The United States Equestrian Federation has named its Grand Prix dressage squads, to which they refer to as U.S. Dressage Elite and Pre-Elite Lists, for 2019.
“In my first three weeks on the job, we have conducted home visits with our Elite and Pre-Elite combinations,” said U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe Debbie McDonald. “The home visits have provided me the opportunity to see their horses, discuss plans, and set targets. The horses are looking great and 2019 should serve as a great building year as we approach Tokyo 2020.”
McDonald has made a few significant cuts in her two Grand Prix squads! Six horses have been removed from the squads: Steffen Peters' 2017 World Cup Finals ride Rosamunde, Shelly Francis' Doktor, Arlene Page's Woodstock, Adrienne Lyle's Horizon, Kathleen Raine's Breanna and P.J. Rizvi's Breaking Dawn. No longer listed are Catherine Haddad with Semper Fidelis as the horse has moved into training with Heather Blitz.
The Elite Program was established to provide support and resources to combinations that have proven they are internationally competitive. Combinations become listed based on scores received at CDI3*/CDIO3* or above competitions in the last 12 months. The squads are reviewed twice annually and new members may be added on a rolling basis.
Riders in the A-squad have to consistently score in the 73%+ range, riders in the B-squad have to score round 69-73%.
A-squad (Elite Program):
- Shelly Francis - Danilo, Patricia Stempel’s 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding
- Laura Graves - Verdades, her and Curt Maes’ 16-year-old KWPN gelding
- Olivia LaGoy-Weltz - Lonoir, her and Mary Anne McPhail’s 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding
- Adrienne Lyle - Salvino, Betsy Juliano's 11-year-old Hanoverian stallion
- Kasey Perry-Glass - Goerklintgaards Dublet, Diane Perry’s 15-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding
- Steffen Peters - Suppenkasper, Akiko Yamazaki’s 10-year-old KWPN gelding
- Sabine Schut-Kery - Sanceo, Alice Womble’s 12-year-old Hanoverian stallion
B-squad (Pre-Elite Program):
- Katherine Bateson-Chandler - Alcazar, Jane Clark’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding
- Ashley Holzer - Havanna, Diane Fellows’s 11-year-old Hanoverian mare
- Charlotte Jorst - Nintendo, her own 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion
Photo © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Debbie McDonald to Succeed Dover as U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor
USEF Announces Updated Dressage Squads for 2018
Catherine Haddad Loses Ride on Semper Fidelis