The 2024 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) closed out week three with a full day of competition concluding with the Buffalo Wild Wings Prix St. George Future Challenge as part of the Future Challenge Young Horse Series at AGDF. The festival runs seven weeks of CDI competition over the course of three months in Florida’s winter equestrian destination of Wellington, FL. The U.S. anthem sounded proudly across the stadium as young professional Ben Ebeling took his place with Escona 8 at the head of the lap of honor as the only combination to break into the seventieth percentile on 70.588%.

Photo – Ben Ebeling & Escona 8, winners of the Buffalo Wild Wings Prix St. George Future Challenge Qualifier. (© SusanJStickle.com)

“I am so fortunate to have this horse,” Ebeling gushed. “I’ve had her since she was five or six and along with help from my dad and Christoph Koschel we have been able to really develop her into an amazing young horse. I’m so excited about her and she keeps surprising me.”

Ben Ebeling and Escona 8 (Photo: © SusanJStickle.com)

The enthusiasm from Ebeling’s father, who also doubles as his trainer, and mother, who doubles as his manager, was obvious as the ACR Enterprises Inc’s nine-year-old Rheinlander mare (Escolar x Sir Donnerhall) secured her spot in the final.

“I’m really excited to qualify for this great challenge and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he continued. “She is still young and has some things to work on but overall the trend is great; her trot work is my main highlight because it just feels like you are floating, and I struggled a lot in the beginning with her on the three and four tempis but now they are one of the things she does best!”

Ebeling’s fellow American Rebecca Cohen joined him for the lap of honor, having received the second best score of 68.774% with her own nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Dream Boy x Florencio 2), Kai Van Wittenstein P.

The 2024 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival will resume February 7, 2024, with both national and CDI-W competition. For more information and results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.

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