-- TerraNova press release, edited by Eurodressage
The South Florida dressage competition season 2026-2027 officially kicked off on Friday 16 October 2026, with the opening day of action at TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka City, Florida, for its October FEI World Cup qualifier show.
Despite intense October heat, the two grand prix classes both produced polished U.S. lady winners who achieved personal best scores. Devon Kane and Vamos came out on top in the World Cup™ Grand Prix, while Quinn Iverson and Gremlin headed up the 3* Grand Prix.
World Cup Grand Prix for Kane
Kane and the Diamante Farms-owned Vamos, a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding by Vivaldi x Insterburg, posted a personal best of 69.043% for their second win of 2026, with their first being at TerraNova’s April CDI. She aced a small class of only four riders.
Christian Simonson (USA) and Fleau De Baian, his ride at this summer’s FEI World Championships in Germany, finished second. Blips in the zig-zag and the one-time changes — which both carry a doubling coefficient — proved costly for Simonson and Heidi Humphries’ 16-year-old Jazz x Ulft stallion, who finished with 68.065%. James Koford (USA) rounded out the podium with a 65.478% ride on Janet Simile’s 16-year-old Briar Junior gelding, Fire Fly, well known on the dressage scene under Anna Marek in recent years.
Kane, who spent the summer at home bonding with her horses, continued: “I took a break from showing and Vamos had time in the paddock and hacking. We spent it just being a horse and a rider and hanging out, which was different and fun. Then we got going again. He’s always loved me, and now he’s trusting me in the arena, which is a really cool feeling for us.”
Kane and Vamos head into Saturday’s World Cup™ Freestyle in pole position. The class offers valuable points as the second of nine North American qualifiers for the 2027 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final, which takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden, in late March. It also doubles as the last US Open qualifier before the $200,000 2026 final in California in November.
Objective U.S. Open Final
The US Open final will be the next stop on the competition calendar for Kane, whose international grand prix career with Vamos spans almost three years and has taken them to Mexico, Germany and coast-to-coast in the USA. She attributes much of her success to her mother, Terri Kane, the owner of Diamante Farms in Wellington.
“My mom is here at TerraNova grooming for me,” explained Kane. “She cleaned my stall and my water buckets this morning; she’s helping take care of me and my horse and my dogs — everything. And Kevin is on the phone every step of the way, dying that he’s not here. It takes a whole family and a whole village, and I’m very lucky to have people that support me.”
Iverson Wins 3* Grand Prix
Iverson rode the 11-year-old Gremlin (by Grey Flanell x Donnerschwee) to a new combination high score of 69.696%, topping the all-American top three, all of whom were mounted on 11-year-old horses. There were just three riders in the class.
Nora Batchelder piloted Carol Glover’s Grand Galaxy Win T x Blue Hors Romanov mare Nova into second with 67.152%. Eline Eckroth was third with 62.891% on Connie Duff Wise’s Key To B Fabulous, by Eye Catcher.
Iverson has brought the leggy gelding up the levels since he was a five-year-old, sourced at Hof Kasselmann in Germany. She took him to their big tour international debut in March 2026 — the first horse the 28-year-old has competed at FEI grand prix.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with how my horse came out today in this hot weather,” said Iverson, who is based between Florida and Colorado. “He tried so hard, and that’s all I could want from him, so I’m a little speechless.”
Gremlin wobbled out of the rein-back and popped into canter, the only blip in an otherwise smooth and attractive test.
“He does not like making mistakes, so I was trying to keep his confidence high,” continued Iverson. “He’s a nervous horse, so everything I’ve done with him has been to help him gain confidence in the ring, which has been our biggest challenge. It’s been a journey, that’s for sure. I’m super excited to keep building and growing with him.”
Iverson credits much of her success to Davidson, saying: “I’ve known Billie since I was six. She was the treasurer of our Pony Club camp, and she has made all my dreams come true. I started out as a jumper, then did eventing, but Billie had a dressage horse she wanted me to ride — and the rest is history.”
Lars Petersen Wins Prix St Georges
In the small tour ranks with a field of four riders, it was another all-American podium in the Prix St. Georges. In an exceptionally tight contest, Lars Petersen emerged victorious with 67.971% in a class where just 0.2 percentage points separated the top three finishers. Petersen kept his nose ahead riding Foxy Meadow Farm's 8-year-old Everdale mare Nareina at just her second FEI show.
A personal best for Brian Hafner of 67.882% secured the red ribbon with his own 13-year-old Bon Bravour gelding, I Crack De La Vigne. Nora Batchelder picked up another ribbon to add to her collection, riding her own and Andrea Whitcomb’s seven-year-old Twan Vita Nova, by Secret, to 67.706%
Related Links
Scores: 2026 CDI-W Myakka City