Christian Simonson and the Dutch Olympic team horse Indian Rock made a remarkable international debut at the CDI Ocala, scoring 70.543% in their first Grand Prix test together. The 22-year-old rider, who has been training under Adrienne Lyle since acquiring the 12-year-old KWPN stallion in December 2024, showcased their partnership after five months of preparation. They topped the leaderboard, followed closely by Anna Marek on Fire Fly and Katie Duerrhammer on Vividus QRE.
In the Grand Prix for Freestyle, Benjamin Ebeling and his horse Bellena achieved a personal best score of 70.435%, highlighting a standout piaffe that impressed the judges. Ebeling, who took over the ride from his father, expressed his growing confidence in Bellena and their journey towards a cleaner performance. Earlier, he also won the Prix St. Georges CDI1* on another horse, Pestano van de Kampert.
Both Simonson and Ebeling continued their success with double victories on May 24. Simonson scored 74.277% in the Grand Prix Special, feeling more in sync with Indian Rock after their initial outing. Ebeling and Bellena set a new high score of 76.190% in the Grand Prix Freestyle, showcasing their evolving partnership and musical performance. Anna Marek and Fayvel also performed well, securing second place in the freestyle with a score of 75.620%.
