A testament to quality dressage breeding in America, all of the top six entries in this year’s 4-year-old division were U.S.-bred horses. Willy Arts was back on the top of the standings in the 4-year-old class with his homebred Pharaoh DG (Koning DG x Parcival), a 2020 Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by DG Bar Ranch. As Pharaoh’s breeder and trainer, Arts has been there from the horse’s auspicious beginnings and into his early dressage success.

Photo – Willy Arts and Pharaoh DG. (©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian)

“Some horses, when they’re born, you can see right away that they’ve got it all, and he was like that as a foal and as a yearling,” said Arts. “As a 2-year-old, he got presented for licensing by the KWPN, and he scored 90 points for conformation, 90 points for movement, and when he had to do the performance test, he got 88 points for the riding test.

The eye-catching liver chestnut stallion thoroughly impressed the judges, earning 90.800% in the first test and 85.200% in the second, and even earned a 10 for the perspective score in the first test.

Perfect 10

“I’ve never had a 10 in my whole life, so as far as that goes, it was, in a way, a surprise,” said Arts. “I didn’t expect that, but at the same time, I appreciated it, because it summed it all up. A 10 is the ultimate. I think the judges saw the ability in the horse and the way everything went, so I appreciated that.”

In addition to his undeniable beauty and impressive gaits, Arts describes Pharaoh as having the temperament and character necessary to make him successful as a performance horse and a breeding stallion.

“I would say he’s a very cool, hot horse,” said Arts. “Cool in everything else, just quiet. But then to work, he doesn’t know what tired is. You sit on him and you have a lot there. That’s a really special trait. And his feet, his legs—he’s very strong and well put-together. I think his best thing is his natural balance, his posture. Instead of you having to put the horse together, you have a horse that just carries himself. And you can sit there and go.”

Charell Garcia (Middletown, N.Y.) rode MW Virtuous (Valverda x Sp. Pr. Rheparter), a 2020 Oldenburg stallion owned by Jennifer Vanover, to the reserve champion title for the 4-year-olds.

Just Amazing

“I was really excited how he was this week,” said Garcia. “This is his third show, and first big show. This whole week, he has had so much energy, and he was just amazing. I couldn’t have asked for any more. The heat got a little bit to him today, I could tell, but he is such a good boy and he is always the same at home and at the show, I can rely on him so much. I think it, he does it. I’m super, super happy and proud of him.”

Michele Bondy (Wilsonville, Ore.) and Sonnenberg’s Paris (Vivino x Fine Time), a 2020 KWPN gelding owned by Sonnenberg Farm, LLC, finished in third place overall. Bondy has known ‘Paris’ since he was a foal and has been his rider and trainer for his whole career thus far.

“Paris is just lovely. He’s kind of a goofy, silly little boy, but he’s very emotional,” said Bondy. “Coming into the first test, he’s always very reliable, but you could tell he was a little nervous. He stayed with me through the test, but I was a little hesitant to really push for it. Today he just felt incredible. He was so good. He’s so willing. He’s so cheery. You say, ‘Oh, you’re so good.’ He’s like, ‘Yes, that’s so wonderful.’ He’s just a good boy. All in all, he’s a super horse. But I feel like today was just way more rideable, like I could really push, and he was like, ‘Yes, I will do it. Let’s do it.’”

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!