The United States is set to host 28 international dressage competitions and championships this year, the most of any nation. The schedule features three times as many CDI4*s as 2023, including the first CDI4* at World Equestrian Center—Ocala (Florida), and the return of CDIs to Del Mar, California. But the large number of competitions doesn’t always equate to a large number of entries. 

“We’re seeing dressage grow across all the levels, including [Fédération Equestre Internationale] levels, and that means that athletes need somewhere that they can compete, so organizers have stepped up,” said Laura Roberts, managing director of dressage for the U.S. Equestrian Federation. “Now, it’s a little bit waiting for entry numbers to even out, speaking on the West Coast side of things.” 

At Desert Dressage IV, held in Thermal, California, at the beginning of January, for example, Ben Ebeling was the only competitor in the CDI-W, and the entire CDI had just eight competitors. In the mid-December Desert Dressage III, entries were only slightly higher, with 13 total competitors including three in the CDI-W.

The low entry numbers are a concern, particularly with some shows more dependent on entry numbers than others, Roberts said. 

“When we got the applications for this year, we thought, ‘Hmmm, that’s kind of a lot of competitions’ [to get enough entries for], but we work with the organizers to know where their relationship to risk lies as far as how much they’re willing to take on and what is sustainable for them,” she said. “Some organizers are willing to take on a little bit of a loss since they know that they’re providing a benefit for their region and their area of the country. Some can’t do that.” 

Organizers on the West Coast have adopted a “build it and the people will come” attitude, which is a strategy that has worked out well on the opposite side of the country with the development of WEC—Ocala.

The Ocala facility saw about 200 entries in each of its five dressage shows last year, between national and international divisions, which included four three-stars and a CDI-W. The decision to replace one of those three-stars with a CDI4* this year was driven by several factors, but the equestrian community and longtime dressage supporter Kim Crook (née Van Kampen) loomed large in the decision, according to Christy Baxter, the venue’s director of equestrian operations.

“We wanted to do some World Cup qualifiers just to add a little bit more substance to our calendar, but it was also a directive from [Crook],” Baxter said. “She’s been supporting us since Day 1 here, and she has a good connection here with the community, so the decision was a little bit of us, but [Crook] was very helpful, giving her suggestions about what the community wants as well.” 

The event will be held in mid-April, which is around the time when dressage riders who moved south for the winter to attend the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, tend to migrate northward to their respective home bases. 

“We figured the transient group is starting to head this way and heard that it might fit into their travel plans and schedules nicely,” Baxter said.

Nationwide, the number of four-stars being offered in 2024 is increasing from two to six, thanks not only to the Ocala show but also because of the addition of a CDI4* at Del Mar Horsepark being held the same weekend (April 11-14) on the opposite coast, and spring (April 4-7) and fall (Oct. 17-20) CDI4* events being held at the relatively new TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka City, Florida.

As in the past, however, the hub of international dressage in the U.S. remains the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, which is holding seven weeks of CDI competition during its 10-week run, Jan. 10-March 31, in Wellington. The schedule includes two CDI-W competitions, two four-stars, and the country’s only CDI5* (March 12-17), as well as two CPEDI3* events.

California’s CDI entry numbers pale in comparison to the numbers the Florida venues record, but professionals there hope the growing number of options will help grow the number of competitors.

The state is set to host seven CDIs in 2024, compared to five last year. Del Mar Horsepark, which has not held any international dressage events in over two years, is scheduled to host three in 2024, beginning with the HITS Del Mar Dressage Opener, Feb. 2-4.

The increase is particularly meaningful for young professionals in the process of building up their business on the West Coast like Grace Walker, assistant trainer to Steffen and Shannon Peters at Arroyo Del Mar in San Diego, as going to Florida is often logistically and financially difficult. Competing internationally is often only an option if the event is held close to home. 

“It’s hard to retain clients and put a hold on that income if you’re gone for even as short as a month,” said Walker. “For me, it would be impossible.”

But Walker and fellow West Coast riders, including two-time World Cup Finals competitor Anna Buffini, hope their state’s growing circuit will eventually rival Wellington.

“I remember just a few years ago, it seemed like most everyone went to Florida for the season,” Walker said. “But now we have more shows here, we’re getting more involvement, and I feel like we’ve got a good variety of riders, including those who are up-and-coming as well as those who are well-established, like Anna Buffini, Steffen Peters, Nick Wagman, Guenter Seidel, Christine Traurig, and Sabine Schut-Kery. I think now you can get most of everything you can experience over in Florida here in Southern California.”

San Diego-based Buffini also praised the West Coast scene.

“I’ve been able to compete all over the world, and I can honestly say that the West Coast CDIs are some of my favorites,” she said. “The weather is immaculate, the people are so kind, and the community is very close-knit. The facilities and footing are amongst the best in the world.”

Spectators, as well as riders, might benefit from the growth in international dressage competition in California. As a “die-hard West Coast girl,” Buffini sees the increase in CDIs as an opportunity for a fun and friendly rivalry. 

“Creating good competition between the coasts would make the sport even more exciting in the U.S.,” she said.  

Though the uptick in California CDIs bodes well for the future of dressage sport in the U.S, Buffini acknowledged the entries need to increase to keep the shows viable and continuing. 

“I want to help make the West Coast circuit a powerhouse; it needs to be this way,” she said. “This makes it possible for more people to compete at a high level, which is what the sport needs in this country.”