Wellington, Fla.—Feb. 11  

It’s been four years since Reed Kessler burst onto the international scene as an 18-year-old, topping the Olympic Selection Trials at the Winter Equestrian Festival and going on to represent the United States at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Now, Kessler’s 22, running her own barn in Guttecoven, the Netherlands, and aiming to repeat her Olympic performance. She hopes that winning the $130,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5 at WEF with Cylana will help put her on the map for selection.

Reed Kessler and Cylana jumped to the top of the $130,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5. Photo by SportFot

“It is an Olympic year, and it is my No. 1 goal to try to make the team again,” Kessler declared. “The first step is to make the short list, and I had a long talk with my Chef d’Equipe [Robert Ridland] and he suggested that for the selectors to see everybody, it would be good to do a few weeks here. I did last week and this week. Now I go back to Holland for two weeks to jump some other horses, and then I come back and [compete] another two weeks here.”

Since competing in the 2012 Olympic Games, Kessler has had made a lot of changes in her program and her riding. One big difference is her flat work, as the rider explained that she has been working with Spanish dressage rider Morgan Barbançon Mestre, a close friend.

“I was only just turning 18 this last cycle of Olympics, so a lot has changed for me,” Kessler noted. “I am a young rider. I went out on my own this year. One of my best friends rode at the Games for the Spanish dressage team and she started helping me at the end of the summer and that has made the biggest difference for sure in my riding. I think my flat work is night and day and my horses are much better for it. They have all put on muscle in places that they have never had muscle. I can easily leave out one, maybe two, strides in every jump-off I do now because I have such a better connection with all of them turning.”

{{live_stream}}

Bob Ellis’ course saw 55 competitors, with a 13-horse jump-off. Seven were then double clear over the short course.

Katie Dinan was first to return with Grand Road Partners’ Nougat du Vallet and set the pace at 45.82 seconds, eventually placing seventh. Margie Engle and Elm Rock Partners’ Royce were next to clear the short track in 41.58 seconds, finishing fifth. Elizabeth Gingras and B Gingras Equestrian Ltd.’s Coup de Chance followed with a time of 38.64 seconds, soon settling for second place.

Kessler and Cylana were next to clear the short course and took the lead in a time of 38.03 seconds that would hold on for the win.

Yann Candele and the Watermark Group’s First Choice 15 clocked in at 39.23 seconds to secure third place honors. Cian O’Connor and Adena Springs and Ronnoco Jump Ltd.’s Good Luck followed with a double clear in 40.97 seconds to place fourth, and Eduardo Menezes locked up the top six with his time of 43.27 seconds aboard Quintol.

Kessler did not compete at WEF in 2014, opting to remain in Europe for the winter, but in an Olympic year the young rider chose to show on home turf early in the season. Kessler was the youngest rider ever to compete on the U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team at the age of 18 four years ago, and now has her sights set on once again securing a coveted spot on the team. She hopes to make that dream come true once more with Cylana, her now-14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Skippy II x Darco), owned by Kessler Show Stables.

“My horse has been jumping so well. She is really feeling well,” Kessler said after her victory Thursday. “She had a great fall in Stuttgart and Geneva, and she jumped beautifully last week, so I could not be happier with her.

“She is an amazing horse. I have had her so long, and I know her like the back of my hand,” Kessler stated. “I am really blessed because she is a horse that is really easy on herself physically, knock on wood. She is very sensible, she is brave, and she is experienced now. She goes her best with a lot of blood, so I can save her. I did not jump a class this week. I just put her straight in the qualifier, so I think in that way I am really lucky because she is easy on herself and it is easier for her to stay sound.”

Kessler will now jump Cylana in Saturday night’s $380,000 Fidelity Investments® Grand Prix CSI 5* and hopes for a good result.

“I would love to win the grand prix with her. That’s why I am here, is to show her off,” Kessler said. “She is in great form. She is in great condition, and she is jumping beautifully, so as long as I ride her well she is going to keep jumping well.”

Final Results: $130,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5

1. CYLANA, 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare by Skippy II x Darco, REED KESSLER (USA), Kessler Show Stables: 0/0/38.03

2. COUP DE CHANCE, 2006 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Cardento x Darco, ELIZABETH GINGRAS (CAN), B Gingras Equestrian Ltd: 0/0/38.64

3. FIRST CHOICE 15, 2003 Hessian Warmblood gelding by For Keeps x Angard, YANN CANDELE (CAN), Watermark Group: 0/0/39.23

4. GOOD LUCK, 2006 Belgian Warmblood by Canturo x Furioso II, CIAN O’CONNOR (IRL), Adena Springs & Ronnoco Jump Ltd: 0/0/40.97

5. ROYCE, 2004 Oldenburg stallion by Café au Lait x Grandilot, MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Elm Rock LLC: 0/0/41.58

6. QUINTOL, 2005 Oldenburg gelding by Quintender x Cento, EDUARDO MENEZES (BRA), Eduardo Menezes: 0/0/43.27

7. NOUGAT DU VALLET, 2001 Selle Francais gelding by Scherif d’Elle, KATHERINE DINAN (USA), Grant Road Partners: 0/0/45.82

8. UITTERAARD, 2001 KWPN gelding by Numero Uno x Burggraaf, MARK BLUMAN (COL), Stransky’s Mission Farms, Inc: 0/4/40.54

9. QUALITY GIRL, 2003 Oldenburg mare by Quidam’s Rubin x Dobrock, TODD MINIKUS (USA), Quality Group: 0/4/42.13

10. LILLI, 2004 Brandenburg mare by Lefevre x Diamir, GEORGINA BLOOMBERG (USA), Gotham Enterprizes LLC: 0/4/43.84

11. AD CORNETTO K, 2006 Hanoverian gelding by Cornet Obolensky x Calido, DODA DE MIRANDA (BRA), A.A. de Miranda Neto & Victory Equestrian Sport BV: 0/4/47.55

12. CZARDAS 30, 2003 Hanoverian stallion by Contendro x Grannus, ALBERTO MICHAN (MEX), Lovsta Stuteri: 0/4/49.48