Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 19, 2015–Mikala Gundersen, fed up with placing behind Danish World Games team mate Lars Petersen, rode My Lady to only their second victory by winning the CDI4* Grand Prix at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival Thursday and give the owner a 71st birthday present with a score of more than 71 per cent.

Mikala and the 15-year-old Danish Warmblood mare by Michellino and owned by former Dane now American living on Palm Beach, Janne Rumbough, scored 71.600 per cent for the victory over American Shelly Francis of Loxahatchee, Florida and Doktor on 71.080 per cent and Canada’s Belinda Trussell on Anton in third on 70.400 per cent.

“This one was for Janne,” Mikala said after her ride, which can be seen here. Earlier in the day, Janne rode her Junior in the 3* Grand Prix, marked  by a chorus of “Happy Birthday” from spectators as she left the arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.

Horses and riders dealt with temperatures about 50 degrees F (10C) with winds gusting up to 20 mph (32kph) that made it feel like an unseasonable 38F/3C at the show that attracted a Western Hemisphere record of about 600 international and national rides.

Mikala took advantage of fellow Wellington-based Danish rider Lars Petersen taking a break from competing Mariett to notch the first CDI Grand Prix victory since last March.

The rider who moved to Wellington 10 years ago with her jumper husband, Henrik, and two children
rode at the World Cup Final in Lyon, France last year and on her first Danish championship team with my Lady and as team mates with Lars and Mariett at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy.

She said her main goal this year is to seek to be on her nation’s team at the European Championships in Aachen, Germany in August. To achieve that, she wants to ride at the CDI5* in Aachen in May and then compete at the Danish championships.

Allison Brock of Wellington logged her second victory of the 2016 Global circuit on Rosevelt, scoring 71.600 per cent over Great Britain’s Lara Griffith on Rubin Al Asad on 71.020 per cent and Shelly Francis on Danilo on 69.540 per cent.

Ali and the 13-year-old Hanoverian stallion owned by Claudine and Fritz Kundrun won the opening show of the 12-week winter circuit. Thursday’s ride can be seen here.

United States combinations swept the top three places in the Prix St. Georges that wrapped up after 54 rides over two days, led by Kimberly Herslow on Rosmarin with a score of 72.474 per cent.

Dawn White-O’Connor, assistant trainer to Steffen Peters of San Diego, California rode Aristo to second place on 70.184 per cent with Kasey Perry of Orangeville, California on Goerklintgaards Dublet in third on 69.921 per cent.

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