Sarah Pyne scored an emotional win on Saturday, November 1, at the 2025 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, which runs October 30 to November 2, 2025, at World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Wilmington, OH.

Photo – Since switching careers, Sarah Pyne’s former eventer Dirhon C has excelled in dressage, winning the AA Fourth Level Freestyle Championship at Finals with 72.9%. (Sue Stickle Photography)

The residential architect’s former eventer Dirhon C “tried to die” three years ago and has since been rerouted to a dressage career, which he has taken to with aplomb. The duo won the Fourth Level Adult Amateur (AA) Freestyle Championship with 72.9% to a Johnny Cash compilation, and Pyne punched the air on her lap of honor.

Health Scare

“On Christmas morning, we found him panting with a temperature of 107.3 degrees,” explained Pyne of the now 13-year-old Holsteiner. “We called all the vets and ruined everyone’s holiday; we threw everything at him. For about six weeks we couldn’t lead him out of the stall because he would try to collapse. He had EHV-5 [equine herpes virus] and, as a result, he doesn’t have very good lung capacity now, so after six years of eventing together, we switched sports.”

Initially, the only goal was to see if she could achieve her USDF Bronze Medal on the Diarado son. Since then, Pyne — who trains with Susanne Hamilton — has achieved her Silver Medal with distinction on the willing gelding and excelled at freestyles, with music from Ruth Hogan-Poulsen. She and her wife have also just relocated from New York to Maryland.

“I can’t stop smiling the entire time I ride freestyles,” said Pyne through happy tears. “Every time we set a goal, he meets it, and we have to get creative and come up with another one. I’m just excited he’s alive. He gets nebulized and we still jump a little to keep his brain happy and mix it up, but at this point, he gets to do what he wants to do.”

Back to Basics Right Formula for Lucy Tidd and the Spicy Mare Kayla

Small animal vet Lucy Tidd and Kayla snatched the Third Level AA title with 68.958% in a class of 24 starters. (Photo: Sue Stickle Photography)

Going back to basics has worked wonders for Lucy Tidd’s Third Level AA champion, Kayla. The spicy 10-year-old mare by Ferdeaux performed a 68.958% test, which proved the best of the 24 starters in the four-hour class.

“She’s really hot and gets anxious, so with my trainer Jeremy Steinberg we spent the last year going back to work on the basics and she’s been so good at this show,” said the Maryland-based rider who has owned Kayla for six years after finding her in the Netherlands. “She’s a lot of fun, like a little sports car. I’m super happy with the effort she put in. Hopefully now we’ll be able to start progressing again.

“She’s the toughest horse I’ve had; she really makes me think and try to be creative, so it makes this result that much more special. She’s a beautiful little thing with lots of opinions — she’s all mare,” added the small animal vet who keeps her horses at home and does a lot of her riding at dawn. “It’s a lot of early starts, but we get some beautiful sunrises.”

Tidd has experience at grand prix level and believes Kayla has what it takes to reach the level: “She has the talent, if I can get her mind to stick with me. Jeremy said she was put here to teach me patience, and we are both trying really hard to learn it.”

Check out the latest coverage of the 2025 Finals, including behind-the-scenes photos and daily releases here. Live results and start times can be found here.