Four to Follow 2026: Ali Potasky and INXS

Ali Potasky and INXS brought the same freestyle to Dressage at Devon that they debuted at Tryon last fall, but this time, the judges saw a different horse.

Their score jumped 3.900 points in a single outing, from 72.425 at MADFest to 76.325 at Dressage at Devon. Most of it came from the artistic marks, which rose from 76.800 to 82.200. Potasky arrives at the Final with the second-best freestyle personal best in the field, and the pair has improved every time out.

Finding Harmony

When Potasky and INXS arrived on the Grand Prix Freestyle scene, they improved their score a few tenths at a time. They debuted their freestyle at Tryon in October 2025 on 71.865. At AGDF 11 in March, they scored 72.125 and edged out Devon Kane, another of this year's Four to Follow, by 0.005. At MADFest in May, it was 72.425 and their first freestyle win. Then came Dressage at Devon, and a 76.325 that topped anything they'd done before by 3.900 points.

Devon wasn't flawless. Every one of their freestyles has carried one expensive mistake: the two-tempis at AGDF, the extended trot at MADFest and, at Devon, the one-tempis. What changed was everything around it, and especially the movements that count double. Canter pirouettes climbed from a 6.89 average at AGDF to 7.42 at Devon. Piaffe went from 6.92 to 7.30, passage from 6.98 to 7.23. At AGDF, not one judge gave them an 8. At Devon, the panel collectively gave them 22.

The artistic side moved even more. About two-thirds of the Devon jump came from the artistic marks, which rose from 76.800 at MADFest to 82.200. Harmony led the way, from a 7.23 average across her first three tests to 7.94 in her last outing. Choreography, degree of difficulty and music all climbed too. Many riders see jumps of improvement like this due to a harder floor plan and degree of difficulty score. For Potasky, the horse got calmer, and the marks followed.

Potasky also has the edge on a familiar rival. She's finished ahead of Kane both times they've met this season, and at Devon, the gap between them was more than two points. She goes into the Final on the best test of her career.

Homegrown

Potasky has had INXS since he arrived from Europe as a six-year-old. She is his only FEI rider, and she brought him from Prix St. Georges to Grand Prix herself. He is also the first horse she has trained to the level.

But, that wasn't always the plan. Initially she wanted to train him up and see where it went. As the pair gained show miles, the plan started shifting.

"My end goal wasn't that he would be the first horse that I did the Grand Prix CDIs on, but as he kept improving and we really connected, I knew I wanted to invest long-term in his future."

Ali Potasky on Inxs, Sidelines Magazine, 2025

That connection took work. Potasky has described INXS as a sensitive, reactive horse, one who is afraid of other horses. She has spent years building his confidence, one show at a time.

At Devon this year, it showed.

First-Final Nerves

So can INXS bring that version of himself to Thermal? Potasky has spent years teaching him that he can relax in the ring, and Devon says the lesson is sticking. But one test isn't a solidified pattern. The Final means a busy warm-up, a night freestyle, an excited crowd, and a field that won't forgive a nervous moment.

Experience is the other question mark. Potasky has four career freestyles. The other competitors fighting for the podium have between 11 and 15 each, and this is her first Final. Her typical range, 71.2 to 76.1, is the second-widest of the riders in the field with more than three freestyle starts, behind only Kristina Harrison-Antell. A repeat of Devon puts the pair in the title conversation. A return to the 72% band doesn't.

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