Dressage-News

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Nov. 8, 2015–Victories by Michael Poulin and his daughter, Gwen who was just 11 years old when he won Olympic team bronze in 1992 were the highlights of the 28 championships contested in the third year of the United States Dressage Finals that were completed Sunday.

For Michael, the Grand Prix Freestyle performance at 70 years of age on Thor M that featured 37 consecutive one-tempi changes was his first championship since he won the U.S. national title on Graf George in 1993, a year after the pair was on the U.S. bronze medal team at the Olympics in Barcelona.

Gwen, now 34 years old and works with her father and mother, Sharon, at the training center in DeLeon Springs near Orlando in central Florida, claimed the Grand Prix title on William with her father runnerup.

While Michael, whose other daughter, Kate, a year older than Gwen, rode Brilliant Too on the U.S. gold medal team at the 2007 Pan American Games, can barely contain his pride in Gwen’s result she also had something to say about her father.

“I’m incredibly proud of him,” she said. “What my father has accomplished and continues to accomplish is beyond impressive, it’s truly inspiring.

“I don’t know anyone who works as hard with as much passion, kindness and honesty other than my mother. They are both my heroes.

The 28 championships in the U.S. Finals were divided evenly between adult amateurs and open classes from Training level through Grand Prix.  The 372 competitors from 36 states qualified through nine regional championships.

The U.S. national Grand Prix and Intermediaire championships requiring combinations to qualify through CDIs will be staged at the Global Dressage Festival grounds in Wellington, Florida next month.

Results: