Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by adminahb
Fiona Howard & Vianne. Photo ©Centre Line Media
Wellington, Fla. – March 9, 2026 — The all-female, all-conquering U.S. Para Dressage Team bagged the gold medal in the Week 9 CPEDI3*, presented by Harmony Sporthorses, Mission Control and Adequan®, at the 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. Spearheaded by record-breaking scores from the freshly minted Grade II combination of Fiona Howard and Vianne, the team laid down a total of 446.238 points to second-placed Canada’s 389.503 points. The U.S. team was led by U.S. Para Dressage Chef d’Equipe and Technical Advisor, Michel Assouline, along with Team Leader Laureen Johnson.
At this show in 2025, Howard stormed to a new Grade II Freestyle world record of 83.276% on Diamond Dunes. This year, the gifted 27-year-old rider stepped into the stirrups of Kate Shoemaker’s Olympic bronze medalist Vianne just days before the CPEDI and produced dazzling Grade II world records in each of their three appearances. They logged a winning 78.85% in Friday’s CPEDI3* Para Grand Prix A Test, following it up a day later with an 80.444% Grand Prix B Test, with all three judges awarding at least 80%. They scored a perfect 10 from every judge for the stretching walk half circle.
On Sunday, the duo notched their third world record in as many days, laying down 84.934% in the Grade II Freestyle — with a winning margin of more than 18 percentage points over the second-placed combination.
The results would have been a spectacular achievement for any combination, let alone for a horse and rider making their competition debut. Moreover, Howard, who won triple gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, was hospitalized for seven weeks this winter after undergoing kidney surgery in December 2025.
Until now, the 10-year-old Vianne (Vitalis x Ramiro’s Bube) has been campaigned by owner Shoemaker, including in able-bodied big tour international classes. Shoemaker — who was on the winning U.S. Team in Wellington with her own 10-year-old Sezuan gelding, Supreme — is Howard’s long-time coach, and these astonishing results were proof of the detail-oriented relationship the two talented athletes have forged.
“Because I’d never shown Vianne before, I didn’t know what to expect, but Kate told me that I can totally trust her, and I trust Kate,” said Howard, who has dystonia, a neuromuscular disease that causes her muscles to contract and twist involuntarily. “I’m super grateful to Kate for the opportunity to ride this horse. It was an incredible week, and it’s all testament to her training, her coaching and the team of the three of us coming together. To walk away with three world records is incredible.”
Wellington International
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