EQUINIUM
Equestrian Press
Fuqua Finds CDI Rhythm, Awarded
2025 Lionel GuerrandHermès Trophy
DreamGirl & Bon Ami 36 Debut Freestyles and More for Top Finishes
Wellington, FL (March 7, 2025) - Fresh off a Fall and Holiday season competing in the jumper rings in Germany and Belgium, seventeen-year -old Kat Fuqua changed gears heading into the Florida Winter Equestrian Festival season to focus on dressage. Fuqua is campaigning a string of veteran and rising FEI stars as a Young Rider, with coaches that include Frederic Wandres, Steffen Peters, and Marcus Orlob, as well as steadfast training by her mother, Shereen Fuqua. While she was perfecting her CDI Freestyle skills at the 2025 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), Fuqua's accomplishments in 2024 also caught the attention of the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation which presented her with prestigious 2025 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy for her horsemanship and sportsmanship during her 2024 season, which included international FEI Championships and a 5th place finish in Aachen.
With her seasoned, multiple Gold Medal Young Rider mount DreamGirl (Spielberg x U-vira), Fuqua is currently ranked 4th in the FEI Young Rider World Rankings and has won 8 out of 9 CDI classes in 2025. During AGDF 8, DreamGirl's stunning tests delivered wins in both the CDIY FEI Young Riders Team (68.853%) and Individual (68.324%) Tests. But she apparently has some rising in-ban rivalry from Fuqua's young star, Bon Ami 36, who finished less than 1% behind DreamGirl in both classes with 67.618% in the Individual and 68.5% in the Team test. The 9-year-old gelding also tied for first in the Freestyle
with a score of 69.015%, with the artistic score breaking the tie. Three of the five FEI judges scored their performance highest in the Freestyle. Bon Ami 36 (Bon Coeur 1386 x Jazz) came to Fuqua with only two shows prior to his purchase at the 2024 PSI Hybrid Auction in Germany this past summer, and AGDF 8 was his first CDI effort, and his first ever Freestyle effort.
During the FEI Nations Cup 4-star at WEF 8, Fuqua was officially recognized in the International Arena as the recipient of the 2025 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy. The award is presented annually to a junior or young rider in an Olympic discipline who exemplifies the U.S. Equestrian Team’s ideals of sportsmanship and horsemanship.
“I’m really excited because the riders that have received the award previously have gone on to achieve unbelievable accomplishments as professionals,” said Fuqua. “The fact that I’m on that list alongside those athletes is really special. It was also unexpected because I didn’t know I was in contention, so it was a big surprise when I got a call from the USET Foundation. If you’re ever invited to anything, like a pathway program, even if it feels like a lot of work, just do it,” continued Fuqua. “It might be an open window to something you don’t see now. You could meet someone who could completely change your career, or you could learn something that will help you transform your riding. I’d like to thank the USET Foundation and USEF for supporting me and my career along the pathway. Thank you to my parents and my groom Pepe, who has been with us since I was 9 and is Dreamgirl’s best friend.”
Photos 1.Fuqua accepting the 2025 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy with USET Executives and the USET President (Photo by Bridgette Ness) 2. Fuqua riding Bon Ami 36 for both his ribbon and DreamGirl's in the CDIY FEI Young Rider division during AGDF 8/Palm Beach Dressage Derby (Photo by SusanJStickle.com) 3. Kat Fuqua and Dreamgirl competing at the 2024 CHIO Aachen in Germany (Photo by Roya Brinkman for Shannon Brinkman Photography) 4. Kat Fuqua and Dream Girl (Photo by SusanJStickle.com) 5. Bon Ami 36 and Kat Fuqua (Photo by SusanJStickle.com)
As a FEI U25 Grand Prix Dressage Competitor, FEI Grand Prix Jumper, recipient of 9 USEF Horse of the Year awards & multi-championship Grand Hunter Champion Junior & Pony Hunters, Kat is proving herself to be America’s most decorated and versatile equestrian. At age 10, she won her first national championship at USEF Pony Finals, repeating the title twice in the following year. By age 13, with multiple mounts she racked up multiple national JR Grand Hunter Championships at the most exclusive competitions; WEF, Devon, Harrisburg, Washington, and Nationals (Lexington). Also at 13, she expanded her repertoire, adding dressage and show jumping to her Wellington, Florida commute for high training & competition since 2014.
Including 9 USEF Horse of the Year awards, 12 WEF Circuit Champion Awards, and 2 Show Hunter Hall of Fame Awards, Kat was named for the fourth year to the USEF Dressage Emerging Athletes Program, beginning at 14 years of age. She is distinguished with 4 Gold, a Silver, and 4 Bronze FEI Medals. Kat has represented the USA in 2 Nations Cups, earning a Team Bronze by age 15, and a USA Dressage YR Reserve Champion 2022, along with a USDF Silver Medal.
In 2023, Kat expanded her Atlanta home base and Wellington seasonal residence to add a home in Germany’s Driehof in Tecklenburg. She teams with lead Schockemöhle Executive & Show Jumper Trainer Andreas Kruezer where her five equine Jumpers are based. Kat competed her first Grand Prix Dressage by age 16, Grand Prix Show Jumping by age 15, and actively competes her horses in CSI-2 star competitions in Germany, Holland, and Belgium. She hopes to ride for the USA in Nations Cups in both disciplines. In 2024 she represented the USA at Aachen as a Young Rider Dressage competitor earning 5th place for DreamGirl's Freestyle in the famed Deutsche Bank Arena.
Kat attended Holy Innocents Episcopal School for 12 years, recently changing as a current Junior to ICL Academy, prestigious virtual school for prominent young athletes and actors. Her favorite subject is French.
Since 2021 and starting at age 14, Kat writes a bimonthly column, "Kat's Korner" for Elite Equestrian magazine. She is passionate and loves high fashion and couture, blending both her equine career and interest in high fashion into multiple cover photo shoots with famous photographers for magazines. Published articles include Art Bodega, Sidelines, Elite Equestrian, Chronicle of the Horse, EQ Living, Plaid Horse, and The Paisley since age 6 among others, representing her sponsors.
Kat's horses are based at her family’s Collecting Gaits Farm in Atlanta, and she resides in exclusive Buckhead. With unbound determination, Kat Fuqua is poised to redefine what an equestrian athlete can achieve internationally.
For more information on Kat Fuqua (pronounced foo-quay), visit her website at www.KatFuqua.com!
