The U.S. Para Dressage Team wrapped up a successful outing at the FEI competition in Tryon, earning both a team victory and crucial international experience. Featuring a mix of seasoned athletes and new partnerships, the event provided a valuable opportunity for the U.S. program to strengthen its foundation ahead of next year’s world championships. The team was led by Chef d’Equipe and Technical Advisor Michel Assouline and Team Leader Laureen Johnson.
“This time in Tryon was a somewhat experimental team with new athlete-coach and athlete-horse combinations,” said Assouline. “We had a successful outcome with several scores in the 70% range. Now onwards and upwards with plenty of homework toward the new season!”
Team members included Sydney Collier and Bell Bottoms, Hannah Kingsley and Eragon VF, Cindy Screnci and For Memory 4, and Kate Shoemaker and Supreme. Each combination completed the FEI Para Grand Prix Tests A and B and the Freestyle in their respective grades, contributing to the team’s overall score of 421.424.
Leading the team’s results was Shoemaker (Wellington, Fla.) with Supreme (Sezuan x Déjà Vu), her own 2016 Westphalian gelding. A veteran of multiple Paralympic and FEI World Championship teams, Shoemaker earned scores above 72% in all three Grade IV tests. The competition marked Supreme’s FEI debut, signaling a promising new chapter in Shoemaker’s career.
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Kingsley (Fort White, Fla.) and her 2009 KWPN gelding Eragon VF (Don Romantic x Ujinja) also delivered standout performances, achieving personal bests of 70.389% in the Para Grand Prix Test B and 71.500% in the Grade III Freestyle. The pair, who began competing together in 2024, made their team debut earlier this year in Wellington.
Screnci (Wellington, Fla.) and her 2017 Hanoverian gelding For Memory 4 (For Dance x Destano) continued their strong 2025 campaign, earning consistent marks across all three Grade V tests, including a Freestyle score above 70%. Collier (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Bell Bottoms (Benetton Dream x Issandra), a 2014 Oldenburg mare owned by Going for Gold LLC, Devon Kane, and Diamante Farms, showed continued progress in Grade I, improving upon their results from last year’s Tryon Fall CPEDI.
With a blend of experienced riders and emerging partnerships, the U.S. Para Dressage Team demonstrated growing depth and momentum—key ingredients as the program looks ahead to future international championships.
