Sunday, August 25, marked the final day of the 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions at HITS Chicago’s Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. The event celebrates the nation’s top dressage talent with champions crowned throughout the action-packed week of competition. In the FEI Young Rider Individual test, Alicia Berger and Aqua Marin reigned supreme, while Nora Batchelder and Nova strutted to victory in the USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix.
Berger and Aqua Marin were last to go of the 11 starting entries in the FEI Young Rider Individual test, but their consistent marks throughout from judges Janet Lee Foy at E, Kristi Wysocki at C, and Sarah Geikie at M propelled them right to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 69.559%. For Berger, it was the best final halt and salute to her time competing in the Young Riders classes.
“I’ve had a really great experience in the Young Riders classes, so to have it all culminate in this competition and this test, today I just really wanted to enjoy it, and I had a really good time,” she expressed. “Especially in my extended trot, I just felt like I was flying. To me that’s the coolest part of riding is I was just flying with my best friend, and we were having a great time.”
For Berger, who trains with U.S. Olympic rider Jan Ebeling, her partnership with “Aqua” has gone from strength to strength since they first met in Denmark in October 2023. Over the summer, they were named to represent the U.S. on the U.S. Dressage European Young Rider Tour, which concluded with impressive finishes in the CDIY competition at the prestigious CHIO Aachen. Now they have added 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions FEI Young Rider champion to their list of accomplishments.
“I fell in love with him right away,” said Berger of the 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Ampere x Stedinger) she owns with Marianne Berger. “He tries so hard, and he has such a puppy-dog personality. Through the experience of training and showing in Europe, we really got to build our relationship. He just trusts me, and he’s one of the most fun horses I’ve had the chance to ride. When we step into the ring, he just thinks we’re playing in there.”
Sophia Forsyth and Dimagico, her own 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Dimaggio x Jazz Time), were awarded the reserve championship after riding to second place in the individual test with a score of 69.167%.
The USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix combinations were the next to head down centerline. From the 10 starting entries, U.S. Pan American Games team silver medalist Nora Batchelder earned the blue-ribbon honors and overall championship title with Nova.
The whole test felt really easy and smooth,” noted Batchelder of her ride, which resulted in a score of 69.259%. “Maybe we could’ve powered up more, but it just felt like we were on the same page. The harmony aspect felt really amazing.”
That seamless partnership between Batchelder and the nine-year-old Oldenburg mare (Grand Galaxy Win T x Romanov Blue Hors) owned by Carol Glover is three and a half years in the making. On a shopping trip to Europe with Glover, Batchelder tried many horses, but it was Nova that instantly stood out.
“It was love at first sight,” enthused Batchelder. “I sat on her, and it was like, ‘This is the one!’ She is a super cool mare. I feel like we really love each other. She’s the most talented horse I’ve ever ridden, so I feel so lucky I get to ride her.”
It was another successful week for Batchelder, who has racked up numerous U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions titles over the years.
“Oh my gosh, we love HITS Chicago and Lamplight Equestrian Center!” she said. “We come every year. In the last decade I feel like I might have missed maybe just one Festival of Champions. We love coming here. The grounds are awesome. The footing is awesome. The overall atmosphere is so nice and peaceful.”
Second-place finishers in the USEF Horse Developing Grand Prix, Hannah Bressler Jaques and Jim, were also the reserve champions of the division. Bressler Jaques and her own 10-year-old KWPN gelding (Ferdeaux x Spielberg) achieved a score of 68.425% in the Grand Prix test, highlighted by both impressive extensions and collections.
Back from the recent 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Adrienne Lyle demonstrated her winning prowess on home soil, kicking off Sunday’s competition with a victory in the FEI Six Year Old Final test. Lyle expertly piloted Zaunkonig, the six-year-old Westphalian stallion (Zack x De Niro) owned by Heidi Humphries, to the amazing score of 87.600%, including multiple 9’s, to best the field of 15 starting combinations and earn the championship title. Dutch rider Charell Garcia and MW Mercury, Jennifer Vanover’s six-year-old Oldenburg stallion (Morricone I x Sir Donnerhall I), were the reserve championship duo after finishing second in the Final with a score of 85.800%.
The FEI Children’s Individual test closed out the 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. It was Miriam Bacon and Drambuie, Natalie Bacon’s 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Damsie x Laurie’s Crusador xx), that donned the championship cooler and led the final lap of honor after scoring a remarkable 79.912%. Just behind them was Grace Christianson and her own FHF Roulee, a 10-year-old American Warmblood mare (Routinier x Cottonwood Flame), finishing second in the competitive class of 12 entries with a score of 77.783% to also claim the reserve championship.
The U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions returns to HITS Chicago’s Lamplight Equestrian Center in 2025, once again delivering excellence and top sport. For complete results from the 2024 event, please visit https://equestrian-hub.com/show/192059.
