Nick Wagman and Don John ©SusanStickle.
Wellington, FL – March 4, 2021 – The 2021 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) resumed competition with AGDF 8 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL on Thursday, March 4, and welcomed a victory in the FEI Grand Prix for Special CDI3*, presented by The Dutta Corp., for the USA’s Nick Wagman and Don John.
Wagman and Beverly Jean Gepfer’s 2008 KWPN gelding by Johnson TN, Don John, notched their second personal best score of the 2021 AGDF season with a 74.478%, almost four points higher than second place finisher Jessica Howington (USA) and her own Cavalia.
“He was really with me the whole time today,” began Wagman. “Normally I get a few nerves in the Grand Prix because it’s the first test of the show, but I didn’t have any today. I even came out and said to Debbie [McDonald] that this is the first time I haven’t had any nerves in a long time. DJ just felt solid, so I was able to actually think about my riding while I was in there and actually work on the details that I can sometimes gloss over because I’m just trying to get through it.”
Wagman continued, “I haven’t watched the video yet, but the piaffe and passage work felt pretty reliable today. My right pirouette felt super. I made the mistake in the ones today, and that was just all me. I got to the end and was like, ‘Oh, don’t make a mistake!’ and I ended up overriding. But overall, it was a pretty honest test, so I am pleased with it.”
The pair had a successful ride in the FEI Grand Prix for Special CDI3*, presented by CabanaCoast, during AGDF 5, but had to withdraw from the Special. After a low-key week, Wagman picked training back up and has shifted his original plan for the remainder of the winter season.
Wagman explained, “We had rotten luck the past two shows, so hopefully we are done with that and we get to get through this show with some success. We extended our trip, and we’ll stay through the end of March. Then we will go back home and if we need a third score, we will go out to Rancho Marietta in California.”
For more information and results, please visit www.GlobalDressageFestival.com.