Dressage rider and trainer Tracey Winter takes great pride in her horses, and thanks to her recent win at the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Region 3 Championships she has even more to be proud of. Winter and Windsor, her six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Routinier, out of Oceana, by Charmeur, won the Region 3 First Level Open Championship.
“It was a surreal feeling to win, as I was just hoping to be in the thick of things,” Winter said. “It was a good-size class with very nice horses and riders, which I saw in the warm-up areas. I thought I would be pleased to just be a part of the awards ceremonies, much less to win the class. It was a wonderful surprise.”
Winter is a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist and the recipient of numerous awards, both local and national. She owns Tranquillity Dressage Farm in Wellington, FL, and also actively campaigns her award-winning Trakehner gelding Martailo *Pg*.
Martailo has a long list of accomplishments to his name, including being named the 2008 Gold Coast Dressage Association Year-End Open Grand Prix Champion and the 2008 Year-End Trakehner Champion. In 2009, Martailo was awarded the Trakehner Verband Award, donated by the German Trakehner Verband for the most successful Trakehner in dressage. In 2007, Martailo was chosen to receive the most prestigious award given by the American Trakehner Association, the Palmenblüte Award, which is presented to one Trakehner per year for contributing the most in competition to promote the breed in all of North America.
While Winter is pleased with Martailo’s success, she is eagerly looking forward to Windsor’s future—a future sure to be filled with many appearances in the winner’s circle. Winter said Windsor is still young, but his future is bright. “Windsor wasn't started until he was almost four, so he still needs lots of experience and exposure to new things to continue to build his confidence,” Winter said.
During the Region 3 Championships, held at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in conjunction with the Wellington Dressage Classic Autumn Challenge of Champions, Winter said Windsor had a good, clean test. “I was hoping that Windsor would pull through for me when the pressure was on. He is a sensitive horse, and there was a lot going on for him, and he really tried hard for me.”
Winter, who is a Board Member of Gold Coast Dressage Association and a staff writer and consultant for the English Equestrian magazine, said she will move Windsor up to Second Level this season. “I will continue on with his training at whatever pace he tells me he is comfortable with,” Winter added.
For more information on Winter or her Tranquillity Dressage, visit her website at www.traceywinter.com.