Dressage Festival Back And Better Than Ever In 2025

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) is one of the world’s premier international dressage events and a winter stalwart for top competition with unbeatable weather. Held annually here in Wellington, AGDF attracts top-level riders, trainers and horses from around the globe, including seasoned Olympians and rising stars.

Now in its 14th year at Equestrian Village, AGDF runs for 10 weeks with international, small and large tour, as well as national and para dressage offerings.

“AGDF prides itself on inclusivity and variation where a rider can come up through the ranks of the sport, and where opportunities abound,” AGDF Director of Sport Thomas Baur explained.

In its 2025 run, AGDF now boasts four qualifiers for the 2025 FEI Dressage World Cup Final, taking place in April in Basel, Switzerland. Additionally, the circuit will include its regular roster of evening freestyle performances during Friday Night Stars, as well as a CDIO Nations Cup, a para dressage Nations Cup, a CDI5* event, and the ever-popular Palm Beach Derby, in which riders are paired with an unfamiliar horse, given five minutes to warm up and then tackle a Prix St. Georges test.

Germany’s Felicitas Hendricks became a crowd favorite in Wellington during the 2024 season. She was crowned queen of the international stadium after winning the FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Palm Beach Equine Clinic, during opening week.

“It was huge for me because I did my first senior classes [in Wellington] last year, and I never thought that I would be here in this position today,” beamed Hendricks after her win.

She has been a regular at AGDF since her debut season as a junior in 2015. “I was just happy if we got through the Grand Prix, and now I’ve won — it’s unreal,” she said.

Baur said that Hendricks is a perfect example of what the dressage festival can do.

“She came here in 2015 as a junior and left as No. 1 junior in the world after the season,” he said. “Now she’s back here winning Grand Prix. You cannot compare that to anywhere else in the world, which is what makes it really special here.”

One of the most notable additions to the 2025 AGDF is that the festival has been selected as a host event for the newly launched US Equestrian Open of Dressage. AGDF will be home to seven qualifiers during the event’s inaugural year.

“The Adequan Global Dressage Festival is proud to be a part of the US Equestrian Open of Dressage and contribute to the growth of the sport of dressage in the U.S.,” Baur said. “Our team is excited to see dressage continue to shine in Wellington through elite competition, thrilling Friday Night Stars action, and development opportunities for both horse and rider that further strengthen the future of dressage in North America.”

The series will offer $200,000 in prize money, which will be distributed at the 2025 US Equestrian Open of Dressage Final held in California in November. The innovative addition to the North American schedule showcases top dressage sport from coast to coast.

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival prides itself on being a hub for international sport during the winter months, most notably for the CDIO3* Nations Cup, in which teams from all corners of the world come together and represent their home nations in a sport that is most often individual. In 2024, Germany extended its unbeaten run at the AGDF Nations Cup to four consecutive victories.

Throughout the season, several opportunities are also presented to embrace the up-and-coming equine talents of the sport in the $10,000 Future Challenge/Young Horse Prix St. Georges series and the $15,000 Lövsta Future Challenge series.

A popular part of the European circuit, the Lövsta Future Challenge, which is open to horses from eight to 11 years old, is intended to provide the opportunity for riders to bring their up-and-coming international quality horses into a championship-type environment without the pressures of a CDI, like having to stable away from home. All qualifying rounds, held throughout AGDF 2024, used the FEI Intermediate II test before the final presents a step up in difficulty with the FEI Young Horse Grand Prix test.

“I felt like this series would be a great way to move up at the end of the season, to try a few I2s, and we were wondering whether he was ready for the Grand Prix,” said Nicholia Clarke, winner of the 2024 Lövsta Future Challenge with Komsi Komsa. “With these young horses, we’re all wondering how they’ll handle the CDI ring, so we gave it a go, and it feels great to come out on top.”

Upcoming “can’t miss” season highlights include:

• AGDF 8, Feb. 26 to March 2, featuring the Palm Beach Derby, CDI-W FEI World Cup Dressage and the US Equestrian Open of Dressage.
• AGDF 9, March 6-9, featuring a Para Dressage CPEDI3*.
• AGDF 10, March 12-16, featuring a CDI5* and the US Equestrian Open of Dressage.
• AGDF 12, March 26-30, featuring a CDI4* and the US Equestrian Open of Dressage.

As one of the longest dressage circuits in the world, the Adequan Global Dressage Festival has created a lasting home in the equestrian landscape of Wellington and North America as a whole. It’s not just a competition; it’s a celebration of the artistry and athleticism of the dressage horse through the attraction of top talent and fostering growth of the sport worldwide.

For more about the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, as well as Friday Night Stars hospitality opportunities, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.