October 17, 2025, Myakka City, Florida. Christian Simonson and Indian Rock exploded onto the North American World Cup League at TerraNova’s October CDI, topping the CDI-W FEI Grand Prix with a resounding new international personal best of 74.804%, almost five percentage points clear of the rest of the field. This is the second qualifier of the World Cup season, which culminates in the Final in Fort Worth, Texas, in April 2026.
Athletes from the U.S. filled the top six places, with Kevin Kohmann slotting into second. Last to go on Diamante Farm’s 16-year-old Dancier gelding Dünensee, he pulled off a 70.196% performance. Ben Ebeling and Ann Romney’s 15-year-old Belissimo M mare Bellena, double winners at TerraNova’s April 2025 CDI, rounded out the podium with 69.652% in third.
In a test brimming with both power and relaxation at just their second international together, Simonson guided the impressive 12-year-old stallion through a fault-free performance replete with highlights. The talented duo is unbeaten in all three of their CDI class starts, and they will make their international freestyle debut on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Simonson is still eligible for the under-25 division, but he and Indian Rock are clearly at home in the senior ranks. He has had the ride on the KWPN stallion by Apache x Vivaldi since he was bought by Heidi Humphries of class sponsor Zen Elite Equestrian Center at the end of 2024. He was formerly ridden by the Netherlands’ Emmelie Scholtens, including on the Dutch team at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Simonson and Indian Rock have enjoyed a spectacular introductory season on the 2025 national circuit, including earning the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Champion title at the US Dressage Festival of Champions in August.
“To compete in my first CDI-W let alone have the placing and score that we did today was just a dream come true,” said Simonson, who grinned during the final passage down the centerline. “In the test ‘Rocky’ worked so hard. He’s such a special horse with so many highlights, including the piaffe/passage, the changes and the lateral movements.
“He’s a powerful ride with so much elasticity and scope, so I have to do a lot of core exercises,” continued Simonson, who trains with Olympic medalist Adrienne Lyle. “Something Adrienne has taught me is being really cognizant of balance. I give her so much credit for that; I don’t think I’d ever be able to understand the correct positionings without her incredible eye.
“In the warm-up ring we worked on balance, and all summer we’ve been fine-tuning the lateral work and the piaffe/passage. Luckily, in the last couple of minutes that all came together and produced the result today. I’m really darn grateful and honored to to ride this cool dude of a horse.”
Koschel tops CDI3* Grand Prix
In the STX Vans-sponsored CDI3* Grand Prix, a qualifier for Saturday’s Grand Prix Special, Germany’s Christoph Koschel and Destare, his own Danciano x Fürst Romancier gelding, took the blue ribbon with 69.087%. The 10-year-old gelding was bred at Paul Schockemöhle’s Gestût Lewitz stud farm in Germany, and he was formerly a licensed stallion. Their score may well have nudged above 70% if not for a miscommunication in the collected walk.
“He’s a little green, and still so new to international grand prix, this is just his second one,” said Koschel. “I’ve had him since he was a pretty wild three-year-old and we’ve been through all this training together. It’s so rewarding when you can make it to grand prix level and put it all together in the ring. I’ve really taken my time with him because we’re not planning to sell him.”
Koschel spent the summer in Germany, though his U.S. coaching commitments, including his student Ben Ebeling, meant he did not have the chance to compete much. Destare arrived back in the U.S. just a week before the TerraNova CDI.
“We know Destare can do everything better, and he’s maybe a bit tired from the trip,” he added. “It’s now about fine-tuning and giving him good experiences. The mistake in the walk was my fault; I felt we were a little slow, so I touched him with my leg and he still knows that in the Intermediate II we canter at C, so he thought we were doing that. It was a shame I destroyed the collected walk as it’s usually really good! He’s a very cool horse and I’m looking forward to showing that there is so much more to come from him.
“I really wanted to come and compete at TerraNova because it’s so nice,” added Koschel, who will be tackling the Grand Prix Special test for the first time with Destare on Saturday. “It’s great to ride here; the footing and everything else is perfect.”
International dressage at TerraNova continues on Saturday, October 18. The World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle is a qualifier for the Texas final. In the national ranks, classes from training level to grand prix in the USEF rated show run alongside the CDI.
Words by Alice Collins for TerraNova Equestrian Center