American win in Wellington's Nations Cup

For the first time in five years, a team other than Germany stood atop the podium in the opening FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ leg in Wellington (USA). The United States was best on home turf Thursday at the Global Dressage Festival, securing the victory in the final ride. 

Under the guidance of Chef d'Equipe Christine Traurig, Ashley Holzer (Hawtins San Floriana), Jordan LaPlaca (Gold Play), Meagan Davis (Toronto Lightfoot), and Anna Marek (Fayvel) finished on a total score of 205.631. The top three were separated by less than 1.5 percentage points, with Germany second (205.043) and Canada third (204.196). 

"It's what you dream of," LaPlaca said. "Each day for me is a win just being on [Gold Play]. To be on a team that is so strong, to gain this experience with everybody, was just top notch—and to have camaraderie and teamwork and the spirit of being together makes this event even that much more fun, because dressage can be so isolating. It's nice to learn from the best." 

While Germany's Frederic Wandres (Verrenberg) and Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Canada (Jaccarado) posted the two highest scores of the CDIO3* Grand Prix test, receiving marks of 69.913% and 69.826%, respectively, the United States set themselves apart with their consistency, recording four of the top seven scores. Marek delivered as the anchor rider, posting a score of 69.435% score with her longtime partner, Fayvel. "It was a really fun ride today," said Marek, who was unaware of the score she needed to secure a victory for her team before she entered the ring. "[Knowing that] wouldn't have really mattered. I just went in there wanting to ride the best test that I could. The score is going to be what it's going to be." Marek and Fayvel, veterans of the 2024 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals (KSA), have been competing together for more than two years—a partnership made possible by her now sister-in-law, Cynthia Davila (USA). "It was very important to Cynthia for Fayvel to be on a team, so it was very special to share that with her," Marek said. "He was her horse to ride, and I started riding him, and she was just so kind [to say], 'Go do whatever you can with this horse.' We've been enjoying every second of it."

The winning team did not have the smoothest preparation for the event, with defections requiring Traurig to make late changes to her team lineup. In fact, Marek was brought in to substitute for Ben Ebeling and Bellena, while Holzer stepped up in place of Kevin Kohmann and Duenensee. Ultimately, it was a winning formula with "rookies" Davis and LaPlaca, both of whom were representing the United States for the first time in senior team competition.

"I have to say, I was nervous. It was stressful leading up to this competition," Traurig said. "It really shows you that when a team comes together and there's camaraderie and they all know what's at stake, it's pretty incredible what can be done." "Every time you put this jacket on, you cannot take for granted what an honor it is to be chosen to go out and ride for your country," added Holzer, who rode first for the U.S., recording a 67.652% score. "To be able to go to a competition like this, yes, there is added pressure, but there is also an added strength of people behind you [and] rooting for you, which is kind of wonderful...I do think it changes how you feel about riding down that centerline. You have a bit of a job [to do]."

The lead changed hands frequently as competition went on Thursday. Germany set an early standard as Emma Caecilia Lienert (Windermere J'Obei W) recorded a personal best of 68.152%. But the North American nations quickly indicated that this year would not be relenting so easily to the dominant nation. While each country had two combinations score above 68%, Davis' 68.544% proved to move the needle toward the U.S. "We did a clean test. We went out, we did what we needed to do, and there's only up to go from here with him," Davis said. "He's just an amazing horse and wants to do his best every single time."

With the FEI Dressage World Championships on the horizon this summer at Aachen (GER), testing out different senior combinations is an important objective for team managers.

"It's really important that when we have a Nations Cup in our home country, we try our best to win it, because it's a statement," Traurig said. "It's a statement for us as a team, and it's a statement for how we develop a team for the future and that we could win it here at home."

Full results HERE

picture : FEI/Shannon Brinkman