May 25, 2025 – Ocala, FL – It was another impressive performance in the Grand Prix Special CDI3* presented by The Fix Aesthetic Clinic as Christian Simonson (USA) and Indian Rock, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center, took their second victory in their first international competition. The class was a highlight of Saturday evening, May 24, 2025, during the May Dressage CDI3* presented by Hampton Green Farm at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC).
Simonson and Indian Rock received 74.277% in the Grand Prix Special CDI3*, with two judges scoring over 75% and the judge at C giving more than 76%. The pair received a nine on their final piaffe from the judge at E.
With a class under their belt, Simonson felt that he had a better idea of what to expect going into the Special. “I think on Friday, it was a little bit of new ground for both him and I,” he related. “Going on the second day, I had kind of a game plan of knowing, ‘This is the cycle of aids I need to have outside of the ring to get him really focused.’ And I think once he knew that he was like, ‘Okay, Dad, I know what we’re doing now,’ and then was super focused on me throughout the whole test.”
Simonson felt that his passage/extended trot tour was a highlight of the test and that “Rocky tried his absolute heart out.” He added, “He has so much scope and ability in those movements. It feels like you’re kind of flying through that part of the test. His lead changes are like nothing else and also in his half-passes and lateral work I can see his legs beneath me. I can just feel all the elasticity. It’s a really, really fun, amazing feeling.”
While Indian Rock is a 12-year-old KWPN stallion (Apache x Vivaldi) with more than 100 babies on the ground, Simonson said, “He is such a gentleman. He’s the sweetest, kindest stallion. He is incredibly smart, well mannered, and a really calm, sensitive soul.”
At a competition, the obvious focus is on riding and what happens in the show ring, but Simonson noted that his trainer, U.S. Olympic team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle, has helped him think about horse management and what goes into keeping an international dressage horse at the top level.
“She has been the biggest guiding light that I could ever ask for,” he acknowledged. “She’s so brilliant at many things, and one of those is having a very strategic and methodical plan, because she is a really amazing horsewoman.”
It was big news when Indian Rock was purchased and that Simonson would ride the horse that competed in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and won at the five-star level. The attention may put extra pressure on some riders, but Simonson said it is a privilege.
“I feel truly very honored, and I love the sport of dressage,” he explained. “I would do this sport if there were a million people watching me, or if there was no one watching me. I like the process of training the horses and competing them. Working with Adrienne and the team for me is the best part about it, so having some extra eyeballs on me as a result of that is totally okay with me, because I try to focus on the things that I want to improve in myself, which is my education and my horsemanship. I just want to keep learning and progressing in the sport as much as I can.
“I really feel so darn lucky, and especially to have this opportunity from Zen Elite, Adrienne, and the whole team,” he continued. “I feel so lucky every day to work with these amazing horses. And that’s like the win in and of itself.”
Anna Marek and Fire Fly, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding (Briar Junior x OO Seven) owned by Janet Simile, scored 70.064% for second place. Third place with 68.319% went to Katie Duerrhammer (USA) and Vividus QRE, a 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Zaladin MI x Don Charly) owned by Kylee Lourie.
Grand Prix Special CDI3* Results
Full Show Results and Ride Times
Dressage returns to WEC – Ocala on July 12-13 with USEF/USDF national competition, and again with USEF/USDF competitions on August 22-24 and October 18-19. International competition resumes on November 12-16 with CDI3* classes, and riders can earn World Cup-qualifying points on December 10-14 during the CDI-W.