By Alice Collins
On Friday evening, October 30, the second day of competition at the 2026 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® came to a thrilling conclusion as Laurie Moore guided her own Lavant VDP to victory in the Grand Prix Open Championship. Taking place at World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Wilmington, OH, the show runs from October 29 to November 1, with 37 championship awards and more than $100,000 in prize money.
Moore, who is based in Michigan and qualified through Region 2, purchased the now 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Ferdinand x Welt Hit II during the pandemic in 2021 from a friend in Europe after seeing him on video. When the tall, inexperienced gelding arrived, the petite Moore was a little concerned about how they would gel. At six years old, Lavant’s first Finals experience in training level with Moore came to an unfortunate abrupt conclusion when they could not make their way to X and had to retire. Since then, the pair has come a long way, tallying a win in the 2025 Prix St Georges Open Championship. Though Lavant is still fairly inexperienced at grand prix level, the strength of their partnership continues to shine through.
“I had no expectations for this — zero,” said Moore. “He’s green, but he’s the most earnest horse I’ve ever ridden in my life. His gaits are naturally pretty common, but he also has a very natural tendency to be a partner. You hear it all the time: the brain, the brain, the brain. He has the most incredible mind every day, all the time. He wants to work. I’m just stunned with the result.”
Though she is an accomplished rider, Moore describes herself more as a coach, teaching many lessons every week both in person and remotely. At Finals, her group has seven horses competing across various levels, but there are many more students and friends tuning in to the livestream. Of course, everyone was on hand to cheer and support as Moore and Lavant came down centerline.
“That’s our barn family, and we really are each other’s support system,” shared Moore. “A lot of students that I have, I’ve had for 20 or 30 years. Even though everyone couldn’t be here in person, my phone was going crazy with everybody watching and calling and texting.
“It just proves you can’t give up,” she continued. “You have to keep learning and keep rediscovering, and that’s what my students inspire me to do. I thought I would be having this type of moment in my 20s or 30s. I’m 62 now, and Lavant is a horse of a lifetime just when I thought that time for having this level of horse had passed. I can’t believe I’m here.”
Lavant and Moore earned 66.848% from judges Beverly Rogers at H, Kristi Wysocki at C, and William Warren at B, alongside the Veronica Holt Perpetual Trophy, presented by USDF Region 5 and friends.
Jennifer Roth is Twice as Nice
It was an excellent day for Region 2 rider Jennifer Roth as she claimed both the Intermediate I Open Championship and First Level Freestyle Open Championship titles aboard Kamar’s Bravissimo and Royal DaVinci, respectively.
Kamar’s Bravissimo, a 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding by Belissimo M x De Noir, is typically ridden by his owner Kris Harvey, but, occasionally, Roth gets to take over the reins. In this event, the pair earned positive marks throughout from judges William McMullin at H, Teresa Stewart at C, and Sandra Hotz at B for 69.706% total. It just so happened that the blue-ribbon affair coincided with Harvey’s birthday.
“This was a wonderful birthday gift for his mother,” said Roth, who is a bit of a hometown hero as a USEF ‘R’ dressage judge and a coach at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH. “I’m very privileged to ride for such a wonderful owner that is generous enough to share this lovely creature with me, and he was absolutely super today. He was right there with me. His rideability was so good today. He was forward, but he wasn’t tense, and he was laterally supple. I always feel I could have done some things better, but he covered my mistakes beautifully, and I appreciate that about him.”
With Royal DaVinci, Roth earned 75.583%, including several eights and even an 8.5 from judges Sarah Geikie at H, Willette Brown at C, and Cindi Wylie at B. While the path to success has been somewhat challenging for “Vincent” given some physical setbacks, Roth was able to thoroughly enjoy her time in the arena with the 13-year-old Royal Prince x Limaro M Hanoverian gelding owned by her partner James Gerhart.
“It’s a wonderful piece of music and choreography, and all the great things the judges always really seem to like,” shared Roth of her test designed by her client Kathryn Rizzoni. “Vincent is kind of held together by baling twine and duct tape. He’s my scratch-and-dent guy. Every day that I get to ride him, I’m thankful. I can always count on him to be a good sport at a horse show. He’s so sweet and willing.”
Martin Kuhn Is Developing the Next Generation of Stars
Martin Kuhn and his wife Kathryn Fleming-Kuhn have several horses they are involved with at the Finals. Between the two of them, they have five rides plus about 10 client combinations to assist. On day two, however, it might have been young star Damascus EP that shone the brightest. Despite a spook, Kuhn piloted his wife’s five-year-old American Oldenburg stallion by Don Olymbrio to 70.467% in the Training Level Open Championship. The test included several eights from judges Sarah Geike at H and Gillette Brown at C, and even a nine for the final halt and salute from judge at B Cindi Wylie.
“I’m happy that he stayed listening to me mostly; that’s always something to consider with young horses,” admitted Kuhn, who qualified through Region 4. “I’ve actually loved him from the get-go. He has so much elasticity, pop, and talent. The feeling reminds me of my wife’s very successful, now-developing grand prix horse, and so I’m hopeful that the sky’s the limit with this Damascus, too.”
Kuhn and his wife generally purchase their horses as babies, with Fleming-Kuhn’s encyclopedic knowledge of bloodlines playing a key role in the selection process. They then develop the horses themselves, bringing them methodically up the levels. For Kuhn, he cannot imagine forming a partnership with a horse in a better way.
“I think anybody who doesn’t enjoy the process is really missing out on the incredible opportunities that that brings us,” he said. “Developing horses is really what we enjoy the most. It’s something quite magical, and there’s something ineffable about it that’s very hard to describe. Anybody who hasn’t had that privilege, and it is indeed a privilege, is missing out for certain.”
Sarah Isham and Kaptain Jack V.O.D. Commandeer a Finals Debut Win
Sarah Isham purchased Kaptain Jack V.O.D., her own 11-year-old KWPN gelding by Giovanni x Michelangelo in the Netherlands three years ago. Since then, the pair have been working hard at home establishing their partnership. With the US Dressage Finals as a goal in 2026, they made the long journey from Houston, TX, to compete in the Fourth Level Adult Amateur Championship. Their Finals debut was certainly one to remember, earning 68.75% from judges Ulf Wadeborn at H, Kari McClain at C, and Brian MacMahon at B to best the field of 23 combinations.
“I’m super grateful that we’ve been able to make it here,” expressed Isham, who qualified through Region 2. “It has been amazing and inspiring to have so many horses, so many arenas, and such quality riders all in one place. It’s a great reflection of all that we’ve accomplished to be here, but also all that there is still to do. I absolutely adore him.”
Competition continues on Saturday, October 31, with 14 more championship titles to be awarded across the daytime and evening sessions. Follow all the action via the USDF Facebook page and USDF Instagram page. Full results are published live on HorseShowOffice.com.
Out and About
Photos by Amanda Morse, Kevin Reinig, and the USDF team
Alongside its top-level competitions, gala evening performances on Friday and Saturday nights, competitor parties, and Halloween costume competitions, the 2026 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® offers a wide selection of shopping opportunities from an array of equestrian fashion, feed, equipment vendors, and more.
All championship classes are livestreamed on USEF Network via ClipMyHorse.TV, with expert commentary from Kathy Connelly in the Sanctuary Arena. Along with presenting sponsor Adequan®, the 2026 US Dressage Finals is supported by SmartPak and Platinum Performance. Contributing sponsors include Premier Equestrian, Sterling Thompson Equine, Schneiders, and Nutrena. Learn more by visiting the US Dressage Finals website.
