The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions continued today with a full slate of competition across multiple divisions, including the Neue Schule/USEF Grand Prix, the Adequan®/USEF Brentina Cup Championship, and the Markel/USEF Young and Developing Horse Championships. The USEF Intermediaire I Championship concluded today, while the Adequan®/USEF Junior National Championship officially got underway.

Photo – Sabine Schut-Kery and Jojoba de Massa, winners of the USEF Intermediaire I Championship (©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian)

USEF Intermediaire I Championship

In the USEF Intermediaire I National Championship, Sabine Schut-Kery (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Jojoba de Massa, a 2014 Portuguese Sport Horse stallion owned by Four Winds Farm, danced their way to the national title, winning the FEI Intermediate I Freestyle on a score of 74.150% to secure the championship, finishing with a 72.151% overall.

For Schut-Kery, the freestyle was more than just a victory, it was about building trust with her relatively new partner. “I was really touched by how [Jojoba] gained confidence with me and trusted me to be his pilot,” she reflected. “It’s important to me that he lets me ride him, that he waits, and is relaxed so I can guide him. Over these three days, he really showed me that rideability.”

Gentle Giant

At home, Jojoba, who is called a “gentle giant” by Schut-Kery, is as sweet as he is powerful. “He’s a big boy, but he’s the sweetest. You’d never know he’s a stallion,” she said. “When you go to his stall, he’s the kind of horse that just makes you want to wrap your arms around him. He’s the kind that brings out the little girl in you, reminding you why you started with horses in the first place.”

Schut-Kery was also quick to emphasize that this championship was a team effort. “When the hard work pays off like it did this week, it’s a fabulous moment to thank your whole team,” she said. “The biggest thank you goes to Akiko Yamazaki for giving me the ride on this special soul, and to my close team – Christine Traurig, my assistant Sophia Chavonelle, Erica Furkis, our farriers, vets, Tom Meyers, my husband who’s always by my side, and Marie Medosi and Taylor Kincaid for the music. It’s not the Oscars, but this belongs to them just as much as it belongs to me and the horse. Dressage may look like an individual sport, but there is a big team behind it, and I’m really, really grateful for that.”

Reserve

Lauren Sprieser (Marshall, Va.) and C. Cadeau, a 2016 Danish Warmblood gelding owned by the Elvis Syndicate LLC, placed second in the freestyle with a 72.135%, finishing as overall reserve champions on a combined score of 70.572%.

The freestyle marked a breakthrough moment for Sprieser. “I have been finding new and creative ways to do that freestyle wrong since it arrived in my inbox and today, we did it almost perfectly right. And that’s a first, which is very exciting,” she said with a smile.

Sprieser reflected on her partnership with the 9-year-old gelding, fondly known as ‘Cadeau.’ “He is everything I have ever wanted in a horse and more. He has heart forever, and he came into my life when I was sad. He has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, and his team of owners are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Cadeau’s larger-than-life personality also shines at home. “There is no bigger fan on the planet of Cadeau than Cadeau,” she laughed. “He is very social. He’s quite the prankster with his toys and he’s the most energetic but also sensible horse I’ve ever owned. When I sat on him for the first time, the sun shone, and the angels sang. I didn’t know dressage could feel the way it does when I am in the saddle with him.”

Elizabeth Bortuzzo (Frenchtown, N.J.) and Vincent, a 2017 Oldenburg gelding owned by owned by Bortuzzo and Mark Paul, earned third place overall in the national championship standings with an average score of 70.062%.

Results

2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions Live Stream

The 2025 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions is streaming live on USEF Network, brought to you by Adequan®. US Equestrian fans, subscribers, and members can access the live stream, and subscribers and members will be able to watch replays on demand. Learn more here.

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