FEI World Cup Finals Daily Round-Up: Day 3

They came, they danced, they conquered.

Isabell Werth (GER)
Photo Liz Gregg/FEI

The center of the equestrian world this week? Omaha, Nebraska!

Omaha’s CenturyLink Center is hosting the FEI World Cup Finals in show jumping and dressage, and after Day 1 the competition is fierce (as you might expect, with the best-ranked riders in the world squaring off for the ultimate title!) Our own Morgane Schmidt Gabriel is attending the World Cup Finals, providing play-by-play updates of the dressage over Twitter (follow us at @horse_nation). Our sister site Jumper Nation is providing live updates on the show jumping as well all weekend long.

World Cup show jumpers get the day off — if they so choose. Some of the World Cup riders are cross-entered into the International Omaha Jumping Grand Prix, with some riding their World Cup mount and others on a second horse.

Dressage, however, took the spotlight today: fourteen combinations danced their way across the coliseum floor, delighting the spectators with musical freestyle rides. Our own Morgane Schmidt Gabriel provided plenty of color commentary over Twitter as the lead shifted from rider to rider.

After the first half, the lead was held by the Netherlands’ Madeleine Witte-Vrees and Cennin with a 79.046%, but the home crowd was rapt as Laura Graves and Verdades, second place after the first round of competition, performed a challenging test featuring maneuvers such as 2-stride changes on a circle. Graves marked an 85.289%, which stood through performances by Carl Hester, Edward Gal and Judy Reynolds.

However, no one could best the best in the world — Isabell Werth, the Day 1 leader, aboard Weihegold OLD, broke into the 90s to mark a 90.704%, making Werth the unquestionable FEI World Cup Finals dressage winner.

Scores from the top five:

Social media moments:

Nobody parties like Isabell Werth, apparently:

A little bubbly ? #FEIWorldCupFinals pic.twitter.com/kmgx2oQZMm

— US Equestrian (@USequestrian) April 1, 2017

The crowd goes wild for #laurengraves at the #feiworldcupfinals #omaha. @classiccommunications

A post shared by Shanette Cohen (@shanettecohen) on Apr 1, 2017 at 2:17pm PDT

Real “kiss and cry” area with groom Alan and owner Jane of Nip Tuck #FEIWorldCupFinals pic.twitter.com/j1bon4BqnT

— Horse2rider (@horse2rider) April 1, 2017

@OllieW – Steffen Peters has just given us our first Phil Collins of the evening in the Freestyle! #FEIWorldCupFinals pic.twitter.com/pkVyhRZy1H

— The FEI (@FEI_Global) April 1, 2017

The luck of the Irish #feiworldcupfinals #gojp

A post shared by Judy Reynolds (@judyreynoldsirl) on Apr 1, 2017 at 2:24pm PDT

#dressagequeen ??? Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD win the #feiworldcupfinals with more than 90%! ? #nomorewordsneeded #isabellwerth #omaha #feiworldcup #chioaachen #chio #aachen #weihegold #dressage #dressagehorse #horse #dressurpferd #equestriansport #horsesport © Andreas Steindl

A post shared by CHIO Aachen (@chio_aachen) on Apr 1, 2017 at 3:01pm PDT

We’ll be back tomorrow with the final round-up from the FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha! Go riding.