Wamsley and Welch Crowned 2026 U.S. Para Dressage Champions

2026 U.S. Dressage Championships

-- USEF press release, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © US Equestrian

Two new U.S. champions were crowned on 27 August 2026 at the 2026 U.S. Dressage Championships in Wayne, ILL. Maura Wamsley and Arteon earning the Para Champions title at Grand Prix level, while Elizabeth Welch and Baltico BRH secured the Para Intermediaire Championship title.

In the absence of the elite U.S. Para team riders, who just won team gold at the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, a different group of riders was able to ride themselves into the picture at national level.

Wamsley is U.S. Grand Prix Para Champion

Maura Wamsley (Carbondale, Colo.) and Arteon, a 2017 Westphalian gelding (by Arango x Rascalino), owned by Visionary Dressage Imports, known in the barn as "Theo," claimed the championship title in the Grand Prix Para Championship with a score of 69.167% in the freestyle, a milestone that also happened to fall on Wamsley's birthday weekend.

"It's exciting to be here and to bring my riding to a different level," Wamsley said. "I feel so lucky to have an amazing coach and have the support of Visionary Dressage Imports, who own him."

Wamsley posted consistent scores throughout the week and pointed to her strategy as the key to her success. "I was a bit conservative on the first day, but I had my best score that day," she said. "So, I pushed for bigger mediums yesterday and today, and he's a redhead, so he expressed his opinions about that."

This marks Wamsley and Arteon's first year competing together in para dressage, following a season showing as able-bodied. Visionary Dressage Imports imported Arteon in November 2024; the gelding previously competed as a para horse in Germany under German Paralympic team rider Anna-Lena Niehues. "He's super trustworthy," Wamsley said. "He takes really good care of me. He's super safe, and he wants to do his job and do it well."

That work ethic carries a distinct personality with it. Wamsley described Theo as something of an introvert, a horse who does his job, then wants to retreat to his stall. "He's the horse that stands with his head in the corner," she laughed. "He's a simple man. He’ll do his job, but he doesn't want to be fussed over."

Wamsley's path back into the sport came after a years-long break. She grew up riding with an eye toward a career in the sport but burned out and stepped away in her early twenties. A 2024 trip to Iceland, where she rode one of the country's native Icelandic ponies, reignited something she hadn't expected to feel again. "I felt the body that I don't get to feel on a day-to-day basis," she said.

She returned home and reached out to trainer Stephanie Busley of SB Dressage, based in Carbondale, Colo., asking for a single weekly lesson without initially disclosing that she is disabled. That one lesson a week has since become the majority of what Wamsley does now.

Wamsley, who still trains with Busley, hopes to continue competing in both para and able-bodied divisions. Unlike the pressure she felt as a young rider aiming for a career in the sport, she said this chapter feels different: "Now I get to have fun."

Only two riders competed in the Championship, completing three rounds. The reserve champions were Jessica Thoma (Crossville, Tenn.) and Imantado GOM, a 2009 PRE gelding (by Ruidoso IX x Rey III), owned by Nori Benck, both making their U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions debut. After producing a consistent test, they earned a score of 64.114%.

Welch Is Para Champion at Intermediaire Level

Elizabeth Welch (Summerville, S.C.) and her own Baltico BRH, known in the barn as "B," claimed the National Champion title in the Intermediaire Para Championship this week, capping their week with a FEI Para Intermediate Freestyle performance that surpassed all others for Welch. The duo earned a score of 70.683%.

"I feel like that's the best we've ridden, the timing with the music was really exciting," Welch said of the test choreographed by Marlene Whitaker. "I think the music really suited my horse, so I was really happy with how that came out today."

The freestyle was set to music from Moana 2, chosen to reflect a theme Welch has carried through her rides all season. "Harmonious and a nice flow is what I was basically looking for," she said. "That's what I've been striving for with all my rides this year."

The crowd noticed, too, with the music drawing visible energy from spectators throughout the test. Welch described B, a PRE gelding (by Kabul BRH x Q-Favorito-MT), as an easygoing, curious partner suited to just about anything asked of him.

"He's got a really good brain; he's super fun, pretty laid back, and he's game for anything," she said, noting his enjoyment of trail riding and galloping cross-country.

B's curiosity extends beyond the show ring as well; Welch said he prefers a stall where he can watch the activity around him, content to observe the comings and goings of a show from his own front-row seat.

Beyond the competitive side of their partnership, B holds a deeper significance for Welch. She purchased him following the accident that led her to para dressage and credits him with playing a central role in her recovery. "He's really helped me heal from that," she said. "In all the ways a person needs to be healed."

With a national championship title now to her credit, Welch is already looking ahead. Her immediate goal is to move up to the Grand Prix test and develop a new freestyle to match, along with pursuing more CPEDI competitions. Ultimately, she hopes those steps lead to a spot on a U.S. team. "It would be really fun to be able to be selected for a team one day," she said. "That would be the ultimate goal. I'd love to be able to represent the United States in that capacity."

Four riders in total competed in the Intermediaire Championship. The reserve title position is Audrey Guitreau (Houston, Texas) and her own Don Silvano, a 2012 Oldenburg gelding (by Don Schufro x Abigail), whose consistent, steady freestyle earned a score of 68.255%. Finishing in third place were Katy Carpenter (Littleton, Colo.) and SE Bonito, a 2011 Andalusian gelding (by Famoso Ram II x Oportuna RAM), owned by Megan Brown, who finished with a score of 67.200%.

Results - 2026 U.S. Para Dressage Championships - Wayne

Grand Prix

1. Maura Wamsley - Arteon - 70.277 - 69,323 - 69,167 --- 69,680
2. Jessica Thoma - Imantado GOM - 60,388 - 62,055 - 64,144 --- 61,700

Intermediaire

1. Elizabeth Welch - Baltico BRH - 67,975 - 67,524 - 70,683--- 68.178%
2. Audrey Guitreau - Don Silvano - 65,872 - 64,246 - 68,255 --- 65.498%
3. Katy Carpenter - SE Bonito - 65,237 - 63,585 - 67,200 --- 64.788%
4. Victoria Yu - Carrera GH - 63,095 - 63,279 - 60,899 --- 62.849%