Dressage-News

WAYNE, Illinois, Aug. 26, 2018–West Coast riders Miki Yang on Garden’s Sam, Craig Stanley on Habanero, Dawn White-O’Connor on Bailarino and Charlotte Jorst on Nintendo claimed four USA championships Sunday to wrap up the Festival of Champions of 14 performance and young horse titles.

Miki Yang of Los Altos Hills, California and Garden’s Sam, 11-year-old New Forest pony gelding, scored 69.643 per cent in the individual after winning the team test earlier to claim the Children championship.

Craig Stanley, an Australian based in Madera, California won the six-year-old championship with a score of 89.800 in the final, two days after capturing the preliminary competition.

Craig came to the United States planning to stay for a year, met an American and is still here 19 years later.

He and Habanero, a home-bred KWPN gelding, won the four-year-old title with two second place finishes, but this year with his first victories.

“It’s very surreal,” he said, “to think I would even have the chance to be good enough to achieve this. Obviously, you need a lot of help along the way.

“I have a picture of him as an embryo and actually pulled him out of the mare. It’s been a long journey; absolutely above [expectations].”

Dawn White O’Connor on Bailarino, a 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Breitling x De Niro), won the developing Grand Prix horse final on a score of 89.000 per cent after placing second in the opening round. Bailarino was competed at small tour by Steffen Peters. Dawn works with Steffen at his training center in San Diego, California.

This was Dawn’s first national title.

Charlotte Jorst of Reno, Nevada on Nintendo won the Freestyle Sunday on a score of 73.650 per cent for a sweep of the three Grand Prix competitions. The Grand Prix had only six combinations, with the top 13 pairs in the nation absent, including the four team members and a reserve preparing for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina in a little over two weeks.

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