It was the very last combination down the center line in the Intermediate I Open class who snatched victory, with Taylor Lindsten on Susan Skripac’s striking Wallace G being the only combination to crack 70%. The nine-year-old pinto is a Georgian Grande stallion, being half Friesian half Saddlebred.

Photo – Taylor Lindsten and the striking Wallace G were the only combination to crack 70% to win the Intermediate I Open Championship. (SusanJStickle.com)

“This is only our second time breaking 70% in the FEI levels,” enthused the 30-year-old, who recorded her first ever Finals win. “He showed up because he knew it was important. I was watching the first three-quarters of my class, but once I’m on my horse that all goes out of my head. I’m just thinking about his strengths and how to showcase them and to enjoy the feeling he gives me out there because he’s a showman.”

A Showman

Lindsten did not know anything about the breed until Wallace G’s breeder George Geter placed the son of Sas Van Thorrehof with her.

“His breeder sent him to me as a five-year-old, and I developed him from Training Level,” she said. “He’s about to make his Grand Prix debut in the spring of 2024, so we are very excited about him.”

Lindsten runs Taylor Made Sport Horses, her own dressage, jumping, and eventing operation out of Flying Fox Farm in Scottsdale, AZ. But it has been thinking outside her already broad box that has reaped rewards with Wallace G, and working equitation has been key to his success.

“If I Could Clone Him, I Would”

“At the lower levels he wasn’t very successful because he’s so naturally high and tight in the neck,” she explained. “It wasn’t until we got to Fourth Level that he really started to show some great scores and what helped is that we started doing working equitation. He debuted at masters level this year, and we are hoping to go to the 2026 World Cup in Spain. He’s multitalented; if I could clone that horse I would — he’s got the best temperament of any horse I’ve ever trained.”

Competition continues on Saturday, November 11, with 13 championship titles up for grabs from First Level to the evening’s Open Grand Prix Freestyle. Follow the action via the USDF Facebook page and the US Dressage Finals website, plus live online streaming on the USEF Network. To learn more about the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, view results and start lists, and read daily news releases, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website.