Eight championship titles were up for grabs at the Kentucky Horse Park on day two of the 2022 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. The marquee show, which offers more than $120,000 in prize money, runs through Sunday, November 13, and boasts competition from Training to Grand Prix level.

The day’s hotly contested class, the Open Grand Prix Championship, was held in an atmospheric evening session in the Alltech Arena. A harmonious and mistake-free test from the defending champions Heather Mason and her long-time partner RTF Lincoln, whom she rides in a snaffle bridle with no flash, was rewarded with 71.304% – earning the win and the Veronica Holt Perpetual Trophy.

Photo – Heather Mason and RTF Lincoln (Susan J Stickle)

Watch the winning Grand Prix ride for Heather Mason and RTF Lincoln. Video by US Equestrian.

Of the 17 combinations in the class, reserve champion went to Shelley Van Den Neste who rode Eyecatcher to 70.616%, with Brian Hafner finishing third on Dream Catcher (69.783%).

One Percent Improved

Mason and Lincoln improved on their winning score from last year by one percent, proving that, despite being 17 and the equal-oldest horse in the class, Lincoln is still fit and keen to do his job. That is because Mason has figured out exactly how to produce the best from this complex, explosive horse. 

“Ten minutes of lungeing, three to four hours ahead – we have it down to a system,” revealed Mason, who is riding 12 tests at this show. “Lincoln has to have his gallop on the lunge. He’s been this way since a young horse. It’s just taken a long time to figure him out. I then warm him up for about 15 minutes before the test. 

“He was a super boy today. He was on the aids, and his pirouettes were nice and tight. I’m very happy with him. He’s one of the easiest horses to ride when he’s good mentally. He has a wicked spin on him though, so I have custom made knee blocks, ‘Lincoln knee rolls.’ He loves to show, and I do too. I love figuring out the different horses,” added Mason, who owns 20 of them herself. 

New Edition

One of the most recent to be added to her burgeoning collection, Shmoky Quartz, secured another win for Mason on Friday, taking the Open Training Level title. The pair stormed to a monster score of 77.529%.

Heather Mason and the five-year-old gelding Shmoky Quartz are the Training Level Open champions with 77.529% – the day’s highest championship score. Photo by Susan J. Stickle.

Judge at C, the experienced FEI judge Janet Foy, awarded the winning test over 81%, rewarding the harmonious pair with four nines and a 10 – the latter for the stretching circle in trot. 

The five-year-old Oldenburg gelding, who is by the Sandro Hit son Shakespeare RSF, lived up to his rightful billing as the freshly minted 2022 Adequan®/USDF Horse of the Year at Training Level and First Level.

Competition resumes on Saturday, November 12, with a whopping 13 championship titles up for grabs, including the prestigious Open Grand Prix Freestyle during the evening session in the Alltech Arena. Follow the action via the USDF Facebook page and the US Dressage Finals website, plus live online streaming on the USEF Network. To learn more about the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, view results and day sheets, and read daily news releases, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website.