Simonson and Indian Rock Impress in Grand Prix Special CDI3* at World Equestrian Center – Ocala
Ocala, FL – It was another impressive performance in the Grand Prix Special CDI3* presented by The Fix Aesthetic Clinic as Christian Simonson (USA) and Indian Rock, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center, took their second victory in their first international competition. The class was a highlight of Saturday evening, May 24, 2025, during the May Dressage CDI3* presented by Hampton Green Farm at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC).
Simonson and Indian Rock received 74.277% in the Grand Prix Special CDI3*, with two judges scoring over 75% and the judge at C giving more than 76%. The pair received a nine on their final piaffe from the judge at E.
With a class under their belt, Simonson felt that he had a better idea of what to expect going into the Special. “I think on Friday, it was a little bit of new ground for both him and I,” he related. “Going on the second day, I had kind of a game plan of knowing, ‘This is the cycle of aids I need to have outside of the ring to get him really focused.’ And I think once he knew that he was like, ‘Okay, Dad, I know what we’re doing now,’ and then was super focused on me throughout the whole test.”
Simonson felt that his passage/extended trot tour was a highlight of the test and that “Rocky tried his absolute heart out.” He added, “He has so much scope and ability in those movements. It feels like you’re kind of flying through that part of the test. His lead changes are like nothing else and also in his half-passes and lateral work I can see his legs beneath me. I can just feel all the elasticity. It’s a really, really fun, amazing feeling.”
While Indian Rock is a 12-year-old KWPN stallion (Apache x Vivaldi) with more than 100 babies on the ground, Simonson said, “He is such a gentleman. He’s the sweetest, kindest stallion. He is incredibly smart, well mannered, and a really calm, sensitive soul.”
At a competition, the obvious focus is on riding and what happens in the show ring, but Simonson noted that his trainer, U.S. Olympic team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle, has helped him think about horse management and what goes into keeping an international dressage horse at the top level.
“She has been the biggest guiding light that I could ever ask for,” he acknowledged. “She’s so brilliant at many things, and one of those is having a very strategic and methodical plan, because she is a really amazing horsewoman.”
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