Steffen Peters: “It still gets me really excited”

Fifty years into his dressage career, Steffen Peters is still finding joy in the sport.

Last April, the duo were the top-placing American pair at the FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha, NE where they tweaked their famed “Rave Horse” freestyle to incorporate musical elements from his home state of California.

“We tried to top it a little bit from Tokyo,” explained Peters. “We made it a little bit better, and that’s very hard because it was already such a good freestyle to start with. The crowd loved it, ‘Mopsie’ loved it, and I loved it.

“It’s just so special. The second I got done, I saw some people standing up for us, and I had both of my arms up in the air. It’s just such a wonderful feeling and it’s really hard to describe. After 50 years of doing this sport, it still gets me really excited.”

Last week at Desert International Horse Park in California, Peters laid the groundwork for a repeat performance with Suppenkasper in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Thermal.

Aboard the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Spielberg x IPS Krack C), he won the FEI World Cup Grand Prix on a score of 74.804% and the FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle on 79.795%.

Benjamin Ebeling tops the North American League Standings on 40 points. Peters now moves into second on 20 points ahead of Tina Caldwell (17).

The North American League next stops in Ocala, Florida, December 7.