The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions concluded today at HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center with five new champions earning national titles. The competition came to a close after crowning champions in the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage National Champion for Six-Year-Olds, USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship, Markel/USEF Developing Grand Prix Horse Dressage National Championship, Aspen Leaf Farm/USEF Children Dressage National Championship, as well as the Dressage Seat Medal Final Class for athletes between the ages of 14-18.

Photo – Gremlin 41 and Quinn Iverson

Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix National Championship

The final class to take place in the HITS Arena was the USEF Developing Grand Prix Test for the developing grand prix championship. Ten entries came to compete, and Gremlin 41 (Grey Flanell x Daytona), a 2015 Oldenburg gelding owned by Bille Davidson and ridden by Quinn Iverson (Wellington, Fla.) added a second win to his earlier victory in the FEI Intermediate II test.

“I have to give most of the credit to my sponsor, Bille Davidson, who’s brought us along,” said Iverson. “I’ve known her since I was 4-years-old, and ‘Gryffin’ has been in my life for the past five years. I did the developing Prix St. Georges with him here two years ago, and it’s incredibly cool to see the progress that we’ve made.”

The pair earned good scores for most movements across the test, showing good consistency for a developing horse.

“I’m quite speechless about this one. This is probably one of the best tests we’ve had to date,” said Iverson. “I’m so happy with him, because this is the end of a long week, and he went in there and still tried his heart out. I’m so, so proud of him.”

Reserve

The reserve champion title went to Living Diamond (Livaldon x Feine Deern), a 2015 Hanoverian gelding owned and ridden by Kelly Layne (Wellington, Fla.), after third-place wins in the two tests for the championship.

“Training in Florida the last four weeks was really hard with the weather,” said Layne. “And then you come here and the horses feel totally different. They feel amazing, and so you have a lot more horse than you were training at home. I had to tweak some things over the last few days, but I’m so happy to be here and to get him out of the heat. The facility is so beautiful, the footing is incredible, and the opportunities to train in the ring you’re going to compete in—I think all of that helps.

“My horse was consistent both days. I had little bobbles here and there, which is normal,” Layne continued. “For a developing Grand Prix horse, he clearly has the quality to do everything really well, and he has the will and the want, but he doesn’t always have the strength to match that yet.”

As the owner, rider, and trainer for “Louie,” Layne has the luxury of choosing the horse’s path. He was the right horse at the right time for her.

“With this horse, I can take my time and do it how I want to do it,” she said. “He has a very special character, and he is just a love. There’s nothing about him that’s difficult. He’s so straightforward, and it’s just lovely to have a horse like that. He’s not complicated, and I think the sky is the limit when you have a horse like that. I think with some time, that could turn into something really special.”

Full Results

2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions Live Stream

The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions was streamed live on USEF Network, brought to you by Adequan^®. US Equestrian subscribers and members can watch replay the replay on demand. Learn more here.

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