The final two of the nine United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Regional Championships of 2025 took place in Oregon and Georgia over the weekend of October 2-5. Both shows were qualifiers for this year’s US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, which take place October 30-November 2 at the World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Wilmington, OH, a new venue for this prestigious show.

Photo – Nadine Schwartsman, who has found ways to manage her heart condition, finished almost five percentage points clear of the field in the Open Third Level championship riding Klimt, by Belissimo M. (Ella Chedester Photography)

In Region 6 action, Nadine Schwartsman dominated five championship classes on four different horses and scooped three reserve champion sashes at DevonWood Equestrian Centre in Sherwood, OR. A year ago, she was forced to withdraw from numerous classes at Regionals as she was suffering from a heart condition. This time around, as the results demonstrate, she has found the tools to manage it.

Letting Things Go

“I learned that I cannot feed and clean stalls and braid and micromanage, and that I have to just do what I do best: ride and coach and let my awesome girls take care of the rest,” explained Schwartsman, who owns an 80-acre facility in Idaho.

Schwartsman’s mutually beneficial training philosophy revolves around sharing the ride on the horses she trains with her clients, with the aim of eventually sending the owners down centerline at championship shows. She brought only one personally owned horse, the 10-year-old Sonnenberg’s Kain (by El Capone x Carlton Hill), to Regionals and promptly won the Open Fourth Level title on the complicated gelding.

“He’s not the easiest horse, and it’s either all or nothing with him, but he was perfectly behaved and did a flawless test, which was so exciting, as he can be really spooky,” said Schwartsman, who with a 70.833% score was the only one to break the 70% barrier.

She was also delighted to head up the competitive Prix St. Georges championship on board Stephanie Bonney’s 14-year-old Estobar x Lauries Crusador gelding, Ehrengold Enka.

Just Focus

“It was a monster class of 21 with so many quality horses in it,” explained Schwartsman. “I told myself to just focus on my own horse and bring my ‘A’ game to my own test. We imported Enka about a year ago, and he hasn’t shown much. DevonWood is an amazing facility with lots of atmosphere, which can be hard for some horses. He took a couple of days to settle in, then on championship day he gave me an amazing ride.”

With Cynthia McKim’s 10-year-old Belissimo M gelding Klimt, Schwartsman swept the Third Level classes, recording 71.625% in the straight class — almost five percentage points clear of the reserve champion — and produced another plus-70% test to head up the freestyle.

“He’s only just learned the flying changes, and in the qualifiers before Regionals, we did not always get the changes — not even close,” she admitted. “This was the first show where he got them all; he peaked when I needed him to.”

Her fifth win materialized in the Intermediate II, in which she rode Melissa Connelly’s 16-year-old Elnieta, a Dayano daugher who “always comes through,” to 66.618%. Her Grand Prix ride, Kelli Hajjar’s Royal Flash R, was a double reserve champion at the level, and she picked up another reserve title in the Intermediate I freestyle riding Leslie Hornocker’s 15-year-old German Riding Pony, Caspari Royale. The 13hh “so cute and so perfect” buckskin gelding has been in training with Schwartsman since he was three.

Click here for full results from the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 6 Dressage Championships.

The 2025 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® takes place October 30-November 2 at the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, OH. It is a national, head-to-head competition that showcases competitors in Adult Amateur, Open, and Junior/Young Rider divisions. Classes run from Training Level through Grand Prix, plus freestyle to music divisions, with Junior/YR sections at Training Level through Intermediate I. There is more than $125,000 in prize money on offer over the four days. Learn more at www.usdf.org/usdressagefinals/index.asp.