11 US Equestrian Open Dressage Riders to Watch at Aachen 2026

Start times run on Central European Summer Time. The Grand Prix days begin around 2:00 a.m. Eastern, the Special at 4:50 a.m. Eastern, and the Freestyle at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

Ashley Holzer USA

One of the most experienced riders in the field, a four-time Olympian who won team bronze for Canada at Seoul in 1988 before she declared for the US. "Flo" came to her from Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin. Her freestyle this year is set to Neil Diamond's "America," a nod to her own move to the States. She has spent the summer competing in Europe ahead of Aachen, with a runner-up finish at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage along the way.

Frederic Wandres GER

Wandres is a leading rider for Hof Kasselmann, one of Germany's top dressage stables, based in Hagen, where he develops and competes the yard's horses. He spends his winters on the Florida circuit. With Bluetooth OLD he won team gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics and the 2025 European Championships. Wandres returned to Europe after his Series starts this spring aboard Verrenberg, another Hof Kasselmann horse.

Geñay Vaughn USA

Vaughn is an international rider and assistant trainer at Starr Vaughn Equestrian in Elk Grove, California, where she works alongside her mother, Michele, who coaches her and owns Gino. Vaughn is a regular presence on the West Coast CDI circuit, particularly in Thermal. Michele bought Gino as a six-year-old in 2017, but Geñay formed the partnership with him and has developed him through the levels. Vaughn calls him her best friend first and her teammate second.

Christian Simonson USA

The youngest rider on the US team and in his first season in the senior division, Simonson grew up in Ventura, California, is now based in Wellington, and trains under Olympian Adrienne Lyle. "Felix," owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center, was developed to the top level by Dutch star Adelinde Cornelissen before Simonson took over the ride. Away from the ring he is the adventurous sort, with a student pilot's license earned at 15 and a childhood spent mountain biking, skiing, and scuba diving. He also holds one of the highest freestyle scores in the Series on his other mount, Indian Rock.

Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu CAN

A Tokyo Olympian and one of the most experienced members of the Canadian team, Fraser-Beaulieu is based in Saint-Bruno, Quebec, and rides Jaccardo, a Dutch Warmblood owned by Jill Irving. Theirs is still a relatively young Grand Prix partnership. In November 2025 they won the Toronto World Cup freestyle at the Royal, a result that helped them on their way to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup Final.

Isabell Werth GER

The most decorated equestrian in Olympic history, Werth has won eight golds among 14 medals across seven Olympic appearances dating to 1992. Born in Sevelen, Germany, she studied law before making dressage her full-time career. With Wendy de Fontaine she won team gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics and individual silver in the freestyle. Their programme turns Barry Manilow's "Mandy" into a tribute called "Wendy."

Micah Deligdish ISR

Deligdish rides for Israel and is based in Wellington, Florida, where she runs Gemini Dressage. American-born and raised in Florida, she declared for Israel in 2019 in a nod to her family history. She is a USDF gold medalist who studied journalism before turning professional.

Julio Mendoza Loor ECU

Ecuador's 2023 Pan American Games champion, Mendoza Loor is based in Tryon, North Carolina. His victory was Ecuador's first Pan American Games dressage gold, and the following year he became the country's first Olympic dressage rider when he competed in Paris. He bought "Goldie" as a difficult eight-year-old for $20, and the gelding still lives outside full-time.

Camille Carier Bergeron CAN

Another young rider in the field, Carier Bergeron is from Laval, Quebec. She won team bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games on Sound of Silence 4, then began competing Finnländerin internationally in February 2024. She rode the Oldenburg mare at the Paris Olympics later that year.

Denielle Gallagher CAN

Canadian rider Denielle Gallagher-Legriffon is based in Ocala, Florida, and rides Come Back de Massa, a Lusitano she co-owns with Ellen Lazarus. The pair compete a freestyle set to the nostalgic music from Spirit. After representing Canada in Nations Cup competitions, Gallagher-Legriffon is set to make her first senior World Championship appearance at Aachen.

Chris von Martels CAN

A two-time Olympian from Ridgetown, Ontario, von Martels won individual bronze and team silver at the 2015 Pan American Games. He comes from a Dutch horse family and runs a dressage training and sales business with his wife, Lisa. Londoncrown, or "London," is a 13-year-old Hanoverian mare he has developed into an international Grand Prix horse. One of his coaches is Ashley Holzer, the current leader of the US Equestrian Open standings.