Fiona Howard Sets New World Record with Plus-83% Freestyle
Fiona Howard & Diamond Dunes. Photo ©susanjstickle.com
Grade II para-athlete Fiona Howard (USA) and Diamond Dunes stormed to a new world record score of 83.276% in the CPEDI3* FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle on Sunday, March 9, the closing day of action in week nine of the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. It marked the high point of a stellar show for the duo, who also logged a new personal best score of 77.299% in Friday’s FEI Para Grand Prix A test en route to claiming the champion accolade for the week.
Fellow U.S. rider Marie Vonderheyden was reserve champion for her Grade I wins on her international debut with Fan Tastico H. Both athletes formed part of the gold medal winning U.S. Para Dressage Team in the CPEDI during AGDF 9.
Howard has been riding Diamond Dunes, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding by De L’Or who is owned by Hof Kasselmann, for less than a year. In that time, they have won 13 of their 15 international starts, with the crowning jewel coming in the form of triple gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. This was the first time they had competed at ADGF, even though Howard is based between Wellington and Boston, Mass.
“It was our first competition after the Paralympics, so I just wanted to get back out there and back in the groove,” said Howard, who has dystonia, a neuromuscular disease that causes her muscles to contract and twist involuntarily. “Dunes gives so much every single time I come in the ring. He’s never shown here, so it was a new ring, but he tried so hard for me. He’s pretty special.”
Howard rode to music from the movie Avatar, put together by Equidance. The performance garnered a 10 from the judge at E, Portugal’s Carlos Lopes. She was bolstered by a big support crew, including her Paris teammates, her swimming coach, and her doctor, who were all in attendance to see the record-setting ride. She has also had coaching from Kasselmann’s trainer Nicole Wego-Engelmeyer in the two weeks running up to the CPEDI in AGDF 9.
An Instant Love Affair
Grade I Vonderheyden made her CPEDI debut with Fan Tastico H logging three plus-70% winning scores, culminating in a 74.434% Freestyle. The eight-year-old by Fürstenball was formerly ridden by Roxanne Trunnell, including as part of the gold medal winning team in Paris.
“It’s a new horse for me,” said Vonderheyden. “It was a big surprise when the U.S. federation chose me; they were looking for another Grade I rider, so here I am and he’s a great horse. We have a connection, which is really important, so I spend time with him and we are close.”
Vonderheyden is a former FEI level event rider for France, but a hacking accident in 2015 left her with a traumatic brain injury and in a coma. Following multiple brain surgeries and extensive therapies, she returned to the international ring in 2019 under the U.S. flag in the para ranks.
“It was an instant love affair between Marie and Fan Tastico,” said his owner Karin Flint. “I knew Marie from when she was competing here before and asked if she might be interested in riding him. It’s been going very well. They have a connection and it’s growing. That’s what para does; it starts out and then it grows. This was their first show, and they were reserve champions, so I’m thrilled.”
by Alice Collins
Wellington International
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