Last Updated on February 23, 2025 by adminahb
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén & Hyatt. Photo ©susanjstickle.com
The second and final set of individual medals was awarded in the Starpoint Dancesport FEI Nations Cup CDIO3* Grand Prix Special on Saturday of week seven at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. After leading the Swedish team to bronze on Thursday in the opening leg of the 2025 series, Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén struck individual gold in the Special riding Lövsta Stuteri’s Hyatt to a clean sweep and 73.638% — a new combination best in this test.
Jemma Heran piloted her own 13-year-old Totilas gelding Total Recall into the silver medal spot with 68.489%. At this show in 2024, Heran’s trainer Frederic Wandres garnered team gold for Germany and individual freestyle bronze riding Total Recall.
To add to the multitude of flags on the podium in this year’s Special, Wandres’ partner Lars Ligus represented Germany and picked up bronze, riding Hof Kasselmann’s 15-year-old Sandro Hit gelding Santiago to 67.404%. Erin Nichols was the top finishing U.S. rider, slotting into fourth with 67% on the 16-year-old Elian Royale.
Vilhelmson Silfvén is enjoying a fruitful season with the 13-year-old Hyatt. The pair has won three of their four starts at the 2025 AGDF and finished second in the other.
“I’m so happy it went well this weekend too, because after the great first weekend we had [after a competition break of seven months], there was pressure for it to go well, and it went even better,” said the seven-time Olympian and AGDF regular. “She was a bit spooky in the grand prix, but today she was perfect, and that special test is a perfect test for her.
“It’s really special to represent your country and, being so far away from home, it’s a big responsibility and there were some extra nerves as a result,” she added. “Today, I could trust that I could have Hyatt’s power on without her looking at a flower or the people opening and closing doors. She was so focused on me that I could put in a lot of energy. She’s so ambitious; I just have to breathe, and she does it.”
Perry-Glass Leads Dutch-Bred Sweep
Dutch-bred KWPN horses were untouchable in the day’s other top-level class, the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix Special sponsored by Iron Spring Farm, filling the first four places. Kasey Perry-Glass finished clear of the chasing pack to net the blue ribbon for the second time in AGDF 7, riding Heartbeat WP to 72.362%, yet another combination high score produced this week.
All but one of the athletes in the class represented the U.S., but Great Britain’s Susan Pape broke the stranglehold, slotting into second with 70.851% on Harmony’s Giulilanta, a 14-year-old Jazz x Flemmingh daughter. Caroline Roffman rode Libertee into third place with 68.617%. At just nine years old, the Franklin x Donnerhall gelding owned by Carben Farms was the youngest horse in the class.
Perry-Glass was delighted with Heartbeat’s progress over the week, saying of her mother Diane Perry’s 13-year-old Charmeur gelding: “The last centerline was a tricky spot for us last year and in the grand prix he got really hot. I love to be able to show that final ‘Wow!’ on the final centerline and ‘Heart’ gave it to me today. It’s nice to have a horse with that energy.
“Over the past few months, I’ve been leaning on my core group of girls and feeling like I can hone in on my ride. For a long time, I’ve felt like a pilot up there, and now I’m starting to be able to slow down the test in my mind and really start to produce more,” she continued.
by Alice Collins
Wellington International
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