WELLINGTON, Fla.--Kevin Kohmann on Dünensee won the FEI World Cup Grand Prix with a new personal best in this test of 71.522% on Thursday, Feb.27 at the Global Dressage Festival.

Kevin Kohmann on Dünensee (Photo by Susan Stickl) Anna Marek on Fire Fly was breathing down his neck in second place, scoring 70.152%

The pressure is on for those two riders as this week is the last chance to clinch the one remaining place available for the World Cup Final in April.

Marek and  Kohmann are trying to join Adrienne Lyle and Geñay Vaughn, both of whom have already qualified, in the final in Basel, Switzerland.

In the Grand Prix, Kohmann qualified in the top spot for Friday night’s freestyle, the class that counts toward the final League placings and points allocation.

Jan Ebeling on Tailormade Temptation scored 70.043% to place third.

Marcus Orlob on Jane at times trended above Kohmann, but two big spooks meant Orlob decided to retire on the final centerline.

Dünensee is owned by Diamante Farms where Kohmann is based with his wife, Devon Kane.

 

KOHMANN rode Dünensee as a young horse before he was sold.

Eventually, Kohmann’s trainer Cristoph Koschel was given the ride, before persuading Kohmann that he should take him back.

Kohmann and Dünensee began competing at international grand prix at the Festival in 2023 and together have contested 22 CDIs around the world, including the 2024 World Cup Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“We’ve found a strong relationship and what we do here in the warm-up and in the competition arena is just what we do at home; we’re not putting on a show,” said Kohmann. “I cannot thank ‘Dünee’ enough. He makes me confident so that I can focus on actually riding the test. I am not nervous any more in the arena with this horse."

“It’s such a nice feeling when you know your horse trusts you. Before we go to the arena I scratch him for 15 minutes in the stall,” said Kohmann. “He gets carrots and apples all day long. I think he likes it better at the show than at home because I pay more attention to him.”

At home, Dünensee goes in the field seven days a week and Kohmann rides him six times a week, consisting of one stretching day, work days, a trail ride, and Sundays, when Kohmann puts on his freestyle music and has fun.

Dünensee is “part of the family” and has earned his forever home.

“Nobody else will ride him after me, he’s not going to be given to other people to learn on,” said Kohmann. “When he’s done doing his job with me, he’ll stay with us, be in the field, and live his best life. Although I think right now he’s pretty much living his best life! After a show I give him a few days just hacking, but after two or three days he always tells me that he wants to go back to work.”

Despite the pressure to qualify for the World Cup Final, Kohmann is approaching Friday night’s freestyle calmly.

“I just want the same ride I had the last freestyle at AGDF,” he said, referring to his 77.545% performance during Festival 3. “I don’t want to do anything better. Donee did an amazing job last time, and I was very proud of him. Just being able to do the same thing a couple of times in a row is difficult enough in this sport, so there’s no pressure on the horse.”

Susan Pape of Great Britain on Harmony’s Giulilanta had a new high score of 71.304% to win the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix.

Germany's Evelyn Eger on Dancing Darkness 4 placed second on 70.609%.

Callie O’Connell scored a new combination best on Eaton H to place third on 69.283%.

“I’m over the moon because it’s been such a long journey with Giulilanta,” said Pape. “She was ready to go grand prix and then she had a pretty severe injury at home which meant she was out for two years. I’m so happy she’s back and doing so well. She was much more relaxed than in her first Festival CDI last week."

“She doesn’t have very much mileage in the grand prix, but I’m very confident that if she relaxes even more then I can ride her more out,” said Pape. “She has so much elegance in the collected work. Maybe she’s a little weak in her changes because she doesn’t have the biggest canter, but she doesn’t make mistakes. You’ll see other horses that are more powerful, but her elegance makes her special.”

Giulilanta will contest the CDI3* Grand Prix Special on Saturday afternoon, before flying back to Europe the following week for a break.