Donna Gatchell of Nokesville, Va. (Region 1) was already pleased with her 2019 Finals experience after winning Reserve honors in the previous day’s Second Level Open Freestyle division. But she was even more thrilled after returning to the ring on Sunday and win the Second Level Open Championship with Margaret Groom’s six-year-old 14.3-hand Weser-Ems mare Reflection (Ridley x Royal Beauty by Farmer, bred in the U.S. by Chris Rush) with an impressive winning score of 73.452%.

“She really went in there and stepped up today, and even sort of surprised me because some of the movements that have been a little tricky for her in the past were just super today,” Gatchell said of her mount. “She’s been here for five days and is young but she was still so with me today. I got her when she was only 30 days under saddle, and this never really was the plan for her but she kept eating up her training and evolving. She has such a super character and is probably the easiest horse I’ve ever had to train, and I’m very blessed to get to ride her.”

After winning two championship titles in the span of less than an hour on Saturday, Martin Kuhn of New Berlin, Ill. (Region 4) and his and his wife Kathryn’s Hanoverian gelding Ronin (Romanov Blue Hor x Something Royal by Sir Donnerhall I, bred in the U.S. by Marcia Boeing) added one last Reserve Championship to their impressive roster with 72.698%. “It was a perfectly pleasant test, just not quite as energetic and elastic as usual. I’m still so proud of him but the better horse won today,” Kuhn noted.

Watch archived streaming videos of Championship classes on the USEF Network HERE. Championship competition resumes Sunday – follow the action through updates on the USDF Facebook page and the US Dressage Finals website, as well as watch live online streaming on the USEF Network. To learn more about the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, download competition information, review day sheets and results, and read daily news releases, visit the official event website at http://www.usdressagefinals.com.