Denielle Gallagher and Come Back de Massa Win Grand Prix

2025 dressage shows got underway at WEC – Ocala with the January CDI3*, and the Canadian and her 'cheeky' Lusitano scored a nice win.

A woman riding a buckskin dressage horse in an indoor arena.

In their first CDI in eight months, Denielle Gallagher and Come Back de Massa topped the Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI3*. (Andrew Ryback Photography)

By: Jump Media | February 1, 2025

Listen to this Article

0:00

-:--

Playback Speed

you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. denielle gallagher and come back de massa win grand prix by: jump media |. the first dressage show of 2025 at world equestrian center – ocala (wec) began on friday, january 31, at the january dressage cdi3*, presented by hampton green farms. the highlight class was the grand prix for freestyle cdi3*, led by denielle gallagher (can) and come back de massa, owned by gallagher and ellen lazarus. gallagher, of morriston, fl, and come back de massa scored 65.739% for the win. this was their first cdi since may 2024 when they were campaigning for a spot on the canadian dressage team for the 2024 paris olympic games. while paris was not in the cards, they had an easy summer and competed at the national level to get back into the ring before this week. “he got nervous in the first piaffe, so i let him travel a little, and he got better as he went,” said gallagher of her grand prix test. “i was really pleased with him today.”. advertisement scroll to continue with content gallagher started riding come back nearly three years ago and started in the intermediate i classes while building a relationship and “getting more strength, balance, engagement.” they moved up to grand prix in the fall of 2023, and 2024 was about training and development. “we didn’t do the freestyle last year because we needed special scores. it was an intense year,” admitted gallagher. “this year, i’m looking forward to playing with the freestyle and getting everything feeling easy in the ring and fun, no pressure, no stress. i want to have fun with my horse, and i’m really excited about this year. whatever he does is fine with me!”. the 13-year-old buckskin lusitano gelding by galopin de la font x quixote sds is a striking figure in the arena, and gallagher said he is “mr. personality” in the barn, too. “he’s so cheeky in a great way. in the barn, he goes to snuggle you, does too much, and then wants to snuggle again,” she laughed. “he has a lot of spirit and character. i let him do what he wants because that is what makes him special. i don’t want to shut that down in him. it’s about having his respect and love. he’s the best.”. gallagher used “spirit” as her keyword in creating her freestyle from the soundtrack of the popular movie “spirit: stallion of the cimarron,” which features a buckskin stallion. this will be their second time at a cdi in the grand prix freestyle, but they had a solid performance at their last national show. “it embodies everything about him,” she said. “the color of the horse, the character, the relationship we had to have to bond with each other. i feel like we have got that now. i’m hoping i get that tomorrow night. i hope the judges see it, too: the harmony and the partnership. that’s really important.”. second place was awarded to nora batchelder (usa) riding nova, a 10-year-old oldenburg mare (grand galaxy win t x romanov blue hors) owned by carol glover. they received a score of 64.131%. anna merritt (usa) and fox creek’s censational, a 12-year-old german riding pony stallion by caramel x fs don’t worry owned by dianna orona, was just behind in third with 64.087%. grand prix for freestyle cdi3* results here.

The first dressage show of 2025 at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) began on Friday, January 31, at the January Dressage CDI3*, presented by Hampton Green Farms. The highlight class was the Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI3*, led by Denielle Gallagher (CAN) and Come Back de Massa, owned by Gallagher and Ellen Lazarus.

Gallagher, of Morriston, FL, and Come Back de Massa scored 65.739% for the win. This was their first CDI since May 2024 when they were campaigning for a spot on the Canadian dressage team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. While Paris was not in the cards, they had an easy summer and competed at the national level to get back into the ring before this week.

“He got nervous in the first piaffe, so I let him travel a little, and he got better as he went,” said Gallagher of her Grand Prix test. “I was really pleased with him today.”

Scroll to continue with content

Gallagher started riding Come Back nearly three years ago and started in the Intermediate I classes while building a relationship and “getting more strength, balance, engagement.” They moved up to Grand Prix in the fall of 2023, and 2024 was about training and development.

“We didn’t do the freestyle last year because we needed special scores. It was an intense year,” admitted Gallagher. “This year, I’m looking forward to playing with the freestyle and getting everything feeling easy in the ring and fun, no pressure, no stress. I want to have fun with my horse, and I’m really excited about this year. Whatever he does is fine with me!”

The 13-year-old buckskin Lusitano gelding by Galopin de la Font x Quixote SDS is a striking figure in the arena, and Gallagher said he is “Mr. Personality” in the barn, too.

“He’s so cheeky in a great way. In the barn, he goes to snuggle you, does too much, and then wants to snuggle again,” she laughed. “He has a lot of spirit and character. I let him do what he wants because that is what makes him special. I don’t want to shut that down in him. It’s about having his respect and love. He’s the best.”

Gallagher used “spirit” as her keyword in creating her freestyle from the soundtrack of the popular movie “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” which features a buckskin stallion. This will be their second time at a CDI in the Grand Prix Freestyle, but they had a solid performance at their last national show.

“It embodies everything about him,” she said. “The color of the horse, the character, the relationship we had to have to bond with each other. I feel like we have got that now. I’m hoping I get that tomorrow night. I hope the judges see it, too: the harmony and the partnership. That’s really important.”

Second place was awarded to Nora Batchelder (USA) riding Nova, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare (Grand Galaxy Win T x Romanov Blue Hors) owned by Carol Glover. They received a score of 64.131%. Anna Merritt (USA) and Fox Creek’s Censational, a 12-year-old German Riding Pony stallion by Caramel x FS Don’t Worry owned by Dianna Orona, was just behind in third with 64.087%.

Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI3* results here.