<p dir="ltr">The US has settled on four combinations for the <a href="https://www.usef.org/compete/breeds/dressage/2026-fei-dressage-world-championships" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEI World Championships</a> in Aachen. The team medals are decided first, over two days of Grand Prix on August 11 and 12. The individual medals come later, in the Grand Prix Special on the 14th and the Freestyle on the 15th. Three of the four riders currently sit inside the top ten of the US Equestrian Open of Dressage <a href="https://equestrian-hub.com/public/championship/dressage/708" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standings</a>. Here's who they are and what each brings to the ring at Aachen.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Ashley Holzer and Hawtins San Floriana</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Holzer is the most decorated rider on the team, a four-time Olympian who won team bronze for Canada at Seoul in 1988 before she declared for the US. She has spent this summer competing in Europe ahead of Aachen, with a runner-up finish at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage along the way. "Flo" came to her from <strong>Carl Hester</strong> and <strong>Charlotte Dujardin</strong>, and when Holzer is at Hester's yard in England she hacks the mare out through the picturesque countryside. The partnership took time to build. Holzer has said that getting a mare to cooperate means asking, then asking again with a please, and then, when that fails, sending flowers. She has been the freestyle machine of the group this season, with five performances and an average just shy of 75%. She also holds the best Grand Prix Special score of the four team riders, a personal-best of 72.574% for second at Hartpury. <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/ashley-holzer-on-flo-neil-diamond-and-what-the-series-is-for" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Her freestyle</a> this year is set to Neil Diamond's "Coming to America," a nod to her own move to the States. She currently leads the US Equestrian Open of Dressage standings.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Jordan LaPlaca and Gold Play</h2>
<p dir="ltr">LaPlaca is based out of Maverick Hill Dressage in Ledyard, Connecticut, and works with mentor <strong>Albrecht Heidemann</strong> and <strong>Christine Traurig</strong>, who happens to be the Chef d'Equipe steering this Aachen team. He produced Gold Play himself, buying the gelding as a four-year-old from German team rider <strong>Frederic Wandres</strong> and bringing him all the way up to the top. The Grand Prix Special is this pair&rsquo;s strongest test. LaPlaca won it at the Wellington Nations Cup on his senior team debut. Gold Play enjoyed the one-tempi changes so much that day that he added two extra down the centerline, and they won anyway. They have since pushed <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/the-open-weekly-team-announcements-and-us-combinations-around-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">their personal best</a> to 71.745% at Hagen. LaPlaca has ridden almost everything, from hunters and jumpers to saddleseat, eventing, and driving, and he still competes as an FEI-registered driver. This is a breakout season for LaPlaca in the senior at Grand Prix.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Christian Simonson and Fleau de Baian</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Simonson is the youngest rider on the squad and in his first season in the senior division. He grew up in Ventura, California, is now based in Wellington, and trains under Olympian <strong>Adrienne Lyle</strong>. "Felix" was developed to the top level by Dutch star <strong>Adelinde Cornelissen</strong> before Simonson took over the ride, and the horse is owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center. Together they posted the best freestyle score on the team this year. That was a 76.570% at the Hagen Nations Cup on the Fourth of July, a mark Simonson loved for the date as much as the number, and it came in only their second freestyle together. Away from the ring Simonson is the adventurous sort, with a student pilot's license earned at 15 and a childhood spent mountain biking, skiing, and scuba diving before dressage won out. He currently sits tenth in the US Equestrian Open of Dressage standings, and holds one of the highest freestyle scores in the Series on his other mount, <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/we-warned-you-about-indian-rock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Rock</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Ge&ntilde;ay Vaughn and Gino</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Vaughn runs Starr Vaughn Equestrian in Elk Grove, California, alongside her mother Michele, who is both her coach and Gino's owner. She also trains with Kathleen Raine in California and Patrick Kittel in Germany. <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/new-podcast-genay-vaughn-lives-in-ginos-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">She comes from sporting stock</a>: her father is former Major League Baseball slugger Greg Vaughn, and Ge&ntilde;ay was born the year he made an All-Star team, which is how she and the family farm both ended up named Starr. Michele bought Gino as a green six-year-old back in 2017, rode him herself, then handed the reins to her daughter once she saw what he could become. Vaughn calls him her best friend first and her teammate second. Gino is the Grand Prix engine of the team, and his 72.282% at Del Mar this year is the best of the four. She currently sits fifth in the standings and became the first rider to win two consecutive Open qualifiers this season.&nbsp;</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">The reserves</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Two combinations stand ready behind the team. Kasey Perry-Glass and Heartbeat W.P. are first reserve, with Meagan Davis and Toronto Lightfoot second. All six will have one eye on the fall, when the Series picks back up and builds toward the Final at Thermal in November. First, though, comes Aachen.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a style="display: block;" href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/categories/dressage" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="display: block; max-width: 100%; height: auto;" src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/df3afaab-1f25-4fab-a1dc-c46c608169fb" alt="Read more dressage" width="100%"></a></p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<hr>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 20px;" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="vertical-align: top; padding-right: 12px;" width="50%">
<div style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #001c54; margin-bottom: 8px;">Join the Conversation</div>
<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.65; color: #374172; margin: 0 0 8px 0;">Daily highlights, behind-the-scenes content, and live updates:</p>
<p style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0;"><a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrianopen">Instagram</a> <span style="color: #b2b2b2; margin: 0 6px;">|</span> <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.facebook.com/usequestrianopen">Facebook</a> <span style="color: #b2b2b2; margin: 0 6px;">|</span> <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://twitter.com/useqopen">X (Twitter)</a></p>
</td>
<td style="vertical-align: top; padding-left: 12px; border-left: 1px solid #dde1ea;" width="50%">
<div style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #001c54; margin-bottom: 8px;">Go Beyond the Article</div>
<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.65; color: #374172; margin: 0;">Catch the latest insights and expert interviews on the <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://sites.libsyn.com/559710">US Equestrian Open Podcast</a>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div style="background: #001c54; padding: 24px; border-radius: 2px;">
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #83b1d6; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Mission of the Open</div>
<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85); margin: 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The mission of the US Equestrian Open is to grow and foster a deeper connection to equestrian sport by delivering a premier, unified championship series that engages a broader fanbase through top-level competition, storytelling, and a dynamic, entertaining experience.</p>
</div>

jordan la placa kisses gold play after the jog

Meet the US Dressage Team Headed to the 2026 World Championships 

1. Jumping

All you need to know

Wellington CSI5* Grand Prix

2. Eventing

Morven Park CCI4*-L

3. Dressage

Desert CDI5* Freestyle

The 2026 Finals

Thumbnail - Fan Guide

Predictions & entry stats for the eventing qualifiers

Fan Guides

Thumbnail - Social Media

Live coverage & entertainment

Thumbnail - Watch & Become Member

And stream free on the USEF Network

Become a Member

Thumbnail - Jumping Final 2026

Kent Farrington & Greya are the 2026 Jumping Champions

Most Recent Final

Follow it all

Thumbnail - Open Weekly

Get the weekly debrief

The Open Weekly

Thumbnail - Leaderboards

Who's currently on top?

Series Leaderboards

Podcast4x5

Previews, Reviews & Interviews

The US Equestrian Open Podcast

Thumbnail - Open Road

Behind the scenes with the big stars

The Open Road

Stay up to date

Main

The Numbers Behind Rebecca Farm's CCI4*-S

Stephanie Goodman at Aspen Farms on the Open Weekly graphic

The Open Weekly: Rebecca Farm, Sweetnam Strikes, and the Aachen Four

Woodge Fulton and Cash Point at the historic Morven Park Mansion

The Series by the Numbers: How Tough is Each Venue?

<p dir="ltr">You've seen the number: a rider halts at the end of a test, salutes, and something like 74 percent goes up on the board. But why that number? How does everything you just watched get distilled into a single percentage, and why does one test score so much higher than the next?</p>
<p dir="ltr">In <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/piaffe-passage-and-pirouette-a-beginners-guide-to-grand-prix-dressage-movements" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part one</a>, we covered the movements you see in the arena. This one covers how the judges turn those into a score.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">The Mark Out of Ten</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Every movement on the test sheet is scored from 0 to 10, and half-points are allowed. Ten is excellent, eight is good, six is satisfactory, on down to zero for a movement not performed at all. Several judges sit at different points around the arena and score the same movement from their own angle, which is why a horse can pull a 7 from one judge and an 8 from another on the same piaffe. Those marks get averaged into one number at the end of the test.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A 6 may look like a bad grade, but it isn't. On a report card it would be a D, but in dressage it is a satisfactory mark, and a common one. Most marks land between 6 and 8, and to win you want to at least be in the 7s. Anything 8 and up signals real quality, and a <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/isabell-werth-sets-new-us-equestrian-open-of-dressage-record-in-wellington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9 is a rare sight</a>.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Why Some Movements Count Double</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Not every movement counts the same. The most important ones carry a coefficient, which doubles their points on the score sheet. These are the movements that define the level, and at Grand Prix they tend to be the hardest ones too: the piaffe, the pirouettes and the one-tempi changes are all doubled. It is why a horse that struggles in the piaffe pays extra for it, and why a bobble in the one-tempis stings more than it looks.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">The Collective Marks</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Alongside the movement scores, tests have long ended with collective marks: the judge's big-picture verdict on the whole ride rather than any single movement, covering the horse's gaits, its impulsion, its submission, and the rider. These are also scored out of 10. You will still see the full set of these at a national US show. At the international Grand Prix level, though, the FEI has pared them down. It cut the marks for gaits, impulsion and submission in 2018 and kept a single overall mark, now called Harmony, for the partnership and the training behind it. It still carries a coefficient, so it counts for more than any one movement.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Turning Marks Into a Percentage</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Add up every mark, apply the coefficients, and you have a point total. Divide that by the most the horse could have scored if every mark were a 10, multiply by 100, and you have that judge's percentage. Average the judges and you have the number on the board.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Those numbers are also thresholds. A horse needs at least 60 percent in the Grand Prix just to advance to the Freestyle, and for the US Equestrian Open, 67 percent in a qualifying Freestyle to be eligible for the Final in the first place.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">What Makes the Freestyle Different</h2>
<p dir="ltr">The Grand Prix Freestyle uses the same marks out of ten, but splits the result in two: technical and artistic. If that sounds familiar, it is the same idea as figure skating, one score for how well you execute the elements, another for the performance. The technical half works just like the standard dressage test. The horse still has to show a required list of movements, the same piaffe, passage, pirouettes, tempi changes and half passes from part one, each judged on quality. The artistic half is where the Freestyle differentiates itself. Here, judges score the choreography, the rhythm, the music, the harmony of the partnership, and the degree of difficulty. That last one is what it sounds like, how hard a program the rider builds, and like diving, a harder routine can score higher, but only if the horse delivers. Those marks each carry a coefficient of four, which is the reason Freestyle scores tend to run higher than the same horse's Grand Prix scores. But the artistry is still tethered to how well the horse actually goes. A great soundtrack cannot rescue a shaky ride. Technical excellence still drives the score.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Put the two parts of <a href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/stories/piaffe-passage-and-pirouette-a-beginners-guide-to-grand-prix-dressage-movements" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this series</a> together and you can follow a Grand Prix from the first halt to the final score. Next time a rider finishes, salutes, and the percentage flashes up on <a href="https://www.usef.org/network" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USEF Network</a>, you will know exactly where it came from.</p>
<p><a style="display: block;" href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/categories/dressage" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="display: block; max-width: 100%; height: auto;" src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/df3afaab-1f25-4fab-a1dc-c46c608169fb" alt="Read more dressage" width="100%"></a></p>

Meagan Davis & Toronto Lightfoot at the 2026 Grand Prix National Dressage Championships

How Is Grand Prix Dressage Scored? A Beginner's Guide 

The 2026 Finals

Wellington CSI5* Grand Prix

Morven Park CCI4*‑L

Desert CDI5* Freestyle

Meet the US Dressage Team Headed to the 2026 World Championships

Top Stories

Meet the US Dressage Team Headed to the 2026 World Championships

The Numbers Behind Rebecca Farm's CCI4*-S

The Open Weekly: Rebecca Farm, Sweetnam Strikes, and the Aachen Four

The Series by the Numbers: How Tough is Each Venue?

How Is Grand Prix Dressage Scored? A Beginner's Guide

Stay up to date

The Open Weekly

Series Leaderboards

The US Equestrian Open Podcast

The Open Road

Follow it all

Fan Guides

Follow Us

Become a Member

Most Recent Final

The 2026 Finals

Wellington CSI5* Grand Prix

Morven Park CCI4*‑L

Desert CDI5* Freestyle

Qualifiers

US Equestrian Open Final Partner Venues

Series Partners