It was another day of beautiful gaits and dazzling tests during the 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions on Friday, August 23, at HITS Chicago’s Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. The exciting week of competition showcases some of the best horse-and-rider dressage combinations in the country. On a day with classes for young riders and young horses, it was Virginia Woodcock, 16, of Atlanta, Georgia, that topped the FEI Junior Individual test with Møllegårdens Sans-Souci, while Willie Arts and Makanabria DG earned the FEI Seven Year Old championship title after Laura Brandt led the lap of honor in the FEI Seven Year Old Final with Ikon for the reserve championship honors.
In a positively stacked field of junior talent, nine impressive duos made their way down centerline. Ultimately, it was Woodcock, who trains with top rider Karen Lipp, and Møllegårdens Sans-Souci that claimed the blue-ribbon honors with an even score of 70.000%, earning numerous 8’s throughout the canter tour from judges William Warren at E, Lisa Schmidt at C, and Sarah Geikie at M.
“Even though she’s a pretty experienced horse, we’ve been working to build our trust within each other,” explained Woodcock of her two-year partnership with her 10-year-old Danish Warmblood mare (Sir Donnerhall 1 x Sam-Sam). “Working on the ground and just spending as much time as I can with her has made it so that when I go in the ring, I have complete trust that she’ll listen to me and work with me.
“It felt incredible to be at this venue and this show and really just trying to ride my best,” she continued. “I was really, really happy with my canter work. I think that’s a high point for this horse, and it was just a great feeling in the test overall.”
It has been a banner year for Woodcock and Møllegårdens Sans-Souci, who was also a triple gold medalist at the 2024 Discover Dressage/FEI North American Youth Dressage Championship, presented by USDF (NAYC), just a couple weeks ago at the beginning of August. Now the pair has added yet another feather in their cap, riding to the win in both Thursday’s FEI Junior Team test and Friday’s FEI Junior Individual test at the 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions.
“This show, I tell my parents every year, ‘I’m so excited to go back to Festival!’ because I just love this venue,” expressed Woodcock of the HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center facility. “It’s gorgeous. The weather has been amazing, and this ring is just fantastic. Overall, this is absolutely one of my favorite shows.”
Second place was awarded to the 2024 FEI NAYC Junior Dressage individual silver medalist, Olivia Martz, 16, who scored 67.451% aboard Rihanna Ymas, a 16-year-old Brandenburger mare by Relius owned by Dressage4Kids. Justine Boyer, 17, who earlier in the year was the overall champion at the 2024 Florida Youth Dressage Championships, once again piloted Campanero HGF, an 11-year-old PRE gelding (Camaron IX x Adelante) owned by Hampton Green Farm, to a top placing, this time claiming third with a score of 67.255%.
In the Medal Finals Class for 13 and Under, Grace Christianson rode FHF Roulee to the top of the competitive class with 10 other entries. Christianson, who trains with Jennifer Kaiser at Forrest Hill Farm, and her 10-year-old American Warmblood mare (Routinier x Cottonwood Flame) achieved a remarkable 90.000% for the victory. Ryder Mosqueda and Atlantico XLVI, Sara Mosqueda’s 16-year-old Andalusian gelding by Alfarero XI, finished in second place with a score of 83.000%. Completing the top three with a score of 80.000% was Adeline Shelton and Thumper, a 10-year-old Friesian gelding owned by Alaina Miller.
The FEI Seven Year Old Final closed out the action-packed day of competition. After a win in Wednesday’s FEI Seven Year Old Preliminary test and a second-place finish in Friday’s FEI Seven Year Old Final, Willy Arts and Makanabria DG were crowned the champions of the division.
For owners and breeders DG Bar Ranch, the striking seven-year-old Danish Warmblood mare (Rock Forever I x Belissimo M) is several homebred generations in the making. With scores of 74.432% and 72.757% throughout the week, it is easy to see the bright future ahead of the flashy bay.
“I was most happy that she was always in front of me and always going through the contact,” noted Arts. “Despite some small mistakes, I think the highlight was the balance of the horse and the movements. I’m very happy with the pirouettes and the extensions are always really good.
“HITS Chicago is such a beautiful place with good footing, and the event is well organized; plus, the weather has been perfect,” he added.
Laura Brandt and Ikon were the victors of the FEI Seven Year Old Final on a score of 73.100%, boosting them to the overall reserve championship.
“Today, he felt pretty good in this test,” said Brandt of her winning performance with her seven-year-old Oldenburg stallion (Asgard’s Ibiza x Blue Hors Hotline) she has owned since he was just six weeks old. “He had a lot more power today than he did on the first day, and he was a bit more on the aids. There were a couple technical bobbles, but overall, this is a very difficult test for a seven-year-old and he’s quite big-moving, so I was really happy with him.”
The 2024 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions continues on Saturday, August 24, highlighted by two exciting freestyle finals — the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle and the Brentina Cup — while competition runs through Sunday, August 25. For complete results, visit https://equestrian-hub.com/show/192059.
