A slew of new champions were crowned on day two, Thursday, November 8, of the 2024 US Dressage Finals, presented by Adequan®, which runs through November 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park. The event draws competitors from across the nation to vie for the 37 titles and a share of the $125,000 prize money.

Photo  – Brittany Burson and Opportunity Knocks, a five-year-old by Spielberg, claimed both the Open Training Level and the First Level Freestyle Championship classes. (Sue Stickle Photography)

The mark of nine that was awarded to Brittany Burson on Opportunity Knocks by judge Anne Gribbons for harmony was a bellwether for the duo’s momentous day, which saw them dominate both the Open Training Level Championship and the First Level Freestyle with huge scores. They were the unanimous winners in both classes, topping them with 74.867% and 75.352% apiece, despite the Spielberg son being just five years old and in his first year of competition.

Floored

“We wanted to do well, but I’m floored by these wins as they were such competitive classes,” said Burson. “He’s a super fun horse to ride and bring along, and he handled the electric atmosphere really well.

“His owner, Patricia Joy, just wanted us to get some show experience this summer, so to have this be the culmination is fantastic,” continued Burson, who is based in Illinois and trains with her mentor Heather McCarthy, but will spend the winter under Scott Hassler’s watchful eye in Wellington, FL. “‘Knox’ is very goofy and playful on the ground and he likes to open the Velcro on my gloves, but under saddle he tries extremely hard and doesn’t put a foot wrong. Every time I challenge him with something, he’s willing and never says no.”

Happy Tears

Joy found “Knox” through broker Katie Hoog of C U @ X Tack when she was looking for something sensible enough that she could ride at home, too. When he came out of his tests at Finals, she cried happy tears. Burson and Opportunity Knocks only began competing in the summer of 2024 and have been consistent high scorers. They won all three of their classes at the Region 2 Championships and will contest the First Level Championship on Saturday morning to see if they can repeat the feat at Finals.

Competition resumes on Saturday, November 8, with a bonanza of 14 championship titles up for grabs from First Level to Grand Prix. 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, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website. Start times and results can be found on www.horseshowoffice.com.