markAfter three days of competition in the USEF Festival of Champions Grand Prix division, Amy Bradley (Wellington, Fla.) and her own Quileute CCW ultimately secured top honors following three strong tests at the Grand Prix level. The pair produced a lovely freestyle test together, earning a 72.010% from the panel to top the class on their final day of competition.

Photo – Amy Bradley and Quileute CCW. (©SusanJStickle.com)

With a floorplan for their freestyle designed by Marlene Whitaker, Bradley has played around with music to best suit Quileute CCW, and recently utilized the help of Carlos Segura (COL) to perfect the composition of songs included within their musical compilation. Born in the 1980s, Bradley felt compelled to use songs that resonated with her from her time growing up, and with Quileute CCW, based on their challenging journey together throughout the years.

Rollercoaster Ride

“He has been on and off sick with so many things through the years. He’s had laminitis, his hocks fused, he had a tumor removed, so it felt like every time we would get him going something would happen. It’s really been a rollercoaster with him. I bred him and I was there was he was born and done all the training and behind-the-scenes work. He’s my heart horse and the wait has been worth it,” explained Bradley, of the pair’s fourteen-year relationship.

With Bradley responsible for the bulk of the training and fitness work behind the 2010 Oldenburg gelding (Quarterback x Gluckslady), the pair’s opportunity to show at FOC could not be missed given the lengths Bradley has gone to keep Quileute CCW sound, healthy, and ready to compete at Grand Prix.

“He’s just so smart. We did our first Grand Prix when he was ten and then that next year he was out for a significant period, and it’s been hard, but the good thing about horses is they don’t forget. Once we started getting him fit again, he feels great and I’m just so grateful that we were able to bring him back to this level.”

With the pair just coming back to the Grand Prix level this year after the time off, Bradley was pleased with their performance across the three classes within the division. “We had some mistakes in our tests, but when I went back and watched the videos I was really pleased with his balance and his connection. I’m an amateur and it’s always a little intimidating to be in these big classes and I felt like I really could say we belong here,” she concluded.

No Strangers

Karen Lipp (Ball Ground, Ga.) and her own Infinity took reserve champion honors in the Grand Prix division, finishing with a 71.315% in their freestyle to conclude their time at the 2024 edition of FOC. The pair are no strangers to FOC, having attended the event for the last six years across different divisions, and Lipp discussed the ever-building partnership the pair have nurtured throughout the years.

“I bought him as a four-year-old in Holland and he’s 11 now. This is the sixth time we’ve come to Festival of Champions. We’ve really used this as a progress marker throughout the years – starting in the 6YO divisions, working into the Developing PSG and Developing Grand Prix classes,” she explained. “We’ve only been doing the Grand Prix for about six months so I’m super thrilled with him.”

Lipp was drawn to the soundtrack of Netflix’s popular show Wednesday and wanted to play off other popular music, so Karen Peterson helped pull the composition together for the pair’s Grandlesmar Prix debut this year, highlighting the movement of the 2013 KWPN gelding (Dream Boy x Ultraster).

“He’s for sure the best horse I’ve ever had, and I hope maybe we will go to Europe next summer and we have some big plans with his freestyles for the future and it’s just really exciting to have him,” Lipp added. “It’s fun to have a horse that I’ve worked with from the beginning. He’s a bold horse and he’s just so honest. I have high hopes for where we can go together.”

In their first appearance at FOC in the Grand Prix division, Callie O’Connell (Wilmington, Mass.) and Eaton H finished in third after their three Grand Prix tests. The duo concluded their week with a freestyle composed to an assortment of music by Queen, earning them 71.150% from the panel.

Best Day

“It was as good as it could have been today. I felt like it was the best day we’ve had here, and he was just so nice in the bridle and with his self-carriage. I felt like I could really ride him in the ring, and it was just fun. He was really such a good boy,” said O’Connell of the pair’s final test of the week.

The duo’s music was also composed by Karen Peterson and the inspiration came from O’Connell’s love of Queen and the moniker they’ve given to Eaton H, who has a “rockstar” type personality. The flashy 2009 KWPN gelding (Wynton x Ziolita H) owned by Ruling Cortes LLC, can be bold and forward and highlighting his expressiveness and balance through their music selection was evident.

O’Connell has been partnered with Eaton H, also known as Ed, for just over two years. The pair first learned to work together in the U25 divisions for two years and stepped in the FEI Grand Prix ring this year for the first time. The experienced gelding started his Grand Prix career at age eight with Christoph Koschel, who also trains O’Connell.

“Christoph really knows the horse so well and it’s helped me a lot with the transition and I’m learning so much. He’s a very powerful, hot horse and is sometimes different every day, but I just love him. He has this rockstar personality and is always just fired up. He’s a very personable horse. He just turned 16, so we’re really going to go for it and see where we can get to together.”

Competition Information:

The 2024 FOC takes place Aug. 19-25, at HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill. Competition takes place in two arenas and will be broadcast on USEF Network. Bookmark the FOC event page on USEF.org for the latest coverage of this year’s show.

Ring Schedule | Orders of Go and Results

2024 Festival of Champions Livestream

The U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions will be streamed live on USEF Network. US Equestrian members, subscribers, and fans can watch all classes live. Not a member? Sign up for a free fan account now!