Highlights of May Dressage CDI3* at WEC

Friday

Two grand prix classes were held under the lights in the WEC Stadium on Friday, May 23, 2025, on the opening day of the May Dressage CDI3* presented by Hampton Green Farm at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC). In the first class, the Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI3* presented by The Fix Aesthetic Clinic, the winner’s blanket was placed on Bellena, ridden by Benjamin Ebeling (USA) and owned by Vantage Equestrian Group. Rounding out the night was the Grand Prix for Special CDI3* presented by The Fix Aesthetic Clinic with Christian Simonson (USA) taking the win aboard Indian Rock, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center, in their international debut.

With a score of 70.543% in their first international Grand Prix test together, Simonson and Indian Rock, a 12-year-old KWPN stallion by Apache x Vivaldi, topped the Grand Prix for Special CDI3*. Just behind in second place with a score of 70.109% was Simonson’s 2023 Pan American Games gold medal teammate, Anna Marek, with Fire Fly, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding (Briar Junior x OO Seven) owned by Janet Simile. Katie Duerrhammer (USA) and Vividus QRE, a 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Zaladin MI x Don Charly) owned by Kylee Lourie, finished third with 68.304%.

Simonson started riding Indian Rock in January 2025 when the horse was brought to the U.S. from Holland, where it showed successfully with previous rider Emmelie Scholtens (NED), including at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Simonson and Indian Rock took some time to get accustomed with each other before competing at the national level in April. Simonson still communicates regularly with Scholtens to discuss Indian Rock so he can learn more about the horse.

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“He and I spend a lot of time together, just hanging out and grazing, and I take care of him along with the team,” said Simonson of Indian Rock. “He is such a kind soul, and he’s so smart. Even for the little things in the barn, he just thinks through everything.

“And then, of course, riding him gives you the most amazing feeling,” he continued. “He feels like a freak under saddle. He can do the most amazing half passes, and his collection work is incredible, and so both of that together, it just feels like a really, really special horse to ride. He’s really incredible.”

Along with Fleau de Baian, another mount that placed third in the Grand Prix for Freestyle class, Simonson is one of the best-mounted dressage athletes in the U.S., and the future looks bright.

“To have a debut together, especially at this level, and at my age and everything, I’m just like, ‘Holy cow, how did I get here?’” said the 22-year-old. “Man, I’m a little speechless, honestly. It’s really special. Everyone at Zen Elite Equestrian Center are the ones that make it possible to have these opportunities. I like learning every day, and being with the horses is really what I enjoy the most. Then, having a day like this on top of that, just makes it really exciting.

“I have so much more to learn about the horses and training and more importantly, all the things in between – the care and things like that. I feel very grateful for these two amazing horses, their incredible owners Zen Elite, my trainer Adrienne Lyle, and the entire team we have back home. I’m just one part of an incredible group that makes everything happen.”

In their personal best ride together, Benjamin Ebeling and Bellena were the only plus-70% score in a 12-horse field for the Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI3*. Ebeling felt it was “that first piaffe coming off the left” in the test that contributed to a top score of 70.435%. Four out of five judges agreed, scoring that piaffe an eight, their top-scoring movement of the test.

“I just felt like I had nothing in the hand; it was like a perfect picture of unity and harmony in my mind,” he described. “She could have stayed there forever. That really was a special moment for me.”

Ebeling said that Bellena has been growing in confidence through the grand prix test over the past few weeks and a lot came together for this test. “We’re working to be asymptotic where we get closer and closer to our end goal of having a really clean test,” he said, “and I really feel like this is a 75% horse. I think she’s the best horse that I’ve ever ridden.”

Ebeling took over the ride on Bellena from his father Jan, who has ridden and trained the 15-year-old Hanoverian mare (Belissimo M x Welser) since it was six years old.

“My dad keeps telling me, ‘She’s going to trust you. You just have to wait, be patient, and take one step at a time through the training. Focus on the training and not the competition,’” said Ebeling. “He’s right. We are slowly growing together, and I can feel that trust coming. She’s really coming to the party, so it’s a cool feeling.”

Second place in the Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI3* with a score of 69.717% went to Anna Marek (USA) riding Fayvel, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding by Zizi Top x Houston owned by Cynthia Davila. Christian Simonson (USA) and Fleau de Baian, a 15-year-old KWPN stallion by Jazz x Ulft owned by Heidi Humphries, scored 67.500% in their international debut for third place.

(Top Canadian in the GP for Freestyle was Chloe Gasiorowski and Sam Donnerhall, 7th with 64.609%; in the GP for Special, Alexandra Duncan rode Hitmaker to 5th place with 67.152%.)

Grand Prix for Freestyle Results

Grand Prix for Special Results

Saturday

In just their third freestyle performance, Benjamin Ebeling (USA) and Bellena, owned by Vantage Equestrian Group, set a new high score together of 76.190% for victory in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI3* presented by The Fix Aesthetic Clinic. The class was a highlight of Saturday evening during the May Dressage CDI3* presented by Hampton Green Farm at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC).

Ebeling and Bellena debuted this freestyle at the April Dressage show at WEC – Ocala where Ebeling declared it his “best ride ever.” The music includes the songs “Femininomenon” by Chappell Roan, “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani, “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado, and “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran and Beyonce – which was their walk music that garnered them an 8.5 in extended walk from the judge at C – and was produced by Karen Robinson of Applause Dressage.

While that night in April still stands out in his mind, this freestyle will hold strong memories as well.

“I’d say that night in April was a special night,” recalled Ebeling. “I almost feel like it was a better ride than tonight, but I think the judges can see that we’re really working in harmony and gaining that extra added unity between horse and rider. I think they’re starting to see that, and I’m really positive and appreciative of that. That, for me, is the most important.”

Ebeling kept the same choreography and music as in April. “I hope I made it a little bit better,” he said of this winning ride. “Every time she goes out, she just gets a little bit more confident. Tonight, it was just almost mistake free, in my opinion. I had one or two little bobbles here and there in the extended trot, but usually that’s her highlight, so I can’t complain so much.”

With mistakes in Friday’s Grand Prix test in the two-tempis, Ebeling was happy to perform them cleanly in the freestyle. However, there was one part of the test that stood out to him.

“Her canter pirouette into piaffe pirouette, I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that,” he expressed. “She was just so off the ground behind, so with me, but at the same time, very calm and relaxed. It’s amazing when you feel that positive body tension between you and the horse, where you’re really working together to bring out the best in the sport. That was my favorite part.”

The continuation of their partnership and it blossoming into a strong bond is what Ebeling believes is contributing to the higher scores and the wins. “It’s like she’s coming together at the right time, really starting to trust me and our partnership,” he said. “I have to thank my dad, my coach, Christoph Koschel, and my mom for making this happen for me. The owners of the horse have just been incredible, and I’m just blessed to be on this journey with her.”

With a beautiful neck, shiny copper coat, and flashy white socks, Bellena, a 15-year-old Hanoverian mare (Belissimo M x Welser) turns heads when she enters the arena even before she picks up the trot. “I think she’s got that alpha-mare mentality,” said Ebeling with a smile. “She has this unbelievable willingness to go, this willingness to please. Mares do it better.”

Anna Marek (USA) riding Fayvel, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding by Zizi Top x Houston owned by Cynthia Davila, were close behind in second with a score of 75.620%. In their first CDI freestyle together, Christian Simonson (USA) and Fleau de Baian, a 15-year-old KWPN stallion by Jazz x Ulft owned by Heidi Humphries, scored 72.330% for third place. (Top Canadian in this class was Chloe Gasiorowski and Sam Donnerhall, in 7th place with a personal best 68.415%)

The freestyle at WEC – Ocala is a qualifier for the US Equestrian Open of Dressage Final, which will be held in California this November. It is a goal for Ebeling to qualify for and compete in it this year.

Grand Prix Freestyle CDI3* Results

A man riding a black dressage horse in an arena.

Christian Simonson and Indian Rock put in an impressive performance to win the Grand Prix Special CDI3*. (Andrew Ryback Photography)

It was another impressive performance in the Grand Prix Special CDI3* presented by The Fix Aesthetic Clinic as Christian Simonson (USA) and Indian Rock, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center, took their second victory in their first international competition. The class was a highlight of Saturday evening, May 24, 2025, during the May Dressage CDI3* presented by Hampton Green Farm at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC).

Simonson and Indian Rock received 74.277% in the Grand Prix Special CDI3*, with two judges scoring over 75% and the judge at C giving more than 76%. The pair received a nine on their final piaffe from the judge at E.

With a class under their belt, Simonson felt that he had a better idea of what to expect going into the Special. “I think on Friday, it was a little bit of new ground for both him and I,” he related. “Going on the second day, I had kind of a game plan of knowing, ‘This is the cycle of aids I need to have outside of the ring to get him really focused.’ And I think once he knew that he was like, ‘Okay, Dad, I know what we’re doing now,’ and then was super focused on me throughout the whole test.”

Simonson felt that his passage/extended trot tour was a highlight of the test and that “Rocky tried his absolute heart out.” He added, “He has so much scope and ability in those movements. It feels like you’re kind of flying through that part of the test. His lead changes are like nothing else and also in his half-passes and lateral work I can see his legs beneath me. I can just feel all the elasticity. It’s a really, really fun, amazing feeling.”

While Indian Rock is a 12-year-old KWPN stallion (Apache x Vivaldi) with more than 100 babies on the ground, Simonson said, “He is such a gentleman. He’s the sweetest, kindest stallion. He is incredibly smart, well mannered, and a really calm, sensitive soul.”

At a competition, the obvious focus is on riding and what happens in the show ring, but Simonson noted that his trainer, U.S. Olympic team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle, has helped him think about horse management and what goes into keeping an international dressage horse at the top level.

“She has been the biggest guiding light that I could ever ask for,” he acknowledged. “She’s so brilliant at many things, and one of those is having a very strategic and methodical plan, because she is a really amazing horsewoman.”

It was big news when Indian Rock was purchased and that Simonson would ride the horse that competed in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and won at the five-star level. The attention may put extra pressure on some riders, but Simonson said it is a privilege.

“I feel truly very honored, and I love the sport of dressage,” he explained. “I would do this sport if there were a million people watching me, or if there was no one watching me. I like the process of training the horses and competing them. Working with Adrienne and the team for me is the best part about it, so having some extra eyeballs on me as a result of that is totally okay with me, because I try to focus on the things that I want to improve in myself, which is my education and my horsemanship. I just want to keep learning and progressing in the sport as much as I can.

“I really feel so darn lucky, and especially to have this opportunity from Zen Elite, Adrienne, and the whole team,” he continued. “I feel so lucky every day to work with these amazing horses. And that’s like the win in and of itself.”

Anna Marek and Fire Fly, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding (Briar Junior x OO Seven) owned by Janet Simile, scored 70.064% for second place. Third place with 68.319% went to Katie Duerrhammer (USA) and Vividus QRE, a 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Zaladin MI x Don Charly) owned by Kylee Lourie. (Canadian Alexandra Duncan placed equal 4th riding Hitmaker, scoring 66.596%.)

Ocala on July 12-13 with USEF/USDF national competition, and again with USEF/USDF competitions on August 22-24 and October 18-19. International competition resumes on November 12-16 with CDI3* classes, and riders can earn World Cup-qualifying points on December 10-14 during the CDI-W.

Grand Prix Special CDI3* Results