Photo Report: Fun Shots from the 2025 Palm Beach Derby

Shows

2025 Palm Beach Dressage Derby

Photos © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion) - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS for social media

One week ago I landed in Amsterdam and left behind an incredible one month trip to Wellington, Florida, where I experienced a wonderful time meeting friends, exploring new restaurants in the area, seeing great horses, and putting my finger on the pulse of American dressage sport.

Four weeks I was in Wellington and as the end of the journey crept closer I couldn't keep up combining the horse shows with producing articles, organizing photos, and enjoying life. In my head the content for two stories was floating round, thoughts and ideas churning into words, but my fingers never typed them down into sentences.. And then you get home, reality of life hits you with your own house, horses, pets, bills, chores, and tasks and the days become too short to get it all done. This is a whole paragraph to say I ran out of time to cover the Derby the way I went it.

Danish Olympian Bent Jensen with
Kristy Lund and La Vida Mas Fina

All the photos for it are prepared and I have two articles in my mind: one about the competition and the role the "welfare bell" has come to play in our sport. This is the more serious article that requires a bit of brain power and time but I get side-tracked what's happening in Denmark at the moment as there is much more to the story than what we have posted so far (that's another article that is already half written and not finished yet).

So I'm beginning with the easy stuff: the fun photos, the people shots and other peculiarities that caught my eye during Derby weekend in Wellington.

Enjoy !

Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS for social media

If interested in photos, please send me an email. Florida rates apply for this horse show as our colleague Sue Stickle is the official photographer.

U.S. Olympic team reserve rider Endel Ots. No sight of Bohemian in Wellington this season. The horse is rumoured to have gone into semi-retirement...

P.J. Rizvi photographing her horse Vanilla Ice, aka Guarana do Sobral

Look who popped by for a few days: Ingrid Klimke

Laine Ashker and Zeppelin (by Zack x Donnerschwee)

U.S. Olympic team pair Marcus Orlob and Jane trotting up for their first CDI of 2025 at the Palm Beach Derby

Toronto Lightfoot giving kisses to Meagan Davis

Canadian photographer Cealy Tetley

Former Colombian team rider Marco Bernal. No longer competing at CDI's since 2015, still coaching students

Austrian Olympian Florian Bacher is in town to train Swiss Barbara Bertschinger

Two Fold - folded in two?

German breeders Alfons and Ellen Baumann visiting Wellington

Jacqueline "Jackie" Beasley watching CDI dressage

Bits and nosebands

German 5* judge Henning Lehrmann

Long-time Wellington scribe Roberta Williams, who is also the USDF Junior/Young Rider Committee Chair

Scribe Debbielou Houdek

Sue Anderson, one of the ladies who opens and closes the gate in the international arena. Both are steady volunteers at the show

Susan Dutta on her home bred mare Jyotika DC (by Everdale out of Manette DC (by Master x Fruhling), which she showed internationally between 2008 - 2010.

Charlotte Jorst bred this 5-year old Gameboy (by Grand Galaxy Win out of Fraktura (by Ferro). Sold to the rider Sarah Piskorski

No idea who this is but I like the photo...

The Birds

Strike a pose

Eliane Cordia-van Reesema on her home-bred Jewel's Quivive (by Sir Weihbach x Ravel)

Is 2016 U.S. Olympic team rider Allison Brock back at Grand Prix level? She's close. She competed the Kundrun's Igby (by Desperado x Sir Sinclair) in the Inter II

Mary Ann Grant, a rider I've seen compete in Florida for 25 years. Here she is on Loreto HM (Londonderry x Don Bosco)

Joanne Vaughan on Laurens Vanderbeeken's former ride Gamin van het Waterhof (by Krack C x Lancet)