USA Bred & Owned Mejorano Ridden for Spain, No American Flags at World Breeding Championships

6 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on USA Bred & Owned Mejorano Ridden for Spain, No American Flags at World Breeding Championships
Mejorano, the U.S.-bred and owned P.R.E. stallion, ridden by Jose Daniel Martin Dockx for Spain at the World Breeding Dressage Championships. © 2018 Ilse Schwarz/dressage-news.com

ERMELO, Netherlands, Aug. 3, 2018–Mejorano, a P.R.E. stallion bred and owned by Hampton Green Farm in Florida and Michigan, was ridden by Jose Daniel Martin Dockx for Spain in the World Breeding Dressage Championships in Ermelo, Netherlands Friday. There were no American flags in the young horse event for the first time in 10 years.

Mejorano was sired by Grandioso, the Hampton Green Farm stallion that was competed by Dani Dockx for Spain at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Equestrian Games as well as the 2013 and 2015 European Championships. Dani took over the ride after Courtney King-Dye competed Grandioso to Int. II before her accident.

Mejorano competed in the seven-year-old division in the first year of a new policy by the Spanish equestrian federation to give preference to Spanish horses.

This was the first time since 2009 that there has been no U.S. horse at the world championships, in contrast to the success of high performance Big Tour where all four combinations for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina next month are ranked in the top 25 in the world.

The U.S. was represented by Cesar Parra of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey on Don Cesar in 2017 in the seven-year-old division that was included in the championships for the first time in 2016 to go along with the long-standing five and six-year-olds.

Endel Ots of Wellington, Florida on Lucky Strike and David Wightman of Murieta, California on Silberpfeil competed in the six-year-old championships in 2016.

The U.S. can qualify two horses in both the five and six-year-old championships.