Lauren Chumley and Leeloo Dallas were the final combination in the Open Intermediate I Freestyle, and their fun routine and upbeat music saw them snatch the lead with 72.1%, despite the rider’s uncharacteristic nerves. The compact 16-hand, eight-year-old mare by the Ravel son Gaspard De La Nuit bounded down the final center line in two-tempi changes.

Photo – An unusually nervous Lauren Chumley held it together to top the Open Intermediate I Freestyle from final draw on Leeloo Dallas with 72.1%. (Sue Stickle Photography) 

“It’s a little bit of a different game when you go in, and you’re expected to do well,” said Chumley, who trains with Michael Bragdell and splits her time between Pittstown, NJ, and Loxahatchee, FL. “I’m used to clawing my way up from the bottom, so this is a whole different game, and I have to learn to deal with that. I don’t normally get nervous, but there’s a bit of pressure: she’s been winning at CDIs and got a grant from The Dressage Foundation.

Better and Better

“She’s got better and better over the weekend — we were second yesterday — so tonight this one really counted, and the freestyle is my jam. I thought, ‘We can get this,’” added Chumley, who is contesting eight Championship classes at Finals.

“We’ve been schooling a lot of grand prix, so this is hopefully our last show at small tour,” she added. “I hope to do developing grand prix next year; she has all the pieces for it. The piaffe/passage is going to be really special.”

Competition concludes on Sunday, November 8, with the final 10 championship titles to be decided, from Training Level to Prix St. Georges. Follow the action via the USDF Facebook page and the US Dressage Finals website, plus live online streaming of all the action from the Alltech Arena on USEF Network. To learn more about the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® and read daily news, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website. Start times and results can be found on www.horseshowoffice.com.