Wayne, Ill. – Ellanor Boehning and Kabam, Camille Molten and Wildwych Bamboozle, and Callie Jones and Don Philippo earned the first three national champion titles of the 2018 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. One division continued their quest for top honors, while three divisions performed their first tests of the competition.
USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship
Ellanor Boehning and Kabam firmly held on to their lead from Thursday to claim top honors in the USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship. Twelve-year-old Boehning (San Diego, Calif.) and the 15 year-old German Riding Pony gelding she owns with Ann Boehning showed off their four-year partnership with a solid test, winning the FEI Pony Rider Individual Test with a score of 68.468%.
Fourteen-year-old Abby Fodor (Bloomsbury, N.J.) and Slip and Slide, Marie Fodor’s Quarter Horse/Haflinger cross gelding, placed second, and 15-year-old Jordan Osborne (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Cinderella, her 11-year-old German Riding Pony mare, placed third.
Overall Results:
- Ellanor Boehning and Kabam – 69.996%
- Abby Fodor and Slip and Slide – 66.307%
- Jordan Osborne and Cinderella – 66.030%
Results: FEI Pony Rider Individual Test
- Ellanor Boehning and Kabam – 68.468%
- Jordan Osborne and Cinderella – 67.297%
- Abby Fodor and Slip and Slide – 66.757%
Quotes from the Press Conference
On winning the championship title:
Boehning: “Well I didn’t really expect to come here and do as well as I just did. Honestly, it feels kind of like, ‘What just happened!?!’”
On their rides:
Boehning: “When we first went in, Kabam was super throughout the entire test, but then when we got to the centerline eight-meter circle, he hit his leg on the arena fence and did a flying change, so then we stopped and had to redo it. We also picked up the wrong canter lead when we went to do the second eight-meter circle, but I realized it. Other than that, he was amazing.”
Fodor: “‘Slide’ was very good. He was less chatty today; he was more focused. We got our [trot] lengthenings better today. He was really listening.”
Osborne: “‘Ella’ was really good. She tried her little heart out for me, but she was tired, so basically the whole test I had to keep telling her, ‘Go, you have to move.’ But she really tried and she was in a much better frame today, and we didn’t break in any of our trot lengthenings, so that was really good.”
On the championship experience at Lamplight Equestrian Center:
Osborne: “I love the venue. It is a lot different than little Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It is really big and just the landscaping and everything is nice. I made so many new friends. I met all of the pony riders for the first time and we all hung out last night. At this one show we all got really close.”
USEF Young Horse Six-Year-Old Dressage National Championship
Craig Stanley (Madera, Calif.) and Habanero CWS (Idocus x Caliente DG) continued to impress the judges with their development. As the champions in the 2016 USEF Young Horse Four-Year-Old division, he and his KWPN gelding earned a score of 8.98 in the USEF Six-Year-Old Preliminary Test. The combination edged out Cesar Parra (White House Station, N.J.) and Sir Beckmann (Sir Donnerhall x Wichita), his Hanoverian gelding, with Angela Jackson (Henderson, Ky.) and Sandeman (Sir Donnerhall x Flora), Julie Cook’s Hanoverian gelding, placing third.
Results: USEF Six-Year-Old Preliminary Test
- Craig Stanley and Habanero CWS – 8.98
- Cesar Parra and Sir Beckmann – 8.96
- Angela Jackson and Sandeman – 8.90
Quotes from Press Conference
On today’s ride:
Stanley: “That was glorious. Breeding him just makes it a little more emotional. He just worked. His trot was probably better than previous shows; it was at another level. He stayed [with me].”
Parra: “I was very excited. He did everything I asked him to do. We have owned him since he was two-and-a-half and I just started riding him in late January. He’s a very fun horse; he goes and has great scope in the trot. The canter is a bit immature as he grew two links and a half in the last eight months. He is a lot of leg, so sometimes he struggles in the big movements.”
Jackson: “He gets a little overwhelmed sometimes, but he trusted me, and I think that was what I was really happy about. He went in [the ring] and got a little scared, but he listened to me and looked to me. That was probably the nicest ride I had on him all year. Even though he was scared, he was relaxed and soft in his body, and the feeling was lovely. I’m proud of him under the pressure.”
USEF Junior Dressage National Championship
Emma Asher dominated the FEI Junior Team Test by clinching the top two places in the class with Traneenggaards Akondo and Don Fredo HD, respectively. Asher (Greenwood Village, Colo.) and Traneenggaards Akondo, Seeley Equestrian Ventures’ 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, were the first pair to go in the class and captured the lead from the start, winning with a score of 70.859%. Behind Asher and her mounts were Melanie Doughty (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) and Fascinata, a 10-year-old Rheinlander mare, in third place.
Results: FEI Junior Team Test
- Emma Asher and Traneenggaards Akondo – 70.859%
- Emma Asher and Don Fredo HD – 69.545%
- Melanie Doughty and Fascinata – 68.788%
Quotes from the Press Conference
On their tests:
Asher: “On Traneenggaards Akondo, there were a lot of highlights in my test, the stuff I have really been working on, that were better. We did have a couple bobbles in our canter tour and our first halt, but he was really fantastic. He is a really good boy. With Don Fredo HD, he was on fire today. In the warm-up he was really tense, and around the outside [of the arena] he was pretty spicy, but he was really good in the test until the last extension when he had to add some pizazz. But he was really good today; I am really happy with both of them.”
Doughty: “My mare Fascinata was really good today. She was really listening to me with everything going on, so I was really proud of her for that. Her trot work was a lot better than it has been in a while, so I was really proud of here for listening and being with me the whole time.”
On the things they can approve upon:
Asher: “With ‘Akondo,’ I want to get him more relaxed and supple for the [FEI Junior] Individual [Test]. With ‘Fredo,’ it’s the same thing – relaxation and less tightness and anticipation.”
Doughty: “With Fascinata, I think we can get more expression and her walk pirouettes can be more flowing, so I would like to work on that.”
Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage National Championship
Following a stand-out performance in Thursday’s USEF Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test, Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, N.J.) continued with a strong performance in the FEI Intermediate II Test with Candescent. She and her eight-year-old Hanoverian mare currently lead the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage National Championship with a score of 69.902%. Dawn White-O’Connor (Cardiff, Calif.) and Bailarino, Four Winds Farm’s 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding, placed second, followed by Emily Miles (Paola, Kan.) and Floretienne, Leslie Waterman’s nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding.
Results: FEI Intermediate II Test
- Alice Tarjan and Candescent – 69.902%
- Dawn White-O’Connor and Bailarino – 68.088%
- Emily Miles and Floretienne – 66.127%
Quotes from Press Conference
On today’s test:
Tarjan: “She has unlimited scope, but it also makes it that she was able to get her gaits really small and really large, so it was difficult to find one gear. My five-year-old has a natural metronome that she just stays in it, and this horse is all over. This makes her really cool, but it also makes her a lot more difficult … it has taken a lot of time to put it all together.”
White-O’Connor: “I was pretty happy with everything, except the piaffe and passage. We had an unfortunate [incident], halting in the piaffe, which wasn’t good. I was happy with the canter work, and the rest of the test was pretty good.”
Miles: “I haven’t shown him since April, and he can be a little bit different in the ring versus the warm-up and schooling. I was really nervous how he would transfer over today, but I think he did very well for me.”
USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship
Charlotte Jorst and Kastel’s Nintendo had a respectable test to win the FEI Grand Prix Special with a score of 68.809%. While there were a few bobbles in the test, Jorst (Reno, Nev.) was happy with Kastel Denmark’s 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion. The pair leads the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship heading into Sunday’s FEI Grand Prix Freestyle.
Jennifer Schrader-Williams (Yelma, Wash.) and Millione, Millione Partners LLC’s 15-year-old Danish gelding, in second, and Nick Wagman (San Diego, Calif.) and Don John, Beverly Gepfer’s 10-year-old KWPN gelding, placed third.
Results: FEI Grand Prix Special
- Charlotte Jorst and Kastel’s Nintendo – 68.809%
- Jennifer Schrader-Williams and Millione – 68.170%
- Nick Wagman and Don John – 67.468%
Quotes from the Press Conference
On their rides:
Jorst: “My test was really great. I still didn’t achieve my goal of no mistakes, so I am still working on that. I am very angry with myself for that, but, as usual, Nintendo was doing his very best and being out ther for me. It is going on five years now, I can’t believe it, what a great horse he has been to me. I am just so incredibly grateful to own him.”
Schrader-Williams: “Today I was really hoping to keep the same consistency from the Grand Prix yesterday. We wanted to put a little more power in the piaffe and passage, but ‘Mickey’ tries so hard that you have to keep everything pretty quiet and calm, so he had a couple little bobbles in the half-passes and the twos [tempi changes], but then, he started to really settle. You have to be careful with him just to keep him confident.”
Wagman: “I thought my test started great; I was actually thrilled with the beginning part of it. Unfortunately, he started to anticipate the piaffe in the walk and that threw us off a little bit. And then, we had one other mistake in the half-passes where I missed the flying change, so those two mistakes cost us some points but there were so many highlights I can’t be unhappy with it. It is only our second time doing the Special; we are still really new at this, so I’m thrilled.”
Looking ahead to their freestyles:
Jorst: “I have new music that I have never ridden to … and new choreography that I also need to learn, so it will be really fun for me to get out there. I love things like that where it is all new and fresh. I am really excited about the music and seeing how it all pans out on Sunday.”
Schrader-Williams: “I love my freestyle; I love the music. It is just a lot of fun. He is a horse that can get internally hot, but, in general, he is not a horse that is spooky. He loves the music; it is a lot of fun. I just try and go in there and have a great time, make him feel proud of himself, and let him show off.”
Wagman: “My freestyle I will be riding for the second time as well, so this is also kind of new for us. It is to new music that my husband’s nephew composed, so it is an original piece of music with some samples of Depeche Mode in there. It is really fun music and it is a fun freestyle, so I am just excited to go out there one more time and get more experience at this.”
USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals 13 & Under Championship
In a one-two repeat from last year, Camille Molten (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and Kasey Denny (Hutto, Texas) returned to the winner’s circle, repeating as the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals 13 & Under champion and reserve champion, respectively. In an extremely close equitation test, Molten and Wildwych Bamboozle, Deborah Stanitski’s 11-year-old Connemara gelding bred by Mary Prewitt, edged out Denny and Feyock, Amy Denny’s 21-year-old Westphalian gelding, with a score of 91.000%. Reece O’Keefe and Arianna, her own 15-year-old mare of unknown breeding, placed third.
Results:
- Molten and Wildwych Bamboozle – 9000%
- Kasey Denny andFeyock – 89.000%
- Reece O’Keefe and Arianna – 87.000%
Quotes from the Press Conference
On what they did to prepare:
Molten: “My friend and I lunged each other and did some peer commentaries on each other’s equitation. I tried to ride as many horses as I can to keep my seat good.”
Denny: “I did lunge lessons with my mom, and I focused really hard on this ride to make sure I knew what I was doing since my horse is spooky and I didn’t want to drift off and let him do what he wanted to do.”
O’Keefe: “I took off my stirrups. My mom helped me with my equitation.”
On having the opportunity to watch advanced riders:
Molten: “It helps me know what I want to do. My goals are based off everyone I see who is better than me. I like watching the big, fancy horses and see what I would like to ride like.”
Denny: “I liked watching all the big trainers and seeing them ride their horses to see what I should be doing.”
O’Keefe: “I liked watching all the other horses. I liked the venue; I think it was inspiring, and it made me want to do more and improve.”
USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship
Callie Jones and Don Philippo claimed top honors in the FEI Yong Rider Dressage National Championship. Jones (Henderson, Ky.) and her 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding had a strong test to close out a successful season. Veronica West (Marina del Rey, Calif.) and Nobleman, her 19-year-old Hanoverian gelding, place second and Nicole Scarpino (Mims, Fla.) and Lambada 224, her 11-year-old Hanoverian mare, placed third.
Lexy Donaldson was the receipent of the The Anita Owen Perpetual Silver Stirrup Trophy. This trophy is presented to the Junior or Young Rider competitor who best displayed sportsmanship throughout the event.
Overall Results:
- Callie Jones and Don Phillippo – 7201%
- Veronica West and Nobleman – 70.637%
- Nicole Scarpino and Lambada 224 – 68.677%
Results: FEI Young Rider Individual Test
- Veronica West and Nobleman – 7078%
- Callie Jones and Don Phillippo – 70.147%
- Tillie Jones and Apachi – 68.333%
Quotes from the Press Conference
On being the national champion:
Jones: “It just feels amazing. This was another goal of mine; I wanted to win the Young Rider division so achieving that goal just feels amazing. I couldn’t have done it without my parents, my trainer Angela Jackson, and, of course, my horse ‘Phil.’ He is just incredible and he gave me his all this year so I couldn’t have asked for more.”
On their rides:
Jones: “I was super happy with today’s ride. Like Wednesday, he was really fired up; he was probably more fired up than he as on Wednesday, so I did get a little nervous. I had to remind myself to stay calm and relax to give him the confidence. Our trot work was super, and we did have one mistake in the canter transition, but, again, I had to remind myself it was okay. After that, we kept it together and it was really nice ride, so I couldn’t be more proud.”
West: “Overall, I was really happy again with my ride today. My horse wasn’t quite as fired up so we were able to put together a more solid, clean ride, which I was really excited about. There were a couple things that could’ve been improved, like tightening up the canter pirouettes a little bit, but, overall, I was really happy with him; he was very honest and forward in the ring.”
Scarpino: “I was very happy with my ride today. I was really happy with the trot work; it just felt more dynamic today than it did the other day. She got pretty fired up in the canter, but I was really happy with how well she handled herself; she stayed with me and didn’t ignore anything. I was really happy with the canter pirouettes; she was very honest in them. She let me set them up, she let me ride them. Overall, I was very happy with how she handled it and handled the environment this whole week.”
Live coverage of the 2018 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions will continue on the USEF Network beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST on Friday.
Find out more information about dressage seat equitation and the 2018 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. View the ride times and results.
Keep up with the 2018 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions on Facebook (@USADressage and @USEFNetwork), Instagram (@USEFNetwork), and Twitter (@USEFNetwork) for all the latest from the ring and behind the scenes.