Lindsay Kellock & Sebastien Post Career High Grand Prix Score in Wellington CDI3* Grand Prix
4 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Lindsay Kellock & Sebastien Post Career High Grand Prix Score in Wellington CDI3* Grand Prix
WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 11, 2021–Pan American Games team gold medal rider Lindsay Kellock rode Sebastien to a personal best score in the Global Dressage Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Thursday in pursuit of a place on Canada’s Olympic team.
Linsday and the 15-year-old Rhinelander gelding scored 72.326% for runner-up to the USA’s Nick Wagman on Don John but higher than the previous best of 71.587% set in Devon, Pennsylvania in 2019 and the highest of any of her previous Grand Prix results going back to her first Big Tour in 2012.
The result was also the highest at Grand Prix so far this year of any combination seeking a place on Canada’s team for the Tokyo Games whose qualifying began again in January after the Olympics were delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic. The best three Grand Prix results will count toward qualifying in the period that ends in mid-June.
Lindsay, 30 years old, rode Floratina at Small Tour on the gold medal team at the 2019 Pan Ams. She began competing Sebastien (Sandro Hit x Fidermark), owned by Enterprise Farm Equestrian and Melissa Schiff, at international Grand Prix almost exactly two years ago.
Two weeks ago, the pair performed their first CDI in more than 10 months in what Lindsay described as Sebastien being a little “ring rusty.”
Not Thursday. Three passage tours earned marks mostly of eight from the five judges while a mistake in the one-tempi changes–the pair performed 13 instead of the required 15–reduced the score slightly.
“I’m thrilled with him,” she said. “Today he just came in and tried his heart out for me. I’m just over the moon.”
As for her prospects of making Canada’s team, she said, “anything can happen. But, of course, this is comforting to know that the horse has the potential to score this high. We’ll just keep going.”
Lindsay’s feeling more confident and plans to compete in the CDI5* here in two weeks.
“Just getting to know him more and more in the ring,” has built confidence, she said. “Last year was our first real year at big Grand Prix. There’s always a learning experience–how much warmup do you need, how many times do you take him in the stadium. I’ve been working with Sebastien’s groom making him as happy as he can be. I think we’re succeeding at that.”
