Equestrian
Seven National Champions Crowned at 2025 USEF Combined Driving National Championships for Horses
The 2025 USEF Combined Driving National Championships for Horses were held at the Tryon Fall CDE, hosted by Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina. Across four days of sunny, mild weather, seven national titles were awarded in divisions ranging from Training to Advanced, as competitors tackled dressage, marathon, and cones phases.
Preliminary Single Horse Champion
Melissa Wessel (Rutherfordton, N.C.) and her homebred Megan’s Valentine, a 2017 American Sport Pony mare, topped the Preliminary Single Horse division in their first year competing at the level.
“She was born in my lap,” said Wessel. “I’ve done all her training, and we’ve taken things slowly.” Their progress showed with a double-clear cones round and consistent performances throughout.
Intermediate Single Horse Champion
Ryley Miller (Morriston, Fla.) claimed the Intermediate title with Humorist, a 2012 KWPN gelding owned by Jeff Day. The new partnership only began in April, but they swept dressage and marathon, finishing on top.
“He’s a marathon horse through and through,” said Miller. “He handled the hills great, thanks to our forest training in Florida.”
Advanced Single Horse Champion
Veteran competitor Raymond Helmuth (Cambridge, Iowa) and his stallion Kendro delivered a standout performance to win the Advanced Single Horse division. They placed second in dressage, won the marathon, and were the only pair to go double clear in cones.
“The more technical the course, the better he performs,” said Helmuth, who now sets his sights on the 2026 FEI World Championship.
Training Single Horse Champion
Top driver Leslie Berndl (Lexington, Ky.) partnered with promising young gelding Paxton E-S to win the Training Single Horse Championship. The 2020 KWPN gelding impressed with powerful movement in dressage, a fast marathon, and a double-clear cones round to finish on a score of 94.97.
Advanced Four-in-Hand Champion
Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) extended his historic record with a 22nd national title in the Advanced Four-in-Hand division. Driving a team of eight bay geldings (seven KWPN, one Oldenburg), Weber delivered the top dressage score of the show (39.12) and finished on 149.39 with strong marathon and cones performances.
Training Pair Horse Champion
Local driver Michael Cece (Columbus, N.C.) piloted Supah Girl and Cicero, a well-matched pair owned by K. Loyd Cece, to victory in their combined driving championship debut. The pair successfully completed all three phases to take the title.
Preliminary Pair Horse Champion
Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, N.J.), a name well-known in dressage circles, made waves in combined driving by winning the Preliminary Pair Horse division. Her young KWPN geldings, Matser M (2020 chestnut) and Oregon (2019 gray), delivered a fluid dressage test (46.23), followed by a fast marathon and double-clear cones round to finish on 123.61.
The Tryon Fall CDE once again proved a world-class venue for testing the nation’s best in combined driving, with athletes and horses showing exceptional skill, fitness, and partnership across all divisions.
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