The Open Weekly: Results and Early Signals from the Winter Circuits

A weekly update across dressage, jumping, and eventing, covering results, early leaderboard shifts, and the next Open qualifiers.

By USEF Media

January 27, 2026

Photo by Devyn Trethewey; Design EquiRatings

The winter circuits are in full swing, and Open contenders are already making their presence felt—from dressage’s Friday Night Lights in Wellington to early‑season eventing runs in Florida and big‑money grand prix nights at WEF.

Dressage: Pape’s “Miracle Mare” Lights Up Wellington

Next Qualifier: World Equestrian Center Dressage VIII | The Final: Desert Dressage, Thermal CA (November)

It feels early in the season to start naming potential Series winners, but a few combinations are already making themselves difficult to ignore. A couple of weeks ago, the conversation centered on Christian Simonson and Indian Rock. This weekend in Wellington, during week three of the 12-week 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), Susan Pape (GBR) moved firmly into that same conversation with Harmony’s Giulilanta. Watch the test here: https://youtu.be/f2BvfPS5bM0

It was a personal-best performance in the 3 Graces Dressage CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle, scoring 81.745% and securing Pape’s first five-star freestyle win in a strong Wellington field. With that mark, she now holds the highest score recorded in the Series so far. Five of the six freestyle competitors finished above 75%, making it one of the highest-scoring Open qualifiers on record.

Pape has called Giulilanta her “miracle” mare following a long injury layoff, describing her as “stronger than ever” and “a fighter” now that she is back at the top level. That resilience was evident in Wellington, where the pair delivered personal-best marks in both the Grand Prix and the freestyle.

The week also marked the return of 2025 Series winner Anna Marek, who finished second aboard Fayvel with a 76.435% freestyle—a solid opening for her 2026 freestyle campaign.

Eventing: The National Season Kicks Off at Rocking Horse

Next Qualifier: Bouckaert Farm | Countdown: 5 weeks

The 2026 national eventing season got underway at Rocking Horse, with a mix of familiar US Equestrian Open contenders and emerging partnerships laying down early markers on the road to Bouckaert Farm. Strong performances across the intermediate and preliminary divisions hinted at storylines that could shape this year’s Open of Eventing race, especially for combinations returning from breaks or stepping up a level.

Buck Davidson and Cooley Candyman and Elisa Wallace and Lissavorra Quality both topped Open Intermediate sections, giving proven four‑star pairs a confidence‑building start to the season after busy 2025 campaigns that included Open qualifiers like Bouckaert and Twin Rivers. Sharon White and Jaguars Duende returned to action with a win in Friday’s Open Preliminary, their first start in eight months and a reminder of the scope and quality in a partnership that has already produced strong form at the level.

“She’s very special to me. She just goes and does her job. I call her my little Pegasus because all of a sudden she has wings,” White said of Jaguars Duende on the US Equestrian Open Podcast, capturing the feel‑good energy of their comeback round. Listen to our full episode with Sharon from last year here.

With Bouckaert Farm now five weeks away, Rocking Horse gave Open hopefuls a chance to knock off the rust, test winter training, and begin stacking the kind of results they will need to punch tickets to Morven Park in October.

eventing leaderboard

Show Jumping: Keenan Finds Her Rhythm in Wellington

Next Qualifier: WEF CSI4* Grand Prix | Countdown: Circuit building toward Rolex Finale

In show jumping, Lillie Keenan continued a hot January in Wellington, adding a CSI4* Grand Prix victory with Fasther to an already strong start to the Winter Equestrian Festival. Keenan and her longtime partner stopped the clock in 40.56 seconds to win the $215,000 CSI4* Grand Prix, marking their second international success of the season and reinforcing her position as one of the key US Equestrian Open of Jumping contenders based in Florida this winter.

The win comes on the heels of a CSI3* Hermès 1.50 m Championship Jumper Classic triumph with Chagrin d’Amour, underlining the depth of Keenan’s string as the Open qualifying calendar ramps up. Fans will also recognize several faces from last year’s Rolex finale in this season’s early CSI4* classes: Ireland’s Bertram Allen has already logged back‑to‑back wins in the Adequan WEF Challenge Cup and a featured speed class with Eddy Blue and Zero K as he builds toward another big night under the lights alongside the Open hopefuls.