Rebecca Hart Takes the FEI Para Freestyle Grade III-CPEDI 3* Win

Week 2 of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), presented by Adequan®, Mission Control, Nutrena, and Fair Sky Farm, concluded on Sunday, January 20, with a win for Rebecca Hart (USA) and El Corona Texel in the FEI Para Freestyle Grade III - CPEDI 3*. Competition will resume at AGDF for week 3 on January 23, featuring “Friday Night Stars” on January 25.

Hart and El Corona Texel, a 10-year-old KWPN gelding by Wynton and owned by Rowan O’Riley, earned a score of 75.278% in the Grade III Freestyle. Grade III is for riders who have severe impairments in both lower limbs with minimal or no impairment of the trunk or moderate impairments of the upper and lower limbs and trunk. Some riders in Grade III may use a wheelchair.

Hart is originally from Pittsburgh, PA, and moved to Wellington, FL. “I have loved this horse from the moment I saw his video on YouTube. I love his personality and his intelligence,” said Hart about El Corona Texel. “He’s quite a fiery horse, but he’s an incredibly kind horse. I love how we can have a true conversation when we’re riding, and it just makes it a very unique, special partnership.”

“Marlene Whittaker put the freestyle together for me, and we worked really hard on that one,” continued Hart of her freestyle music and choreography. “It’s actually the one that we rode at [the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games], so it’s a special freestyle for us. We actually all played [the music] for him so he could have a little bit of input. He would just be like, ‘Oh yeah’ and he’d start to get a little more exuberant, and we were like, ‘Okay, Tex likes this one!’”

Hart has been coming to AGDF for seven years and said, “I love having such a great facility for the 12 weeks. They have shows on the weekend, and we can just come and do a test and then go home. Having that availability, and in addition having the big three-stars and the four-star and the freestyles under the lights, that variety of atmosphere so that you can do a smaller national show or you can do a big three-star all within your backyard, is fantastic.”

Final Results: FEI Para Freestyle Grade III - CPEDI 3*

1. Rebecca Hart (USA), El Corona Texel, 10-year-old KWPN gelding by Wynton x Urieta Texel and owned by Rowan O’Riley: 76.500%, 73.883%, 75.500%, 75.278%

2. Riley Garrett (USA), Piston, 16-year-old CanWB gelding by Piet BC x Gem’s Radiance BC and owned by Riley Garrett: 70.333%, 68.667%, 67.667%, 68.889%

3. Meghan Benge (USA), Worth The Trip, 21-year-old Welsh X gelding by Anjershaf Rocky and owned by Meghan Benge: 66.500%, 69.500%, 69.500%, and 68.500%