By Alice Collins for Wellington International 

Both U.S. riders Marcus Orlob and Jennifer Williams crowned their 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) seasons with double wins during week 12, the final CDI show of the three-month winter circuit in Wellington, FL. After topping the qualifying Grand Prix, Orlob won the CDI4* Grand Prix Special sponsored by Coastal Steel Structures on Alice Tarjan’s Jane with 70% on Saturday, March 29.

Katherine Bateson Chandler was runner-up with 66.723% on her own and Jennifer Huber’s 13-year-old Connaisseur x Krack C mare, Haute Couture, who was reserve for the Netherlands Olympic team in Tokyo with former rider Dinja van Liere. It was a select field as almost all the four-star combinations opted to ride in Friday night’s Freestyle instead of the Special. 

Orlob’s 70% score was hard-won: his test featured a multitude of eights—including 11 on the final centerline—but also a slew of twos. Jane, the talented but reactive 11-year-old mare by Desperado x Metall, cantered distractedly out of one piaffe and was disinclined in the two-time changes.   

“That was not easy today and I really had to think,” reflected Orlob, who trains with U.S. Dressage Team Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig as well as Tarjan. “I had a great feeling in between the mistakes, then I’d lose her again. It was on and off. I’m not sure why, because the warm-up was good. It’s a little frustrating because if you imagine this test without spookiness and mistakes it would score in the high 70s. But I’m happy that I could finish the test on a decent note, and the last center line was great.” 

Despite Jane’s antics, Orlob still firmly believes in her talent and will put in the time to keep taking her to all sorts of different venues to get comfortable working in unfamiliar arenas and conditions. That includes in Europe this summer. 

“In Germany I have to find national shows and ask for permission to hang out there with Jane,” explained Orlob, who was born and raised in Germany. “We’ll travel from show to show locally, and see if I can use that opportunity.”

Orlob is eyeing the Aachen CDI3* in mid-May, the venue of the major CHIO show in late July 2025, as well as the FEI World Championships in August 2026. 

“Until we leave, we’ll continue to work on the relaxation and travel from barn to barn. She knows the movements, now it’s about getting her brain to relax. We continue the journey and I’m really happy and excited about this chance to ride Jane.” 

Of the AGDF circuit, he added, “We are very lucky here in Florida to have top shows almost every weekend. It’s not an easy stadium, but it’s great because that’s reality [of atmospheres horses who compete internationally will have to face]. It was a good season for me.” 

A Topped and Tailed Season 

Jennifer Williams topped and tailed her winter season with double wins, culminating in the CDI3* Grand Prix Special presented by Diamante Farms in AGDF12. She rode the Joppe Partners LLC’s 11-year-old Joppe K (by Rousseau x Santano) to 69.34% for the U.S. anthem to ring out in the prize-giving. Her compatriots joined her at the top of the leaderboard to make up the all-female top three from the host nation.

Chase Shipka claimed the red ribbon with a 67.213% ride on her own 14-year-old Apache x Jazz gelding, Gladstone Zee T. Caroline Roffman clinched third on Carben Farms LLC’s nine-year-old Libertee (by Franklin x Donnerhall), who was the youngest horse in the class, with 66.553%. The top finishers, including fourth-placed Jill Irving on Genesis, were all riding Dutch Warmbloods.

Williams said, “Joppe won his first Grand Prix and Special in Ocala in November, so this was a really great way to finish off our seven-month tour. It made me a little teary eyed. There were no mistakes and he was super trusting in the ring; I felt our partnership grew a lot today. There are always things to fine-tune and perfect, but I’m incredibly proud of the effort he gave today. I could keep a lot of activity and sharpness without making him tense. I’m excited for the future.” 

Williams, who is originally from Washington but is increasingly spending more of the year in Florida, has had the ride on Joppe K since he was five. He was intended as a sales horse, but after she realized how trainable he was, she couldn’t part with him. The pair won the Lövsta Future Challenge for developing grand prix horses at AGDF in 2022.  

“It’s such a blessing to have so many opportunities to pick and choose the shows we do here and to give the horses exposure to such an amazing atmosphere,” stated Williams, who trains with Oded Shimoni and Christophe Theallet. “We always look forward to doing our best here [at AGDF]. I place a big emphasis on Joppe loving what he’s doing. Any time he can go in and give me such a great attitude—and then to also go clean—that makes me feel really good.”  

Williams is hoping to travel to Europe with Joppe K to compete this summer. 

In the Buffalo Wild Wings Prix St. Georges Future Challenge warm-up, an optional chance for the finalists to run through the test on their developing small tour horses, Australia’s Hope Beerling came out on top. She rode Mariye Inouye’s eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding Top Gem (by Top Gear x Sir Donnerhall) to 69.294%. 

Week 12 of the 2025 AGDF wraps up on Sunday, March 30, bringing this season to a close. The final day’s feature class is the final of the Buffalo Wild Wings Prix St. Georges Future Challenge in which 10 finalists will go head-to-head for the prestigious title, with the class starting at 12.50pm—as well as the final in the inaugural Palm Beach Equine Clinic developing young horse challenge.  

As well as the two developing horse finals, Sunday also features action in Children, Young Riders, U25, and Amateurs. Competition continues at all levels in the national rings. For more information, results, and to watch the free live stream, visit the AGDF website. 

Click for full start lists and results from AGDF 12.