding by Charmeur x Ferro. “It really sets him up well in the trot work, which is not his strong suit, but doing so many of those passage-extension transitions really start to bring out a better trot in him.”

This is the pair’s third season together in the grand prix classes and their third FEI show of the year, but they have placed in the top five in every class, including three victories. They were on last year’s U.S. Dressage team in July at CHIO Aachen for the CDIO5* Nations Cup in Germany. For 2026, Perry-Glass hopes to be back in contention for a team spot in a year when the FEI World Championships return to Aachen, Germany. An initial step to that is competing in May’s USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championships at WEC – Ocala.

“I always look at these types of years as a building process, and I want to test the waters and really find those spots that I can start to raise my scores and start to peak at the right moments,” said the Olympic and World Equestrian Games team medalist. “Obviously, those team events are huge moments to be solid, get your best scores, and really shoot for pushing the limits with your horse and the power. These shows are to get the qualifying scores and to hone in on the things that we really need to solidify in the test. To be able to do that with another horse feels like a blessing, as does working toward being back on teams.”

Perry-Glass was raised in competitive team sports, having participated in basketball, track and field, and golf before she focused specifically on riding during her college years and beyond.

“I'm a really big camaraderie person,” she explained. “I really enjoy rooting on my teammates and lifting my team up. There is something about being a part of teams that really get along and participate with each other; they start to feed off of each other's energy. I think that it helps you keep improving. Sometimes we can get stuck in our own little worlds, but team events really enhance our ‘Team USA’ trajectory.”

Denielle Gallagher (CAN) and Come Back de Massa, her and Ellen Lazarus’s 14-year-old Lusitano gelding by Galopin de la Font x Quixote SDS, finished in second place with a score of 67.808%. With 66.915%, Lars Petersen (USA) and Sang Real, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion by Sir Donnerhall I x Lauries Crusador xx owned by Kim Aiken, placed third.

**Jodie Kelly Wins 3* GP Special**

In the Grand Prix Special CDI3*, Jodie Kelly-Baxley and Grayton Beach returned to the top spot with a score of 68.149%. This is their third FEI win in 2026 and fifth top-three finish in six starts.

“He's the most honest guy ever, and he tries every single day to show up for me,” said Kelly-Baxley. “Earlier in the season I felt like he was super confident, so I wanted to see where we could turn the dial up and go for a little more expression. Today I felt, for the first time, I really was turning the dials in the right way as far as where I needed to help him relax and then turn it up to where he had enough power to do what I was asking him.

“We still had a couple of little bobbles, but as a whole, I felt like I was finally figuring it out all within one test,” she continued. “It felt like it was something that I could potentially repeat, that maybe it wasn't a fluke this time. It was a really, really fun ride.”

Kelly-Baxley has ridden Grayton Beach since he was three years old, and this is their fourth year competing at the grand prix level, as well as their most successful. Their personal best score in Thursday’s Grand Prix CDI3* landed them a fourth-place finish, and their consistency is becoming evident.

“I felt like it was a thoughtful ride on both of our parts, like I was thinking my way through asking, and he was thinking and responding accordingly,” she said of the 15-year-old KWPN gelding by Negro x UB 40. “It was a really, really nice conversation that we had through the whole ride.”

Kelly-Baxley will wait to see if her scores qualify her for the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championships, but she already has vacation time planned for herself and Grayton at the end of the month. Whatever happens though, Kelly-Baxley is grateful for the support she has within her barn as well as from her colleagues in the sport. Kelly is return guest at the CDI Ocala. The last time she travelled down south to compete in the heart of U.S. Dressage sport in Wellington, Florida, was in January 2024 and before that in 2021.

“The camaraderie in this sport has really become something special,” she expressed. “By the time I got back to the barn, my phone was blowing up from friends that are riders, some that were even in my class, and some that had been watching from afar. We are all out here trying to do the same thing, that are all on that national ranking list, that are all vying for the same spots in May. I felt like it was just the coolest thing, how supportive I feel like riders in this sport have been.”

Erin Nichols (USA) and Elian Royale, a 17-year-old KWPN gelding by Johnson x Amidou owned by Premiere Sport Horses, scored 67.893% for second place. Riding Carol Glover’s Nova, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare by Grand Galaxy Win T x Blue Hors Romanov, Nora Batchelder (USA) placed third with a score of 67.702%.