Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Nov. 10, 2016–The United States Dressage Finals with a growing number of professionals among mostly adult amateurs began its fourth annual event Thursday with the Intermediate II championships decided from a slate of 30 national titles up for grabs over four days.

Heather Mason of Lebanon, New Jersey won the open championship on 69.737 per cent on Warsteiner, on whom she was named U.S. Dressage Federation Horse of the Year at 4th Level in 2010, at Prix St. Georges in 2012 and at Intermediate in 2013.

She competed the horse at Grand Prix at a couple of CDIs in 2013 and 2014 but dropped the horse back.

Now, with Warsteiner 13 years old and competed here in a snaffle bridle for the first time since third level in 2009, Heather plans to compete the KWPN gelding at Big Tour next year.

Karen Lipp of Ball Ground, Georgia on Whitney was reserve champion on a score of 68.202 per cent, in a new lease on competition life for the partnership after owner Kathleen Oldford decided not to sell the 11-year-old Hanoverian when she gave up riding her.

The owner said she liked the partnership of Karen and Whitney.

She described Whitney that she found when the horse was four as “very goey, electric.”

Karen, who trained with Klaus Balkenhol and competed in Germany in 2005, competed Whitney at U.S. four, five and six-year-old championships.

Whitney doesn’t like to be touched which is why Karen thinks she might be a good Grand Prix horse. She will find out next year when she intends to compete at Big Tour at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida.

She has been working with Tina Konyot who rode Calecto V for the United States at the 2012 Olympics and the 2010 and 2014 World Games.

These finals were launched four years ago as head-to-head competition between top qualifiers at all levels from the nine regional championships across the country.

This year, there are 380 entries, 202 adult amateurs and 178 in open classes. In the first year 2013, there were 304 entries.

Riders from 39 states and the District of Columbia are competing this week, with the top states being Florida (40), Illinois (34), Texas, 33, Virginia (27), Kentucky (26), New Jersey (23), Ohio (19), North Carolina and Minnesota (16), Georgia (15), Indiana (14), Michigan (13), Wisconsin (12) and California and Pennsylvania (9).

To put the event into context, the combination ranked highest on the U.S. Equestrian Federation Grand Prix standings competing here is Sharon McCusker on Wrigley at No. 27.

Results:

Intermediate II Open Championship

Intermediate II AA Championship

Judges: E-Sarah Geikie C-Liselotte Fore M-Carter Bass