Last year’s winner of the USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship got off to the right start in the USEF National Intermediaire Championship putting in a polished performance. Michelle Gibson and Don Angelo looked very professional and the overall quality of their test was exceptional. The 8-year-old Oldenburg stallion, owned by Terri Kane, impressed his rider.
“I was very happy with him,” said Gibson of Wellington, FL. “He came into the ring and everyone was clapping and his eyes got big but overall I was very pleased. I felt his canter tour was very good.”
Gibson has high hopes for Don Angelo, but is keeping his future in perspective because the horse is young and relatively inexperienced at this level.
“He’s eight and tomorrow will only be about his fifth Intermediaire test ever,” said Gibson. “We’ll see where he takes us. I hope he will go on to do the Grand Prix.”
They finished on 70.50%, just barely in front of second place finisher Shawna Harding.
Harding and Come On III made the trip from Aiken, SC worth the effort with a fantastic test to go into second place on a score of 70.15%. The beautiful 9-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding looked at ease throughout his test and continued on his successful roll.
“I thought he was very good,” said Harding of her consistent performer. “He’s recovered from his trip but he’s still a little tired.”
Harding thinks that the one mistake in the rein back, when Come On III stepped into the side of the arena, which may have proved to be the difference between first and second.
“That was a big mistake in the halt and rein back,” said Harding. “He tried to destroy the arena when he stepped on it and then threw his head up. He got his hind leg in the railing which spooked him. He got his composure back right away but it cost me the win.”
Harding doesn’t expect to change much in preparation for tomorrow’s Intermediaire I test.
“I will just carry over the same thing from today and go from there,” said Harding. “There is nothing special to change from day to day, it is important to be consistent. You have to ride your horse on the day.”
Gibson and Harding are very good friends and give each other a hand, but they are also fierce competitors.
“We help each other and it’s fun,” said Gibson. “We are both good competitors and good friends.”
Harding and Gibson are both huge believers in the Developing Horse Programs and hope that it will grow even further.
“It’s a very good program,” said Harding. “We hope we can incorporate a Young Horse Grand Prix test for next year. We need to do something for our young horses coming up at that level.”
All 11 horses put in solid efforts in the afternoon’s tests and Gibson thinks that the quality of the field bodes well for the future of the U.S. dressage program.
“It is a very strong group of horses and a very strong group of riders coming up behind Grand Prix horses,” said Gibson. “It is a very strong group. There was good strong riding and quality horses.”
The current leader of the Grand Prix division, Steffen Peters lies third after the Prix St Georges in this Championship with Montango on a score of 69.70%. Owned by Mary Keenan, the 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood took his time getting used to the atmosphere in the arena but still produced a quality effort.
“I had my hands full with Montango,” said Peters, who lives in San Diego. “I had a hard time getting him into the arena so I had a conservative test. I went for a clean test which worked. No doubt the ladies had much better tests.”
Peters feels Montango’s unpredictability makes it difficult to plan for the next performance.
“With Montango, you make adjustments day by day,” said Peters. “He’s an extremely hot horse.”
Peters will have a busy day tomorrow, when he rides two horses: Ravel (who won both the Grand Prix and Special last weekend) and Lombardi 11 (who was fifth overall) in the afternoon’s Grand Prix and will ride the Intermediaire I test with Montango as the second leg of the Intermediaire Championship.
Today’s Prix St. Georges test counts for 35% of the three day championship score, with tomorrow’s Intermediaire I test counting for 45% and Sunday’s Freestyle making up the final 20%.
Lyle and Wizard take the Lead at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Young Adult “Brentina Cup” Dressage Championship
The second weekend of the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions got underway with the USEF National Young Adult “Brentina Cup” Dressage Championship. A small but quality field went to task this morning and after the first of two tests, Adrienne Lyle and Wizard were the best of the bunch with a score of 67.846%.
Based with Debbie McDonald in Hailey, ID at Peggy and Parry Thomas’ River Grove Farm, Lyle was impressed with the maturity of Wizard, who is only nine.
“Overall I was really happy, he stayed mentally with me,” said Lyle, who has been working for the Thomas family for three years and rides Wizard for them. “He can have on and off days because he is still green. He stayed with me and today the mistakes I made were in the timing which are much easier to fix.”
The flashy Oldenburg gelding showed he is on the right track into developing into a senior Grand Prix horse.
“He’s always got extremely powerful gaits but keeping him consistent is hard,” said Lyle. “So I liked his extended trots today and his passage is getting much more honest.”
The pair showed at Prix St. George and Intermediaire I last year and Lyle looks forward to continuing the horse’s education. A full-time employee at River Grove Farm, even Lyle is impressed by McDonald’s legendary (and championship namesake) Brentina who currently lies second in the USEF Selection Trials for Dressage and the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship.
“Sometimes I get to ride Brentina, I don’t school her but get to hack her when Debbie is away,” said Lyle. “She’s very sensitive, the most sensitive horse I’ve ever ridden.”
Second to Lyle is another 19-year-old rider, Kelly Casey. The Livermore, CA rider rode a mistake-free test on Luzifer, a 14-year-old Austrian Warmblood. This pair finished the first portion of the Brentina Cup with a score of 64.872%
“I had a really clean ride, I was really happy,” said Casey. “He lacked some expression today but overall he was really good and consistent. He was a good boy, but the piaffe and passage could be a lot better.”
The Brentina Cup continues tomorrow morning with the FEI Young Rider Grand Prix Test, with both day’s tests counting equally toward the total combined score. All four of the riders are riding a test they are relatively unfamiliar with as it is rarely offered in competition.
“I’ve thought a lot about the test, I’ve shown in Grand Prix this year, but making the test flow will be the biggest issue for me,” said Casey.
Both riders had rave reviews for the Brentina Cup program, which was designed to bridge the gap between the Young Rider ranks and the Large Tour for up-and-coming riders. Although it is difficult to qualify for the Championship, it is a valuable step in developing the International dressage program in the U.S.
“I think it is a great program,” said Casey. “It’s cool to compete against people our age and it is a good stepping stone to Big Tour.”
“I think it is really cool,” agreed Lyle. “We all competed against each other as Juniors and Young Riders. The Brentina Cup is great.”
The Brentina Cup riders return to the ring tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m.