By Alice Collins for Wellington International 

Germany’s Evelyn Eger capped an unforgettable week by claiming the individual gold medal during “Friday Night Stars” in the Starpoint Dancesport FEI Nations Cup CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday, February 21. The last combination to dance down centerline, Eger and Hof Kasselmann’s home-bred Totilas daughter Tabledance 3 pulled out all the stops with a captivating Shakira-inspired performance which was rewarded with a new personal best of 77.235%. 

The victory came just a day after the pair led Germany to the team gold with another winning career high score in the grand prix. The FEI Nations Cup is the centrepiece of week seven, the midway point of the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL, hosted by Wellington International.

It was incredibly close fought for the silver and bronze medals, with just 0.005 percentage points dividing the two. Eger’s compatriot Felicitas Felicitas Hendricks won the battle for silver with 75.13% on her own Drombusch OLD. Devon Kane, best of the U.S. riders, filled the bronze medal podium step thanks to a 75.125% ride on Vamos. 

The class was a qualifier for the new U.S. Equestrian Open of Dressage, which features 23 qualifying rounds—seven of which are being held by Wellington International at AGDF—before the final in California in November. To further bolster Eger’s epic evening, thanks to her victory she now sits atop the table with 60 points, while Hendricks is in second with 54. 

The 27-year-old Eger, who works for Hof Kasselmann, has been riding 12-year-old Tabledance since she was seven and they began their international career in the Under 25 division. 

“I competed her first at Prix St. Georges and we made our way together up to the big sport,” said Eger. “We’ve grown and this makes a very deep relationship. Tonight was a big surprise and an unbelievable evening. Tabledance told me in the warm-up that she wanted to win. She was so relaxed and fighting for me, so I could enjoy the music and I could enjoy the audience. It was a perfect feeling.”

Eger’s powerful final centerline was met with clapping and whoops from the audience. 

“I love Shakira, so it was a long-time wish for me to have this music,” said Eger, who had originally planned the freestyle for another horse, Gossip Girl. “It fit Tabledance so well that I decided to swap. On the last centerline I was singing a bit because it came out of my heart!”

Eger is grabbing every chance she can get to compete and gain experience at her first AGDF.

“It’s a completely different world here than in Europe and I’m super happy to be here,” enthused Eger, whose groom Joseph Oprea was awarded the $500 Grooms Award, sponsored by Lövsta Future Challenge. “My horses can show from week to week and that’s what makes Wellington so great.”

Hendricks, who won individual freestyle gold at the Wellington FEI Nations Cup show in 2024, rode to her familiar disco music on the 14-year-old Drombusch OLD, by Destano.

 “We had some real highlights in today’s test, but there was a fine line in the piaffe pirouettes,” she said, referring to a kick-out on the final centerline. “Drombusch is a very sensitive horse, which makes him a great grand prix horse. But first I didn’t ask for enough, then I asked for too much, which caused a little explosion. That was unfortunate, but I love his sensitivity.

“I’ve had the pleasure of being on the Nations Cup team for the third time now and I’m definitely never getting tired of it,” added Hendricks, who trains with her uncle Christoph Koschel. “We have great team spirit, especially yesterday, so you really want to bring home a good round, not just for yourself, but for your team.” 

Kane has produced Vamos, Diamante Farms’ 13-year-old Vivaldi gelding, up the levels and he is coming into his own at grand prix this year.

“This is our third freestyle under the lights, and when he walks out at night he walks out different,” said Kane, whose family owns Diamante Farms. “He really enjoys the dancing and the music and he knows exactly what’s happening. He lights up and he’s game on from the start.”

Kane rode Vamos to “techno swing” music based on the new Gatsby movie. It was originally intended for her retired horse, Destiny. Vamos has now earned his own freestyle, though Kane plans to preserve some of the difficult chorography—which includes changes on a circle—into the new routine. 

“Vamos is special in every way,” she continued. “He’s hot, he’s intense and he’s needy but he shines when he shines, so I’m blessed to be his mom. He looks to me for guidance, so I hope I keep giving him the right answers and asking the right questions.”

Judge at C Sarah Geikie (USA) was particularly impressed with the standard of riding. She said, “It was exciting to see a class where the riding was top quality, and the creativity shown in the choreography was exciting. It keeps getting better and better. I was happily surprised in Evelyn’s test because the first half was nice, but then she put all her hard combinations in the last part and I started sitting up straight on the edge of my chair.”

Click for full results from the Starpoint Dancesport FEI Nations Cup CDIO3* FEI Grand Prix Freestyle

Long Game Pays Off For Karen Lipp

In the CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, Karen Lipp (USA) rode her own 12-year-old Infinity to 72.255% and to the top of the leaderboard from last draw. Second place went to Japanese athlete Kiichi Harada who rode Chiemi Katayama’s 12-year-old Don Schufro gelding Impression to 67.42%. Amy Bradley (USA) rode her own 15-year-old Quileute CCW (by Quaterback) into third with 63.09%.    

Lipp has produced the Dream Boy gelding since she bought him in The Netherlands as a four-year-old. The pair stepped up to international grand prix less than a year ago.  

“The young horse stuff was really not his thing as he didn’t have the strength and power for it, so I backed off that and started working toward the high performance stuff,” explained Lipp, who trains with Charlotte Bredahl. “We wanted to take it slow because it’s the best horse I’ve ever had and I want to preserve him. He never says no to me in the ring—ever—and I never want to feel that he’s pushed. I’ve protected him, not my ego, and played the long game.

“I chose him because even at four he had such a propensity for collection,” she continued. “Plus he’s beautiful and his personality is a 10. He’s hot, but then he stands quiet in the awards ceremony.”

Lipp’s music was put together by Karen Robinson and is from the Netflix series ‘Wednesday’. It features a cello rendition of Paint It Black as well as Flowers and Rhianna’s Diamonds. 

This class was also a US Equestrian Open of Dressage qualifier, and Lipp currently sits third on the standings. 

“We’ll try for the US Open,” added Lipp. “I’m also thinking about doing some shows in Europe this summer, which I haven’t done since 2005. I’m 57 and this is my last hurrah, but I’m fit and working hard and I feel the horse has the quality. I think he can score an eight on everything.” 

Ben Ebeling Cements Form With Escona 

In Friday’s daytime CDI1* FEI Intermediate I, sponsored by Zen Elite Equestrian, Benjamin Ebeling (USA) repeated his win in the previous day’s Prix St. Georges by topping the class with another personal best. He scored 71.029% on Escona 8, ACR Enterprise and Hof Kasselmann’s 10-year-old Escalar mare. It confirmed Ebeling’s assessment that the mare’s training has recently stepped up to a new level, thanks to help from his dad Jan Ebeling and Cristoph Koschel.

Katrina Sadis (USA) finished second with 69.235% on the nine-year-old Legend Ymas (by George Clooney), with Jill Irving and her Zack 10-year-old gelding Knight’s 68.588% score claiming third place.  

Dressage classes resume on Saturday, February 22, with the feature class, the Starpoint Dancesport FEI Nations Cup CDIO3* Grand Prix Special, starting at 1.30pm ET. AGDF, which hosts seven weeks of CDI competition and weekly national shows, runs through March 30. For more information, competition reports, results, and to watch all the classes hosted by Wellington International in the main arena on live stream, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.