Unwrapping the 2026 Season

The first freestyle of the 2026 US Equestrian Open of Dressage kicks off tomorrow in Ocala, and it’s nothing short of a proper season opener. A deep field, the reigning Finals champion, and the highest-scoring pair of 2025 all converge, giving us an early look at the storylines that may shape the months ahead. 

Indian Rock’s New Era

Few combinations in the world enter 2026 with more intrigue than Christian Simonson and Indian Rock. Simonson took over the ride on the Dutch stallion last May, taking the reins of a horse with Olympic mileage, an 82.095% personal best under Emmelie Scholtens, and an 81.750% finish at the Paris Games. It’s a major inheritance for any rider, let alone one who is only 23.

But from the moment Simonson swung a leg over, the results spoke for themselves. Their first Grand Prix together was a 70.543%, followed by a 74.277% Grand Prix Special, the sport’s most demanding and unforgiving test. Then in October, they debuted their freestyle: 81.405%, the highest score recorded in the entire 2025 Open season.

Transitions like this don’t often come together so quickly. Many riders never access a horse’s previous peak, yet Simonson already has. Tomorrow’s freestyle offers the next glimpse of where this young partnership is headed—and a chance for spectators to simply enjoy two genuinely exciting performers do their thing. 

The Champion Returns

The last time Ben Ebeling and Bellena rode under a spotlight, they walked out of the arena as the inaugural US Equestrian Open Final champions with a personal best of 79.930%. It was the culmination of a year in which they built their entire Grand Prix career inside the Series: from their freestyle debut in April to that electric November finish, they grew sharper, braver, and more expressive with every start.

Bellena originally competed under Ebeling’s father, Jan, before Ben took the reins in early 2025. Their very first freestyle together was a 75.740%, and the rise since then has been unmistakable. They broke their personal best four times in six months, won three qualifiers, and ended the year as Final champions— all before the partnership reached its first anniversary.

After the season they had, they don’t need another career-defining ride tomorrow. This weekend just gives us a sense of how they’re carrying that momentum into 2026. 

The Watch List

Behind the two headliners sits a group of combinations worth watching for very different reasons.

Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu and Jaccardo arrive with limited freestyle mileage but meaningful promise. Their two FEI freestyles averaged 76.823%, with a 77.520% personal best, and they were poised for a strong showing at Devon before an elimination took them out of contention. With so few data points, Ocala might give us the first real sense of where this pair fits in the broader 2026 picture.

For Erin Nichols and Elian Royale, the numbers are fuller: a 72.266% average and a 75.975% PB, plus a consistent trend upward throughout last season. Elian Royale is a horse who tends to shine in freestyles, and Nichols has shown she can coax quality out of high-energy environments. If they open the season in the mid-70s, that would signal a continuation rather than a reset.

And then there’s Jennifer Williams with Babylon Berlin, a horse she seriously considered taking to the Final last year. With just one FEI freestyle on the record — a 74.005% — Babylon Berlin is still developing, but Williams clearly believes in his future. He reads like championship material once the strength and polish come together, and this weekend might tell us whether that maturity is arriving early in 2026 or building more gradually. Either way, it’s always compelling to watch an experienced rider guide a young Grand Prix horse into his next stage.

Opening Bars of 2026

It’s only Qualifier One, and no one is crowning a champion this early. The fun of early-season qualifiers is getting these combinations back in the ring, checking in on familiar faces, and seeing the first hints of what 2026 might hold. Between a world-class young rider on a world-class horse, a Finals champion on a sharp rise, and the middle of the pack with genuine potential, Ocala offers a strong opening frame for the season.

Good horses, good riders, and good music. Hard to argue with that.