Top Riders Excited With 2025 Season Underway
United States show jumping athlete Lillie Keenan and German dressage U25 European champion Felicitas Hendricks were among the leaders in the equestrian industry who gather on the first Thursday morning of the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival and Adequan Global Dressage Festival, expressing great optimism in the opportunities available at Wellington International this season.
As part of the new US Equestrian Open, both dressage and show jumping athletes will have the opportunity to compete on one of the biggest stages worldwide. The US Equestrian Open of Jumping Final, the culminating event known each year as the Rolex Grand Prix, has jumped from $500,000 to $750,000 in prize money.
Keenan, one of the riders with her eye set on that Rolex US Equestrian Open CSI5* Grand Prix, has skyrocketed through the world rankings over the past few years of international competition, both in Wellington and beyond.
“I’ve been coming to Wellington for 20 years,” said Keenan, now 28. “I have jumped FEI here for about 12 [years], and it’s the one time of year that we actually get to stay in one place, which is so wonderful.”
Keenan referenced her most recent CSI5* Grand Prix winner, the 2014 stallion Kick On, and how the horse started the 2024 WEF season in the 1.30m, advancing all the way to a clear round in the 1.50m final.
“I think that’s something that’s so unique about this place, that we are able to bring horses to the very top level in conditions that they’re the most comfortable in,” she said.
Keenan has risen from the ponies to the Grand Prix podium in Wellington, and the venue has allowed her to not only thrive but to take her offerings to the next level.
“It’s a unique opportunity for us to also develop our business,” she continued. “I’m able to teach students here, and actually my mom still rides, and I get to ride with her every single day at home. It’s the one time of year that we get to all be together.”
With a full string of both up-and-coming and seasoned mounts, Keenan sees plenty of opportunity to give every horse the time and attention it needs, from daily jumping opportunities to some of the show calendar’s biggest events, all strategically forming part of her complex plan to approach championship events in future years, all leading up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the AGDF is setting the stage for its biggest year as well, featuring seven US Dressage Open Qualifiers, four CDI World Cup Qualifiers, the CDIO3* Nations Cup, a CDI5* event and 10 national shows. The schedule will also feature two CPEDI events — international shows for para dressage athletes — which began at Wellington International in 2016 right before the Rio Olympics.
“The sport of para in this country has grown so much,” AGDF Director of Sport Thomas Baur said. “They won, in total, eight medals in Paris, and five were gold. I think that is also a tribute to Wellington. We were a part of that journey. That was quite a success story over the years.”
The number one, two and three-ranked paralympic riders are all United States riders, pointed out Wellington International CEO Murray Kessler, who noted that there were no Americans in the top 10 prior to the para dressage program beginning in 2016.
The CDI competition will be fierce as well, with additional athletes and champions returning to Wellington International.
Hendricks is back for another season after a career high in 2024, scoring her first Friday Night Stars CDI5* victory in the 2024 edition of the AGDF. The 24-year-old began competing in Wellington in her early teens and has grown to become one of the most recognized U25 dressage athletes worldwide.
“Wellington has been the kickstart of everything for me,” Hendricks said. “Whether it was juniors or seniors, I really went all the way. I’m always so happy to prepare [her mount Drombusch OLD] for the European season over here because the conditions are just amazing. The competition organization is fantastic. It’s just perfect conditions all over, so it’s always the perfect start of the season.”
Still in an early phase of her career but with huge successes under her belt already, Hendricks knows being in Wellington sets the stage for the preparation that goes into arriving at the major championships on her bucket list.
“I feel like every professional rider’s ultimate dream is going to big championships and going to the Olympics,” Henricks explained. “But this is just a very long-term goal for the future; for now, with Drombusch, I’m just really going to try to go as far as we can.”
Hendricks and Keenan agreed that they love the energy and atmosphere they get from competing under the lights throughout the winter season.
“I think the special thing about it is the positive vibe,” Hendricks said of competing at AGDF’s Friday Night Stars. “Everyone is cheering you on, and even if a mistake happens, they really feel for you and they want you to do well. I think that’s very special.”
Keenan has jumped many Saturday Night Lights at WEF over her years as a show jumper and agrees there’s nothing quite like it.
“The atmosphere is electric, and the best horses really grow in that condition,” she said. “It’s incredible because we get to do it quite a few times if you’re lucky enough to have a Grand Prix horse that you get to jump on Saturday nights here. Then throughout the year, you feel the most comfortable in that atmosphere, and I guarantee you when the crowd gets into it, we do better.”


