The Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup was the feature competition on Thursday, February 22, to kick off week seven of the 2024 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. Four flags lined up in the Nations Cup CDIO3* Grand Prix, with Germany taking the gold medal for the fourth consecutive year with 213.369 points. The silver was awarded to the Dutta Corp-sponsored US team with 210.978 points, while Sweden’s tally of 198.956 points secured the bronze. Canada finished fourth. AGDF hosts seven weeks of CDI competition over three months and runs through March 31.

Photo – Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup podium finishers Germany, USA and Sweden with Tuny Page of Stillpoint Farm and FEI Foreign Judge Michael Osinski. (© SusanJStickle.com)

Felicitas Hendricks & Drombusch OLD. (Photo: © SusanJStickle.com)

The Nations Cup format has been simplified for the first time since the series first came to Wellington in 2014. Formerly, countries could put forward horse and rider combinations at small tour or big tour, but the new format requires all competitors to compete at grand prix level. The placings are now decided by adding up the top three scores from each team’s riders — both Germany and the United States fielded four team members, while Sweden and Canada had three members apiece. The CDIO Grand Prix Special and Freestyle classes this weekend will be individual contests under the overhauled format.

The 23-year-old Felicitas Hendricks spearheaded the German charge, topping the Grand Prix individually with 72.087%. She was bolstered by team mates Anna-Christina Abbelen (70.825% on Sam Donnerhall) and Frederic Wandres (70.456% on Total Recall), as well as Michael Klimke whose 67.565% on Uwe Kappel’s 12-year-old Domino 957 was the drop score for the winning nation. He was also the Chef d’Equipe.

Hendricks, who was also on last year’s winning Nations Cup team on her senior squad debut, said, “It’s a great honor to be back on the senior German team. I had a fantastic team with great teammates and team spirit. The scores are reflecting our improvement, but it’s not just about the scores. I was able to do a more detailed test today than last year, so we improved our Grand Prix for sure.

“There are still things to work on and we’re far from being perfect, but we keep working on it,” she added of Drombusch, her own 13-year-old gelding by Destano. “This season can’t really be going any better for me. It’s a great honor to be showing this horse in this fantastic ring. He’s so happy to be showing, and that’s the best feeling in the world when they’re willing to give their all in the ring. So whenever a mistake happens, you know that’s on me.”

Frederic Wandres & Total Recall. (Photo: © SusanJStickle.com)

The 36-year-old Wandres was riding Jemma Heran’s 12-year-old Totilas x Sandro Hit gelding Total Recall for the very first time in competition after borrowing him specifically for the Nations Cup.

“When we saw that we have to bring four grand prix horses, that meant for us we really have to bring four good ones,” explained Wandres, who rides for Hof Kasselmann. “I have Bluetooth here with me, but I have another plan with him, so I asked Jemma, our Australian friend, if I can maybe have the ride on Total Recall and she directly said yes. I really liked this test ride and there is a lot more in that horse.”

Like Hendricks, Abbelen was also representing Germany for the second year in a row.

“Sam is really strong in all the extensions like the extended trot, extended canter,” said the 28-year-old. “He has a great passage, and I really could celebrate my half-passes. I’m super honored to be on this team and it’s always fun because we know each other from home. We all come from the same region in Germany, from the Münster area.”

The silver medal winning U.S. team of Jan Ebeling on Jubi’s Tenacity (70.087%), Kevin Kohmann on Dünensee, Erin Nichols with Elian Royale (69.565%, a new career-high score), and Jennifer Williams riding Joppe K (68.652%) was led by Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig in their first team outing of the 2024 competition season.

Kohmann, who is 35, finished second individually on Diamante Farms’ 15-year-old Dancer gelding, providing the US with a valuable 71.326%, and notching up a new personal best with the horse in the process.

Michael Klimke & Domino 957 (Photo: © SusanJStickle.com)

“I’m super thrilled to be in a situation with these guys, some old teammates,” said Kohmann, who represented Germany on Nations Cup teams at AGDF until he switched nationalities three years ago. “Today my half-passes were great and the pirouettes were super.

“Every show I feel more comfortable riding these movements and push a little bit more. Every time it’s a bit better. To be the anchor rider for my team made me so proud. And to get the top score? I’m just thrilled,” he added.

The bronze medal winning Swedish team consisted of Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfvén (70.5% on Devanto), Caroline Darcourt (70.152% on Lord Django) and Christina Devine (58.304% on Slæbækgåard’s Santino).

Tuny Page of sponsor Stillpoint Farm said, “It was an honor for my family and my stable family to commit to the sponsorship for the Nations Cup right from the beginning. It’s an incredibly important competition. Some riders here are incredibly experienced, and for them this is fun and they bring a lot of strength, but it also gives opportunity to others that haven’t been on a team before, and I think that’s really important, and it’s one of the reasons we support it. Plus this is a beautiful place, and the management is fantastic.”

Dressage resumes on Friday, February 23, with daytime and evening competition, including for Juniors, Young Riders and the Lövsta Future Challenge, an Intermediate II class for developing grand prix horses. Both the CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle and the Stillpoint Farm Nations Cup Grand Prix Freestyle showcase classes take place during the gala evening dubbed “Friday Night Stars” under the lights. For more information and results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.