Christian Simonson (Ventura, Calif.) and Son of a Lady, a 2011 Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Christina Morgan and Clifton Simonson, were the top scoring U.S. combination on Friday, receiving a 72.706% from the judging panel in the FEI Intermediate I for a second place finish, marking a successful debut for the senior team in international competition.
“This was my first Nations Cup and it was really exciting,” Simonson said. “Being able to represent your nation is like nothing else I’ve really felt. It’s a real honor. It was just an amazing competition.
“It was similar to a lot of the Young Riders Nations Cups, and I’m really grateful that [US Equestrian] has invested in giving us that time and experience. I think this kind of weekend and my personal performance was a reflection of how much time and effort they’re putting into young athletes. It’s been an amazing competition and to be able to do it with such fierce competition, and also with friends, is really fun as well.”