Kelly Layne has placed third with 10-year-old gelding Living Diamond (Livaldon x Fürst Rousseau) in the Lövsta Future Challenge Final, held at Global Dressage Festival 12 in Wellington, Florida (25-29 March).
The Lövsta Future Challenge Final showcased 10 developing Grand Prix horses aged 8 to 11 years old; the series saw a total of 42 entries across five qualifiers, with the top two placings in each invited to the $15,000 final. Kelly and Living Diamond won the last qualifier at Global Dressage Festival 10.
Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Canada on Jaccardo won the Lövsta Future Challenge Final on 72.5%, with American Marcus Orlob and JJ Glory Day finishing second on 70.842%. Kelly and Living Diamond scored 68.579% for third place.
The day after the final, Kelly and Living Diamond also contested the USEF Developing Horses Grand Prix at Global Dressage Festival 12; the only combination to take part, they improved on their Future Challenge score to receive an impressive 70.625%.
A class for 8- to 10-year-old USA-owned and ridden horses, the USEF Developing Horses Grand Prix was a qualifier for the final at the Festival of Champions, to be held at HITS Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois (18-24 August 2025).
“They only take the top 15 combinations for the final,” explains Kelly. “I still need to do more qualifiers; the ranking is based on your average, and you can only drop one score.”
Qualifying for the final ends in July.
Riding for the USA
Long based in Wellington, Australian-born Kelly Layne this year switched to riding for the USA, having formerly represented Australia at an Olympic Games and World Championship. Kelly cited eligibility for grants, pipeline programs and development programs, as well as eligibility to work with the USEF young horse and young rider programs, as the driving reasons behind the change.
Stay tuned for Roger Fitzhardinge’s full interview with Kelly Layne in the April issue of Equestrian Life.
