-- WEC press release, edited by Eurodressage
The 2026 U.S. Grand Prix Championship at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, FL, opened with a morning of competition on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, featuring 16 entries vying for top scores in the Grand Prix test.
The Format
The national championship, which has traditionally been included in the annual USEF Festival of Champions hosted later in the summer, will be featured for the first time in more than 10 years as a standalone championship, while also serving as a observation event for the short list for the European team selection tour ahead of the 2026 FEI Dressage World Championship Aachen in August.
To determine the national champion, three rounds will be ridden: The Grand Prix, the Special and the Freestyle. A final calculation is made as the three scores are not simply added up, but carry a weight coefficient of 55%, 40% and 15%.
Initially 17 combinations were entered for the Nationals but Anna Marek and Fayvel dropped out last minute
Simonson Takes the Lead Unopposed
Fresh from his World Cup Finals second place, Christian Simonson (Ventura, CA) easily took the lead by winning the Grand Prix rather unopposed. Aboard Heidi Humphries' 13-year-old KWPN stallion Indian Rock (by Apache x Vivaldi) he scored 75.196%.
The class was judged by Sarah Geikie, William Warren, Magnus Ringmark, Peter Storr, andMariette Sanders-van Gansewinkel and although they all saw the winner in Simonson they clearly differed on the quality of the ride as 72.935% was the low score (Sanders), while Ringmark gave it a whopping 78.587%.
Simonson was thrilled. “I think the piaffe/passage tour is what I was really, really proud about today,” smiled Simonson. “Adrienne Lyle, my coach who guides me each step of the way, we had a specific game plan for today. Rocky really understood what exactly we were trying to do and just gave such an amazing feeling. To have Adrienne's guidance through each step, especially while we get ready for a championship like this one, feels so special. That was one part I was happy with.”
Of the pair’s building consistency, Simonson noted each time they experience a new competition environment together, they become more in sync and solid in their partnership, which only continues to strengthen.
“I feel like I get to be so present with him and each moment it feels like constant communication back and forth. I’m like, ‘Hey, let's do this,’ and he says, ‘Okay, I want to go here.’ We kind of talk back and forth to each other during the test. It does feel like when we compete, I don't have to really worry about anything else. I could just have an honest conversation and dance with him. He feels like a horse that would go through fire for me. I wouldn't ask him to, but that's how he feels. He’s just unbelievable.”
Gundersen Rises to Shine
The former Swiss-Philippino rider, who declared for the U.S.A after marrying Danish jumper horse dealer Hendrik Gundersen, avoided competing at the popular Wellington show this entire winter season. After a start in West Palm Beach at the Gold Coast Opener, she focused on showing Quintessential, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Quaterback x Cordoba, solely in Ocala.
Gundersen, of Wellington, FL, has been targeting the championship after a strong season together, and their performance today marked a new personal best for the combination in the Grand Prix. They received 70.348% for second place. Her horse is owned in partnership with Marcia Radosevich.
“He's been a young Grand Prix horse, and we've really taken our time going through doing smaller CDIs, and we've had the opportunity here to kind of grow in different venues, especially here at WEC. We’ve been in the indoor, the purple stadium, and now the Grand Arena. It's really set him up nicely to be confident in the ring, and I think that's a big part of why he's successful today."
Gundersen bred, raised, and trained Quintessential, and their progress this season is something she has been working towards as they plan for the future and map out their goals. She trains with Ali Brock.
“No one has expectations, and I'll tell this story again and again, but when we first broke him in, the first thing my husband said to me was, ‘He'd make a really nice hunter.’ But it's such an amazing experience to be there from the start, and I did ride his mother in Young Riders. I see a lot of his mother in him every day, which is special,” she said. “Honestly, with this horse, I had big dreams and big goals, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go all the way with him. But for it to come true, it's the main thing.”
Davis and Toronto Lightfoot Third
“I think it's great for the whole country to be at one competition together and see how we all sort of stack up against each other, head on,” said Davis of the competition this week. “I have to say, for me at this show, the camaraderie between all the riders has been special. We're all cheering for each other, and there's a special feeling when everyone supports each other.”
Veteran Olympian Ashley Holzer of Wellington, FL, and Hawtins San Floriana, a 14-year-old Hanoverian mare (by San Amour I x Florestan I) she owns with Dr. Diane Fellows, placed fourth on 69.957%. Jodie Kelly-Baxter (Destin, FL), with her own Grayton Beach, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding (by Negro x UB 40) finished with a score of 68.804% for fifth place overall, ahead of Jordan LaPlaca (Ledyard, CT), and Gold Play, an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Grey Flanell x Sir Donnerhall II owned by Nancy Hutson, who finished the day in sixth.
The national championship continues on Friday, May 15, with the Grand Prix Special.
Photos © Andrew Ryback
Related Links
Scores: 2026 U.S. Grand Prix Championships
Combinations Announced for 2026 U.S. Grand Prix Championships and WEG Team Selection Trial