Photo by Jessica Buehler Photography
By Alice Collins for TerraNova Equestrian Center
Myakka City, FL – October 16, 2026 – The South Florida dressage competition season officially kicked off on Friday, October 16, 2026, with the opening day of action at TerraNova Equestrian Center in Myakka City, Florida, for its October FEI World Cup qualifier show. Despite intense October heat, the two grand prix classes both produced polished U.S. lady winners who achieved personal best scores. Devon Kane and Vamos came out on top in the STX FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, while Quinn Iverson and Gremlin 41 headed up the NupaFeed CDI3* Grand Prix.
Kane and the Diamante Farms-owned Vamos, a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding by Vivaldi x Insterburg, posted 69.043% for their second win of 2026, with their first being at TerraNova’s April CDI.
Christian Simonson (USA) and Fleau De Baian, his ride at this summer’s FEI World Championships in Germany, finished second. Blips in the zig-zag and the one-time changes — which both carry a doubling coefficient — proved costly for Simonson and Heidi Humphries’ 16-year-old Jazz x Ulft stallion, who finished with 68.065%. James Koford (USA) rounded out the podium with a 65.478% ride on Janet Simile’s 16-year-old Briar Junior gelding, Fire Fly, well known on the dressage scene under Anna Marek in recent years.
“I’m pretty lucky here, it’s incredible — I guess I have to keep coming back,” said Kane, who is based in Wellington, Florida. “The stadium is big, but inviting; Vamos loves it and he’s so happy here in this lovely venue.”
Kane, who spent the summer at home bonding with her horses, continued: “I took a break from showing and Vamos had time in the paddock and hacking. We spent it just being a horse and a rider and hanging out, which was different and fun. Then we got going again. He’s always loved me, and now he’s trusting me in the arena, which is a really cool feeling for us.”
(Right) James Koford (USA) and Fire Fly rounded out the STX FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix podium at TerraNova with a score of 65.478%.
Photos by Jessica Buehler Photography
Kane and Vamos head into Saturday’s B&D Builders FEI World Cup™ Freestyle in pole position. The class offers valuable points as the second of nine North American qualifiers for the 2027 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final, which takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden, in late March. It also doubles as the last US Open qualifier before the $200,000 2026 final in California in November.
Kane’s husband, Kevin Kohmann, currently sits atop the FEI North American league FEI World Cup™ standings having won the season opener. If Kane places in the top three in Saturday’s freestyle, she will take over the top spot in the standings. The couple are also sitting handily on the US Open leaderboard, with Kohmann leading and Kane lying in fifth.
The US Open final will be the next stop on the competition calendar for Kane, whose international grand prix career with Vamos spans almost three years and has taken them to Mexico, Germany and coast-to-coast in the USA. She attributes much of her success to her mother, Terri Kane, the owner of Diamante Farms in Wellington.
“My mom is here at TerraNova grooming for me,” explained Kane. “She cleaned my stall and my water buckets this morning; she’s helping take care of me and my horse and my dogs — everything. And Kevin is on the phone every step of the way, dying that he’s not here. It takes a whole family and a whole village, and I’m very lucky to have people that support me.”
Combination best for Quinn Iverson and Gremlin
Iverson rode the 11-year-old Gremlin (by Grey Flanell x Donnerschwee) to a new combination high score of 69.696%, topping the all-American podium, all of whom were mounted on 11-year-old horses. Nora Batchelder piloted Carol Glover’s Grand Galaxy Win T x Blue Hors Romanov mare Nova into second with 67.152%. Eline Eckroth was third with 62.891% on Connie Duff Wise’s Key To B Fabulous, by Eye Catcher.
Iverson, who is the assistant trainer to Adrienne Lyle, was the unanimous winner for the five judges, with two awarding scores over 70%. Gremlin, a German-bred Oldenburg, is owned by Iverson’s “fairy godmother” Billie Davidson. This was his second consecutive FEI win after he and Iverson topped the CDI4* Grand Prix Special at Neustadt Dosse in Germany in August, their previous outing.
Iverson has brought the leggy gelding up the levels since he was a five-year-old to their big tour international debut in March 2026 — the first horse the 28-year-old has competed at FEI grand prix. “I’m absolutely thrilled with how my horse came out today in this hot weather,” said Iverson, who is based between Florida and Colorado. “He tried so hard, and that’s all I could want from him, so I’m a little speechless.”
Gremlin wobbled out of the rein-back and popped into canter, the only blip in an otherwise smooth and attractive test.
“He does not like making mistakes, so I was trying to keep his confidence high,” continued Iverson. “He’s a nervous horse, so everything I’ve done with him has been to help him gain confidence in the ring, which has been our biggest challenge. It’s been a journey, that’s for sure. I’m super excited to keep building and growing with him.”
Iverson credits much of her success to Davidson, saying: “I’ve known Billie since I was six. She was the treasurer of our Pony Club camp, and she has made all my dreams come true. I started out as a jumper, then did eventing, but Billie had a dressage horse she wanted me to ride — and the rest is history.”
In the small tour ranks, it was another all-American podium in the CDI1* Prix St. Georges. In an exceptionally tight contest, Lars Petersen emerged victorious with 67.971% in a class where just 0.2 percentage points separated the top three finishers. Petersen kept his nose ahead riding the eight-year-old Everdale mare Nareina at just her second FEI show.
A personal best for Brian Hafner of 67.882% secured the red ribbon with his own 13-year-old Bon Bravour gelding, I Crack De La Vigne. Nora Batchelder picked up another ribbon to add to her collection, riding her own and Andrea Whitcomb’s seven-year-old Twan Vita Nova, by Secret, to 67.706%.
Click here for full results from TerraNova’s October CDI. Click here for full results from TerraNova’s rated national show.
International and national dressage at TerraNova continues on Saturday, October 17. The day’s main big tour class, the B&D Builders FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, begins at 1.30pm local time in front of the Ringside Luncheon in the pavilion. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here. Morning classes include action in three grades in the CPEDI3* and a CDI2* Intermediate A. Watch it all on the free TerraNova live stream, also sponsored by B&D Builders, at https://www.terranovaequestrian.com/streaming.
