How Kevin Kohmann Won the 2026 US Equestrian Open of Dressage Series
He went into Devon ninth and came out first. Here’s how Dünensee, Famous and Sonata MF each played a part in his 65 points.
Kevin Kohmann is the 2026 US Equestrian Open of Dressage Series Champion. He made four Series starts this season on three different horses, Dünensee, Famous and Sonata MF, and every one of them added to his final total.
He went into Dressage at Devon ninth on 40 points. He came out of it first on 65.
The horse who secured his 2026 title was Sonata MF, an 11-year-old American-bred mare who had never done an international freestyle. Their first FEI start together was at TerraNova in May. Five months later, at Devon, they scored 77.105% and won the CDI-W by 0.590 over Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu & Jaccardo, with 13 in the class.
The freestyle was brand new, too. His wife, Devon Kane, chose the music with her mother to celebrate a mare made in the USA, and Kohmann had it for just a week before Devon.
"This was our second time going through our freestyle, we only got the music a week ago," Kohmann said.
The 25 points from Devon put Kohmann on top of the standings for good, and the panel left little room for argument. All five judges had Kohmann and Sonata MF in their top three. Hans Voser at H and Cesar Torrente at C both had them first, and Torrente's 79.150% was the highest individual score in the class.
| See the final 2026 Series standings → |
| See every judge's score from the Devon freestyle → |
The rest of his 65 points came from Wellington and TerraNova. Dünensee, the 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding Kohmann credits with making his career, was sixth of 11 in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 7 World Cup freestyle in February for 10 points. A month later he finished second of nine at AGDF 10 for 15 more, and the same result booked his third straight FEI World Cup Final.
Kohmann's first FEI start on Famous came in February. By May the 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding had won the CDI3* freestyle at TerraNova on 74.635%, his best score, in a class of two that paid 15 points.
Where Kohmann's 65 Points Came From
Grand Prix Freestyle results at 2026 Series qualifiers. Points scale with field size, and each rider's best four results count.
Fraser-Beaulieu finished second in the final Series standings on 55 from three starts. Kane picked up 15 points at TerraNova II to take third on 54. Ashley Holzer, the US Equestrian Open of Dressage Leading Lady presented by Frank & Eileen, is fourth on 51, one point ahead of Christian Simonson.
Kevin Kohmann
Brittany Fraser-BeaulieuFinal 2026 Series standings, top five. Results shows how many of each rider's best four count toward their total.
Kohmann wasn't entered at TerraNova II, the last qualifier of the 2026 season, but he didn't need to be. The freestyle there drew a small field, so the winner could take only 15 points, and nobody on the entry list could add 15 and reach 65.
The final standings also set the Series prize money. Kohmann's title pays $12,500 and Kane's third place pays $6,500, so $19,000 goes to one house (who do you think is buying the celebratory dinner?).
In 2025 Kohmann tied for third on 86 points and didn't ride at the Final. Benjamin Ebeling won it, but he won't be back at Thermal to defend.
The Final runs November 13 to 14 at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California. Kohmann hasn't said whether he'll be there. This weekend he's in Mexico with Sonata MF for a World Cup qualifier. Any of his three horses clears the 67% bar for the Final eligibility, but the rules let him bring only one.
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