By Alice Collins for Wellington International 

American athletes on Dutch Warmblood horses dominated both CDI Grand Prix classes on Thursday, March 27, on the opening day of week 12 at the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. It is the final week of the three-month circuit, which hosts seven CDIs at the Wellington International venue. Marcus Orlob led an all-American Dutch-mounted podium in the CDI4* Grand Prix, presented by Lövsta Stuteri, and Jennifer Willliams did the same, spearheading a U.S. clean sweep of the top three places in the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, sponsored by Diamante Farms.  

Orlob was awarded 70.63%—with identical high scores of 71.413% from two judges—for the ride on Alice Tarjan’s 11-year-old mare Jane, by Desperado x Metall. Their score was tamped down by mistakes in the canter zig-zag, costly given that the movement carries a double coefficient. Olympic team bronze medalist Kasey Perry-Glass slotted into second on Diane Perry’s 13-year-old Charmeur gelding Heartbeat WP with 68.022%. Katherine Bateson rounded out the top three from the field of 13 starters with 67.957% on her own and Jennifer Huber’s 13-year-old mare Haute Couture, by Connaisseur.

This was Orlob and Jane’s third straight victory at AGDF this season, putting to bed the demons of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the pair were eliminated for a speck of blood just moments into their test. 

“Today Jane was nervous of the ring and I had a little bit more tension than two weeks ago,” said Orlob. “I always say it’s a learning experience with her and she just needs more mileage and time in the ring to get used to the people and atmosphere. At home she’s a puppy, she’ll never do anything naughty, but at shows she hears every noise and has to look at every flower like a baby.

“It’s a little bit frustrating for me because she’s a really quality horse. A 70% is still good and I don’t want to sound greedy, but right now I’m able to show maybe 50-60% of what Jane is capable of when she’s relaxed. I know we can score so much better, so we’ll keep taking her to a lot of different rings and hopefully help her get over her fear.” 

Orlob took on the ride on Jane a year ago after the mare proved too much horse for Tarjan. “Alice said, ‘You try to ride her and, if you don’t like her, we’ll sell her.’ Alice is a little peanut and she had a hard time keeping Jane together,” continued Orlob. “I rode her and thought, ‘Holy cow, that’s quite a horse!’ Then when I competed her for the first time, I saw what Alice meant because she’s so different than at home.

“After Paris there were a lot of offers from people wanting to buy Jane, but Alice decided not to sell, and I’m so grateful because I really believe in her. I love the horse and Alice likes the partnership, and I can continue to ride her,” he concluded. 

The game plan for this summer is to compete in Europe both internationally and at some national shows in Germany, and aim for a spot on the US team for CHIO Aachen in late July. The 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen is also on his radar. 

Joppe K Scores Apt Win

In the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, sponsored by Diamante Farms, U.S. riders filled all three top spots, again all riding Dutch-bred KWPN horses. Jennifer Williams and Joppe K unanimously topped the class with a consistent test that was rewarded with 68.935% and high fives from her children LJ and Lexi as she came out of the ring. 

It was apt for Joppe K to win in AGDF 12 as this week hosts the finals of the three developing horse classes, including the Lövsta Future Challenge, which Joppe K won in 2022. The Lövsta series aims to identify and encourage up-and-coming horse-and-rider combinations of international grand prix quality, so the judging panel was spot on with Williams and Joppe K.  

Caroline Roffman rode Carben Farms LLC’s mare Libertee (Franklin x Donnerhall), who at nine was the youngest horse in the class, into second with 66.739%. The yellow ribbon was pinned onto Chase Shipka’s horse Gladstone Zee T for their 65.848% test as second to go in the class of 10 starters. Shipka’s 14-year-old gelding is by Apache x Jazz—the same sire/damsire combination as Adrienne Lyle’s Paris 2024 Olympics partner, Helix. 

Williams has had the 11-year-old Joppe K (Rousseau x Santano) since he was five, though he was originally earmarked as a sales horse. 

“Within six months I felt I was going to be able to teach him everything and I fell in love with him,” said Williams, who is from Roy, Washington, but is spending more time each year in Wellington. “We’ve had a blessed journey. He’s so smart and kind and with so much heart. That’s 90% of it, that they just want to do the job.” 

Moderation has been key to Joppe K’s success—including the day before the show. 

“Yesterday our work was just a five-minute hack around the ring,” explained Williams, who was delighted her family was able to see her performance in person. “I work him for 30 minutes four days a week and now we just continue to build and keep it all fresh—not drilling him. It’s hot in the Florida sun and we’re in week 12—it’s been a long seven months here—so I’m really mindful of trying to place him where maybe it’s not going to be the hottest part of the day, which is why we did the three-star.

“There’s still lots to build on with his strength, but I love his attitude in the ring,” she continued. “I tend to feel that I’m helping a lot of horses when I get them in for sales and making them their best self, but Joppe is making me my best version; I need to level up to ride the best for him.”

Three combinations contested the optional Lövsta Future Challenge warm-up class to take a spin through the FEI Young Horse Grand Prix test ahead of the final on Friday. Canada’s Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu rode Jill Irving’s 11-year-old Jaccardo—who, like Jane, is by Desperado—to the top of the leaderboard with 71.263%. Hannah Bressler Jacques (USA) claimed second on her own 11-year-old Ferdeaux gelding Jim with 68.342%. Canadian duo James Irwin and the 10-year-old Flirtfaktor S (by Fürsten-Look) finished third with 64.026%.  

Click for full results from all classes in AGDF 12. 

Action in week 12 of the 2025 AGDF resumes on Friday, March 28. The day’s two big classes—the inal of the Lövsta Future Challenge for developing grand prix horses and the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle, also supported by Lövsta—both take place during the “Friday Night Stars” evening session which gets underway at the earlier time of 5pm ET. The gala evening is free for spectators to watch, both in person and on the live stream. Wellington International hosts seven weeks of CDI competition and weekly national shows at AGDF, running through March 30, 2025. For more information and results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.