Desert Dressage II, presented by Adequan® – the first week of international dressage competition for the current season at the Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) in Thermal, CA – wrapped Sunday with elite West-Coast dressage athletes taking home top honors.
STEFFEN PETERS RETURNS TO WINNING WAYS AT DESERT DRESSAGE II
Steffen Peters (USA) made a victorious return to the Grand Prix Arena aboard the legendary Suppenkasper, owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki. Peters and the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Spielberg x IPS Krack C) did as they know best, and performed exceptionally, winning both the FEI World Cup Grand Prix, sponsored by Elizabeth Keadle, and the FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle, sponsored by the Brad & Kathy Coors Foundation.
On Friday, Peters and “Mopsie” rode to a score of 74.804% in the FEI World Cup Grand Prix, sponsored by Elizabeth Keadle. Following that momentum, they returned to the ring Saturday to ultimately earn a score of 79.795% in the FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle, sponsored by the Brad & Kathy Coors Foundation, topping the field of international entries.
Peters and Mopsie are no strangers to international competition, having represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where they took home a team silver medal. But competing on the international stage close to home, in San Diego, CA, is an extra special feeling for Peters.
Just last April, the duo represented the USA on home turf, competing at the FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha, NE, and walking away as the top-placing American pair. During his Freestyle in Omaha, Peters took an already outstanding freestyle and incorporated musical elements from his home state of California.
“It was very good, and very exciting,” Peters remarked of his top finish in front of a home crowd in Omaha. “We tried to top it a little bit from Tokyo. “We made it a little bit better, and that’s very hard because it was already such a good freestyle to start with. The crowd loved it, ‘Mopsie’ loved it, and I loved it.”
Peters has always had a love for competing in front of a home crowd, which was why the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals were such a big goal of his.
“It’s just so special,” he continued regarding competing on U.S. soil. “The second I got done, I saw some people standing up for us, and I had both of my arms up in the air. It’s just such a wonderful feeling and it’s really hard to describe. After 50 years of doing this sport, it still gets me really excited.”
In 2024, the FEI World Cup Finals head to Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, and Peters is already on his way to earning a spot there, though the competition will be steep to secure a qualifying position.
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