Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Jan. 8, 2014–Kimberly Herslow has decided against moving her Rosmarin to Grand Prix just months after the pair won the United States Intermediate championship and expects to take up to another year before developing the nine-year-old gelding to the top level of the sport with hopes of a long championship career.

“Our goal now is to go to 80 percentile,” said the 42-year-old rider of Stockton, New Jersey who was scoring into the mid-70 per cent range in Prix St. Georges/Intermediate I in a string of top finishes last year.

“I think I can improve on it as well as still develop him at home to Grand Prix. He will tell me when he’s ready. I’m not going to force him.

‘He’s still a young horse and I want him to stay sound, to develop without pressure or stress. It will take time to get him to Grand Prix and to be as good if not better than at small tour.”

The decision not to rush Rosmarin (Rosentanz x Weltmeyer) into Grand Prix to compete for a place on the U.S. team for the World Equestrian Games next summer has the full support of her trainer, Lars Petersen whose international successes include all the global as well as European championships.

As one of the most promising partnerships in America, Kim is looking to try for a Grand Prix slot at the Pan American Games in 2015 and then the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016

“He’s a world class horse,” Lars told dressage-news.com on the eve of the Global Dressage Festival of 12 weeks of dressage shows at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.

“We want the horse to be really comfortable doing the Grand Prix. So often you see young horses being pushed too early into the Grand Prix and after two or three shows the horses decide it’s no fun and don’t want to do it any more.

“He has a lot of talent. I don’t see why we have to hurry up. Kim has another horse she can get lots of Grand Prix experience, learn a lot from.

“The best years of a horse should be between 12 and 15 years of age.”

Kim and Rosmarin won the U.S. Intermediate title in their first participation in the championships and expectations were that the talent of the horse would lead directly to the Grand Prix at a time of a resurgent American presence at international competitions.

However, she wants to improve Rosmarin’s power, brilliance and expression as recommended by judges.

“He loves to show,” she said, “he’s so much fun and he loves to be challenged. In 24 years of working my butt off, it pays off whenever when I ride the horse.

“Eighty per cent is what I’m shooting for. I don’t think that’s a stretch.

“I am not going to rush my horse. It’s going to be there and it will be spectacular when we are there.”

She has applied to be on the American team for the Nations Cup in mid-February and is seeking financial grants with the aim of going to Europe to continue training with Lars over the summer.

And she has the support of her partner, Ken Chism, who is using his marketing skills to help promote dressage.