May 2, 2026, Myakka City, Florida. Kevin Kohmann (USA) presided over a select field in the B&D Builders LLC CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka City, Florida. He rode Equine Law Group’s 15-year-old gelding Famous (by Floriscount x Wolkentanz I) to 74.635% and the blue ribbon in their first CDI freestyle together. It was his second victory in as many days at the picturesque venue’s May CDI, having topped the Grand Prix a day earlier on his other ride, Sonata MF.
Under blustery conditions, Israeli athlete Micah Deligdish, who is based in Lake Worth, Florida, finished second on her own 14-year-old Lusitano stallion, Carpe Diem De Massa (by Maestro JGB x Violino SS). Their 69.61% was a CDI career high score for the pair who are qualified to represent Israel at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, in August.
The class was part of the qualification roster for the 2026 US Equestrian Open of Dressage series, now in its second year. The final, which carries a prize pot of $200,000, takes place in California in November. Kohmann’s win elevated him from 20th place on the US Open leaderboard to ninth. U.S. rider Ashley Holzer retains the top spot with five of the 24 qualifiers remaining, including the final leg which takes place at TerraNova’s CDI3* in October.
Kohmann and Famous began their international career together in February 2026. This result represented not only their first freestyle but their first CDI victory in their eight starts to date. “Famous did amazing,” enthused the rider from Wellington, Florida, a three-hour drive from TerraNova. “I had never ridden him to loud music like this before, and he was so good. We were all a bit worried about the weather [as a big storm loomed nearby], but we talked with the show manager Thomas [Baur], the organization here is world class, and they adjusted the time of the class. In the end, it worked out perfectly because it didn’t rain much and the wind kept the bugs away.”
Kohmann’s music may have sounded familiar to anyone who has recently watched he and Dünensee perform a freestyle, including at the World Cup Final last month. “Normally, when I need a freestyle, I steal my wife Devon [Kane’s] old one, but she had already given it to Micah, who I was competing against,” he said. “So, I had to look through my old ones, and I found the original version of the freestyle I used at the World Cup Final. It’s a more clubby version of our Avicii music.
“I rode it once at home and it fit perfectly, so we went for it. I love the music and it worked out. The floorplan has a super high degree of difficulty, and I finished with one-handed passage into the final halt to raise it to the maximum degree,” he added.
Kohmann has been experimenting, in tandem with his trainer, Christoph Koschel, with different ways of bringing Famous into the piaffe movement. “Sometimes, I’m not quite in control of how I get to the piaffe, sometimes it’s too fast, sometimes too big, or too slow, and sometimes perfect. When it goes the way it’s supposed to, the horse has an incredible piaffe. That’s why it was especially irritating that I only got it right three out of five times today. Our score could have been maybe 3% higher, but I’m still super thrilled to get almost 75% in our first freestyle.”
Kohmann is delighted to have picked up the rides on the two horses he is competing at TerraNova this week, Famous and his Grand Prix winner, Sonata MF. “In the past I had to ride a lot of difficult horses and now I’m getting handed all these nice horses that have been beautifully set up,” he said. “Things are all going in the right direction and I am one lucky guy, but this is a super humbling sport, yesterday you win, tomorrow you’re last, so I’m just grateful that I have these nice horses right now.” Kohmann is planning to compete one or both of the two horses at the 2026 USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship in May and let the selectors for the European tour shape where the year takes him.
In the small tour ranks, it was two for two for Ben Ebeling (USA) and King Of Dale. After winning Friday’s Prix St. Georges, Ebeling prevailed once again in the CDI1* Intermediate I on Alexandria Bryan’s 11-year-old gelding by Lord Leatherdale x Negro with 71.206%. Once again, they were the winning pair for all five judges, with a high score of 73.382% from the E judge, Peter Storr (GBR). First to go in the class, Mexican rider Carlos Maldonado Lara, put down a new international combination personal best of 65.5% with his own 16-year-old Vivaldi x Krack C gelding, Fortilas. Susie Dutta (USA) repeated her yellow ribbon finish from a day earlier, logging 65.147% on Flying D Equine Company’s nine-year-old Diamond Hit gelding, Diamond Royal DC.
International and national dressage at TerraNova’s May show concludes on Sunday, May 3, with the Zen Elite Equestrian CDI3* Grand Prix Special starting at 10:40am local time. Watch all the action from the Lakeside Arena on the free TerraNova live stream, brought to you by B&D Builders LLC.