By: United States Dressage Federation
September 25, 2024 – Lexington, KY – The 2024 Great American Insurance Group (GAIG)/United States Dressage Federation (USDF) was held at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) on September 18-22. Held for the first time at WEC – Ocala, Region 3 riders competed to qualify through to the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, on November 7-10, 2024.
A 20-year-old horse showed no signs of slowing down at the Region 3 Championships, held at World Equestrian Center – Ocala, FL, on September 18-22. AA competitor Amina Bursese rode the 15.2-hand PRE breeding stallion Fiti AL, by Jondo, to a Grand Prix double, topping both classes with scores over 67%.
“He’s actually getting better with age as he has always been very spicy, and now that he’s older, he’s letting me be the driver and not so much the passenger,” explained Bursese, who is based with her husband, Diego Gonzalez, in Jupiter, FL, and has brought Fiti up the levels over the past 11 years from First Level while they learned the dressage ropes together.
“Fiti is very fun because he has so much energy, but he’s never unsafe,” she continued. “That’s what makes him such a good grand prix horse; he is not fazed by any environment, and he could do the test five times in a day.”
Bursese runs the operations for the couple’s two businesses, one of which is a tequila manufacturer. A picture of Fiti features on the artwork of the brand’s añejo bottle because he is the team’s oldest horse. They have also recently branched out into breeding, with the oldest crop of foals almost ready to be started under saddle.
“These Spanish horses are so amazing,” enthused Bursese, who trains with Lisa Wilcox as well as her husband. “They’re so sensitive and forgiving and easy to learn on. They teach you really fast what you should and shouldn’t do. The freestyle is my favorite thing to do. I use music from Cirque du Soleil, which really suits him. He knows when the music comes on that it’s time to party.”
Bonnie Canter was a triple winner with her talented pair of horses. On the five-year-old 15.2-hand Vitalis son Vitalissohn, Canter was unbeaten, picking up both the First Level and Second Level Championship titles with high scores. Their top score of 74.048% in the Second Level class set them atop the pile of 19 starters, while 71.25% at First Level claimed them a second ticket to Finals in an enormous class of 46, which ran all day. Canter’s 7:38 a.m. ride time meant she had a long and anxious wait for the final result.
Her eight-year-old Vilancio gelding Vitali — who also stands at 15.2-hands — delivered Canter’s third win with 71.612% in the Intermediate Freestyle and a third place at the level in the straight class.
Another combination who could not be caught was Brie Seltser and her own six-year-old American-bred Friesian, Grietinus Fan Hoptille. The eye-catching pair danced to a duo of freestyle championship victories, taking the First Level sash on 73.306% and the Second Level with 71.461%. Seltser is the owner and head trainer at SilverStride Equestrian in Ocala, FL, and she has a particular affinity with the Friesian breed.
Anna Marek and Fayvel were unstoppable at Grand Prix Open level, stamping their authority on the straight class with 73.587%, and upped the ante to top the Freestyle with 78.212%. Cynthia Davila’s 14-year-old gelding by Zizi Top is back from a busy travel season, finishing eighth in the World Cup® Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in April and competing in Germany during the summer.
Marek rode her own Lareau DE to the top of a hot Prix St. Georges Open Championship, posting 72.868% on the eight-year-old gelding by Rousseau. It was a huge class, with 33 combinations going down centerline.
The 2024 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® is a national, head-to-head competition that showcases competitors in Adult Amateur and Open divisions. Classes run at Training Level through Grand Prix, plus freestyle to music divisions and sections for Junior/Young Riders at Training Level through Intermediate I Level. There is more than $125,000 in prize money up for grabs over the four days. Learn more at www.usdf.org/usdressagefinals/index.asp.