Lexington, KY – Showcasing the top young dressage horses from across the country, two invitation-only championships are underway at the Kentucky Horse Park— the 2008 Markel/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Young Horse Dressage Championship presented by Collecting Gaits Farm and the 2008 USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship sponsored by the Dutta Corporation and Performance Sales International. Both championships continue to grow in stature by drawing international riders who are competing on the stars of tomorrow.

With the Young Horse Dressage program, the focus is to promote the importance of selective breeding and correct training of horses throughout the country while encouraging riders, trainers and breeders of young horses in dressage competition. The purpose of this program is to identify and recognize horses that have the potential to compete at international competitions (FEI level). The Young Horse championship will award the top horses in three age divisions— four, five and six-year-olds.

The first day was a qualifying day for the Young Horse championship which included the five and six-year-old preliminary test. Joe Sandven and Ronatella S narrowly etched out the competition with a total score of 8.36 in the Young Horse preliminary test for five-year-olds. Owned by Helen Wiest and bred in Germany by Dieter Loch, Ronatella is a black Hanoverian mare (Rotspon x Ronja by Raphael). Coming in a close second with only six hundredths of a point difference was Mikala Gundersen and Pikko Del Cerro HU with a total score of 8.3. Pikko Del Cerro HU (Pik L x Rohweena by Rohdiamant) is a dark brown Hanoverian stallion owned and bred in the U.S. by Horses Unlimited, Inc. The finale on Sunday for the five-year-old championship will be a close battle since the top four horses were separated by a slim margin of three tenths a point.

In the six-year-old preliminary class for the Young Horse championship, Christopher Hickey and Cabana Boy had the top score of 8.86. Last year, Hickey and Cabana Boy topped the competition to win the five-year-old division of the Young Horse championship and is positioned for a repeat performance again this year in the six-year-old division. Owned by Hilltop Farm, Inc., Cabana Boy is a bay Hanoverian gelding (Contucci x Britania by Bordeaux; bred in the U.S. by Doug and Shannon Langer). Right behind Hickey is Shannon Peters and Weltino’s Magic with a score of 8.26. Owned by Jen Hlavacek and bred in Germany by Willi Holter, Weltino’s Magic is a bay Westfalen gelding.

The four-year-old Young Horse championship will conclude Saturday. Also tomorrow, classes include the five-year-old consolation class and the qualifying class for the Developing Horse championship.

For more information, contact Jennifer Keeler, USEF’s Director of Dressage National Programs, at [email protected] or (859) 225-2024.

ENDS