Bateson In Front with Haute Couture, Mendoza on Repeat at 2023 CDI Ocala

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2023 CDI Ocala

-- WEC press releases, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Q2 Photography

Grand Prix riders Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Julio Mendoza aced the big tour classes at the start of the 2023 CDI Ocala international dressage competition at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, 25 - 27 May 2023.

Bateson Wins with Haute Couture

Well over a year into their partnership and at "only" their second CDI together, Katherine Bateson-Chandler and the 11-year old Haute Couture won the Grand Prix for Special in Ocala.

In a field of 18 competitors from seven different nations, former American team rider Bateson and Jennifer Huber's KWPN mare Haute Couture (by Connaisseur x Krack C) posted 70.848% for the victory.

Katherine secured the ride on the former Dutch team horse in December 2021 after the bay took Dinja van Liere to a 10th place in the Kur at the 2021 European Championships in Hagen. The pair took a flying start in March 2022, going straight into a CDI Grand Prix class at their first show but bit off more than they could chew. It was back to the drawing board and a summer in Europe with the help of Carl Hester and Dinja van Liere put the pair back on track. Over the last year. they competed in a few national classes in preparation of their second CDI try in Ocala. This time around the plan worked and the pair took their first international blue ribbon at WEC.

Bateson Chandler stated, “we threw ourselves in the deep end in the beginning, made some mistakes and now we’ve taken our time really building her back up again with my trainers and her owner, who helps me on the ground. It’s been a real team effort for sure, and it’s starting to pay off.”

Part of that building back up came from spending two months in Europe with van Liere to learn how to work better with Merrie (nickname for Haute Couture). In Merrie’s first FEI show back, Bateson Chandler hoped that their homework would translate in the show ring.

“I was super happy with my canter work,” she said. “Sometimes I have a thing with my changes; it gets in my head a bit. I was really happy that I got all of my changes. She does beautiful pirouettes. She does everything for a really good score. It’s just me being able to bring that out in her in the moment. She’s super honest and super well-behaved. This is an incredible venue, and I knew she would really like it. She seems to be really happy here.”

2012 U.S. Olympic team rider Jan Ebeling has not competed his number one Grand Prix horse Bellena (by Belissimo M x Welser) since October 2022 but has been campaigning new addition, the 13-year old Danish bred Jubi's Tenacity (by Temptation x Don Schufro) at the 2023 Global Dressage Festival. The duo finished second in the Grand Prix for Special in Ocala with 69.935%

Mendoza On Repeat

Coming straight off a winning sweep at the CDI Ocala in April, followed by Mid Atlantic Dressage Festival in Lexington, Virginia, last week, U.S. based Ecuadorian rider Julio Mendoza and his own Jewel's Goldstrike (by Bretton Woods x Scandic) were on repeat in Ocala, claiming victory in the Grand Prix for Kur with a personal best of 74.413%

Mendoza Loor has made a splash in FEI competition with Jewel’s Goldstrike, but his life with horses began early thanks to his family’s history. While his great-grandfather was from Spain, it was his grandfather who immigrated to Ecuador and introduced Mendoza Loor and his father to horses. By the age of 11, Mendoza Loor was riding dressage. As he became more involved in the sport, his grandfather helped him move to Quito and work with military horses.

“I was cleaning boots, riding, cleaning stalls. This is how I came to learn. My children always say, ‘You came from riding donkeys to winning grand prix,’” he laughed. “A lot of people have said to me, ‘You are lucky,’ but they don’t understand that luck doesn’t come every day. You have to make your luck. I feel that you have to work harder if you want to be better. You have to get out of your comfort zone, which is what I try to do every day.”

Mendoza Loor moved to the United States at the age of 26 (he is now 44 years old) in order to follow his dreams in the sport. He didn’t speak English, but his wife Jessica, who is from Ohio, helped him learn the language by practicing an hour every day. Mendoza Loor also connected with his coach David Hahn, and now with Jewel’s Goldstrike, whom he says he purchased from Eliane Cordia-van Reesema early 2022, he is at the top level of the sport. His plans include competing in the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, this October and finishing in the top two in order to gain qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Second place in the Grand Prix for Kur went to Kevin Kohmann (USA) riding Dünensee, a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Dancier x Davignon owned by Diamante Farms. They scored 68.152%. Katherine Bateson Chandler (USA) and her veteran partner Alcazar, an 18-year-old KWPN gelding by Contango x Ferro owned by Jane Forbes Clark, finished third with 67.218%.

Von Martels Wins PSG on New Ride, Londoncrown

In the Prix St. Georges Chris von Martels and Londoncrown opened their week with victory and a score of 73.235%. Von Martels and “London” have been paired together for a year, and the Olympian sees promise in his young mount, which was only the horse’s fourth small tour class.

“I love her, and I think it’s really a fabulous horse for the future,” he said of the 10-year-old Hanoverian mare by Londontime x San Amour. “She has a lot of quality and certainly the personality that I think it takes to be a real contender. We’ve only done a few shows so far, but I think we’re off to a good start. I never really like to say my goals too quickly, but of course I have big aspirations for her.”

Having competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, von Martels seems to be seeking a spot on the Canadian team for the 2023 Pan Ams.

Second place went to Anna Marek (USA) and Duvel, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding by Florencio 2 x Metall owned by Cynthia Davila, who scored 71.176%, while Jovanna Stepan (USA) and Fürstin Romantica, her own 14-year-old Hanoverian mare by Fürst Romancier x Sandro Hit, were third with 69.951%.