Lars Petersen & Naomi Capture Grand Prix for Special at Devon
15 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Lars Petersen & Naomi Capture Grand Prix for Special at Devon
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
DEVON, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25–Lars Petersen and Naomi overcame a “big” mistake to capture the Grand Prix for the Special at Dressage at Devon Friday.
“We’re still struggling with the throughness andf strength, but it is definitely getting better,” said the Danish Olympian who scored 65.915 per cent.
Pierre St. Jacques of Ocala, Florida, on his 2007 Pan American Games team gold medal horse Lucky Tiger was second with 64.170 per cent and Susan Jaccoma of Wellington, Florida and Wadamur were third with 63.957 per cent.
Petersen said that the 12-year-old Naomi needs to do more shows to develop more strength.
The “big” mistake was in the extended trot where Petersen said he “went for it” but the horse jumped and that also affected the transition to piaffe.
“It was very costly,” he said.
The future is to keep developing the horse for the Florida winter circuit. “There is definitely more there,” he said.
Petersen, who is based in Wellington, Florida, said that he is working on a new fun freestyle for Naomi with Tom Benson, a musician who with his wife, Janet Bell, of Loxahatchee, Florida, own the horse.
Pierre St. Jacques said that he rode the test too conservatively and Lucky Tiger, the 15-year-old he has owned for 10 years, could not be as good as he wanted.
“This is his year,” he said. “I want to get him out there.”
