SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA - A second consecutive week of outstanding dressage competition with a record number of CDI entries got underway Thursday at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, Cal. during California Dreaming Productions' Festival of the Horse CDI 3*/Y/J/U-25 as U.S. Dressage Team veterans Steffen Peters and Guenter Seidel took turns leading the day's victory rounds.

With Legolas 92 now officially qualified for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final thanks to winning performances at last week's Capistrano Dressage International CDI-W, it was time for Steffen Peters' young superstar Rosamunde (2007 Rheinlander mare [Rock Forever x First Lady by Fidermark], owned by Four Winds Farm) to take center stage. Despite a small mistake in the two-tempis, the test included what CDP Live commentator Axel Steiner (FEI 5* ret.) described to the thousands of viewers watching online via live video streaming as "some very special moments. Just feast your eyes on this - that's what it's supposed to look like. What a horse this is. Obviously I'm a big fan." 

Rosie's effort earned a mark of 73.780% which was more than enough for the unanimous win under all five judges ahead of Guenter Seidel who earned 69.480% with James and Charlotte Mashburn's KWPN gelding Zero Gravity [Royal Hit x Naica by Contango]), including top marks from Gary Rockwell (5* USA). "She's got a wonderful temperament and is a very elastic horse, so she and Steffen make for a very flowing, harmonious presentation," Rockwell noted. "There are even more points available in there as she continues to develop, and I think the future is more than bright. I'm anxious to see it." 

"There were some things that were already better than last week, including the pirouettes and transitions between piaffe and passage," said Peters after the awards ceremony. "She's so eager to work that she can sometimes even try too hard, but there's no sign of tiredness or stress from showing two weeks in a row. Tomorrow we'll take a nice walk in the park in the snaffle, and we look forward to Saturday and debuting her freestyle." 

Guenter Seidel took his turn accepting championship honors in the CDI arena today with his Westphalian gelding Rey del Mundo (Rock Forever x Fiona by Ferragamo). Coming off their first CDI victory last week in the Intermediaire I, the pair returned to the ring for today's Prix St. Georges as third to go in the large class of 28, which included 13 Canadian competitors. Their solid, elegant test earned a score of 71.184% which couldn't be caught despite a valiant effort by Canada's Leslie Reid with Fine and Smart (Westphalian gelding [Fuerst Piccolo x Whoopy by Worldman] owned by Juliet Sears LeDorze) on 70.921%. 

"Guenter rode the horse perfectly," said FEI judge Maria Schwennesen (4* AUS). "I thought both the trot and canter work were super, being very well-balanced, of a high quality, and soft over the ground. The suppleness of his horse ended up being the winning difference for him today." Seidel was equally impressed with his horse's performance. "He's the surprise of the year for me," explained Seidel. "He's this big lanky thing that only recently started competing at this level, but every show he progresses and gets more confident. He was a really good guy in the ring and very professional today."

See complete competition results here.   

Juniors, Young Riders, and Under 25 competitors kicked off the Festival of the Horse on Wednesday afternoon, getting an early start for the second week in a row due to a record number of CDI entries. In the 16-25 Intermediaire II test, Genay Vaughn and the black Hanoverian stallion Donarweiss GGF (De Niro x SPS Highlight by Hohenstein, owned by Starr Vaughn Equestrian, LLC) were an impressive pair as they earned a winning score of 65.965% over Catherine Chamberlain with her KWPN gelding Verdicci (Krack C x Nadine's Monday by Jackson) with 62.149%. Chamberlain then returned to the ring to continue her domination of southern California's FEI Young Rider division as she once again topped the field in the Team Prix St. Georges Test, riding Kimberly Pribble's Dutch gelding Avesto Van Weltevreden (Gribaldi x Tevesta by Krack C) to a score of 67.895%. Finishing with reserve honors was Danielle Bonavito and her Hanoverian gelding Wyoming (Weltmeyer x Arielle by Akzent I) with 64.342%. Rounding out the CDI, Veronica West claimed her third straight FEI Junior Team Test win with her own black Hanoverian gelding Nobleman (Hatiello XX x Weira by Wenzel II) on a score of 65.631%. 

See complete competition results here.