The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions continued today at the HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center, showcasing top talent across multiple divisions, including the conclusion of the Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championships, as well as the start of the Neue Schule/USEF Grand Prix, the Adequan®/USEF Brentina Cup, and the Markel/USEF Young and Developing Horse Championships.

Photo – Supreme and Kate Shoemaker. (©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian)

Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championships

In the Adequan®/USEF Grand Prix Para Dressage National Championship, Kate Shoemaker (Wellington, Fl.) and Supreme earned the national title with a strong winning score in the FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle of 74.425%. Though Shoemaker has owned Supreme, her own 2016 Westphalian gelding (Sezuan x Deja Vu) for almost five years, the championship is their first together. “He’s only been with me full-time for about three weeks,” she explained, “Every day has been about building trust and learning more about him. I just feel like I’m living a fairy tale every time I ride my big, beautiful black horse. Supreme has exceeded every expectation [this week.]”

So Special

Winning the national title has long since been a goal for Shoemaker, but at one point, it was one she wasn’t sure would happen. “This is my first national championship title at this level, and I had to kind of let it go before it could happen,” she says, “For so many years I wanted it and sometimes I’d be in the lead, then something would go wrong. This year, to be able to add this title to my resume just feels so special.”

Close behind, Paralympic gold medalist Roxanne Trunnell (Wellington, Fla.) and Rumour Has It secured the reserve championship with 73.988%. ‘Rumour’, a 2012 U.S.-bred Hanoverian gelding (Romancero H x Inkka), owned by Simone van der Schalk, is a new partner for Trunnell, who explained that her ride in the Freestyle was actually her seventeenth on the gelding. “This is still a very new partnership,” she said, “Today was only our second time showing this freestyle. There are some tweaks I’d like to make, but overall, it went even better than I expected. I’m really pleased with him and excited to keep building this partnership.”

Rounding out the podium, Eleanor Brimmer (Wellington, Fla.) and My Moment, her own 2010 Hanoverian mare (Furst Romancier x High Sun), produced a steady test to finish third with a 70.810%. “My mare, who we call Minni, can get a little tense in the freestyle, so we deliberately chose soothing Enya music to help her relax. It created such a nice, spa-like atmosphere.” When asked about how their week had gone, Brimmer was all smiles and expressed their immediate plans, “I’m really happy with how she’s performed all week, and now I’m looking forward to getting her home for a well-deserved vacation.”

Schedule and Results

2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions Live Stream

The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions is streaming live on USEF Network, brought to you by Adequan^®. US Equestrian fans, subscribers, and members can access the live stream, and subscribers and members will be able to watch replays on demand. Learn more here.

Stay Connected

Keep up with news, photos, video, and more at US Equestrian’s Festival of Champions Content Hub. Follow along on social media with USA Dressage and USA Para Dressage on Facebook, USA Dressage on Instagram, and US Equestrian on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.+