Marcus Orlob and Jane Seal Third Straight Victory in the CDI4* Grand Prix, Jennifer Williams and Joppe K Claim CDI3*
By Alice Collins for Wellington International
American athletes on Dutch Warmblood horses dominated both CDI Grand Prix classes on Thursday, March 27, on the opening day of week 12 at the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. It is the final week of the three-month circuit, which hosts seven CDIs at the Wellington International venue. Marcus Orlob led an all-American Dutch-mounted podium in the CDI4* Grand Prix, presented by Lövsta Stuteri, and Jennifer Willliams did the same, spearheading a U.S. clean sweep of the top three places in the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, sponsored by Diamante Farms.
Orlob was awarded 70.63%—with identical high scores of 71.413% from two judges—for the ride on Alice Tarjan’s 11-year-old mare Jane, by Desperado x Metall. Their score was tamped down by mistakes in the canter zig-zag, costly given that the movement carries a double coefficient. Olympic team bronze medalist Kasey Perry-Glass slotted into second on Diane Perry’s 13-year-old Charmeur gelding Heartbeat WP with 68.022%. Katherine Bateson rounded out the top three from the field of 13 starters with 67.957% on her own and Jennifer Huber’s 13-year-old mare Haute Couture, by Connaisseur.
This was Orlob and Jane’s third straight victory at AGDF this season, putting to bed the demons of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the pair were eliminated for a speck of blood just moments into their test.
“Today Jane was nervous of the ring and I had a little bit more tension than two weeks ago,” said Orlob. “I always say it’s a learning experience with her and she just needs more mileage and time in the ring to get used to the people and atmosphere. At home she’s a puppy, she’ll never do anything naughty, but at shows she hears every noise and has to look at every flower like a baby.
“It’s a little bit frustrating for me because she’s a really quality horse. A 70% is still good and I don’t want to sound greedy, but right now I’m able to show maybe 50-60% of what Jane is capable of when she’s relaxed. I know we can score so much better, so we’ll keep taking her to a lot of different rings and hopefully help her get over her fear.”
Orlob took on the ride on Jane a year ago after the mare proved too much horse for Tarjan. “Alice said, ‘You try to ride her and, if you don’t like her, we’ll sell her.’ Alice is a little peanut and she had a hard time keeping Jane together,” continued Orlob. “I rode her and thought, ‘Holy cow, that’s quite a horse!’ Then when I competed her for the first time, I saw what Alice meant because she’s so different than at home.
“After Paris there were a lot of offers from people wanting to buy Jane, but Alice decided not to sell, and I’m so grateful because I really believe in her. I love the horse and Alice likes the partnership, and I can continue to ride her,” he concluded.
The game plan for this summer is to compete in Europe both internationally and at some national shows in Germany, and aim for a spot on the US team for CHIO Aachen in late July. The 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen is also on his radar.
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