Eleven Reigning Champions To Contest 2026 US Dressage Finals

The 13th running of the US Dressage (USDF) Finals presented by Adequan® will be held October 29 through November 1, 2026. For the second consecutive year, World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Wilmington, OH, will host the major national championship for juniors/young riders, adult amateurs (AA), and open riders, with classes from Training Level through Grand Prix and more than $125,000 in prize money. Click here for the prize list. 

No fewer than 11 of the 2025 champions are expected to return to the 2026 competition — some to defend their titles, others to campaign at new levels. The premier event attracts competitors from every corner of the country, all aiming to capture the sashes, ribbons, and titles on offer. Championship classes, which are livestreamed on USEF Network via ClipMyHorse, are held in climate-controlled arenas, and horses are housed in WEC – Wilmington’s more than 750 permanent climate-controlled stalls, minimizing disruptions from unpredictable fall weather in the region.

Winner’s circle regular Heather Mason, from Lebanon, NJ, returns to the show with her 2025 open champions, Manuskript SCF and Rock It P. Manuskript SCF, a nine-year-old by Jazz x Krack C, is entered in three small tour classes this year, including two in which he will defend his titles. Rock It P (by Grand Galaxy Win x Everdale) was a double First Level champion in 2025 and will step up to compete in the straight and freestyle championships at Second Level.

Mason always brings a large group of students and clients to Finals, and this year is no exception: she will be helping 20 riders with 30 horses — 10 amateurs and 10 professionals.

“I’m very happy to be going back to WEC – Wilmington for Finals,” said Mason. “It’s such a great show to end the year with and offers great exposure and learning experiences for the horses. I decided to leave my other horses Sagacious P and Zhowie at home, even though they were qualified too, so I can have more time to coach my clients.”

Among those clients is returning champion Emily O’Neill, who rode MW Empire to the Second Level Open title in 2025 and now returns at Third Level. Another of Mason’s clients is the prolific Adult Amateur Christina Morin-Graham, who earned three big tour titles with her two mares DSP Dauphin and Mondlicht in 2025. The rider from Malvern, PA, has again qualified both the Damon Hill daughter DSP Dauphin and her Sarkozy mare Mondlicht, with the latter entered in all three AA big tour classes.

However, Morin-Graham does not plan to measure her success by the ribbon color. 

“I’m always just grateful to have horses who are fit and well,” she explained. “I don’t put too much pressure on myself; I’m just happy to be there and want to be a better rider for my horses. I focus less on my scores and defending my titles and more on actually improving. I have a growth mindset, and I’m more competitive with myself than with anyone else. So if I don’t defend my titles but ride better than last year, that’s a win for me.”

Morin-Graham praised the climate-controlled facilities at WEC – Wilmington, adding: “The new venue for the Finals is fantastic. As a middle-aged rider with poor circulation, it was almost not viable for me to compete outside in November. We had a great time last year, so kudos to USDF for the shift that helps both horses and riders. Heather always brings so many people to Finals, and she’s so committed and gets everyone prepped. She’s outstanding, with so much wisdom and experience to offer.” 

Sarah Pyne’s remarkable story with her former three-star eventer Dirhon C is still being written. The 14-year-old gelding switched to dressage after falling very ill with EHV-5 — the equine herpes virus — four years ago, which permanently reduced his lung capacity. In 2025, the Diarado son surpassed all Pyne’s expectations, taking home the winner’s sash in the Fourth Level Freestyle AA championship. This year, they will leap up to Intermediate I level, which Pyne admits is a tall order. 

“Last year we were pretty dialed in at that level, and I knew we could be competitive,” she explained. “We’re not coming back in quite the same competitive fashion because we just moved up to the I1, so we’re still figuring the test out. This year’s aim is a solid test in front of a panel of high-quality judges.

“It’s been so much fun to learn, grow, and move up the levels with Dirhon,” continued Pyne, a residential architect. “My trainer, Susanne Hamilton, wants him to go as high as he can, but I’ve been really putting her through the wringer. Not only have I moved, so all the training is online with Pivo, but she has to teach both him and me everything for every level since neither of us has done these movements before.”

Since transitioning to dressage, Pyne has become an evangelist for the discipline, persuading numerous friends to make the switch.

“I’m picking up my cousin Kathryn Schick on the way this year,” she said. “I convinced her to try dressage with her ex-upper-level eventer, and this is her first Finals. I told another friend with a barrel-racing background to try dressage. There have been others, too — all with horses that failed out of their original careers, but with owners who love them. Dressage is a great place for them to land career-wise.” 

Lauren Chumley and her distinctive 10-year-old mare, Leeloo Dallas, whom she bought unseen as a foal from Arizona breeder Racheal McKinney, were the Intermediate II Open champions in 2025 and will return to the Finals at the show’s highest level.

“I’m excited to bring her back even though she’s super green at the level — this will be the fourth grand prix of her career, so I don’t have crazy expectations,” said Chumley, who is competing six of the nine horses traveling from her barn in Pittstown, NJ, to the Finals, including Leeloo Dallas’ four-year-old half-brother — out of the same Negro dam and by Lord Leatherdale — at Training Level.

“I’m thrilled Leeloo has come this far at her age and is super happy in the work,” she continued. “It’s awesome to ride in that gorgeous arena in front of great judges. I love going to Finals; all my friends will be there, and that’s always fun.”

Chumley’s entourage includes her trainer, Michael Bragdell, who is also competing, and her student, Mila Perry, who won two AA classes on the Jameson RS2 mare Jabberwocky Eden in 2025. Chumley helped Perry find Jabberwocky Eden as a three-year-old, and the pair have qualified for this year’s Finals in four classes.

The 14-year-old rider Grace Christianson has also climbed the competition ladder with Outsider DRH. In 2025, she rode the then six-year-old Spielberg gelding to the Training Level Jr/YR title. This year, the duo returns to contend in the Third Level Jr/YR class and the Open Third Level Freestyle. Cody Armstrong Pierce and the six-year-old Floriscount mare Rhapsofloria have made an equally impressive leap up the levels. The 2025 Open Training Level champions will contest the Third Level championship in 2026.

Returning 2025 champion combinations:

• 2025 Training Open champions Cody Armstrong Pierce and Rhapsofloria are entered in Third Level Open in 2026

• 2025 Second Open champions Nora Batchelder and Gnomonic are entered in Third Level Open, Fourth Level Open, and Fourth Level Open Freestyle

• 2025 Training Jr/YR champions Grace Christianson and Outsider DRH are entered in Third Level Jr/YR and Third Level Open Freestyle

• 2025 Intermediate II Open champions Lauren Chumley and Leeloo Dallas are entered in Grand Prix Open and Grand Prix Open Freestyle

• 2025 Prix St. Georges Open and Intermediate I Open Freestyle champions Heather Mason and Manuskript SCF are entered in Prix St. Georges Open, Intermediate I Open, and Intermediate Open Freestyle. 2025 First Level Open and First Level Open Freestyle champions Mason and Rock It P are entered in Second Level Open and Second Level Open Freestyle

• 2025 Grand Prix AA and Grand Prix AA Freestyle champions Christina Morin-Graham and DSP Dauphin are entered in Grand Prix AA and Grand Prix AA Freestyle. 2025 Intermediate II AA champions Morin-Graham on Mondlicht are entered in Intermediate II AA, Grand Prix AA, and Grand Prix AA Freestyle

• 2025 Second Level Freestyle Open champions Emily O’Neill and MW Empire are entered in Third Level Freestyle Open

• 2025 Training Level AA and First Level AA champions Mila Perry and Jabberwocky Eden are entered in First Level AA, First Level AA Freestyle, Second Level AA, and Second Level AA Freestyle

• 2025 Fourth Level Open Freestyle champions Kymberly Pullen and Mojito are entered in Intermediate I Open Freestyle

• 2025 Fourth Level AA Freestyle champions Sarah Pyne on Dirhon C are entered in Intermediate I AA

• 2025 First Level Jr/YR and Second Level Jr/YR champions Autumn Vavrick on One De La Fazenda are entered in Third Level Jr/YR and Third Level Open Freestyle

Riders competing at the 2026 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® qualified through nine Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships held in late September and early October. The 2026 Finals implemented a new, simplified entry process, eliminating the declaration and nomination processes. The top four eligible horse/rider combinations were automatically invited, and many minimum scores to earn a wildcard were reduced. See the US Dressage Finals Eligibility Document for more information.

A United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)-rated competition — the USDF Fall Classic — runs alongside the US Dressage Finals. It is open to both Finals and non-Finals horses, allowing competitors to bring additional horses to take advantage of WEC – Wilmington’s outstanding facilities.

Alongside its top-level competitions, the 2026 US Dressage Finals offers a wide selection of shopping opportunities from an array of vendors, giving spectators the ideal opportunity to restock their favorite equestrian items, browse the latest styles, or pick up holiday gifts. 

For those who cannot attend, the Finals livestream is free to watch on USEF Network. Along with presenting sponsor Adequan®, the 2026 US Dressage Finals is supported by SmartEquine and Platinum Performance. Contributing sponsors include Premier Equestrian, Sterling Thompson Equine, Schneiders, and Nutrena. 

Learn more by visiting the US Dressage Finals website.