Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, April 4, 2021–Alice Tarjan rode the American-bred Serenade MF to the Lövsta Future Challenge Grand Prix title Sunday with the amateur rider also reserve on the year older Harvest. Alice’s coach, Marcus Orlob on Spirit of Joy took the Prix St. Georges to wrap up 12 weeks of the Global Dressage Festival.

Alice of Oldwick, New Jersey and the eight-year-old American Hanoverian mare Serenade were awarded 76.008% by the panel of three FEI judges while Harvest, a nine-year-old KWPN stallion received 72.938%, flipping the results from the warm-up competition a day earlier.

Jennifer Hoffmann of Carlsbad, California, competing for her first winter in Wellington, was third on Rondoro Noblesse on 71.754%.

Alice claimed the 2020 inaugural Lövsta Future Challenge with total prizẻ money of $15,000 on Donatella M. Earlier at this show, she and her 11-year-old Hanoverian mare Candescent won the CDI3* Grand Prix for the rider’s first ever Big Tour victory.

The two winter-long Global series, launched initially at Small Tour and expanded in 2020 to include Grand Prix, are modeled on successful events in Europe, including Lövsta competitions for both dressage and jumping in Sweden.

Both series have become so popular for developing horses that Thomas Baur, the Global sports director, announced that the 2022 qualifying competitions as well as the finals will be staged in the centerpiece international arena with FEI judges.

The head to head clash was the first for Serenade, bred by Maryanna Haymon of North Carolina and bought by Alice as a foal, and Harvest that she bought at the end of his third year, both acquired from videos as Alice does with all her horses.

“I think a series like this is fantastic,” she said. “I’ve done the developing grand prix classes before, but this is great because the young horses don’t have to go against the CDI horses, and they get the exposure in a bigger environment and in front of a judging panel that you wouldn’t get anywhere else without having the pressure of the CDI.”

Jennifer Hoffmann bought Rondoro Noblesse, an Austrian Warmblood stallion, while she was living in Europe for several years before returning to the U.S.

“He’s learned basically everything in just four years,” she said. “I have to keep reminding myself because this horse is so talented, he has no holes in his training, he has so many wonderful things about him, and I just need to get him stronger and more confident in the arena. There’s nothing that is too difficult for him, so I’m really excited about this one.”

Antonia Ax:son Johnson explained the Lövsta series was started in Sweden 10 years ago at the suggestion of Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén, the seven-time Olympian who rides her horses, and coach Louise Nathhorst.

“Last year we brought it to Wellington, because Wellington has offered us, for 12 years now, the most wonderful place to come and train and compete and is generous and hospitable,” she said. “So we said we wanted to give something back.” Through the equestrian series, Antonia also sponsors a Palm Beach group engaged in cleaning beaches.

Spirit of Joy, the Westfalen gelding on which Marcus Orlob of Annandale, New Jersey, rode to win the St. Georges Future Challenge was the youngest of the 11 horses in the class.

“It was his third Prix St. Georges,” he said of the horse he has been riding since the age of four. “The changes and tempi changes are a bit of an excitement for him right now, it was too bad that I had a mistake in them yesterday and then today he was afraid of X; there was a shadow or something in the footing that he didn’t like. With that said, it’s a quality horse, a fun horse to ride and I’m very happy with him.”

The pair won the U.S. six-year-old championship last year and is considering a campaign for the seven-year-old world championships.

Jessica Jo “J.J.” Tate of Wellington and Romeo placed second on Romeo on 69.999% and Charlotte Jorst of Reno, Nevada on Zhaplin Langholt third on 69.754%.

Results:

Lövsta Future Challenge Grand Prix

Prix St. Georges Future Challenge