Dressage-News

WAYNE, Illinois, Aug. 28, 2021–Glory Day was ridden by Marcus Orlob the United States 5-Year-Old Championship Saturday on an American record score of 9.770.

Glory Day, a black Danish Warmblood stallion (Grand Galaxy Win Deemster) scored higher on 9.820, but an error in starting a walk the wrong direction reduced the result to 9.770 from the panel of four judges, some of whom admitted after the ride they had goose bumps and tears in their eyes watching the ride.

Marcus and Glory were awarded maximum marks of 10 for the trot, canter and potential as a dressage horse, 9.6 for the walk and 9.5 for submission.

Australia’s Hope Beerling on Vianne, an American-bred mare (Vitalis x Ramiros Bube), placed second on 9.260. The horse was bred by U.S. team rider Catherine Haddad-Staller of Califon, New Jersey for whom Hope works.

Alice Tarjan on her homebred Danish Warmblood mare Gjenganger (Grand Galaxy Win x 8.980%Blue Hors Don Schufro) was third on 8.980.

Alice of Oldwick, New Jersey owns Glory Day. She is coached by Marcus who lives 15 minutes away. The German-born Marcus took over the ride in November 2019 because of the horse’s big gaits and can be spooky.

“This is such a top quality horse and he’s so light on his feet and light in the bridle and beautiful in the self-carriage, I think it was great they rewarded that,” said Marcus who has competed many young horses over the years.

He described Glory as “a little sports car.”

He goes to Alice’s barn four times a week to ride Glory, but no more than 30 minutes a day.

“Every day he’s 110% per cent with you,” said the 39-year-old Marcus. “He wants to work. There’s never any argument or bitchiness. For a stallion, he has a great attitude. That makes my job so much easier.”

He said that Alice has given him the option of deciding whether he can keep competing Glory.

“I would love to continue riding him because he is such an easy horse and wonderful to ride. It would be different if he was a jerk.”

Here’s how Marcus explained the error: “I was so focused because in the canter I lost a little bit of concentration and was thinking the walk is coming up, the walk is coming up prepare, prepare but I was thinking of the test from yesterday. I was so mad at myself. I didn’t realize it right away then I did and I said to myself, ‘you idiot, you rode the wrong way’. I was so embarrassed.”

Results:

5-Year-Old Final