Olympic dressage horse Indian Rock has been withdrawn from contention for the US squad heading to the 2026 Aachen World Championships.
Indian Rock was a regular at senior championships with his former rider Emmelie Scholtens, with whom he represented the Netherlands at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Europeans and 2024 Paris Olympics.
He was sold to the US after Paris and has had success in the States with new rider Christian Simonson, winning their first eight international starts and finishing runner-up in both the grand prix and freestyle at the 2026 World Cup final.
On Thursday (4 June), the 13-year-old stallion’s owner Zen Elite Equestrian Centre shared the news that Indian Rock (“Rocky”) would not be available for selection this year.
“After a lot of discussion with the team, we’ve decided not to include Indian Rock in our summer championship team plans this year,” said a statement from Zen Elite.
“Rocky has given us an incredible season, and we couldn’t be more proud of everything he has accomplished. He has exceeded our expectations in every way, and we feel the best decision for him right now is to enjoy a well earned break and some time to simply be a horse.
“We believe that building great horses for the long term means knowing when to continue forward and when to give them the opportunity to recharge. Rocky has taken us on an amazing journey this year (one we couldn’t have dreamed up any better), and we want to set him up for continued success in the years ahead.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of our entire team and the many people who have cheered Rocky on every step of the way.”
The statement added that the team will be “proudly cheering on the rest of Team USA” this summer, including Christian and his other top ride Fleau De Baian, also owned by Zen Elite.
“Thank you for being part of Rocky’s story. Christian, Adrienne Lyle and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this very special horse,” added the statement.
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
