First-Drawn Pressure on Defending Champion

It was the pathfinders in the Intermediate II Adult Amateur Championship who held the lead from start to finish. Rebecca Lord was also the defending champion with her 15-year-old Hanoverian Demetrius, and their 66.569% fended off all challengers.

Photo – Rebecca Lord and the 15-year-old Hanoverian Demetrius retained their Intermediate II AA Championship crown. (Sue Stickle Photography)

Lord, who is 59, took a 31-year break from riding, picking it back up a decade ago. She has made monumental progress in that time, including with Demetrius, by De Niro, whom she bought in 2020. She also finished fifth in the class with Luke Skywalker, clocking up 63.137%.

Overwhelming

“It was very overwhelming to win two years in a row — and have two such lovely horses placing so well,” enthused Lord, who splits her time between Ocala, FL, where she trains with Franziska Seidl and Cochranville, PA, where her trainer is Alex Robertson. “I felt nervous, but I am grateful that I stayed present, calm, and focused to maintain access to the skills I’ve worked so hard to develop.

“Demi is always ready for more and so enthusiastic,” she continued. “I finished and thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t mess up!’ I’m overjoyed that the judge at M gave me 69.5% because we are all hoping, dreaming, and yearning to push 70%. With Luke I had one mistake cantering coming out of passage, but he’s really coming into his own. They’re glorious horses, and it’s exciting to love doing something so much.”

Aiming for Grand Prix Title

Lord has three horses in Friday morning’s AA Grand Prix championship, in which she finished reserve champion with Demetrius in 2023.

Competition resumes on Friday, November 8, with nine championship titles up for grabs from Training Level to Grand Prix. The full digital show program is available here. 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 releases, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website. Start times and results can be found on www.horseshowoffice.com.