It feels early in the season to start naming potential Series winners, but a few combinations are already making themselves difficult to ignore. A couple of weeks ago, the conversation centered on Christian Simonson and Indian Rock. This weekend in Wellington, during week three of the 12-week 2026 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), Susan Pape (GBR) moved firmly into that same conversation with Harmony’s Giulilanta. 

The 2026 national eventing season got underway at Rocking Horse, with a mix of familiar US Equestrian Open contenders and emerging partnerships laying down early markers on the road to Bouckaert Farm. Strong performances across the intermediate and preliminary divisions hinted at storylines that could shape this year’s Open of Eventing race, especially for combinations returning from breaks or stepping up a level.​​

In show jumping, Lillie Keenan continued a hot January in Wellington, adding a CSI4* Grand Prix victory with Fasther to an already strong start to the Winter Equestrian Festival. Keenan and her longtime partner stopped the clock in 40.56 seconds to win the $215,000 CSI4* Grand Prix, marking their second international success of the season and reinforcing her position as one of the key US Equestrian Open of Jumping contenders based in Florida this winter.