She and Franzsis HSR added another winner’s blanket to their Prix St. Georges result the previous day, this time topping the class by almost five percentage points. Her eight-year-old gelding by Franziskus is on unbeatable form and scored 72.5%, with reserve champions Lauren Chumley on Leeloo Dallas slotting in with 67.745%. It was a sandwich finish with Fleming-Kuhn also staking claim to third place riding Wilona HSR to 66.814%. Both her horses were bred in the U.S. by Anita Nardine.

Photo – Kathryn Fleming-Kuhn added a second win to ther haul for the week, topping the Open Intermediate I Championship by almost 5% on her own Franzsis HSR, by Franziskus. (Sue Stickle Photography)

“The Sweetest Horse with So Much Try”

In only their second season together, Adult Amateur Madison Rezaei and her own Maximus were awarded the George W. Wagner Jr. Perpetual Trophy, presented by International Georgian Grande Horse Registry, for their Grand Prix Championship win. Rezaei bought the 13-year-old Polish Warmblood — who is by the Thoroughbred sire Sword xx out of a Kostolany dam — 18 months ago from another amateur rider, and he is her first grand prix horse.

Understanding

“He’s a sensitive, nervous guy and it seemed like when I sat on him, he understood me. He’s gotten so much stronger, more reliable, and more confident, and we’ve built a nice partnership. This is the sweetest horse with so much try, and he was so on today,” said Rezaei, who scored 66.92%.

“We were here last year which was crazy because we had only just started together and came sixth. I was over the moon just to be in the arena, so it’s kind of crazy to be winning it this year. I had no expectations, just to ride our best test and have a happy, relaxed horse. I think we did it,” added Rezaei.

She is currently on sabbatical from her job as a strategy executive and has been able to dedicate more time than usual to riding. She is based in New Jersey and trains with Heather Mason.

Incredible Teacher

“She’s magic; an incredible teacher for horses and people,” enthused Rezaei. “The Heather Mason orbit and community is really special – everyone is really supportive. ‘Max’ will have a nice long break after this, then we’ll fine-tune over winter. The nice thing about grand prix is that you’re never really done, and there are always things to make better. He really hates nature, so we won’t do a lot of hacking, but we’ll find ways of keeping his work interesting in the ring.”

Competition resumes on Saturday, November 8, with a bonanza of 14 championship titles up for grabs from First Level to Grand Prix. Follow the action via the USDF Facebook page and the US Dressage Finals website, plus live online streaming of all the action from the Alltech Arena on USEF Network. To learn more about the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® and read daily news, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website. Start times and results can be found on www.horseshowoffice.com.

RESULTS