Wayne, Ill. – The 2024 edition of the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions (FOC) launched on Monday, Aug. 19, with the Neue Schule/USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship and Adequan®/USEF Para Dressage National Championship setting the stage for a week of captivating dressage competition.

Photo – Sabine Schut-Kery and Sonnenberg’s Jersey. (©Avery Wallace/US Equestrian)

Neue Schule/USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship

Six talented combinations entered the arena for the FEI Prix St. Georges test, the first of three tests for the competitors in the Intermediaire I division at FOC. With an impressive 73.441%, Sabine Schut-Kery (Oceanside, Calif.) and the striking black stallion Sonnenberg’s Jersey (Vivaldi x Kebalia), a 2014 Dutch Warmblood owned by Sonnenberg Farm, LLC, secured the top placing. The pair had a solid test with their half pirouettes and final centerline earning especially high marks from the judges.

Olivia LaGoy-Weltz (Haymarket, Va.) currently stands in second place with Fade to Black (Fantastic x Saphira), Mary Anne McPhail’s 2015 Hanoverian mare, after the pair earned a 70.677% for their PSG test. Lauren Chumley (Pittstown, N.J.) and Leeloo Dallas (Gaspard De La Nuit DG x Voque), her own U.S.-bred 2016 Dutch Warmblood mare, currently stand in third place with a 69.088%.

The Intermediaire I division is one of two at this year’s FOC that is available on Black Horse One’s Spectator Judging app. Fans can join in and judge in real time during the I-1 tests. Participants who score closest to the official judges will win prizes at the end of the week.

Competition at the 2024 FOC continues on Tuesday with the Intermediaire I competitors performing their I-1 test beginning at 9:00 a.m. CT followed by the FEI Para Grand Prix B Test at 11:00 a.m.

Competition Information:

The 2024 FOC takes place Aug. 19-25, at HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill. Competition takes place in two arenas and will be broadcast on USEF Network. Bookmark the FOC event page on USEF.org for the latest coverage of this year’s show.

Ring Schedule | Orders of Go and Results

2024 Festival of Champions Livestream

The U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions will be streamed live on USEF Network. US Equestrian members, subscribers, and fans can watch all classes live. Not a member? Sign up for a free fan account now!