Day Four of the 50th Anniversary Kingsview Partners Dressage at Devon showcased the best of international dressage sport and spirit. The second day of the Performance Division brought technical precision in the arena, electric energy from the crowd and a healthy dose of fun after the sun went down. From Canadian riders sweeping the Prix St. Georges to a costume-clad dance-off under the Dixon Oval lights, the action kept spectators riveted from morning to night.
Canadian Riders Sweep Prix St. Georges
The Canadians made a clean sweep with two riders capturing the top four places in the CDI1* FEI Prix St. Georges Class presented by ClipMyHorse.TV. Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu claimed the blue ribbon on Knight with a 71.569%, Camille Carier Bergeron and Pilegardens Dreamer earned the red ribbon with a 71.079%, Fraser-Beaulieu and Fürst Foundation placed third with a 70.09%, and Bergeron was fourth with a 69.510% on MSJ Valentina Roma.
Fraser-Beaulieu took over the ride on Knight from his owner, Jill Irving, in July and has been enjoying the process. “I felt like I had so much scope in the trot,” she said. “My half-halt was really working up with the corners, where I could show a beautiful loft. He has so much power in there, so I was just looking for a clean, consistent ride with cadence.”
Knight is a 2015 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Blue Horse Zack out of Dian by Ips Krack C and will be traveling to Florida for the winter show season with his owner and rider just in time to escape the Canadian cold.
Bergeron and Pilegardens Dreamer, a 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding by Glock’s Dream Boy out of Dior by De Noir 3, are owned by Giles Bergeron and Camille Carier Bergeron and was bred by Briggite Skov Larsen. Camille is from Laval, Quebec.
“He felt really good,” she; said. “He had really an amazing trot tour. I think he’s a super horse for the future. He felt quite connected to me today.”
Fraser-Beaulieu has had the ride on Fürst Foundation since January. “He goes into the ring with so much presence and so much scope in the trot,” she said. “Like he’s just ready to rock. Again, I was going for a clean ride. Both horses are such great show horses; they come into the ring and they do their job and they want to make me happy and the owner’s happy!”
Fürst Foundation is a 2014 Hanoverian gelding by Foundation 2 out of Dancing Queen by De Niro. He is owned by Deer Ridge Equestrian and was bred by Axel Baumgartner.
MSJ Valentina Roma is a 2027 Oldenburg mare by Vitalis out of Tia Roma by Donnerhall 11. She is owned by Bergeron and was bred by Emma Blundell.
“She just did her debut this year in the Prix St. George,” Bergeron said of her mare. “She hasn’t done yet an I-1, so she’s still green at that level, but she’s ready for the I-1 and the goal for next season is to show in Florida in small tour.”
Grand Prix Action Builds Toward Saturday Night
Late afternoon brought the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, a qualifier for the CDI3* Grand Prix Special presented by Iron Spring Farm Saturday night. Ten stunning horse-and-rider duos cantered into the Dixon Arena for the class.
Tina Konyot brought Grover back into competition shape to win the class with a 68.956%. Grover is a 2014 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Everdale out of Foja by United and is owned by Konyot and Earle I. Mack LLC. He was bred by Familie Andeweg.
Anna Marek and Fayvel placed second with a 68.869%. Feyvel is a 2010 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Zizi Top out of Ofra by Houston. He is owned by Cynthia Davila and bred by ZG Veniga V.O.F.
Alexandra Duncan and Hitmaker placed third with a 68.805%. Hitmaker is a 2012 KWPN stallion by Wynton out of Maduna by Cabochon and he is owned by Alexandra Duncan. He was bred by van Zaanen.
Costumes, Music and Surprises
A crowd favorite for the evening was the third annual Dance-Off presented by RDS Automotive Group. Adriane Alvord, Jim Koford, Shannon Stevens and Silva Martin dressed in outrageous costumes and were gunning for glory as they rode their horses to contemporary music in an unscripted freestyle under the lights in the Dixon Oval. Horse-and-rider combinations competed against one another but didn’t know the music ahead of time. A panel of celebrity judges, including professional break dancers, George Williams and Janet Foy provided live commentary to determine the victor.
The battle consisted of two rounds and each round of battle resulted in a winner who returned for a final Battle Royale to determine 2025 Dance-Off champion.
This year’s victor was Shannon Stevens dressed in a black rocker outfit complete with a crazy blonde wig. Judge Janet Foy seemed particularly smitten with Stevens’ hair.
Ebeling Tops Nighttime Grand Prix CDI-W presented by Quarry View Building Group
Nighttime in Devon brought the FEI Grand Prix CDI-W presented by Quarry View Building Group. The class featured 17 horses and their riders vying for spots in the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle presented by Kingsview Partners class on Saturday night.
Benjamin Ebeling and Ann Romney’s 2010 Hanoverian mare Bellena earned a 71.239% to top the winners roster and clinch the CDI-W FEI Grand Prix class. Bellena is by Belissimo NRW out of Wellfair 3 by Welser 2 and was bred by Hans Richelshage.
“Number One on my hit parade was really just continuing a consistent test,” Ebeling said. “We really started to get to know each other.” He said he has had the ride for about a year and their summer trip to Europe prepared them for this moment. “And you know, to continue that consistency with fault free tests, that’s really what I’m looking for.”
Camille Carier Bergeron and Finnländerin, a 2010 Oldenburg mare by Findertanz out of Ferna 3 by Donnerhall 11, earned a 70.130% to claim the red ribbon and their personal best score in the Grand Prix. The mare is owned by Giles Bergeron and Camille Carier Bergeron and bred by Xavier Marie.
“I was really excited [with] that personal best,” the rider said. “I always knew it was in there. We had once a 71.5 in the Grand Prix Special, but this is our personal best in the Grand Prix. So I was really excited with that score. And what I like is that I even have more room to even get better.”
Kevin Kohmann and Dünensee placed third in the class with a 68.913%. The 2009 Hanoverian gelding known as Denzel is by Dancier out of Doublette W by Davignon 3. He is owned by Diamante Farms and was bred by Monika Fartmann.
Kohmann said he was a bit disappointed in the outcome but, with his usual flair and humor he exclaimed he knows what to do on Saturday night: “The good news is, I knew exactly what to do the moment I came out of the ring. Which is tomorrow I have to half-halt my horse.”
With top scores, personal bests and even a wig-wearing freestyle, Day Four of the 50th Anniversary Kingsview Partners Dressage at Devon delivered a perfect blend of sport and spectacle. As the competition heads into its weekend crescendo, the stage is set for even more electric performances in the Dixon Oval and beyond.
