Hussmanns Topgun and Gremlin Win 2025 U.S. Developing Horse Championships

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2025 U.S. Dressage Championships

The rising small tour horse Hussmanns Topgun and the rising Grand Prix horse Gremlin became the winners of the Developing Prix St. Georges and Grand Prix Horse division at the 2025 U.S. Dressage Championships on 19 - 24 August 2025.

The U.S. Dressage Championships are known as the Festival of Champions (FOC) and are hosted at Lamplight equestrian centre in Wayne, ILL.

Developing PSG: Hussmanns Topgun

The Developing Prix St. Georges division showcased the rising generation of elite equine athletes, and 13 entries returned for their second test, the USEF Developing Prix St. Georges, on Saturday morning. With two winning tests, the champion title went to Hussmanns Topgun (by Totilas out of Atterupgaards Demi), a 2016 Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Heidi Humphries and ridden by Adrienne Lyle (Wellington, Fla.) Though he’s a relatively new face at the FEI level, his development has been a steady and deliberate progress over the past several years.

“He is a horse with tremendous power and scope who needs all the time he needs to develop the strength to carry that, and to feel confident in his ability to do that,” said Lyle. “He’s been a really fun project, because every day, he just makes me a better rider. I have to be super conscious of my body position and how I ask things. I have to have everything stacked and lined up perfectly for him, and then he does it. Those kind of horses, I think, really elevate your riding.”

The judges recognized the pair’s work, awarding consistently good marks across both tests.

“I was really happy with today’s ride,” said Lyle. “I thought it was one of the best feelings he’s given me in the ring of really being able to have him relaxed with me enough that I could put my leg on and ride back to front into a really honest, solid connection, and feel like he was using his whole body through the test.”

Lyle recognized owner Heidi Humphries for her ongoing support of the young horses and the sport at large.

“She’s having a pretty incredible week here as an owner, and she’s such a wonderful supporter of us and of dressage in general in this country,” she said. “It’s just really exciting to be around that energy and have such a fabulous team. I feel very lucky.”

Winning second in both tests and reserve champion overall was MSJ for VIPs (by Foundation x Vivaldi x Donnerhall), a 2017 Oldenburg gelding owned by Lauren Fisher and shown by Rebecca Rigdon (Cardiff By The Sea, Calif.).

“I was really happy with our first test. That was the best Prix St. Georges he’s done to date,” said Rigdon. “Today we had some expensive mistakes in the canter tour, but the trot tour was really, really good, and the walk is always good. I could tell the minute I picked up the canter, I thought, ‘Oh, he’s getting a little tired.’ It’s a hard test with the pirouettes and immediate fours and the half pass zigzag. That’s tough for a horse with a canter so big.”

Although still a fairly young horse, MSJ for VIPs and Rigdon have built an impressive resume together, including two outings to the World Breeding Championships.

“We got him as a four, coming five-year-old. He was quite green for his age,” said Rigdon. “Ulf Möller was the one who recommended him, and my coaches, Christine Traurig and Guenter Seidel, we all said, yes, this is definitely the horse. It’s been a long journey, but he’s incredibly smart. He has more power than he always knows what to do with, so that’s been, I wouldn’t even say a challenge, but just trying to educate him as to how to manage that. Mentally, he’s just cool, relaxed—he’s just a wonderful animal. I cannot say a bad thing about him. He’s just such a good boy, and he’s just as easy in the barn as he is under saddle. I’m really, really lucky.”

The third place overall went to Michelle Haefer aboard the 8-year old Friesian stallion Djurre Ut 'T Westen (by Jesse 435 x Feike 395), bred by All Star Friesians and owned by Dark Horse Friesians. The pair was fourth in the first round (67.304%) and fifth in the second round (65.787%) to average an overall total of 66.394%

Developing GP: Gremlin

The final class to take place in the HITS Arena was the USEF Developing Grand Prix Test for the developing grand prix championship. Ten entries came to compete, and Gremlin (Grey Flanell x Donnerschwee), a 2015 Oldenburg gelding owned by Bille Davidson and ridden by Quinn Iverson (Wellington, Fla.) added a second win to his earlier victory in the FEI Intermediate II test.

“I have to give most of the credit to my sponsor, Bille Davidson, who’s brought us along,” said Iverson. “I’ve known her since I was 4 years old, and ‘Gryffin’ has been in my life for the past five years. I did the developing Prix St. Georges with him here two years ago, and it’s incredibly cool to see the progress that we’ve made.”

The pair earned good scores for most movements across the test, showing good consistency for a developing horse.

“I’m quite speechless about this one. This is probably one of the best tests we’ve had to date,” said Iverson. “I’m so happy with him, because this is the end of a long week, and he went in there and still tried his heart out. I’m so, so proud of him.”

Gremlin sold to Helgstrand Dressage for 500,000 euro at the 2020 PSI Auction and the Danish horse dealer resold the horse to the U.S.A.

The reserve champion title went to Living Diamond (Livaldon x Feine Deern), a 2015 Hanoverian gelding owned and ridden by Australian born American Kelly Layne (Wellington, Fla.), after third-place wins in the two tests for the championship.

“Training in Florida the last four weeks was really hard with the weather,” said Layne. “And then you come here and the horses feel totally different. They feel amazing, and so you have a lot more horse than you were training at home. I had to tweak some things over the last few days, but I’m so happy to be here and to get him out of the heat. The facility is so beautiful, the footing is incredible, and the opportunities to train in the ring you’re going to compete in—I think all of that helps.

“My horse was consistent both days. I had little bobbles here and there, which is normal,” Layne continued. “For a developing Grand Prix horse, he clearly has the quality to do everything really well, and he has the will and the want, but he doesn’t always have the strength to match that yet.”

As the owner, rider, and trainer for “Louie,” Layne has the luxury of choosing the horse’s path. He was the right horse at the right time for her.

“With this horse, I can take my time and do it how I want to do it,” she said. “He has a very special character, and he is just a love. There’s nothing about him that’s difficult. He’s so straightforward, and it’s just lovely to have a horse like that. He’s not complicated, and I think the sky is the limit when you have a horse like that. I think with some time, that could turn into something really special.”

Third place overall went to Dawn White-O'Connor (Wellington, FL) aboard Akiko Yamazaki's KWPN bred Leon (by Ferdinand x Rubiquil) with an average score of 67.550%