By Alice Collins for Wellington International
Wellington, Fla. – January 8, 2026—Nine riders from five different countries lined up for the first of the three FEI World Cup™ qualifiers set to be held during the 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) season in Wellington, FL. AGDF is the only dressage circuit of its kind in the world and hosts seven weeks of CDI competition running through March 29.
Locally-based U.S. rider Christian Simonson, who recently vaulted up the FEI Dressage World Ranking to no. 15, extended his unbeaten streak on Indian Rock to seven wins when claiming the IDA Development FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix with 76.043% on the opening day of AGDF, Lloyd Landkamer Memorial Week. The score represented a new personal best for the 23-year-old Simonson and Zen Elite Equestrian Center’s 13-year-old Apache x Vivaldi stallion, a pair that has become a formidable team in their year together.
Christian Simonson & Indian Rock. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Geñay Vaughn (USA) made the trip from her California home base and claimed the runner-up spot on her mother Michele Vaughn’s 15-year-old Gino (Bretton Woods x Haarlem). The duo, who competed at the 2025 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in Switzerland, scored 70.87% and will be seeking qualification once again. Swedish rider Caroline Darcourt piloted Lövsta Stuteri’s 16-year-old Lord Django (Stalypso x Londonderry) into third place with 69.196%.
Points towards qualification for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final will be determined in Friday evening’s FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle. A victory for Simonson would set him atop the North American League with 60 points, the maximum available, and likely hand him a starting berth at the final, set for April 8-12 in Fort Worth, Texas.
“The test today felt amazing,” enthused Simonson, who was awarded a handful of nines for the piaffe/passage work and one for the right pirouette. “This was the first time he and I were both in this ring at Global and each time we’re showing him, I’m learning little bits and pieces. He and I have such a great relationship together and the bond feels really special.”
Watch The Winning Test
The high score for the pair also represented a career best score for the horse, who previously competed for two years at international grand prix level under Dutch rider Emmelie Scholtens, including at the 2023 European Championships in Germany, and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Simonson attributed his much-improved score—their previous best was 74.804%—to listening to his coach Adrienne Lyle.
“I just do what she tells me to,” he laughed. “We’ve also worked on finding the right rhythm and balance in the piaffe/passage. We work on accuracy, frame, balance, and things like the zig-zags and changes, which add so many extra points [because of their doubling coefficient]. All those pieces chunked together are probably what made the big jump today. I still can’t believe the score, though—holy cow.”
Simonson may have been presenting Indian Rock in the famous AGDF arena for the first time, but his personal history with the venue goes back a long way. In 2018, he made his international Young Rider debut on FRH Rassolini. Today, “Rocky” was unphased by the buzzy new atmosphere and Simonson praised his attitude and willing adjustability.
“His scope is unbelievable of course, but in the ring, I can ask him to turn it up a bit or flatten out and he says, ‘Okay, I got it.’ I can depend on him,” he said. “Everything’s so clear and it feels like he and I are in one communication together.”
Christian Simonson & Indian Rock are presented as winners of the IDA Development FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix by Judge at C Cesar Torrente. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Simonson is excited ahead of Friday night’s freestyle class: “I’ve always watched it and thought, ‘Man, one day I really want to do Friday Night Lights.’ It will be really special just to enter the ring and when it’s dark, that’s really cool in and of itself.”
Click here for full results from the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, sponsored by IDA Development.
Orlob and Jane: Unanimous Winners
In the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, sponsored by La Donaira Lusitanos—the qualifier for Saturday’s FEI Grand Prix Special—Marcus Orlob (USA) laid down an emphatic win on Alice Tarjan’s 12-year-old Jane (Desperado x Metall) with the only plus-70% score in the class. Of the nine starters, they were the unanimous choice of all five judges and finished on a score of 71.391% despite very low marks across the board for the one-time changes, which carry a double coefficient.
Marcus Orlob & Jane. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Orlob’s compatriot Katherine Bateson Chandler rode Jennifer Huber’s 14-year-old mare Haute Couture (Connaisseur x Krack C) into second with 69.261%, their best score in the Grand Prix since June 2024. Germany’s Michael Klimke slotted into third riding Harmony Sporthorses’ Harmony’s Dante’s Peak, a 10-year-old by Dante Weltino x Desperados, to 68.587%. Klimke also finished fifth on Harmony’s Zomancier.
Click here for full results from the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, sponsored by La Donaira Lusitanos.
Dressage resumes on Friday, January 9, with daytime classes including Ponies, Juniors, Young Riders and U25, as well as the marquee class, the IDA Development FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle under lights during Friday Night Lights, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET. The free spectator seating alongside the main arena is now covered, so visitors will be protected from Florida’s sun and occasional winter rain all season long. Opening week of AGDF runs through Sunday, January 11. For more information, live streams, and results, visit www.wellingtoninternational.com.
