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<div style="font-size: 26px; font-weight: 800; color: #83b1d6; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 4px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#1</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.35; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">US Equestrian Open of Dressage leaderboard</div>
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<div style="font-size: 9px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Best Score</div>
<div style="font-size: 26px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 4px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">75.010%</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.35; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Best qualifying score this season</div>
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<div style="font-size: 9px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Best Placing</div>
<div style="font-size: 26px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 4px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2nd</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.35; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Best result at a Series qualifier</div>
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<div style="font-size: 26px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 4px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4/4</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.35; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Completed this season</div>
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<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong style="font-weight: 600; color: #001c54;">Ashley Holzer</strong> sits at the top of the US Equestrian Open of Dressage leaderboard through four qualifiers, her consistency built around a partnership that did not come easy. In the latest episode of the US Equestrian Open Podcast, she spoke with host Annie about her mare <strong style="font-weight: 600; color: #001c54;">Hawtins San Floriana</strong>, the freestyle that carries a personal story, and what keeps her competing at the highest level. Below are some of the highlights, but the full conversation is worth your time.</p>

<h2 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; color: #001c54; margin: 24px 0 10px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Mare</h2>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Holzer acquired <strong style="font-weight: 600; color: #001c54;">Hawtins San Floriana</strong>, known at home as Flo, from Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin. She was expecting a smooth transition. That is not what she got. The mare tested her patience, challenged her horsemanship, and, by Holzer's own account, made her a better rider. The connection that exists today was earned over time.</p>

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<div style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: 800; line-height: 1.35; color: #001c54; margin-bottom: 16px;">&ldquo;She put me in my place a few times. I really learned a lot from this horse. I think I became a better rider because of the horse.&rdquo;</div>
<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #83b1d6;">Ashley Holzer on Hawtins San Floriana</div>
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<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Holzer described the difference between geldings and mares with characteristic candor: with a mare, she said, you do not just ask. You ask, then ask again with a please, then send flowers. The approach paid off. She now hacks Flo through the English countryside at Carl Hester's yard and describes the partnership as one she feels genuine joy in every day.</p>

<h2 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; color: #001c54; margin: 24px 0 10px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Freestyle</h2>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The music is Neil Diamond's "Coming to America." Holzer, originally Canadian with Scottish-born parents, immigrated to the United States and built her life here. The song maps onto that journey in a way that is deeply personal. New York, Los Angeles, blue jeans and horses. She worked the choreography with Tom Hunt, who built in audio cues so she knows, without counting, when the next movement is coming.</p>

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<div style="font-size: 20px; font-weight: 800; line-height: 1.4; color: #001c54; margin-bottom: 14px;">&ldquo;A lot of the music really resonates with me. That's why I chose it. And I think that's where it just makes it even more special to ride it because I have fun riding it.&rdquo;</div>
<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #83b1d6;">Ashley Holzer on her freestyle music choice</div>
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<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She also made a point about what the freestyle is technically, for anyone who has not ridden one: you are not just performing movements, you are synchronising yourself to music in real time, adjusting when you get behind it or ahead of it, deciding in the moment whether to use your joker line if something goes wrong. The joker line is a pre-planned optional sequence that lets a rider repeat a difficult movement, such as flying changes, if the first attempt fails. Choosing not to include one raises the degree of difficulty score, but removes the safety net entirely. In a freestyle, the margin for error is less forgiving than a standard test.</p>

<h2 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; color: #001c54; margin: 24px 0 10px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why the Series Matters</h2>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Holzer was direct about what the US Equestrian Open provides for horses and riders at this level: atmosphere, repetition, and pressure that is not team-selection pressure. Going into a ring with lights and a crowd and music requires a horse to be genuinely comfortable there. The Series builds that, qualifier by qualifier. Flo was nervous in the main ring at the start of the season. That has since changed.</p>

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<div style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: 800; line-height: 1.35; color: #001c54; margin-bottom: 16px;">&ldquo;To feel her sort of relax into that as the season went along was pretty wonderful.&rdquo;</div>
<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #83b1d6;">Ashley Holzer on Hawtins San Floriana's progression through the Series</div>
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<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She also spoke about what made her fall into the sport in the first place: a book her father gave her, cousins on ponies in Scotland, a phone call she made to a local riding stable without her parents knowing, and a deal she brokered to get three other kids to sign up so the lesson numbers worked. All four went. Only one stayed.</p>

<h2 style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; color: #001c54; margin: 24px 0 10px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Consistency and Patience</h2>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 16px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Holzer closed with something she said she tells students regularly. If you are patient, clear, kind, and consistent with a horse, the partnership comes. It might take a week. It might take two years. But it comes.</p>

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<div style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: 800; line-height: 1.35; color: #001c54; margin-bottom: 16px;">&ldquo;You've just gotta believe in the process, work with your coach, work with your animal, and be patient. But it will happen.&rdquo;</div>
<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #83b1d6;">Ashley Holzer</div>
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<div style="font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.16em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #83b1d6; margin-bottom: 8px;">Listen to the Full Episode</div>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.65; color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85); margin: 0 0 16px 0;">The full conversation covers Ashley's origin story, her career path from eventing to dressage, what keeps her competing at this stage of her career, and more from her time at Carl Hester's yard.</p>
<a style="display: inline-block; background: #c8102e; color: #ffffff; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.1em; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 10px 22px; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 2px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" href="https://podfollow.com/the-us-equestrian-open-podcast/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Listen Now &rarr;</a></div>

<div style="margin-top: 20px;"><a style="display: block;" href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/categories/dressage" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <img style="display: block; max-width: 100%; height: auto;" src="https://usef-admin.fly.dev/assets/df3afaab-1f25-4fab-a1dc-c46c608169fb" alt="Read more dressage" width="100%"> </a></div>

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<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.65; color: #374172; margin: 0;">Thanks for joining us for this week's edition. A fresh update of <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: 600;" href="https://www.usequestrianopen.org/categories/the-open-weekly">The Open Weekly</a> drops on the site every Tuesday.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85); margin: 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The mission of the US Equestrian Open is to grow and foster a deeper connection to equestrian sport by delivering a premier, unified championship series that engages a broader fanbase through top-level competition, storytelling, and a dynamic, entertaining experience.</p>
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Ashley Holzer on Flo, Neil Diamond, and What the Series Is For

1. Jumping

All you need to know

Wellington CSI5* Grand Prix

2. Eventing

Morven Park CCI4*-L

3. Dressage

Desert CDI5* Freestyle

The 2026 Finals

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Predictions & entry stats for the eventing qualifiers

Fan Guides

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Live coverage & entertainment

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And stream free on the USEF Network

Become a Member

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Kent Farrington & Greya are the 2026 Jumping Champions

Most Recent Final

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The Open Weekly

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Who's currently on top?

Series Leaderboards

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Behind the scenes with the big stars

The Open Road

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Main

Can anyone catch Tamie Smith?

Open Weekly Graphic with Stephanie Goodman & Elwenda DP cross-country 

The Open Weekly: Debut Wins in Eventing & New Venues in Dressage

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<div style="font-size: 9px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">New Qualifier</div>
<div style="font-size: 26px; font-weight: 800; color: #c8102e; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 4px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1st</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.4; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">HITS Hudson Valley's debut as a US Equestrian Open of Dressage qualifier.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 9px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Field</div>
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<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.4; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Combinations entered in the CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 9px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">FEI Freestyle Record</div>
<div style="font-size: 26px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 4px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 of 3</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.4; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Only Belatrix RH has contested an FEI Grand Prix Freestyle.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 9px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 5px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Highest Freestyle Score</div>
<div style="font-size: 26px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 4px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">72.863%</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; line-height: 1.4; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mondlicht's national best, and the top freestyle number in the field.</div>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; margin: 28px 0 4px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="display: inline-block; background: #001c54; color: #ffffff; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 9px; border-radius: 2px; margin-right: 10px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">01</span>Micaela Mabraga&ntilde;a &amp; Belatrix RH</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; letter-spacing: 0.08em; text-transform: uppercase; margin-bottom: 14px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 600;">4 FEI freestyles &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 68.67% fei average &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 70.035% fei freestyle best</div>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 14px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong style="color: #001c54; font-weight: bold;">Belatrix RH</strong> is the only horse in the class with an FEI Grand Prix Freestyle to her name... and she has four of them. The pair average 68.67% across them. Their best US Open Score (70.035%) came last month at Mid-Atlantic Dressage Festival, where they finished third in the CDI3* freestyle. It was their first FEI freestyle above 70%.</p>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 14px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong style="color: #001c54; font-weight: bold;">Micaela Mabraga&ntilde;a</strong> rode for Argentina at both the 2015 and the 2023 Pan American Games. She is the only entry with a championship resume and the only proven CDI freestyle combination here. That makes her the form pick in this field, with her own recent score setting the benchmark.</p>
<div style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; margin: 28px 0 4px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="display: inline-block; background: #001c54; color: #ffffff; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 9px; border-radius: 2px; margin-right: 10px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">02</span>Christina Morin-Graham &amp; Mondlicht</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; letter-spacing: 0.08em; text-transform: uppercase; margin-bottom: 14px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 600;">First FEI Grand Prix Freestyle&nbsp; &middot;&nbsp; 72.863% national freestyle best</div>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 14px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong style="color: #001c54; font-weight: bold;">Mondlicht</strong> owns the highest freestyle score in the field, a 72.863% posted at GMHA Dressage Days in 2025. The catch is the setting as that number came in a national competition. This is the pair's first FEI Grand Prix Freestyle.</p>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 14px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The freestyle experience is there for <strong>Christina Morin-Graham &amp; Mondlicht,</strong> who have already completed in eight national Freestyles. The question is how the score travels from a national competition to an FEI one. Get close to that 72.863% and the class is theirs.</p>
<div style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; margin: 28px 0 4px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="display: inline-block; background: #001c54; color: #ffffff; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 9px; border-radius: 2px; margin-right: 10px; letter-spacing: 0.05em;">03</span>Anne Barbarick &amp; ZZ Top 4</div>
<div style="font-size: 11px; color: #6b7280; letter-spacing: 0.08em; text-transform: uppercase; margin-bottom: 14px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 600;">First FEI competition &nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; 70.525% national freestyle best</div>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 14px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong style="color: #001c54; font-weight: bold;">ZZ Top 4</strong> arrives for his first-ever FEI competition. A national Grand Prix Freestyle personal best of 70.525% at GMHA Dressage Days in July 2025 gives him a score comparable to the other two combinations in this class.</p>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 14px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong style="color: #001c54; font-weight: bold;">Anne Barbarick</strong> has the least to lose and the most to learn this week. A first FEI start is its own test. Match the national form and the debut counts as a success regardless of the placing.</p>
<div style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; margin: 36px 0 14px 0; padding-bottom: 8px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What the numbers tell us</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.16em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 8px;">Form Pick</div>
<div style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 800; color: #c8102e; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;">Belatrix RH</div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; color: #1a1a2e; line-height: 1.5;">The only proven FEI freestyle horse in the class, and trending up after a 70.035% at Mid-Atlantic last month.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.16em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 8px;">Highest Ceiling</div>
<div style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;">72.863%</div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; color: #1a1a2e; line-height: 1.5;">Mondlicht's national best clears the field. The test is whether it holds on an FEI sheet.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.16em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 8px;">The Debuts</div>
<div style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;">2 of 3</div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; color: #1a1a2e; line-height: 1.5;">Mondlicht and ZZ Top 4 both contest their first FEI Grand Prix Freestyle this week.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.16em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #6b7280; margin-bottom: 8px;">Spread on Best Scores</div>
<div style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 8px;">2.8%</div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; color: #1a1a2e; line-height: 1.5;">From 70.035% to 72.863%, the three best freestyle numbers sit inside three points.</div>
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<div style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 800; color: #001c54; margin: 28px 0 12px 0; padding-bottom: 6px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef0f5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Series picture</div>
<p style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.72; color: #1a1a2e; margin: 0 0 14px 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong style="color: #001c54; font-weight: bold;">Ashley Holzer</strong> leads the US Equestrian Open of Dressage standings, and nothing at Saugerties will change that. None of the current top five is in this field, so the leaderboard holds through the week. For these three, the chase is to put a first qualifier result on the board and start the climb toward the $200,000 Final at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California, on November 13 and 14. <br><br>Full standings are on the <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://us.equestrian-hub.com/public/championship/dressage/708">US Equestrian Open of Dressage leaderboard</a>.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.65; color: #374172; margin: 0 0 8px 0;">Daily highlights, behind-the-scenes content, and live updates:</p>
<p style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0;"><a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/usequestrianopen">Instagram</a> <span style="color: #b2b2b2; margin: 0 6px;">|</span> <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.facebook.com/usequestrianopen">Facebook</a> <span style="color: #b2b2b2; margin: 0 6px;">|</span> <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://twitter.com/useqopen">X (Twitter)</a></p>
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<div style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.14em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #001c54; margin-bottom: 8px;">Go Beyond the Article</div>
<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.65; color: #374172; margin: 0;">Catch the latest insights and expert interviews on the <a style="color: #c8102e; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" href="https://sites.libsyn.com/559710">US Equestrian Open Podcast</a>.</p>
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<div style="font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.18em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #83b1d6; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Mission of the Open</div>
<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85); margin: 0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The mission of the US Equestrian Open is to grow and foster a deeper connection to equestrian sport by delivering a premier, unified championship series that engages a broader fanbase through top-level competition, storytelling, and a dynamic, entertaining experience.</p>
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