Ocala, FL – Dressage returned to World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) for the April Dressage CDI4* presented by Hampton Green Farm on Thursday, April 10, 2025, and welcomed horses and riders into the WEC Grand Arena for competition. The Grand Prix CDI4* presented by MARS Equestrian had an Ebeling theme, with son Benjamin and father Jan taking the top two spots. Benjamin Ebeling (USA) and Bellena, owned by Vantage Equestrian Group, furthered their short partnership together with the win, while Jan Ebeling (USA) and Jubi’s Tenacity, owned by Ann Romney, took the second-place spot.
In only their seventh CDI class together, Ben Ebeling of Wellington, FL, and Bellena delivered a smooth test for a score of 68.717% from the judges’ panel, which included Dr. Sven-Günter Rothenberger (NED), Agnieszka Majewska (POL), Magnus Ringmark (SWE), Peter Holler (GER), and Debbie Rodriguez (USA). Jan Ebeling and Jubi’s Tenacity, a 15-year-old Danish Warmblood mare (Tailormade Temptation x Don Schufro), were close behind with a score of 68.065%. Denielle Gallagher (CAN) and Come Back de Massa, a 13-year-old Lusitano gelding (Galopin de la Font x Quixote SDS) owned by Gallagher and Ellen Lazarus, were third with 67.630%.
While Ebeling has only been showing with Bellena since February 2025, they have been in the top five in every class, including two wins in CDI3* competition last week.
“Though our score was not as high as our Grand Prix from last week, I actually had a better feeling tonight,” explained Ebeling of his test. “She was a little more with me. It’s a marriage between horse and rider. You can’t ask for too much early on. I think you kind of have to steady your way into it, and in six months to a year’s time from now, we’re going to be looking even better than we did tonight. I’m really excited about the partnership.”
Ebeling took over the ride on Bellena from his father Jan, who has ridden and trained the 15-year-old Hanoverian mare (Belissimo M x Welser) since she was a young horse. Ebeling noted it was a “group decision” for him to take over the reins.
“He’s done a really incredible job with Bellena — I have to say, I think it was the best job he ever did, and I’m really lucky that we’ve got that pipeline between me and my dad,” remarked Ebeling. “As he gets a little bit older, he’s transitioning to more of a coaching role and a developer-of-horses role and less of a competing role. Of course, he did fantastic tonight, and it was just so fun to be competing with him. I think our riding styles are very similar, and I think that’s why this horse and I are working very well together early on in our career.”
At only 25 years old, Ebeling has already represented the U.S. in five-star nations’ cups in Aachen, Germany, and Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and he competed in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final last year with Indeed. Riding Bellena, he has had to adjust his riding to her way of going.
“She’s a different ride than I’ve been used to,” he noted. “I think my job up there is to really just settle her into a slower rhythm than she wants to do, and it takes a lot of focus on my part in a different way than I’ve felt in the past. Normally I’m focused more on connection and access to the hind leg but she offers that to me already. It’s about staying really steady with my body and maintaining balance all the way throughout the test.
“She’s a really hot horse; she’s a chestnut mare,” he added, “but if you ride everything very easy and slow down her tempo, her mind stays very calm. That’s a little bit about what we’ve been working on and what she’s teaching me.”
Ebeling and Bellena will compete in their first Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday evening with a new test and music that was just completed. He thanked Bellena’s new owners, Vantage Equestrian, as well as his sponsors and grooms, Maria Force and Olivia Colella. “They all do so much for me,” he said. “When something comes together like this, it’s never just one person.”
Duncan and New Partner Victorious
With a partnership that has only spanned just over a month, Alexandra Duncan and Hitmaker were able to put the pieces together to win the Grand Prix CDI3* presented by MARS Equestrian. The pair posted a score of 68.413% in their first CDI competition together following a national show one week ago.
Ivo Jührend (NED) and Black Diamond, an 11-year-old Hungarian Warmblood gelding (Vezér x Undigo) owned by Savannah Show Stables LLC, placed second with a score of 63.978%. Third place with a score of 63.609% went to Charlotte Jorst (USA) and GPF’s S-Express, a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding by Sezuan x Sir Donnerhall I owned by Kastel Denmark.
Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Duncan runs both a dressage training and sales business as well as a jumper sales business in Wellington, FL. She found Hitmaker in Holland where the horse was a breeding stallion and competing at the grand prix level with Dutch rider Jennifer Sekreve. Duncan is based at the Palm Beach Equine Sports Complex, adjacent to the Palm Beach Equine Clinic, which handles all of the breeding and reproduction needs for her three stallions, and the stallions’ breeding programs are managed by Brass Stables in Kentucky.
“I saw his quality, and he just had that ‘it factor,’” said Duncan of the 13-year-old KWPN stallion by Wynton x Cabochon. “I saw him, tried him, and I said, ‘This is it.’ He’s got a lot of good babies in Europe, and it will be nice to start producing some here. Breeding is a big passion of mine. I really want to be able to have top stallions and access to them here.”
While their partnership is brand new, Duncan knows that she has something special in Hitmaker. “We’re developing a really close bond,” she said. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with him, we are getting to know each other, and taking training quietly. We’ve created this bond that really I don’t have words for.”
That bond came into play as Duncan and Hitmaker entered the WEC Grand Arena, which has an incredible atmosphere. “It was really a treat to be able to go in there,” said Duncan, who has competed at WEC – Ocala regularly. “He stayed really focused. As long as I stay calm, he’s right there with me. And I felt relaxed and happy with him.
“I’m still getting to know him in the ring,” she continued. “I took a little bit more risk where I could, but he still needs to get a little bit stronger after traveling and everything. I felt like the lead changes were a highlight, his piaffe/passage was really super, and his pirouettes. I’m not pushing him yet for the full power because everything’s still new, but he really stayed with me and gave me a nice feeling in there.”
Duncan has been training for two months with U.S. Olympic dressage medalist and past team Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover. She expressed, “He has been so positive, enthusiastic, and he has attention to detail. It’s a really good partnership, him and I.”
Duncan and Hitmaker will return to the show ring on Saturday, April 12, for the Grand Prix Special CDI3*.
Full Show Results and Ride Times
The April Dressage CDI4* continues on Friday, April 11, with classes for Children’s, Junior, Young Rider, Under 25, Young Horse, and Amateur riders. The Small Tour kicks off with the Prix St. Georges CDI1* at 2pm, and the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4* is the main event under the lights in the WEC Grand Arena at 7pm.