WELLINGTON, Fla.--Genay Vaughn, 27, won the Prix St. Georges class at Global Dressage on Feb. 13 to qualify for the final, scheduled for March 25.

Genay Vaughn on Fleur Noir (Photo by Susan Stickle)This was the third qualifying round of both the Future Challenge Young Horse Grand Prix Series and the Future Challenge Young Horse Prix St. Georges Series.

These classes aim to identify and nurture talented, up-and-coming young FEI horses, giving them exposure to benefit their development for the biggest of stages.

Riding Fleur Noir WSHS, an 8-year-old American-bred mare by Fürstenball, Vaughn posted 69.97 percent to win the class over seven competitors on an unseasonably rainy day.

Vaughn, who is based at Starr Vaughn Equestrian in California and has owned the mare since she was 5, said: “I didn’t really know if we should compete or not, but the ring dried out throughout the day. We just did a nice short warm-up and went right in, and I think that was the best way to tackle it. When I first got her she was really behind for her age, but I could tell right from the first ride that she was really trainable, really willing. And I love mares — I have a lot. When you get them on your side, they work so hard for you.

 

“WE'VE GONE UP the levels together, so it’s been exciting. I was really happy with Fleur’s trot tour today," said Vaughn. "She felt rideable and I loved the half-passes and shoulder-in. She’s in season, so you just never know with mares, but she was great. She always tries no matter the time of year, and there’s no better feeling than growing together and being successful together.”

“This was Fleur’s first time in a big ring like this," she said.  'This series is a great opportunity to get your young horse in big surroundings, get great feedback from the top judges to know what you need to work on, and give them exposure to what you hope to be in the future.”

Second-placed Pablo Gómez Molina of Spain also qualified for the final riding Baltasar De Ymas to 69.587 percent, as two spots are on offer in each Prix St. Georges qualifier.

Susanne Benne finished third with 68.588 percent on Liebling.

In the big tour class, which lost entries thanks to a morning of heavy rain, Nicole Levy rode her own Imposant MC to a 67.352 percent victory.

The 9-year-old KWPN gelding by Bretton Woods was competing at only his second CDI show, having shown for the first time at Global in 2021.

Levy has also produced her horse since he was 5 and last year was sixth in the country in developing grand prix.

“We just started the national grands prix in the middle of January,” said the 39-year-old, “so he’s pretty new to this stuff, but he’s trying really hard. He has big gaits, so sometimes he gets tired with the compression required of the collection and can lose stamina, but that’s normal for a young horse.”

Levy was surprised by the number of spectators and the hubbub around the main arena.

“It was raining, and I thought, ‘Nobody will be here. It’s Sunday afternoon, and it’ll be really quiet’. But because of the rain everybody decided to go eat and watch. I could feel that he was scared of the people walking on the bleachers and the people eating in the tent, and he still said ‘Okay, I’ll try.’”

“He’s really special. He just kind of has that ‘It factor,’” said Levy. “He has the collection work; he has the piaffe, the passage. Sometimes it’s hard for him strength-wise to sustain it throughout the whole test, but it’s not hard for him. Once I found it, I felt really lucky and wanted to hold on to him.

“It’s fantastic that this series gives us the chance to go into the CDI ring and maybe not get squashed by the older, more experienced horses,” she said. “I am very grateful to Lövsta that they give us that chance to get our young horses out there and get that exposure, so when it’s their turn to shine, they really get a fair chance to do it.”

The next rounds of both the Future Challenge and the Future Challenge are on Feb. 27, with the finals on March 25.

Jennifer Williams saved her best performance with Joppe K for the end of the week, scoring a new personal best of 73.865 percent to win the Intermediate I Freestyle CDI2*.

At just 8 years old, The Joppe Partners’s gelding was the youngest in the class.

Williams showed Joppe K very successfully in young horse 6- and 7-year-old FEI classes, but this was their first senior CDI win.

Ali Potasky finished second with Inxs on 72.570 percent, with Bianca Berktold just a whisker behind in third, riding Imperial to 72.430 percent.

I