April 4, 2026, Myakka City, Florida. Olympic medalist Kasey Perry-Glass headed up an all-American podium with 71.255% on Diane Perry’s Heartbeat WP in the Bridleberry Leather Tack Co. CDI3* Grand Prix Special on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka City, Florida. Two of the five judges rewarded their focused and balanced test with scores over 72%, elevating them from their second-place finish in Thursday’s qualifying grand prix.
The top three were tightly bunched, with the grand prix winner, Katie Duerrhammer, slotting into the runner-up spot in the Special with 70.298%. It was the second plus-70% score of a successful weekend for Duerrhammer and Kylee Lourie’s talented 11-year-old gelding Vividus QRE (by Zaladin MI x Don Charly). Lars Peterson rode Kim Aikens’s charming 14-year-old mare Sang Real (by Sir Donnerhall x Lauries Crusador xx) into third with 70.127%, a huge new personal best for the pair competing at just their second CDI.
Perry-Glass and Heartbeat had a glitch in the first line of one-time changes, but the powerful, rhythmic Charmeur x Ferro gelding’s high quality piaffe/passage tour brought the mark back up to the top of the leaderboard in the class of 11 starters. They collected 10 eights on the final centerline alone.
“The Special suits him very well because his passage is his highlight and it sets him up for everything else in the collection work,” said the rider from Wellington, Florida. “The pattern of the Special is perfect for him, and we usually gain big points in our trot, piaffe, and passage, then we roll it over into the canter work. The changes were a little tricky today, but you’ve got to ride the horse you have on the day. ‘Heart’ is such a showman and he shows up. We complement each other really well.
“His pirouettes are getting stronger,” she added. “A year ago, they weren’t a highlight, but the repetition in the ring and getting them more balanced and focused on his hind end has improved the pirouettes. It’s a slow process and I want him to have a good feeling and not rush things.”
This was the duo’s second CDI since competing at Aachen CHIO in July 2026, and Perry-Glass has a return to the famous venue for this summer’s FEI World Championships in her crosshairs.
“We took a little bit of break mid-season,” explained Perry-Glass, who won team bronze at the Rio 2016 Olympics on Goerklintgaards Dublet. “We did a CDI in January then took a step back to prepare Heart for what will hopefully be a long season ahead. I didn’t want to put too many miles on him and wanted him fresh and ready to keep the spark and the showmanship.
“We’re planning to head to the Grand Prix Championships in Ocala in May to shoot for a spot to go over to Europe this summer and gear up for the World Championships selection process. Going to any championships is special, but with Heart being the second horse I’d be taking, it would be really special. It’s a whole new experience,” added Perry-Glass, who was surrounded by friends and family at TerraNova.
“I feel so lucky to have a huge support system,” she concluded. “Showing is a stressful thing to go through, so having people around you that ground you and keep you on track with your emotions and focus is how I make it work for me.”
Kate Shoemaker and Ghandi Take Overall Para Championship
Equine veterinarian Kate Shoemaker (USA) was awarded the overall para championship title after her 75.4% ride, the highest score in all grades, in the CPEDI3* Para Grand Prix Freestyle Grade IV on her own Bojengel x Tuschinski gelding, Ghandi. She was another with family at TerraNova to support her, as her mother traveled from her home in Idaho to watch her at a CPEDI for the first time in five years.
Shoemaker, who suffers from white matter lesions which cause motor control dysfunction, muscle weakness, and spasms on her right side, bought the 15-year-old Ghandi four-and-a-half years ago in the Netherlands.
“I was looking for a school master that I could learn the upper-level work with,” said the double Paralympic medalist. “That was his original intended purpose, but he’s so much fun to ride, and it’s so nice having a horse who will do anything you ask, and always gently. He never pulls on me and he’s so happy to do the job, which makes him a joy. He and Vianne [Shoemaker’s top horse] have that in common.”
Shoemaker rode Ghandi at one CPEDI in 2023, then showed him just once internationally, at able-bodied medium tour earlier in 2026, since then.
“As we get closer to the Aachen World Championships, I thought it would be nice to have Ghandi as a back-up,” reasoned Shoemaker. “It’s a way to keep the pressure off. We thought this would be a great show to bring him to and see how the judges liked him and go from there. It went lovely, so he’s definitely going to go to Tryon for the final selection event.”
Shoemaker will have a chance to ride at Aachen ahead of the August championships as she is planning to compete Vianne in the CPEDI which runs April 9-11 at the same facility.
“Vianne arrived in Germany yesterday, and it was extremely hard for me to let her go and not fly with her myself,” she explained. “But I also wanted to be here for this show. It’s my second year coming to TerraNova and it’s probably one of my top venues in the world. It’s absolutely stunning, the horses love it, and it has everything we could want in a venue, either for teaching young horses or getting ready for championships. It’s really unique.”
Marie Vonderheyden (USA) scooped the reserve champion’s title after topping the Grade I Freestyle with 74.656% on Karin Flint’s nine-year-old Fan Tastico H. Three-time Canadian Paralympian Jody Schloss scooped second place with a 69.3% ride on her own spotted San Remo gelding, El Colorado. Sydney Collier (USA) rounded out the podium with 68.178% on Going For Gold LLC and Diamante Farms’s Benetton Dream mare, Bell Bottoms.
The competition between the two U.S. athletes in the Grade III Freestyle could not have been closer, with a razor thin margin, just 0.034 percentage points, separating the winner and second-placed combinations. It was Shoemaker’s student Sienna Busking who got her nose in front, setting a new personal record of 73.034% on her own Damons Davian. The score was almost 7% higher than her previous best freestyle result with the 15-year-old by Damon Hill. Rebecca Hart and Liberation, Rowan O’Riley’s 10-year-old gelding by Libertad, were second with 73%.
Saturday’s action concluded dressage at TerraNova’s April show, returning May 1-3 for a USEF Level 5 rated show and CDI3*, including a US Open qualifier. Competition at TerraNova CDI is free to watch on the livestream, sponsored by B&D Builders LLC. Words by Alice Collins for TerraNova Equestrian Center