The Penultimate Push

Competitors will take to the idyllic TerraNova dressage arena this weekend for the penultimate qualifier of the US Equestrian Open of Dressage. At this stage, every placement and every percentage point matters. Not only will this weekend’s performances determine who makes the cut for the Final in California, but leaderboard payouts are also on the line. Thousands of dollars could hinge on which horse decides to cross its legs in just the right way on Saturday night.

Contenders in Motion

As a Florida stop, it’s no surprise that familiar names fill the roster. Among them, Benjamin Ebeling and Kevin Kohmann are both poised for upward momentum. Each sits on four completed qualifiers, meaning any finish here directly boosts their season total.

Despite only debuting his freestyle with the 15-year-old Bellena in April, Ebeling enters the weekend as a favorite, leading Kohmann’s average freestyle score by a slim 0.4 percentage points. It’s a narrow gap, and one Kohmann will be eager to close aboard Dünensee, who owns the third-highest score of the season (79.240%), behind only Adrienne Lyle’s and Helix’s 80% performances.

With TerraNova marking their fifth qualifier, both riders will look to climb into the top five overall, a feat a freestyle win could achieve.

Adding a personal twist to the weekend, Kohmann will also face off against his wife, Devon Kane, who enters ranked 16th. Even a modest result would move her solidly into the top ten, and with one of the highest freestyle averages in the field, she could easily finish higher still.

A High-Risk Debut

On the edge of qualification sits Jennifer Williams, currently holding the 18th and final spot on the leaderboard. Rather than bringing her seasoned partner Joppe K, Williams will debut a new horse, Babylon Berlin, at the Grand Prix level this weekend.

It’s a bold move at a critical moment. Even an eighth-place finish would improve her total, but the real intrigue lies in what this debut signals about her strategy for the Final. Joppe K, who has been in Williams’ program since his early years, carried her to U.S. team selection for Aachen earlier this season, though their outing there was below expectations. 

Is Babylon Berlin’s first appearance a changing of the guard? Or is this simply a curiously timed debut? 

Shaping the Final

With Ebeling and Kohmann chasing higher placements, Williams fighting to stay inside the top 18, and the Final just four weeks away, TerraNova will reshape the starting lineup for the desert showdown. Series leader Anna Marek is still safe… for now. But with Ebeling and Kohmann closing in on their fifth qualifying run, her title spot may be in jeopardy next week. 

For now, settle in for an evening of freestyle in one of the country’s most beautiful arenas as riders take one more swing at shaping the Series before the road turns west to California. 

For Sport Department questions, please contact Christy Hawkins at USEquestrianOpen@usef.org.

For media inquiries about the US Equestrian Open Series, please contact Carly Weilminster at cweilminster@usef.org. 

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Layson Griffin at lgriffin@usef.org.