The entries in the Markel/USEF 7-Year-Old division completed their second of two tests on Friday. The FEI 7-Year-Old Final Test contributes 60% of the overall score with the remaining 40% coming from Thursday’s FEI 7-Year-Old  Preliminary Test.

With wins in both tests, Rosebank VH and Katie Duerrhammer (Greenwood Village, Colorado) secured the overall championship. The judging panel gave the Swedish Warmblood stallion (Revolution—Darling II VH), owned by Kylee Lourie, high marks across the board, including a score of 10 for his trot, for a total score of 82.81%.

“Usually his canter is the higher scoring gait,” said Duerrhammer. “We’ve been tweaking some things over the summer with his trot, and I feel like he’s gotten a lot stronger. What I think really sells him in all of his gaits is his overwhelming harmony. Hearing a 10 and hearing that he’s improved that much and that everybody is seeing him for the potential I know he has, is really exciting.”

Duerrhammer has worked with “Ross” since Lourie purchased him during the summer of his 5-year-old year, and it’s been a rewarding partnership.

“He is just the most incredible character you could possibly want. He just tries his heart out all day long,” she said. “I haven’t ridden the preliminary test very much, and so I was a little nervous going into it because he’s a younger horse, and usually they like to really know where they’re going. But he stuck with me the whole time and tried really hard and had no mistakes. What I’ve been learning about him is he really wants to do the right thing. He’s shown me, especially this year, that if I do my job right and ride him like our plan and don’t override and get in his way, he’ll do the rest. That was exactly what my coach Adrienne Lyle and I planned going in today, was to keep it the same and turn up the heat on the trot a little bit, and then just let him do his job at the canter. He took me the whole way through, and it’s one of those rides I’ll remember for a long time.”

Second place in the final test went to Saskatoon OMF and Christopher Hickey of Wellington, Florida. Their final test score of 78.20% moved the Hanoverian gelding (San Amour I—Dolce Nera) into the reserve champion position. This year marked the third consecutive Festival of Champions outing for Saskatoon and Hickey, and the talented young gelding has made notable progress in that time.

“He’s always a very good, well-behaved horse at home, but we have a very quiet, private place,” Hickey explained. “In the beginning, he’d get to horse shows and he’d become undone and was very overstimulated, which took me by surprise because he was such a good boy at home. Each year that he’s been here, he’s been more and more calm and relaxed. He is quite a sensitive horse, and sometimes that hurt us in the early years, but now we can appreciate that sensitivity—he can be sensible and trained and still sensitive. It’s special for me and [Cecelia Stewart], his owner. We bought him when he was a foal, so we’re very excited and proud to have him from foal though FEI levels.”

Hickey and Saskatoon are part of the USEF Dressage Emerging Young Horse Program, which he says has been an asset to his development.

“Through that I get help from Christine Traurig, and it’s really great to have her in my corner as well,” he said. “I’ve had wonderful lessons with her this week, and I get virtual lessons with her at home as well. I’m also very thankful to Markel who have sponsored [the young and developing horse national championships] for so many years.”

With two third place finishes in the 7-year-old tests, Velantis N, a 2018 U.S.-bred Hanoverian stallion owned by Christiane Noelting and ridden by Christian Hartung (Vacaville, California) secured the third spot overall. This year was the first time the stars aligned for Velantis and Hartung to make the trip to Festival of Champions.

“This was his first trip away from the West Coast,” said Hartung. “I was a little bit worried about the humidity and how he’d cope with that, but he was perfectly fine.”

The judges awarded high marks to Velantis for all three gaits in both tests, including a 9.0 for his walk in the preliminary.

“I really appreciated that [the judges] enjoyed his canter,” said Hartung. “The walk was a lot better than I’ve had in the past. He really started loosening up here on the second one.”

“I was there when he was born; we’ve had him since he was a baby and I have been riding him since he was three, so it’s just amazing to see the journey that he has taken,” he added. “He’s really relaxed—that’s just his character. He’s not fazed by this environment. It’s just amazing to see.” 

Adequan ®/USEF Junior Dressage National Championship
Claire Tucker of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Finnur were the only pair in the Adequan/USEF Junior Dressage National Championship to break the 70% mark on their way to winning the title Friday at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions in Wayne, Illinois.

“Finn,” Tucker’s own 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding (For Romance I—Wapi Yo), had an average score of 70.395%.

“Finn felt amazing out there. He was super soft, with great energy but also incredible relaxation,” Tucker said. “We’ve been working so hard on that at home, and it really paid off. His walk is usually our weakest point, but this week—in both of our tests—it became a highlight. From the moment I got on in the warm-up, I knew he was going to be good. He just felt soft, supple, and swinging so well, and it carried right into the arena.”

Tucker added that the connection she felt in the warm-up set the tone for the entire test: “He felt electric, but also incredibly relaxed, and that confidence carried through every movement. It’s an amazing feeling to have that kind of partnership with your horse—when everything clicks, it feels effortless.”

Eila Fisk of Aiken, South Carolina, and Quaresma finished as reserve champions with an average score of 67.98%. “Today [Quaresma] was really with me. When I first went in the ring yesterday, he was a little tense because the Grand Prix ring is elevated. Today, I was able to manage it really well, and that connection was the most rewarding feeling from day one to day two,” Fisk said.

Fisk emphasized her appreciation for the horse’s temperament and learning ability: “He’s the most wonderful horse — so trusting, willing to work, and forgiving. He’s the best horse to learn on because he keeps improving every year. Next year, we’re hoping to move up to Young Riders, and I really think he has the talent for collection and the upper levels. Today was just a confirmation of everything we’ve been working toward and the amazing partnership we have.” 

USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final – 13 & Under
The 2025 Dressage Seat Medal Finals highlighted some of the nation’s top young talent, with Grace Christianson taking home gold with an impressive 90.00% aboard her own FHF Roulee, an 11-year-old American Warmblood (Routinier—Marelee du Bois). Earlier this summer, the pair earned gold at the 2025 FEI North American Youth Championships in both the Children’s Team and Individual tests, scoring a 9.5 for her position in each, an achievement that underscores the importance of strong Dressage Seat Equitation foundations.

“Honestly, I kind of thought of it as just getting in the ring with Roulee and having fun with her,” Christianson said, “It’s so fun being here, especially in the seat finals because you’re riding with so many incredible riders and you get such good feedback on your position and everything from the judges. Honestly, it feels really good because all of our hard work is finally starting to pay off—it just feels surreal.”

Katherine Bright (Auburn, Alabama) took silver on Lakota, a Mustang mare owned by Deborah Bright, finishing with a score of 88.00%. Bright emphasized her mare’s versatile temperament and how her experience in eventing helped her performance: “She’s very sassy, but she loves to do dressage, but we also do eventing. Knowing that we have competed at horse trials together—doing dressage, cross country, and show jumping—helps me calm down and focus in the ring, and today I was so proud of Lakota for helping me achieve my goal.”

The bronze medal went to Blakely Begonia (McDonald, Pennsylvania) aboard Lomansheide Brent, a 14-year-old New Forest Pony (Reekamp’s Eclips—Orchid’s Mysta), owned by Rebecca Dryer, scoring 87.00%. “It is truly an honor to compete in the medal finals at the age of 13,” Begonia said. “Even if you don’t get a medal, I recommend everyone do this—it’s such a great experience. My favorite thing about being here and competing with Brent is that he’s very sweet, but also has an edge to him. We had so much fun together today.”

View full results from all of the Friday classes here.

The US Dressage Festival of Champions continues through Sunday at HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. Action from the rings is being livestreamed on USEF Network.