Fiona Howard Sets New Para Dressage World Records at AGDF
A standout week at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, Florida saw Fiona Howard deliver a series of record-breaking performances, helping the U.S. Para Dressage Team secure victory in the Week 9 CPEDI3* team competition.
Led by Howard’s exceptional scores, the all-female U.S. team finished on 446.238 points, comfortably ahead of Canada on 389.503. The team competed under the guidance of chef d’equipe Michel Assouline and team leader Laureen Johnson.
Howard, who competes in Grade II, partnered the 10-year-old Vianne - a horse previously campaigned internationally by Olympic bronze medallist Kate Shoemaker. Despite the pair only joining forces days before the competition, they produced a remarkable sequence of performances.
The combination opened the week with 78.85% in the CPEDI3* Para Grand Prix A, before improving to 80.444% in the Grand Prix B, where all three judges awarded scores above 80%. A perfectly executed stretching walk half-circle earned the pair a score of 10 from every judge.
They capped the week with a breathtaking Freestyle performance scoring 84.934%, establishing a new Grade II Freestyle world record and winning the class by more than 18 percentage points.
The achievement was all the more notable given the circumstances. Howard, who claimed triple gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, had only recently returned to competition after spending seven weeks in hospital following kidney surgery in December 2025.
Reflecting on the partnership, Howard credited both the horse and Shoemaker’s support.
“Because I’d never shown Vianne before, I didn’t know what to expect, but Kate told me I could trust her, and I trust Kate,” she said. “It was an incredible week. To walk away with three world records is amazing.”
Canada also delivered strong performances during the CPEDI3*. Jody Schloss and El Colorado finished second in all three Grade I classes, consistently scoring in the 70s.
In Grade V, both Madison Lawson with Laguna and Elexis Ortlieb riding Fridagold produced personal best performances, while Sharon Buffitt represented Canada in Grade II aboard L’Etoile.
Across the competition, the performances highlighted both the depth of international para dressage and the extraordinary level currently being set at the top of the sport.
